Montreal is a city rich in culture-museums, art galleries, music and dance concerts-and from now until April 2 there`s even more of an incentive to discover its many charms, including a fine selection of restaurants.
Many of the city`s treats are available at a savings with the Montreal This Winter. Big on Life promotion.
There are savings of up to 50 percent off the daily room rate at 30 Montreal hotels. Even the posh Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons Hotels are participating in the promotion. Rates are in effect Thursdays through Sundays.
The packages include discounts on long distance calls from your hotel, gasoline and a coupon book that offers savings on restaurants, boutiques, events and excursions.
Currently on view at the Musee des arts decoratifs is a Cecil Beaton retrospective. Dec. 19-21, Handel`s Messiah will be performed at the Notre-Dame Basilica.
If sports are more to your liking, take in a Montreal Canadiens hockey game.
If the weather isn`t conducive to outdoor exploration, visitors can head for the city`s 20-mile underground walkway system filled with restaurants and shops and connected to many hotels.
Use your American Express card to charge your hotel bill and you`ll receive two free tickets to the Chagall Exhibition at the Musee des beaux-artes and two tickets to the greenhouses of Montreal`s Botanical Gardens.
For more information about the special packages and a calendar of Montreal cultural events, contact the Quebec Government Tourist Office, 312-472-0240 or 800-443-7000.
SHAKER WEEKENDS
A visit to the historic Shakertown village near Lexington, Ky., is like a trip back in time to a simpler life. Visitors can tour its 30 original buildings-now restored-and get an insight into the life and culture of the 19th Century religious sect.
The village is open year round, but winter is a special time to visit because of a tranquility that prevails. In January and February there are special weekend packages that feature original Shaker and traditional Appalachian music as part of evening entertainment.
After a country buffet breakfast on Saturday, guests can tour the buildings and see craft demonstrations or visit the craft shop.
The weekend includes two nights` lodging at Shakertown`s 78-room country inn, meals and a village tour ticket. The price is $110 a person, double occupancy.
Winter weekend dates are Jan. 13-14, 20-21, 27-28; Feb. 3-4, 10-11, 17-18 and 24-25. The Feb. 10-11 weekend will feature a program by professional storytellers.
For more information, contact Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, 3500 Lexington Rd., Harrodsburg, Ky. 40330; 606-734-5411.
SPAIN BY TRAIN
Looking for a different way to spend New Year`s Eve? Then hop aboard the Andalusian Express, a luxury train in Spain with restored, vintage rail cars from the 1920s.
The train`s 20 posh cabins have private showers and are stocked with robes, slippers and toiletries.
For the New Year`s Eve trip, the train will depart Madrid on Dec. 28 with dinner and entertainment en route to Jerez de la Frontera. The next day passengers will see a performance at the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Arts and tour a sherry winery.
Next stop is Seville, where passengers will take in dinner and a flamenco dance performance. During the day on New Year`s Eve, travelers will stop in Cordoba and tour La Mezquita, a mosque built 1,600 years ago by the Moors.
They`ll reboard the train for the New Year`s Eve celebration as the train journeys back to Madrid for arrival on New Year`s Day.
Included in the $1,050 cost (per person, double occupancy) is four nights` accommodations on the train, four breakfasts, one lunch, two dinners on the train, one dinner and flamenco performance off the train and sightseeing in Seville, Cordoba and Jerez. Single occupancy costs $1,300.
The train`s regular program will begin May 5 with twice-weekly trips between Malaga and Seville. There also are one-day excursions from Seville to Jerez. New next season are trips to the north of Spain to Pamplona and Santiago de Compostela.
For more information, contact a travel agent or the Spanish National Rail Pass, 800-992-3976 or 203-454-8916.
CHOICE U.S. INNS
Stafford`s Bay View Inn in Petoskey, Mich., and the Beaumont Inn in Harrodsburg, Ky., were among 10 country inns that have received the Best Inns of the Year award.
The annual award is sponsored by Uncle Ben`s Inc., in cooperation with Innsider magazine. The winners were selected by an independent panel of industry leaders familiar with hostelries from coast to coast.
The awards were presented to full-service inns, which means that the place serves at least one meal (dinner) other than breakfast. Other criteria were decor, comfort, an attractive setting, personalized service, amenities and a thoughtful menu (all the better if regional specialties are served).
Other winners are the Ashby Inn & Restaurant, Paris, Va.; Buxton Inn-1812, Granville, Ohio; Gateway Lodge and Cabins, Cooksburg, Pa.; the Governor`s Inn, Ludlow, Vt.; the Inn at Phillips Mill, New Hope, Pa.; the Manor Farm Inn, Poulsbo, Wash.; the Sherman House, San Francisco; and Windham Hill Inn, West Townshend, Vt.
Uncle Ben`s went a step further with its enthusiasm about country inns and has a line of Country Inn Brand Rice dishes that were inspired by inn food across the country.
For more information on the inns, contact Marian Tripp Communications, Suite 5B, 70 E. Walton St., Chicago, Ill. 60611; 751-1440.
LONDON ROUTES
London bound and want to save some money on the way from Heathrow to your hotel? Take the Airbus or the Underground to your hotel. A handy flyer is available that lists more than 80 hotels and the most convenient stop on either of the two Airbus routes or the closest Underground train station.
Published by London Regional Transport, which operates the city`s buses and subway, the flyer also has maps of the Airbus routes and the subway system, schedules and fares.
For a copy, contact the British Tourist Authority, 875 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611; 787-0490.
FREE FOR THE WRITING
For a copy of the Winter `88-`89 Calendar of Events for Washington, D.C., contact the Washington, D.C., Convention & Visitors Association, 1212 New York Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005; 202-789-7000. . . For a copy of the Northwest Wisconsin Cross-Country Ski Trails, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Northwest Regional Planning Commission, 302 Walnut St., Spooner, Wis. 54801. . . . For a copy of the Greater Omaha 1988-`89 Winter Events calendar, contact the Greater Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau, Suite 1200, 1819 Farnam, Omaha, Neb. 68183; 800-332-1819 or 402-444-4660.
