Musée d'Archéologie et d'Histoire Pointe-à-Callière

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  • Sep-late Jun: Tue-Fri 10:00 - 17:00 , Sat-Sun 11:00 - 17:00 ; late Jun-Sep: Mon-Fri 10:00 - 18:00 , Sat-Sun 11:00 - 18:00

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Lonely Planet review

Built on the very spot where European settlers set up their first camp, the Pointe-à-Callière Museum of Archaeology & History provides a good overview of Montréal's beginnings. Visitors should start with Montreal, Tales of a City a 20-minute multimedia show that illustrates the centuries with the aid of film, hologram characters and real drizzle.

For the most part the museum is underground. Head to the archeological crypt in the basement where you can explore the remains of the city's ancient sewage and river system and the foundations of its first buildings and first public square. Interactive exhibits include video monitors that allow visitors to ask questions of the hologram-like figures from the 17th and 18th centuries about their lives in the colony.

A whole floor depicts changing history exhibits, eg on the Canal de Lachine or Montréal's early merchants. An 18th-century market is re-created on Place Royale in summer.

The lookout at the top of the tower in the new building provides an excellent view of the Old Port, and can be visited free of charge.