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Vieux-Montréal (Old Montreal)

The historic heart of the city, Old Montreal is a portside hamlet of narrow cobblestoned streets and handsome stone buildings dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, along with a handful from the 17th. Hands down, this is Montreal's most scenic neighborhood, but attractiveness has its disadvantages, as evidenced in the proliferation of kitschy tourist stores selling fleur-de-lis flags and maple paraphernalia in bulk. The area is gaining new life, thanks to the recent arrival of a few smart hotels, pioneering boutique owners, and ambitious chefs.