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Neighbourhood of Montreal in Quebec, Canada
Photo: Jeangagnon, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Old Montreal (French: Vieux-Montréal) is what many visitors come to Montreal for: old cobblestoned streets lined with buildings dating from the 17th through 19th centuries, grand old French restaurants, history museums, and the riverfront Old Port. That's not to say that Old Montreal is completely removed from the rest of Montreal — back a few blocks from the mimes and steakhouses, you'll find warehouses converted to boutique shops and loft apartments. During the summer, Place Jacques-Cartier is packed with street performers and restaurant terraces overflowing with tourists. Winter presents a much more subdued scene, with bundled figures hurrying from gallery to restaurant to hotel in the cold and snow.
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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.
Pedestrian street filled with street artists and musicians, and there are numerous fine restaurants and private art galleries nearby.
Marché Bonsecours
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.
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.
While Montreal was the capital of Canada from 1843 to 1849, it also hosted the parliament building. The building was burnt to the ground by rioters in 1849. Some of the artifacts uncovered from the site are displayed in a self-guided tour.
Musée Marguerite-Bourgeoys et Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours
Built in 1655, Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, is the oldest stone church in Montreal. The museum houses artifacts from the church's history and pays tribute to Marguerite Bourgeoys, Montreal's first teacher.
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.
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.
Centre des sciences de Montréal
Interactive science museum and IMAX theater.
Covering the history of Montreal from its founding in 1535. The museum is housed in a former fire station that dates from 1903.
Hands-on museum focusing on the history of banking in Montreal.
18th century Governor's residence and gardens full of historical artifacts from daily life.
A privately endowed foundation, DHC/ART is a permanent location for exciting and relevant temporary visual arts exhibitions and projects.
This venue offers a diverse range of outdoor activities, including aerial adventure courses, wall climbing, and inflatable games, all set within a thematic environment inspired by 18th-century pirate and royal ships.
Montreal All-Nighter
Popular boulangerie offering fresh sandwiches, soups, and a daily lunch dish and baked goods. Also sells breads, jams, and snacks to take away.
Equal parts bistro and fine-food boutique, Marché du Vieux is a cute spot for a gourmet lunch or snack.
Fancy and filling crepes are the main draw to this historic restaurant and garden courtyard. Offering outdoor jazz and other live music in the summer, it loses some of its charm in the winter when things move inside.
Popular bistro featuring a large courtyard. Menu offers meats, seafood, and pastas. Try the French fries cooked in duck fat.
Grand historic building with shaded terrace serving French bistro fare, seafood, and pastas. Note the terrace menu is limited to soups, snails, and fries. Bar features wide selection of domestic and imported beers.
Crepes and fondue in a cozy, family-friendly spot. Wine and cider at SAQ prices + $5.
Well-executed and beautifully presented sushi and tempura in an elegant dining room. Staff speaks English as well as French.
Fancy steakhouse housed in a 200-year-old former stable, popular with tourists. Reservations strongly recommended.
French fine cuisine with a taste of Quebec from the first North America alcohol licence, issued in 1754.
Upscale Japanese restaurant and sushi bar with a menu based on izakaya classics and an extensive sake selection.
In 1993, chef Normand Laprise put Montreal cuisine on the map with this landmark restaurant, and after more than 25 years, it's still going strong in a new location. Combining the latest trends in fine dining with local and regional produce, the chefs create spectacularly complex dishes in tiny, but strangely satisfying portions. The house specialty is an eight-course surprise menu, made up of many small dishes. This restaurant will take a bite out of your wallet, but serious foodies will find it worth the cost.
Big space, popular with tours. Offers pub grub and a view of the river during the day and live music (Th-Sa 22:00). Cheap (for Old Montreal) and casual.
Cafe-by-day and bar-by-night, Santos is the place to escape your hotel lobby for a martini and late night snack of "Pop Food", their take on tapas. Live jazz on Thursdays, DJ on the weekends. Reservations recommended for Saturday nights. Weekend covers start around $20.
Trendy spot on the edge of Old Montreal. Expect cover charges and a line at the door. Changing out of your sight-seeing clothes and into something swanky will probably help get you in the door.
"Suite" sums it up for this high-end lounge popular with the executive set. Leather couches and sipping scotches.
Auberge Alternative du Vieux-Montréal
Housed in a 19th-century warehouse, this hostel boasts fair trade coffee, wi-fi, an organic continental breakfast, and a range of activities and classes. Kitchen and laundry facilities provided. Often full, reservations recommended.
A good deal for the price, this historical building, set back from the street, books up early.
454 large and well-appointed guestrooms at the gateway to Old Montreal. Each room features the ten-layer Heavenly Bed, and the hotel also offers a unique glass-bottom pool.
Three-star boutique hotel.
A modern, renovated hotel. Rooftop terrace, lounge, indoor pool. 2 min from the entertainment district & grocery store.
This self-described "design hotel" in Old Montreal features uber-modern rooms on the edge of the historical district. See Eat and Drink for bars and restaurants in the same building.
Falling somewhere between posh and opulent, the Nelligan offers large rooms with king beds, loft-style suites, and rooftop two-room penthouses above a fine French restaurant. Some rooms with fireplaces, and jacuzzi-tubs for two.
Feels like you're stepping into Architectural Digest with ultra-modern furniture and rooms in a converted warehouse. Very helpful staff.
Four-star boutique hotel offering four types of luxury suites.
A boutique hotel, Le Petit Hotel is charming, chic and hip in the middle of Old Montreal. It combines 19th-century architecture with 21st century tech such as Wi-Fi, iPod docking station, LCDs, Nintendo Wii and multi-jet showers.
A luxury hotel, the W Montreal has 152 rooms, spa, and a restaurant - Otto Ristorante. This hotel is between downtown and Old Montreal.
Arts, crafts, and jewellery from over 100 Quebec artists.
Hand blown glass by local artists Annie Michaud and Karine Bouchard. Demonstrations of glass blowing techniques.
Government-certified Inuit soapstone carvings and historical drawings.
Galerie L'Original
Non-profit gallery showing original works by several hundred living artists, many of them Montreal painters and street artists. Works are signed originals, not reproductions. A second location is on rue Saint-Denis in the Plateau.
By car
Street parking is scarce and runs $3 per hour. Parking complexes run $6/hr, $15 max, $20 for 12-24 hours.
By bus
Buses don't run in Old Town, but route 715 runs along the Old Port and it can get you within a few blocks.
By boat
Ferries (navettes) run to and from Île Sainte-Hélène May to October and to the suburb of Longueuil on the south shore.
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Montréal · International · YUL
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