Montreal Central Station currency exchange question

Hi, in March I will venturing by rail from Raleigh, NC to Montreal. This will be my first trip to Canada. Is there a curency exchange inside of Central Station? If not, where is the closest one? I hope their open considering the adirondak isnt due in untill 6 PM IF on time. Thanks.

There used to be a currency exchange booth near the baggage claim in Central Station. I'm not sure if it's still there or not. It's been many years since I noticed it. If not, there are ATMs available in the station which you can use to obtain cash in Canadian dollars from your US bank account.

Most businesses in Montreal will accept American money, but the exchange rate will vary. Also, many hotels in Montreal offer currency exchange to their guests.

Hi GG-1,

First off you always enter a foreign country with the coin of the realm in your pocket. That means you go to your local bank and have them obtain Canadian dollars for you at the current rate of exchange. You will be surprised to learn that you make about a quarter on each Canadian dollar. That is an American dollar will buy about 1.25 Candian dollars. So, you are ahead of the game that way. Should you use American dollars in Canada you will find that they take the money at par value, and you lose the quarter per dollar or thereabouts.

If that is inconvenient for you, you can go to a Canadian bank when you get there and make the exchanges there. The best advice is to use your Credit Cards as much as possible. When you get the bill, the credit card company will convert the Canadian money to American money ON THE BILL. Great way to take care of the exchange.

Next, I hope that you can speak some French. In Montreal, and the rest of the Province of Quebec, you will find that if you speak English, most of the time you will be ignored. All the shop signs etc. are in French. If you remember, the Province of Quebec tried to secede from Canada and become a state which is almost part of France. Very strong ties to France.

Once you have overcome all of that you should have a great time. Lots of stuff to see, great restaurants, especially if you like French food. Good Luck, have a great time, and how about a full report when you get back ?

Thanks for the tips guys. I will definately have a report posted when I get back. Does the AMT use ticket machines or ticket agents?

pennsy wrote:You will be surprised to learn that you make about a quarter on each Canadian dollar. That is an American dollar will buy about 1.25 Candian dollars.

That was a few years ago. Now the rate of exchange isn't as favourable and you'll only get about $1.15CDN for $1.00US.

pennsy wrote:Next, I hope that you can speak some French. In Montreal, and the rest of the Province of Quebec, you will find that if you speak English, most of the time you will be ignored.

That's never been my experience. Although I speak enough French to get by, there should be little difficulty using English only.

Hi Ken,

Looks like it has been some time since you "tested the waters". I had directions to a good friend's home in Charmody, a suburb of Montreal. Pulled over to speak to a gentleman that was sweeping his sidewalk. Yes, he was sweeping his sidewalk. I asked him, politely, for directions to Charmody, in English. Got nowhere really fast, he kept on sweeping. Switched over to my high school and college French and he almost fell over backwards trying to help me out. And it was that way all through the Province, including Quebec City.

Another point worth mentioning to GG-1. You will notice that Canadian money is different in that each denomination is a different color. Every American piece of paper money is green and you have to look at the bill to see the denomination. Canadians don't do that, they look at the COLOR of the bill, and that tells them the denomination. Accordingly, they don't like American currency. To them, a 20 dollar bill looks like a 5 dollar bill, both are green. They have to stop and look at the number on the bill. My problem was that I thought I was using Monopoly money, all different colors, until I checked what I had left at the end of the day, and realized I had spent more than I had planned. By the way, try the Crepes Suzettes. Usually outstanding. And the LaBatt beer is second to none.

In Montreal you should have no problem speaking English, it is very tourist driven. Outside the city could be a problem however. Quebec City can be another story when it comes to French/English. It can also depend on the age of the person you are talking too. The older a person is the less likely it is they may speak English. If you pick up on a few French words try to incorporate them into speaking with people. For example when greeting someone in a store or restaurant you might want to say "Bonjour, how are you" instead of just "hello. They will appreciate the effort you make, much in the same way you do if you have ever dealt with a foreigner. You may even notice that when you get something to eat a lot of places have both French and English menus, some have both on the same menu. Which menu you get depends on how you great the host/hostess.

When it comes to exchanging money there are an abundance of places all over the city. I try to avoid them as well as the hotel exchange as they usually charge a surcharge, the banks, if open are your best bet. You should bring a little Canadian money with you. But if you need more you can always use an ATM, I have used them on the almost 20 times I have been there and never had a problem. They do not use dollar bills they use coins called "loonies" due to the bird on them. They also have 2 dollar coins.

Have a great trip, Montreal is a great city.

pennsy wrote:Hi GG-1,

First off you always enter a foreign country with the coin of the realm in your pocket..........an American dollar will buy about 1.25 Candian dollars.

Just use an ATM. You get the best rate of exchange and is about 1.10>1.15 now. There are several ATM's just to left of the Staples Store (Bureau en Gros - In French) inside the Station at the west end of the Concourse.

pennsy wrote: Next, I hope that you can speak some French. In Montreal, and the rest of the Province of Quebec, you will find that if you speak English, most of the time you will be ignored......If you remember, the Province of Quebec tried to secede from Canada and become a state which is almost part of France. Very strong ties to France.

Couldn't be farther from truth! It nice to be able to say a couple of words in French but you will do just fine with English only in Montreal, Quebec City and any other tourist area. I'm in Quebec every couple of months and know some French. But most can sense I'm English and just switch. I've never been ignored.

Quebec tried to secede from Canada in a referendum about 12 years ago and it was rejected by a slim margin. But the separatist PQ Party lost the last election and the pro-Canada Liberal Party is in power now. It had nothing to with France. About the only ties Quebec has with France now are a common language.

I love Americans when they give advice to fellow Americans about coming to Canada.

Exchange rate as of
2007.02.19 06:22:25 UTC.
1.00 USD
United States Dollars = 1.16448 CAD
Canada Dollars
1 USD = 1.16448 CAD 1 CAD = 0.858750 USD

as for the enlgish french language troubles it is no differerent than being in some areas of the States and English is not the spoken language. I use to live in Iowa and had to learn to deal with people who spoke spanish, laotian and english. I only spoke english and i never thought it was bad when they did not speak english.

as for Quebec having ties to France......that is long past history, since late 1700s .

I think some people should stay within the knowledge they have of trains and stay out of internatioanl relations here.

Most American ATM/Bank/Debit cards work in Canada, usually you will find the exchange rate at the Bank Machines equal to the rate paid at the Bank counter or better then the excahnge rate at a place of business.

Going to the States I found my bank card did not work at many ATMS because they were not on the same network. Not sure if you can use American bank cards as a debit card at Canadian businesses.

Some of the smaller stores do not give an exhange rate, company policy and that is something to be aware of. Corner stores in my area of Ontario are famous for no exhange rate, if in doubt ask the clerk first.

I hope you have a great trip to Montreal area

If you are travelling on the AMT (i.e. public transit), Montreal works on a ticket and pass (monthly, weekly) system. The metro stations are manned at all times, so if you ever need to purchase tickets or a pass, it wont be a problem. You can also pay your fare in cash to the metro attendant.

The passes are definitely the best way to go though - so easy and you get unlimited rides for the week or the month.

Hi All,

Nice to see we have some Canadiens on board to give their point of view.

George L. wrote:If you are travelling on the AMT (i.e. public transit), Montreal works on a ticket and pass (monthly, weekly) system. The metro stations are manned at all times, so if you ever need to purchase tickets or a pass, it wont be a problem. You can also pay your fare in cash to the metro attendant.

The passes are definitely the best way to go though - so easy and you get unlimited rides for the week or the month.

Don't confuse the Métro (subway) and bus system with the commuter trains. STM (Société de Transport de Montréal) operates the Métro and buses while AMT (Agence Métropolitaine de Transport) operates the trains.

STM offers a weekly pass. AMT doesn't. There are monthly passes available for each system individually and a combined pass (called TRAM) for both. STM also has a one-day or 3-day tourist card available.

GG14935 wrote:Does the AMT use ticket machines or ticket agents?

Some of the stations have ticket agents but most have only ticket vending machines available. Don't board the train without a valid ticket. Tickets are not sold on the trains and you could be subject to a fine for riding without one.

GG14935 wrote:Hi, in March I will venturing by rail from Raleigh, NC to Montreal. This will be my first trip to Canada. Is there a curency exchange inside of Central Station? If not, where is the closest one? I hope their open considering the adirondak isnt due in untill 6 PM IF on time. Thanks.

There is a National Bank exchange wicket on the west side of the concourse near track 9. I don't know what the hours are.

Mike

Ken V wrote:Some of the stations have ticket agents but most have only ticket vending machines available. Don't board the train without a valid ticket. Tickets are not sold on the trains and you could be subject to a fine for riding without one.

Just a note on some of those vending machines: The default language is French. You'll have to push a button to get a display with English instructions. Tickets from these machines are valid from the time they are issued.

If I recall correctly, there are also vending machines at Central Station near Tracks 9-10 that sell train tickets in packs of six. You can also obtain such tickets from agents and retail outlets that sell train tickets. (I think they provide some savings over individual tickets.) Just don't forget to have these tickets validated in a validation machine before boarding a train.

Thats what I was wondering about downbeat, thanks. I wasnt looking forward to the expereince fumbling with the TVM trying to translate in my head with commuters in a hurry behind me.