Sightseeing in Montreal
Sightseeing
A division of the Canada Lands Company, the Old Port of Montréal is a recreational tourism site, which, for over 25 years, has offered a variety of family, nautical and other leisure activities to more than 6 million visitors annually. It is home to the Montréal Science Centre, the second largest facility of its kind in the country, which provides a multitude of opportunities for scientific discovery as well as IMAX® larger-than-life films to more than 650,000 visitors each year.
It also contains delightful terraces, an urban beach with fine sand, and one of the loveliest skating rinks in the country. Its diversified programming encompasses a wide range of cultural, culinary, sporting and musical events as well as open-air festivals, including the internationally renowned Cirque du Soleil and Igloofest.
The Old Port is also a rich repository of history, both as a port and as a maritime, technological and industrial site. Of significant Quebec and Canadian heritage value, it is located near Place Royale (where the City of Montréal was founded), the Main (Saint-Laurent Boulevard) National Historic Site, and the Lachine Canal National Historic Site. One of its iconic buildings is the Clock Tower, erected between 1919 and 1922 to mark the entrance to the port and commemorate the sailors who were lost at sea during the First World War.
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Old Port of Montreal
A division of the Canada Lands Company, the Old Port of Montréal is a recreational tourism site, which, for over 25 years, has offered a variety of family, nautical and other leisure activities to more than 6 million visitors annually. It is home to the Montréal Science Centre, the second largest facility of its kind in the country, which provides a multitude of opportunities for scientific discovery as well as IMAX® larger-than-life films to more than 650,000 visitors each year.
It also contains delightful terraces, an urban beach with fine sand, and one of the loveliest skating rinks in the country. Its diversified programming encompasses a wide range of cultural, culinary, sporting and musical events as well as open-air festivals, including the internationally renowned Cirque du Soleil and Igloofest.
The Old Port is also a rich repository of history, both as a port and as a maritime, technological and industrial site. Of significant Quebec and Canadian heritage value, it is located near Place Royale (where the City of Montréal was founded), the Main (Saint-Laurent Boulevard) National Historic Site, and the Lachine Canal National Historic Site. One of its iconic buildings is the Clock Tower, erected between 1919 and 1922 to mark the entrance to the port and commemorate the sailors who were lost at sea during the First World War.
Mont-Royal rises 233 meters above the city and is the green lung near the city center. A stroll through this lovely park enables the visitor to see monuments to Jacques Cartier and King George VI, to spend some time by Lac-aux-Castors, and to have a look at the cemeteries on the western slope where the city's different ethnic groups have rested in peace together for centuries.
From the summit, or rather from a platform below the cross, there unfolds a magnificent panorama of the whole of the 51-kilometer length of the Île de Montréal and the St. Lawrence. On clear days, the view extends to the Adirondack Mountains in the United States of America.
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Mount Royal
Mont-Royal rises 233 meters above the city and is the green lung near the city center. A stroll through this lovely park enables the visitor to see monuments to Jacques Cartier and King George VI, to spend some time by Lac-aux-Castors, and to have a look at the cemeteries on the western slope where the city's different ethnic groups have rested in peace together for centuries.
From the summit, or rather from a platform below the cross, there unfolds a magnificent panorama of the whole of the 51-kilometer length of the Île de Montréal and the St. Lawrence. On clear days, the view extends to the Adirondack Mountains in the United States of America.
High above the city in the grounds that hosted the 1976 Summer Olympic Games, Parc Maisonneuve (Pie IX Metro) is the site of Montreal's wonderfully imaginative botanical garden. The diverse plants are grown in 30 themed gardens and 10 exhibition greenhouses, so a wide range of climates are represented. Outdoor gardens include the beautiful Japanese and Chinese gardens, as well as those devoted to alpine, aquatic, medicinal, shade, useful, and even toxic plants.
The rose displays are stunning, and especially interesting is a garden devoted to those plants grown or used by First Nations peoples. Soaring greenhouses contain a tropical rain forest, ferns, orchids, bonsai, bromeliads, and penjings (miniature Chinese trees). There is also an interesting Insectarium and huge arboretum on the grounds, as well as ponds supporting a variety of birds.
Address: 4101 Sherbrooke Street East, Montréal, Québec
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Montreal Botanical Garden
4101 Rue Sherbrooke EHigh above the city in the grounds that hosted the 1976 Summer Olympic Games, Parc Maisonneuve (Pie IX Metro) is the site of Montreal's wonderfully imaginative botanical garden. The diverse plants are grown in 30 themed gardens and 10 exhibition greenhouses, so a wide range of climates are represented. Outdoor gardens include the beautiful Japanese and Chinese gardens, as well as those devoted to alpine, aquatic, medicinal, shade, useful, and even toxic plants.
The rose displays are stunning, and especially interesting is a garden devoted to those plants grown or used by First Nations peoples. Soaring greenhouses contain a tropical rain forest, ferns, orchids, bonsai, bromeliads, and penjings (miniature Chinese trees). There is also an interesting Insectarium and huge arboretum on the grounds, as well as ponds supporting a variety of birds.
Address: 4101 Sherbrooke Street East, Montréal, Québec
Founded in 1656, Montréal's oldest church, Notre-Dame Basilica, stands in a far grander incarnation than the original. The twin towers of the neo-Gothic façade face Place d'Armes. The intricate and resplendent interior was designed by Victor Bourgeau.
Highlights are the magnificent carved pulpit by sculptor Louis-Philippe Hébert (1850-1917), the 7,000-pipe organ by the Casavant Frères firm, and the stained-glass windows portraying scenes from the founding of Montreal. The admission charge to the basilica includes a 20-minute tour, or you can take a one-hour tour that gives more historical information and access to private areas, including the second balcony and crypt.
Address: 110 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, Québec
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Notre-Dame Basilica
110 Rue Notre Dame OFounded in 1656, Montréal's oldest church, Notre-Dame Basilica, stands in a far grander incarnation than the original. The twin towers of the neo-Gothic façade face Place d'Armes. The intricate and resplendent interior was designed by Victor Bourgeau.
Highlights are the magnificent carved pulpit by sculptor Louis-Philippe Hébert (1850-1917), the 7,000-pipe organ by the Casavant Frères firm, and the stained-glass windows portraying scenes from the founding of Montreal. The admission charge to the basilica includes a 20-minute tour, or you can take a one-hour tour that gives more historical information and access to private areas, including the second balcony and crypt.
Address: 110 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montréal, Québec
The Oratoire Saint-Joseph, near the western exit from Mount Royal Park, is dedicated to Canada's patron saint. It is a mecca for pilgrims, with its huge Renaissance-style domed basilica dating to 1924.
Brother André of the Congrégation de Sainte-Croix had already built a small chapel here in 1904, where he performed miraculous acts of healing for which he was canonized in 1982. His tomb is in one part of the sanctuary in the original chapel.
Votive gifts are displayed in a second chapel. A cloister behind the church leads up to Mont-Royal. There is a good northwest view from the observatory over Montréal and Lac Saint-Louis.
Address: 3800 Queen Mary, Montréal, Québec
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Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal
3800 Chem. Queen MaryThe Oratoire Saint-Joseph, near the western exit from Mount Royal Park, is dedicated to Canada's patron saint. It is a mecca for pilgrims, with its huge Renaissance-style domed basilica dating to 1924.
Brother André of the Congrégation de Sainte-Croix had already built a small chapel here in 1904, where he performed miraculous acts of healing for which he was canonized in 1982. His tomb is in one part of the sanctuary in the original chapel.
Votive gifts are displayed in a second chapel. A cloister behind the church leads up to Mont-Royal. There is a good northwest view from the observatory over Montréal and Lac Saint-Louis.
Address: 3800 Queen Mary, Montréal, Québec
Île Sainte-Hélène (named after the wife of Samuel de Champlain) and the artificial island of Notre-Dame were the site of Expo '67. They are now known as Parc Jean Drapeau and have many family-minded attractions.
A remnant of the 1967 world fair, the Biosphere is now a museum dedicated to ecological issues. The building is designed in the shape of a sphere and is the largest such structure in the world. Other tourist attractions on the islands include the rides and games of La Ronde Amusement Park, the historic 1820 British arsenal at the Stewart Museum, Bassin Olympique (where the Olympic rowing events were held), and race course Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
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Parc Jean-Drapeau
Île Sainte-Hélène (named after the wife of Samuel de Champlain) and the artificial island of Notre-Dame were the site of Expo '67. They are now known as Parc Jean Drapeau and have many family-minded attractions.
A remnant of the 1967 world fair, the Biosphere is now a museum dedicated to ecological issues. The building is designed in the shape of a sphere and is the largest such structure in the world. Other tourist attractions on the islands include the rides and games of La Ronde Amusement Park, the historic 1820 British arsenal at the Stewart Museum, Bassin Olympique (where the Olympic rowing events were held), and race course Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
The Musée des Beaux Arts is the oldest museum in Canada and houses vast collections of painting, sculpture, and new media. Its outstanding collections of World Cultures and Mediterranean Archaeology total nearly 10,000 objects, and there are excellent collections of African, Asian, and Islamic art, as well as art from North and South America.
The more than 1,400 paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints include masterpieces by Pieter Bruegel the Younger, Canaletto, El Greco, Gainsborough, Goya, Mantegna, Poussin, Rembrandt, Tiepolo, and Veronese, and are particularly strong in art works of the Dutch Golden Age. The collections continue through the Realists and Impressionists to modern art, containing works by Cézanne, Dali, Miró, Monet, Derain, Kandinsky, Matisse, Picasso, Rodin, Otto Dix, and other influential artists. Not far from the museum is the extensive campus of McGill University.
Address: 1380 Rue Sherbrooke O, Montréal, Québec
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El Museo de Bellas Artes de Montreal
1380 Rue Sherbrooke OThe Musée des Beaux Arts is the oldest museum in Canada and houses vast collections of painting, sculpture, and new media. Its outstanding collections of World Cultures and Mediterranean Archaeology total nearly 10,000 objects, and there are excellent collections of African, Asian, and Islamic art, as well as art from North and South America.
The more than 1,400 paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints include masterpieces by Pieter Bruegel the Younger, Canaletto, El Greco, Gainsborough, Goya, Mantegna, Poussin, Rembrandt, Tiepolo, and Veronese, and are particularly strong in art works of the Dutch Golden Age. The collections continue through the Realists and Impressionists to modern art, containing works by Cézanne, Dali, Miró, Monet, Derain, Kandinsky, Matisse, Picasso, Rodin, Otto Dix, and other influential artists. Not far from the museum is the extensive campus of McGill University.
Address: 1380 Rue Sherbrooke O, Montréal, Québec
At one corner of Place Royale in Vieux-Montréal is the Pointe-à-Callière, now marked by a striking modern building housing a museum of archaeology and history. Place Royale was the center of life in Montréal's early and colonial days, where the market and parade ground were located until later government buildings displaced them. But underneath today's Montréal, remnants of these early streets and foundations still remain, and you can explore these on a visit to the museum.
The route through the city's history begins underground, where you can walk among the original stone-paved streets, drainage channels, and ground floors of 17th-century buildings. The story unfolds in layers of history told through artifacts, maps, and exhibits as you climb through the museum. Special exhibitions cover a wide range of history and archaeology worldwide.
Address: 350 Place Royale, Montréal, Québec
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Museo de Arqueología e Historia de Montreal
350 Pl. RoyaleAt one corner of Place Royale in Vieux-Montréal is the Pointe-à-Callière, now marked by a striking modern building housing a museum of archaeology and history. Place Royale was the center of life in Montréal's early and colonial days, where the market and parade ground were located until later government buildings displaced them. But underneath today's Montréal, remnants of these early streets and foundations still remain, and you can explore these on a visit to the museum.
The route through the city's history begins underground, where you can walk among the original stone-paved streets, drainage channels, and ground floors of 17th-century buildings. The story unfolds in layers of history told through artifacts, maps, and exhibits as you climb through the museum. Special exhibitions cover a wide range of history and archaeology worldwide.
Address: 350 Place Royale, Montréal, Québec
The Place des Arts is an entire complex dedicated to visual and performing arts, the largest of its kind in all Canada. Three great cultural organizations make their home here: the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and the Opéra de Montréal, and its various stages and rehearsal halls provide venues for all kinds of theater, music, dance, films, and events. These sit around a large esplanade decorated with works of art, fountains, and water cascades, a popular venue for events. The most important of these is the annual summer Festival International de Jazz de Montréal held in late June and early July, attracting visitors from all over the world and bringing in some of the biggest names in jazz.
The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, a contemporary art museum, is particularly worth a visit, especially as young French-Canadian artists are accorded special prominence.
Address: 185 Rue St. Catherine Ouest, Montréal, Québec
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Place des Arts
The Place des Arts is an entire complex dedicated to visual and performing arts, the largest of its kind in all Canada. Three great cultural organizations make their home here: the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and the Opéra de Montréal, and its various stages and rehearsal halls provide venues for all kinds of theater, music, dance, films, and events. These sit around a large esplanade decorated with works of art, fountains, and water cascades, a popular venue for events. The most important of these is the annual summer Festival International de Jazz de Montréal held in late June and early July, attracting visitors from all over the world and bringing in some of the biggest names in jazz.
The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, a contemporary art museum, is particularly worth a visit, especially as young French-Canadian artists are accorded special prominence.
Address: 185 Rue St. Catherine Ouest, Montréal, Québec
The Atwater Market and Jean Talon Market are Montréal's busiest public markets and well worth visiting for their atmosphere and local food specialties and products.
Located in warehouse-style buildings, the markets feature vendors selling fruits and vegetables, flowers, meats, fish, cheese, baked goods, and specialty foods. You'll find maple syrup and candies, dried wild blueberries, home-style fruit jams and preserves, and the region's fine cheeses, as well as restaurants and cafés selling luscious pastries. The markets are a favorite stop for locals on Saturday mornings for a boule of coffee and a flaky croissant.
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Atwater Market
138 Av. AtwaterThe Atwater Market and Jean Talon Market are Montréal's busiest public markets and well worth visiting for their atmosphere and local food specialties and products.
Located in warehouse-style buildings, the markets feature vendors selling fruits and vegetables, flowers, meats, fish, cheese, baked goods, and specialty foods. You'll find maple syrup and candies, dried wild blueberries, home-style fruit jams and preserves, and the region's fine cheeses, as well as restaurants and cafés selling luscious pastries. The markets are a favorite stop for locals on Saturday mornings for a boule of coffee and a flaky croissant.
The Catholic Mary Queen of the World Cathedral, east of Place du Canada, was built in 1894 as a smaller version of St. Peter's in Rome. The massive statues represent the patron saints of the 13 parishes of Montreal in the 19th century and were all sculpted by Olindo Gratton between 1892 and 1898.
The most important artwork in the interior is the crucifix by Philippe Hébert, atop the marble baptismal font. A series of nine paintings, seven of which are by Georges Delfosse, retell Montréal's tumultuous history.
Address: 1085 Rue de la Cathédrale, Montréal, Québec
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Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral
1085 Rue de la CathédraleThe Catholic Mary Queen of the World Cathedral, east of Place du Canada, was built in 1894 as a smaller version of St. Peter's in Rome. The massive statues represent the patron saints of the 13 parishes of Montreal in the 19th century and were all sculpted by Olindo Gratton between 1892 and 1898.
The most important artwork in the interior is the crucifix by Philippe Hébert, atop the marble baptismal font. A series of nine paintings, seven of which are by Georges Delfosse, retell Montréal's tumultuous history.
Address: 1085 Rue de la Cathédrale, Montréal, Québec
The McCord Museum has an outstanding collection of exhibits on Canada's social history, especially native peoples. Its collections of costumes, clothing, accessories, quilts, and other hand-made textiles total more than 20,000 objects and include works by Montreal fashion designers.
More than a thousand pieces of furniture, silver, ceramics, glass, and items related to food and household uses, as well as toys, sports equipment, and folk art lend color and domestic detail to the picture of early Canadian life. Artifacts and arts of the First Nations peoples include clothing and accessories, hunting and fishing equipment, weapons of war, domestic implements, ceremonial items, and art, as well as archaeological finds from early aboriginal cultures.
Address: 690 Sherbrooke Streeet W, Montreal, Québec
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McCord Museum
690 Rue Sherbrooke OThe McCord Museum has an outstanding collection of exhibits on Canada's social history, especially native peoples. Its collections of costumes, clothing, accessories, quilts, and other hand-made textiles total more than 20,000 objects and include works by Montreal fashion designers.
More than a thousand pieces of furniture, silver, ceramics, glass, and items related to food and household uses, as well as toys, sports equipment, and folk art lend color and domestic detail to the picture of early Canadian life. Artifacts and arts of the First Nations peoples include clothing and accessories, hunting and fishing equipment, weapons of war, domestic implements, ceremonial items, and art, as well as archaeological finds from early aboriginal cultures.
Address: 690 Sherbrooke Streeet W, Montreal, Québec
Near the Sherbrooke Metro Station, Square Saint-Louis rates as one of Montréal's prettiest old squares and is set in a turn-of-the-century French-Canadian residential quarter. In the little streets around the tree-shaded square, there are still a few attractive Victorian houses. Some now house pleasant restaurants.
At the square's eastern edge and running parallel to St. Laurent, Rue St. Denis is one of the hippest shopping, arts, and dining streets in Montréal. Historic buildings have been converted into boutiques, bistros, and cafés. At one end, St. Denis starts in the student-minded Quartier Latin neighborhood (it's handy to Université du Québec à Montréal and the Grande Bibliothèque) and heads west into the trendy Plateau area with its independent designers and chef-run restaurants.
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Square Saint-Louis
312 R. du Square-Saint-LouisNear the Sherbrooke Metro Station, Square Saint-Louis rates as one of Montréal's prettiest old squares and is set in a turn-of-the-century French-Canadian residential quarter. In the little streets around the tree-shaded square, there are still a few attractive Victorian houses. Some now house pleasant restaurants.
At the square's eastern edge and running parallel to St. Laurent, Rue St. Denis is one of the hippest shopping, arts, and dining streets in Montréal. Historic buildings have been converted into boutiques, bistros, and cafés. At one end, St. Denis starts in the student-minded Quartier Latin neighborhood (it's handy to Université du Québec à Montréal and the Grande Bibliothèque) and heads west into the trendy Plateau area with its independent designers and chef-run restaurants.
Montréal's Chinatown is centered on Rue de la Gauchetière, with Chinese gates marking the heart of the quarter. This colorful neighborhood dates from the late 1860s, when many of the Chinese laborers, who originally came to work in the mines and build the railroad, moved into the cities in search of a better life. Today's Chinatown is filled with Asian restaurants and shops, no longer exclusively Chinese, but a place where locals and tourists go to enjoy a good meal.
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Chinatown
Montréal's Chinatown is centered on Rue de la Gauchetière, with Chinese gates marking the heart of the quarter. This colorful neighborhood dates from the late 1860s, when many of the Chinese laborers, who originally came to work in the mines and build the railroad, moved into the cities in search of a better life. Today's Chinatown is filled with Asian restaurants and shops, no longer exclusively Chinese, but a place where locals and tourists go to enjoy a good meal.
While visiting the Old Port (Vieux Port) area, it's hard to miss the towering Ferris wheel known as La Grande Rou de Montreal. Standing an impressive 60 meters high, the giant wheel has 42 climate-controlled (heat in winter, A/C in summer), eight-passenger gondolas.
The views from the top over Old Montreal and the rest of the city, including the Jacque Cartier Bridge, the Saint Lawrence Seaway, and the old Expo site, are breathtaking. On a clear day, you'll be able to see nearly 30 kilometers in most directions.
If you want to step it up a notch on the luxury scale, consider booking the VIP gondola. This unit has four large chairs outfitted in the finest Italian leather and adds the thrill of a glass floor.
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La Grande Roue de Montreal
362 Rue de la Commune EWhile visiting the Old Port (Vieux Port) area, it's hard to miss the towering Ferris wheel known as La Grande Rou de Montreal. Standing an impressive 60 meters high, the giant wheel has 42 climate-controlled (heat in winter, A/C in summer), eight-passenger gondolas.
The views from the top over Old Montreal and the rest of the city, including the Jacque Cartier Bridge, the Saint Lawrence Seaway, and the old Expo site, are breathtaking. On a clear day, you'll be able to see nearly 30 kilometers in most directions.
If you want to step it up a notch on the luxury scale, consider booking the VIP gondola. This unit has four large chairs outfitted in the finest Italian leather and adds the thrill of a glass floor.
Conveniently located in the center of the action in the Old Port (Vieux Port) area is the Montreal Science Centre. Perfect for a rainy or cool day in the summer or an escape from the snow and cold in the winter, this interactive and innovative place is a perfect family outing in Montreal.
A couple of the highlights inside are the Fabrik exhibit, where children can build their very own creative items in an assembly line style of production using the assorted items available, and the Clic! exhibit, where you create almost anything imaginable using odd-shaped building blocks that snap together in unusual ways.
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Centro de Ciencias de Montreal
2 Rue de la Commune OConveniently located in the center of the action in the Old Port (Vieux Port) area is the Montreal Science Centre. Perfect for a rainy or cool day in the summer or an escape from the snow and cold in the winter, this interactive and innovative place is a perfect family outing in Montreal.
A couple of the highlights inside are the Fabrik exhibit, where children can build their very own creative items in an assembly line style of production using the assorted items available, and the Clic! exhibit, where you create almost anything imaginable using odd-shaped building blocks that snap together in unusual ways.