Montreal is without a doubt one of the main attractions for cruise ships along the majestic St. Lawrence River and the North American East Coast.

Every year, the Port of Montreal welcomes thousands of cruise ship passengers to its Iberville Passenger Terminal.

At the centre of a major air, land and sea transportation network, Montreal is ideally-located for the cruise trade. Its highways are linked to all parts of North America, and more than 40 national and international airlines regularly serve its two international airports, Montreal-Trudeau and Montreal-Mirabel.

Montreal is clean and safe. It is above all unique, in that it offers North American visitors the cachet of Europe without crossing the Atlantic. There is a wealth of attractions for tourists to choose from.

Montreal boasts fine restaurants, elegant boutiques, department stores and shopping complexes, well-preserved historical buildings, museums, impressive concert halls, and numerous theatres and stadiums that are home to professional sports teams.

Close to many major centres in Canada and the United States, Montreal is one of the few cities in the world where visitors can easily communicate in French and English. The city is beautiful and has an undeniable "joie de vivre."

Montreal’s underground city is a vast network of pedestrian passageways that link residential buildings, skyscrapers, hotels, restaurants, cinemas, banks, nearly 1,000 boutiques and major downtown department stores.

The city’s Métro system, which connects to much of the underground city, is among the world’s most efficient, safe and pleasant transportation systems.

Montreal is brimming with attractions, a fact that the Montreal Port Authority makes known to cruise lines and operators who, in turn, benefit from the port’s reliable and efficient services. While others involved in the cruise trade concentrate their efforts on tourists, the MPA focuses mainly on shipowners, lines and charterers. In other words, the MPA and others in the business complement and support each other in their promotional efforts. The MPA is a member of the St. Lawrence Cruise Association and the Canada/New-England Cruise Committee.

The Port of Montreal has an extensive list of cruise lines that offer voyages along the St. Lawrence River and the North American East Coast, with Montreal serving as an arrival and departure point. The route between New York and Montreal is very popular, and includes stops in locations such as Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Portland, Bar Harbor, Saint John, Halifax, Sydney, Corner Brook, Charlottetown, St-Pierre et Miquelon, St. John's, Magdalen Islands, Saguenay, Quebec City and Montreal.

In between are the rugged, forested coastlines of the St. Lawrence River, rustic fishing villages, migrating whales and the granite cliffs of the Saguenay Fjord. Nowhere are the brilliant colours of autumn quite so beautiful as along the St. Lawrence River, which helps explain the immense popularity of September and October cruises to Montreal.