Notre-Dame basilica
To discover
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12 days: Splendors of Eastern Canada
Bordering the Place d'Armes, place of commemoration of Maisonneuve and Jeanne Mance, founders of the city, the Notre-Dame basilica is a jewel of Quebec's heritage.
The oldest neo-Gothic church in Canada, it was built between 1824 and 1829 by the architect James O'Donnell who was inspired by the two towers of Notre-Dame de Paris.
Its interior decor is striking!
Its dazzling altarpiece, its remarkable wooden sculptures, its impressive vault, its gold leaf gilding and colors, its stained glass windows telling the story of Montreal and its famous Casavant organ with 7,000 pipes make this church a masterpiece. architectural work that captivates with its beauty.
Good to know:
It is possible to discover Notre-Dame Basilica in a different way when its impressive vault is draped in lights while marveling at the bewitching multimedia show
Aura
(adult $ 32, several evenings per week).
Magical !
Currently, one-hour self-guided tours are preferred ($ 14, by reservation only, consult the calendar).
It invites you to explore 24 points of interest inside the nave.
It is possible that in 2022, access to the basilica during the day will return (schedule varies according to masses and events; prefer an early arrival in the morning and rarely on Saturdays due to many weddings).
Visit the website.
Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal, 110 Notre-Dame Street West, H2Y 1T2.
Metro
: Places d'Armes.
Mount Royal Park
Montreal's true green lung, Mount Royal towers over the city from its height of 233 meters.
It is the ideal place to admire the skyline.
Adobe Stock
The work of New York City's “Central Park” designer Frederick Law Olmstead, the park is ideal for walks on its quiet trails and winter activities.
But it is its breathtaking panoramic view from the Kondiaronk lookout that attracts tourists and photographers.
You can admire the city center, the St. Lawrence River and, on a clear day, the Montérégiennes hills.
The Camillien-Houde belvedere allows you to gaze at the east of the city.
31.4 m high, the Mont-Royal cross has been illuminated at the top of the mountain every evening since 1924. It commemorates the fact that Maisonneuve kept his promise to plant a wooden cross there in 1643 if the fort de Ville-Marie, threatened by a strong flood of water, was spared.
Good to know:
in winter, skates, cross-country skis and snowshoes are available for hire at the Lac aux Castors pavilion.
For festive spirits: on Sundays, during the popular “Tam-Tams”, dancers, percussionists and salespeople gather around the monument to Sir George-Étienne Cartier.
A beautiful colorful event.
Mount-Royal Park.
Metro:
Mont-Royal.
Walk to Olmsted road which allows you to navigate through the park or bus 11 heading west, various stops.
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion at the Musée des Beaux-Arts and the now iconic blown glass sun by Dale Chihuly which comes to adorn the museum's front in the spring.
Terry rishel
Founded in 1860, this magnificent museum is the oldest in Canada. Spread over five pavilions, the works and artefacts presented, from the encyclopedic collection of 45,000 works, cover several centuries of history, from antiquity to the present day. Do not miss the “Bourgie” art pavilion with its pieces of Canadian, Quebec, Amerindian and Inuit art. The collection of ancient and modern international art, which presents renowned European and American works, is particularly rich in works from the Flemish Golden Age. An important place is given to contemporary art and cultures of the world. The MMFA regularly presents absolutely remarkable temporary exhibitions of international scope.
To know:
often forgotten, the sculpture garden bordering the pavilion of Quebec and Canadian art Claire and Marc Bourgie on avenue du Musée is worth a stop.
A haven of peace and creativity, it is one of the most important sets of public art in the metropolis where you can admire works by David Altmejd, Jaume Plensa, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Armand Vaillancourt, Henry Moore and Auguste Rodin, in particular.
MMFA, 1380 Rue Sherbrooke O, H3G 1J5.
Metro
: Peel.
Daily 10 am-5pm (except Monday closed and Wednesday 10 am-9pm).
Adult rate (31 years old and over) $ 24.
On Wednesday evenings, admission to the MMFA is half price between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Old Montreal
The Old Port of Montreal and its 60-meter Big Wheel.
Loïc Romer
Unmissable district, Old Montreal evokes the old walled city with its cobbled streets, winding alleys and stone buildings. In season, Place Jacques Cartier comes alive as you discover artists, restaurants, art galleries in its adjoining alleys and sip a drink on its terraces and rooftops.
In the Old Port, a stroll on foot, by bike or in quadricycle, highly popular with tourists, along the river and on its quays is essential as well as many family activities around the Bonsecours market.
From the top of its 60 meters, the Great Wheel of Montreal allows you to gaze at the city and the river and well beyond, summer and winter, the temperature being controlled inside the cabins.
From spring 2022, it will be possible to enjoy a 360-degree view from the top of the new observation tower of the Grand Quai of the Port of Montreal.
Good to know:
in January, the emblematic electro music festival “Igloofest” thrills the Old Port.
Like thousands of people, dress extra warm to dance in the dead of winter.
Old Montreal.
Metro
: Champ-de-Mars or Place d'Armes.
La Grande Roue de Montréal, 62 Rue de la Commune East, Montreal.
TLJ 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Price: Starting at $ 22.50 adult.
Read alsoQuebec in winter, a magnificent playground
Saint Joseph's Oratory
Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal's Oratory from the top of its promontory.
Réjean Ménard
The largest shrine dedicated to Saint Joseph, it is also the only building in the city that is higher than Mount Royal. Located on its rocky promontory, the imposing church is worth the detour for its architecture inspired by the Italian Renaissance, its stained glass windows recounting great moments in Canadian history, its copper dome, second in importance after that of Saint-Pierre-de -Rome, its century-old crypt and its Stations of the Cross bordered by sculptures and gardens. But it is above all in its votive chapel that the emotion is palpable and the spectacle astonishing. All around the statue of Saint Joseph, illuminated with 10,000 paper lanterns and votive lamps, hundreds of votive offerings, canes and crutches, suspended between the pillars of the chapel, were left by grateful pilgrims.to have been healed by the prayers of Brother André ...
To get there, you can climb on your knees, following valiant pilgrims, the 99 wooden steps reserved for prayer, or take the 283 steps leading to the square of the basilica.
Be careful, the site is very popular with visitors, more than two million each year, it is better to do it very early in the day.
Good to know:
Sunsets from the terrace of the oratory can be magical.
In summer, concerts are also presented there on Wednesday evenings.
Saint Joseph's Oratory, 3800 Chem.
Queen Mary, QC H3V 1H6.
Metro:
Côte-des-Neiges.
TLJ: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The botanical garden
The Chinese Garden of the Montreal Botanical Garden.
Tommy Larey / stock.adobe.com
Created on the initiative of Brother Marie Victorin in 1931, this magnificent garden offers superb paintings that change with the seasons.
Among the 22,000 species and cultivars are spectacular flowering magnolias, rhododendrons and azaleas, alpine, Chinese or Japanese gardens and greenhouses dedicated to tropical food plants or bonsai and penjings.
Good to know:
in autumn, the Chinese and Japanese gardens are magical in the evening during the Gardens of Light event!
Botanical Garden, 4101 Rue Sherbrooke E, Montreal, QC H1X 2B2.
Metro:
Pie-IX.
TLJ 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Monday closed), Adult rate $ 21.50.
If you plan to do other activities at the Espace pour la vie museum complex (Biodome, Planetarium, Biosphere, Insectarium), the purchase of a Multi Passport for the family ($ 140) is clearly advantageous.
Quartier des spectacles
Place des Festivals in winter in the entertainment district / Ulysse Lemerise / OSA Images
Bordered by
Sherbrooke
Street
,
René-Lévesque
Boulevard
,
City Councilors
and
Saint-Hubert Street
, this downtown district is largely located on the site of the former "
Red Light
" from Montreal.
The old lanterns at the doors of brothels are no longer there, nor the cabarets of the time, but the atmosphere is resolutely bright festive.
Numerous festivals, no less than 40, take place each year, including the International Jazz Festival, the Francos de Montréal, Nuits d'Afrique, Montréal en lumière, Native Presence, on the Place des Festivals or in the forty or so performance venues. and bars in the area.
Forty exhibition venues and seven other public places are added to the heart of this lively quadrilateral, including the new Esplanade Tranquille and its huge refrigerated ice rink in winter.
Quartier des spectacles, metro Berri, Saint-Laurent or Place-des-Arts.
The olympic stadium
Montreal's Olympic stadium, biodome and planetarium.
Nafir Salaheddine
Like it or not, this juggernaut has long sowed controversy among Montrealers, the Olympic state remains undoubtedly one of the city's structural emblems.
The work of Roger Taillibert, architect of the Parc des Princes in Paris, marks the landscape with its unusual mast, the tallest leaning tower in the world.
The latter, which offers a spectacular view of the whole city, is currently closed for renovation, but you can still stroll around the Big O, in reference both to the 1976 Olympics and to its shape to admire the installation. .
Note:
in summer, several festive events or concerts take place on the esplanade of the Olympic Park, including gatherings of street food trucks on the first Fridays of the month.
Olympic Park, 4545 av.
Pierre-de-Coubertin, H1V 3N7.
Metro:
Pie-IX.
Getting around Montreal
Getting around Montreal by metro is easy and even interesting.
As here, the Champ-de-Mars metro station and its magnificent glass roof, the work of the artist Marcelle Ferron.
Robin Edgar / Tourism Quebec
The easiest way to use public transportation is to get a ticket that meets your needs which is sold at ticket vending machines: 1 day ($ 10), Unlimited weekend ($ 14), 3 days (20 , $ 50) or Weekly ($ 28).
The Hebdo pass must be loaded on the Opus card ($ 6), a rechargeable chip card.
Good to know:
these tickets also give access to the 747 bus which runs from the city center to Montreal airport and which normally costs $ 10.
PRACTICE
Among the Tourist Passes that save money, we have chosen the following two:
The Montréal Museums Card allows you to save money with different packages.
The Excursion card is valid for 2, 3, 4 or 5 consecutive days from the first visit and gives access to one visit per member museum, nearly fifty.
The Passeport Mtl allows you to choose 5 of the most popular attractions at a cost of $ 95, fall promotional offer of $ 57 until December 31, 2021.
Read also
Montreal: weather forecast, when to go, how to get around ... Le
Figaro's practical guide
