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Parc du Mont-Royal

After exploring Old Montreal, save time for a walk through Frederick Law Olmsted's wooded and sprawling, 470-odd-acre Mont-Royal Park, which spans the northern edge of downtown and forms the western border of the Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood. The Park Avenue side of the mountain is a popular meeting spot; in the summer, the city's free spirits gather here for Sunday afternoon parties, known as the Tam-Tam Jams. Look for sunbathers, Frisbee games, and drum players in warm weather, and cross-country skiers and ice skaters in cold. There's even the occasional La Bataille Médiéval swordplay. If that doesn't grab your fancy, stroll through the woods up to the mountain's summit, and enjoy spectacular views of the city and the surrounding countryside. On a clear day, you can see all the way to the Green Mountains of Vermont.