Must see attractions in Old Montréal

  • Top Choice
    Basilique Notre-Dame

    Montréal's famous landmark, Notre Dame Basilica, is a 19th-century Gothic Revival masterpiece with spectacular craftsmanship – a visually pleasing, if…

  • Top Choice
    Place d'Armes

    This open square is framed by some of the finest buildings in Old Montréal, including its oldest bank, first skyscraper and Basilique Notre-Dame. The…

  • Top Choice
    Old Port

    Montréal's Old Port has morphed into a park and fun zone paralleling the mighty St Lawrence River for 2.5km and punctuated by four grand quais (quays)…

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    Top Choice
    Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours

    Known as the Sailors’ Church, this enchanting chapel derives its name from the sailors who left behind votive lamps in the shapes of ships in thanksgiving…

  • Château Ramezay

    A home of French governors in the early 18th century, this mansion is one of the finest examples from the ancien régime. It was built for the 11th…

  • Hôtel de Ville

    Montréal’s handsome City Hall was built between 1872 and 1878, then rebuilt after a fire in 1926. Its rigid square-based dome and nod to the baroque makes…

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    Chinatown

    Although this neighborhood, perfectly packed into a few easily navigable streets, has no sites per se, it's a nice area for lunch or for shopping for…

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    Place Jacques-Cartier

    The liveliest spot in Old Montréal, this gently inclined square hums with performance artists, street musicians and the animated chatter from terrace…

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    Fonderie Darling

    Tucked away in a little-visited corner of Old Montréal, the Darling Foundry hosts avant-garde, often large-scale exhibitions and installations in its two…

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    Royal Bank Tower

    The most glamorous building along Rue St-Jacques is probably the Royal Bank Building, the city’s tallest building (22 stories) when it was built in 1928…

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    Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle

    The big draw of this square by the Palais Des Congrès is the fountain that releases a ring of fire (and an ethereal mist) at certain times of year. The…

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    Centre Phi

    One of Old Montréal's most innovative art incubators, Centre Phi stages thought-provoking exhibitions, embracing a wide range of styles and genres. Four…

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    Parc du Bassin Bonsecours

    Perched over the river, the Parc du Bassin Bonsecours is a grassy expanse enclosed by a waterway and crisscrossed with footbridges. In summer you can rent…

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    Rue St-Paul Ouest

    This narrow cobblestone street, the oldest in Montréal, was once a dirt road packed tight by horses laden with goods bound for the Old Port. Today it’s a…

  • Centre des Sciences de Montréal

    This sleek, glass-covered science center houses virtual and interactive games, technology exhibits and an ‘immersion theater’ that puts a video game on…

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    Rue St-Jacques

    Known as the Wall St of Canada into the 1930s, Rue St-Jacques was lined with the head offices of insurance companies and banks that proclaimed Montréal’s…

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    Palais des Congrès

    Entering the hall of this convention center with its facade of popsicle-colored panes is akin to strolling through a kaleidoscope. Day brings out the…

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    Quai Jacques-Cartier & Around

    This pier is the anchor of the Old Port area, home to restaurants, an open-air stage and a handicraft center. Every year the port stages a number of…

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    Courthouses

    Along the south side of Rue Notre-Dame Est near Place Jacques-Cartier, three courthouses stand bunched together. The most fetching is the neoclassical…