Montreal is the second largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris. It is a bilingual city. There are neighbourhoods where English is the predominant language and others where French is more widely spoken, but the majority of the population speaks two languages. It is impressive to see how people switch from one language to another.

If you want to learn English or French in a multicultural environment, Montreal is the place to do it.

• Montreal is an island
• Montreal is the second largest French speaking city in the world (after Paris)
• Home of the world famous Cirque du Soleil, Montreal is a circus city
• Montreal boasts the second highest number of restaurants per capita in North America
• Montreal is a UNESCO city of design
• Montreal has the largest underground shopping mall in the world
• Montreal has four distinct seasons, namely, summer, winter, spring and fall
• Hockey is the favourite sport of Montreal
• The cost of living in Montreal is among the lowest in Canada.
  Coffee – $3.00
  Movie ticket – $12.00
  Lunch – $10.00
  Dinner – $20.00
  Transportation pass – $82.00/month
• Montreal is close to many other major cities like
  Ottawa
  Quebec
  Toronto, Niagara Falls
  New York and Boston

• Free Wi-Fi
• 30 Classrooms
• 1 Computer lab
• 3 Kitchens
• 2 Student lounges
• 12 Student per class

Montreal is an international stage for many cultural events. There are more than 40 festivals throughout the year. The most famous festivals are jazz and film, but the city has more than 100 English and French theatre companies and is also known as a fashion centre.

In the summer, festivals are more frequent. It is at this time when the International Jazz Festival takes place, one of the best in the world, with 30 years of tradition and attracts many spectators from all over the world.

There is also one of the largest comedy festivals in the world, the famous Just for laughs festival.

In addition to the festivals, Montreal also host the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The famous Cirque du Soleil is based in Montreal.

BLI takes learning beyond the classroom.

Live the language you are learning by participating in our activity program that offers great activities every day.

BLI offers a fantastic activity program and we encourage you to participate in our activities as much as you can. Participating will allow you to connect with friends and to explore and experience life and culture in Montreal and/or Quebec City as well as provide you with an opportunity to practice the language you are learning outside the classroom.

You will treasure incredible experiences you will remember your entire life. Our activity program offers you the opportunity to discover and explore the city where you are studying. Relax and spend time with your new international friends while you continue practicing your English or French In a relax environment and meet new friends.

Our activity program varies from season to season and includes activities like skating, rollerblading, conversation clubs, karaoke nights, movie nights, student parties, biking, rafting, visiting museums, going to concerts, and much more.

Some activities are free and others have a cost that will depend on the type of activity.

All activities are lead by the activities coordinator and/or a teacher.

Montreal’s amazing location allows you to discover many beautiful places close to the city

• Some of our weekend tours and outings are:
• Toronto & Niagara Falls
• Ottawa
• Quebec City
• New York City*
• Boston*
• Whales watching
• Skiing
• Dog sledding
• Tubing
  *Traveling to USA

Some weekend trips include travel to the USA for shopping or other activities. If you plan to enter the USA while you are studying in Montreal, you need a valid USA Visa. You must apply for your USA visa before coming to Canada. If you are from Western European Countries & Japan you do not have to apply for a USA Visa in advance, as you will be able to get one from USA Immigration at the border. Your passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 months and be machine readable.

If you have a single-entry Canadian visa, you should be allowed to travel to the USA as long as your visa is valid and you return to Canada before the end of your approved stay in Canada (http://www.cic.gc.ca).