Montreal for The Thrill Seekers: a Friday-to-Monday weekend

Take the steps from Peel up the mountain's southern flank to the Chalet lookout; repeat twice if you want the legs to complain.

A spa on a converted ferry in the Old Port: hot pools, steam and cold plunges with the river moving under your feet.

A tiny Plateau lunch counter that serves fries and poutine from a tight kitchen, standing room and a stool or two; the late-night refuel.

The Formula One track is open to cyclists and runners when there is no race; ride the 4.3 km loop and sprint the Senna straight.

Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome of the US pavilion at Expo 67, now an environment museum; climb the escalators to the top for the view.

Two brothers cooking their Singaporean mother's laksa and pork-belly buns in a room of red lanterns; good for a plate of noodles after a long ride.

A jet-boat or raft run through the Lachine Rapids, the biggest whitewater on the St Lawrence; wear a wet suit and expect to be soaked.

The funicular at the Olympic Stadium climbs the world's tallest inclined tower, 165 metres, for a view over the island on a clear day.

Smoked meat cured for ten days and steamed to order since 1928, served medium-fat on rye with a pickle; the line moves faster than it looks.

Olmsted's carriage path climbs in long switchbacks to the Kondiaronk Belvedere; the city turns out in joggers at this hour, and the view is yours.

The old Olympic velodrome turned into five ecosystems under one roof; walk from tropical forest to Arctic shore in an hour.

An Italian espresso bar from 1970 with football on the television; the macchiato and a panino are the day's reward.