Montreal

Habitat 67

This visually striking residential building was created by architect Moshe Safdie for Expo 67. The result was an amazingly modern dwelling that challenged the way architects created urban homes. Compared alternately to a beehive, a Taos pueblo, and a crystalline growth, the complex's 154 units are composed of prefabricated concrete cubes assembled on site. The apartments here are highly prized and a number of prominent Montrealers make Habitat 67 their home.

Montreal Biosphère

The former United States pavilion from Expo 67, a geodesic dome designed by R. Buckminster Fuller. It now houses an Environment Canada museum dedicated to water and the environment.

Jun 1-Sep 6: daily 10AM-5PM; Sep 7-May 31: Thu-Sun 10AM-5PM · $22.75/adult, $20.5/senior, $16.5/student, $11.5/youth, $62.75/family · Wi-Fi · Wheelchair accessible

Notre-Dame Basilica

Basilique Notre-Dame

Probably the city's most spectacular church, a gem of Victorian Gothic. Service is at 17:00 daily and on Sunday morning. Entrance is free for worship, but donations are suggested. During service, the organ music is not to be missed. While it shouldn't have to be mentioned, tourists should be respectful during services. Photography is not allowed during services. 20-minute guided tours offered in French or English.

Visitor hours (Summer) Mon-Fri 09:00-16:30, Sat 09:00-16:00, Sun 12:30-16:00; (Winter) Mon-Fri 10:00-16:30, Sat 09:00-16:00, Sun 12:30-16:00 · Adults $14, student (17-22) children (6-16) $9, children under 6 free · Wheelchair accessible

Bonsecours Market

Marché Bonsecours

Bonsecours Market (French: Marché Bonsecours) is a two-story domed public market located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada at 350 Rue Saint-Paul in Old Montreal. For more than 100 years, it was the main public market in the Montreal area. It also briefly accommodated the Parliament of United Canada for one session in 1849.

Daily 10:00-18:00 · Wi-Fi · Wheelchair accessible

Vieux-Port

Old Port

The Old Port is a large waterfront green space with attractions such as Cirque du Soleil, the Montreal Science Center, the Labyrinth, the Clock Tower, and a large outdoor audio-visual stage which is the site for the Canada Day fireworks.

6AM-Midnight

Croix du Mont-Royal

Mount Royal Cross

A white illuminated cross installed in 1924 at the site where Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve planted a wooden cross in 1643. He allegedly planted it there after praying to the Virgin Mary to spare the city of Montreal from a flood.

Limited wheelchair access · Built 1924

Château Ramezay Museum

18th century Governor's residence and gardens full of historical artifacts from daily life.

Jun-Oct 10:00-18:00 daily · $4 child, $5 student, $8 adults, $6 senior, $16.50 families

Canadian Centre for Architecture

Centre canadien d'architecture

Architecture museum and research institute that incorporates the Shaughnessy House, an 1876 Second Empire-style manison. Across boulevard René-Lévesque from the CCA is a sculpture garden with works designed around the theme of architecture. Guided tours available.

Wed Fri 11:00-18:00, Thu 11:00-21:00, Sat Sun 11:00-17:00 · $10 adults, $7 seniors, free for students and children · Wheelchair accessible

McCord Museum

Musée McCord

Museum dedicated to Canadian history, next to McGill University.

Tue Thu Fri 10:00-18:00, Wed 10:00-21:00, Sat Sun 10:00-17:00 · $20/adult, $19/senior, $15/student, $30/family, children free · Wheelchair accessible

Montreal Clock Tower

Tour de l'Horloge de Montréal

Also known as the Sailors' Memorial Clock, the clock tower was built between 1919-1922 as a memorial to sailors lost at sea. Its clock mechanism is similar to Big Ben's and was known for its accuracy; sailors would often set their watches by it. The clock tower is no longer open to visitors.

Early May and September (after Labour Day): Sat Sun 10:00-19:00; mid May-mid June and mid August-Labour Day: Mon-Thu 10:00-19:00, Fri-Sun 10:00-21:00; mid June-mid August: 10:00-21:00 daily · Free · Free entry

St. Joseph's Oratory

Oratoire Saint-Joseph

The largest church in Canada, it has an impressive neo-Renaissance exterior and a contemporary bell tower. The Basilica has a beautiful, restrained, somewhat stark Art Deco interior, complete with unusual, elongated wooden statues of saints, and combined with the great height of its ceiling, it may seem somewhat forbidding, but it also has a more traditionally expressive series of statues of the Stations of the Cross and Crucifix at the altar and a pretty series of mosaics behind the altar. It is a favourite pilgrimage for devotees of Brother André, who was reputed to have healed the sick and handicapped. Includes a remarkable collection of crutches and canes from the healed. In good weather, it is also possible to stroll through the beautiful garden next to the Oratory which features the Stations of the Cross in marble sculptures. The garden is peaceful and beautifully maintained. The views from both the Oratory and the garden are magnificent and well-worth the climb. Watch for the faithful climbing on their knees to the top.

Wheelchair accessible

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

Many prominent travelling exhibits.

Tue, Thu-Sun 10:00-17:00, Wed 10:00-21:00* (*only exhibits open from 17:00-21:00). Closed Mon · Age 31+ $24, age 21-30 $16, under 20 free · Wheelchair accessible

Le Musée du Château Dufresne

Chateau Dufresne Museum

The Château Dufresne is a historic building in the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It currently functions as a historic house museum.

Wed-Sun 10:00-17:00 · $8 adults, $7 students/seniors, $4.50 children 5-17, free children under 5

Musée des ondes Emile Berliner

The Musée des ondes Emile Berliner is a science and history museum dedicated to communicating the heritage of the audio industry in Canada and the world. In line with this, it pays tribute to Emile Berliner, the inventor of the Gramophone, and his descendants’ contributions to the evolution of sound recording. Moreover, the museum looks at the noteworthy contributions of Canadian companies in the 19th and 20th centuries, highlighting the role of Canadian companies and RCA Victor in the creation of satellites and the Canadarm. This makes it a worthwhile experience for those interested in science and technology, Canadian history, and the cultural heritage of St-Henri.

Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00, Sat Sun 14:00-17:00 · $8 adult, $5 student or elderly, $20 family, $5 (per person) for groups of over 5 people

Monument à George-Étienne Cartier

George-Étienne Cartier Monument

A 1919 monument sculpted by George William Hill in honor of Georges-Étienne Cartier, one of the fathers of Confederation.

Built 1919

Carré Saint-Louis

Square Saint-Louis

A smaller park, Carré Saint-Louis is at the east end of the Prince Arthur pedestrian mall, next to rue Saint-Denis. Though a fraction of the size of either Parc LaFontaine or Parc du Mont-Royal, it is a popular and scenic local destination. Two fountains, bike paths, and easy access to a number of restaurants and shops provide a comforting background and a relaxing setting. On a side note, many of the gags on the television show Just For Laughs are performed in this park. The park is also notable for the colourful Victorian rowhouses that surround it.

Wi-Fi

Bank of Montréal Museum

Hands-on museum focusing on the history of banking in Montreal.

Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00 · Free

Sir George-Étienne Cartier National Historic Site

Lieu historique national de Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier

Reconstruction of two 19th-century Victorian homes commemorating the life and accomplishments of Sir George-Étienne Cartier, who was a Canadian statesman and Father of Confederation.

June 17-Sep-4: Wed-Sun 10AM-5PM; Sept 5-Oct 31: Sat-Mon 10AM-5PM; Dec 1-17: Sat-Sun 10AM-5PM · $4.25/adult, $3.75/senior, youth free, $3.75 per person in commercial group

Redpath Museum

Musée Redpath

A museum of natural history on the McGill campus.

Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00, Sun 12:00-17:00, Sat closed · Free · Free entry · Wheelchair accessible

Pointe-à-Callière Museum

Montréal Museum of Archeology and History

A modern museum built over the ruins of Montreal's first settlement, Pointe à Callière. This museum uses audiovisual technology as well as surrounding archaeological remains to tell the story of Montreal from the first natives to the present day.

Labour Day to 24 June: Tue-Fri 10AM-5PM, Sat-Sun 11AM-5PM; 25 June to Labour Day: Mon-Fri 10AM-6PM, Sat-Sun 11AM-6PM · $26/adult, $24/senior, $17/young adult, $13/teenager, $8/child, $52/family

Écomusée du fier monde

A museum focused on the industrial and working-class history of Montreal (the name literally translates to Ecomuseum of the Proud People), particularly of the surrounding Centre-Sud district (basically the modern-day Le Village and Sainte-Marie neighborhoods). The museum is housed in the Bain Genereux, a 1920s art deco former indoor public pool. Note that unlike most Montreal museums, the exhibits here are only described in French.

We 11:00-20:00; Th,Fr 09:30-16:00; Sa,Su 10:30-17:00

Grande Bibliothèque du Québec

The inviting, super-modern home to the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, a massive library housing four million works. The building itself is a contemporary style building integrating art and architecture including a glass mural, a kinetic luminous mural, a sculpture garden, and varying museum-style displays in the lower-level gallery. The tiles that cover the outside of the building are made to resemble a closed book. Architectural tours are offered.

Tue-Fri 9AM-9PM, Sat-Sun 9AM-5PM · free · Wi-Fi · Wheelchair accessible

Montréal Science Centre

Centre des sciences de Montréal

Interactive science museum and IMAX theater.

Daily 10:00-17:00; check listings for IMAX movie times · IMAX screenings $8.50 child, $10.50 teen, $11.50 adult, $10.50 senior; exhibitions $8.50 child, $13 teen, $15 adult, $13 senior, $40 family; see website for details · Wheelchair accessible

Parc Jeanne-Mance

Located in the western part of the Plateau, adjacent to Parc du Mont-Royal. At the corner of Mont-Royal and Parc is an art deco fountain dedicated in honour of Louis Rubenstein, the father of Canadian figure skating.

Mo-Su 06:00-00:00

Mount Royal Park

Has an artificial lake, many paths through the wood, and the best view on the city of Montreal.

DHC/ART

A privately endowed foundation, DHC/ART is a permanent location for exciting and relevant temporary visual arts exhibitions and projects.

Wed-Fri 12:00-19:00, Sat Sun 11:00-18:00 · Free

Dante Park

Small park popular for its bocce court.

Westmount Square

A four-building complex composed of black metal and glass, built in 1967 and designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

Place Sun-Yat-Sen

A small public square in the middle of Chinatown. There are murals made of grey slate along the north and east side of the square; also at the square is a pavilion selling typical Chinatown tourist souvenirs.

The Underground City

Montréal souterrain

Throughout the downtown area. This network of underground malls and passageways is a very convenient way to walk around during the winter months. It encompasses six metro stations on the green and orange lines and all of the major downtown shopping malls, including food courts, cinemas, innumerable boutiques, and services.