Heritage charm between Europe & America

A stroll through Montreal reveals North American architecture and heritage with a European flavour. It is a journey into the past as well as the future, where every stop is a chance to enjoy an experience to your taste.

‍

‍

‍

‍

-- Rue Saint-Paul

‍

The beautiful stone buildings on these streets were built in the 19th century. Some of them, once used as warehouses, have been renovated and now house craft shops and local designers, art galleries, artists' studios and even homes, not forgetting the famous Bonsecours Market. With lively song bars, colourful jazz clubs and electrifying, ultra-trendy lounges waiting for you, nightlife in the old cobbled streets is anything but boring.

‍

‍

‍

-- Rue Notre-Dame

‍

A true icon of Old Montreal and a jewel of Quebec's heritage, Notre-Dame Basilica was built between 1824 and 1829 by architect James O'Donnell, who drew inspiration from the two towers of Notre-Dame de Paris. The first Gothic Revival church in Canada, it is designated a national historic site. Like the million visitors who come every year to meditate and admire this architectural masterpiece, you will be amazed by the richness of its interior, with carved, painted and gold-leafed woodwork, its sanctuary, its colours and its stained-glass windows telling the story of Montreal.

‍

‍

‍

-- Rue Sherbrooke

‍

West of downtown, in the upscale Golden Square Mile, Sherbrooke Street stands out for the architectural quality, opulence and elegance of the buildings that line it. Their Victorian-style façades give the neighbourhood a very British feel. Most date from the early 20th century: stately homes, luxury apartment buildings, hotels, institutions and shops. The best known are undoubtedly the Museum of Fine Arts and the Ritz-Carlton hotel.

‍

‍

‍

-- Boulevard René-Lévesque

‍

On René-Lévesque Boulevard, Mary Queen of the World Cathedral catches the eye with architecture that contrasts with the glass skyscrapers around it. A one-third-scale replica of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, this Italian Neo-Renaissance Catholic cathedral was built at the end of the 19th century to plans by architect Victor Bourgeau, in the heart of what was then the city's Anglo-Protestant district. While its exterior recalls the famous basilica of the Eternal City, its interior is more modest.

‍

‍

-- Boulevard Saint-Laurent

‍

Every big city has its main street: a lively, dynamic meeting point at the heart of the community. In Montreal, it all happens on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, affectionately known as "the Main". The backbone of the city and the traditional meeting place of its French-speaking, English-speaking and immigrant communities, it divides the east and west of the city. Unusual boutiques, clothing, designer accessories and decoration stores, workshops of local and international designers, avant-garde art galleries, cosmopolitan restaurants for every taste and budget, world cuisine, concert halls, lively bars and nightclubs: plenty of opportunities for discoveries, encounters and celebrations, whatever the time of day.

‍

‍