The busy square of Place d'Armes is very much in the city center. The twin towers of Notre-Dame…read moreBasilica front the public space, as does the historic Bank of Montreal and its small museum. The Old Seminary of Saint Sulpice, adjoining the Basilica, dates from 1685. Place d'Armes is a key piece of Montreal, historically and aesthetically speaking. It is the oldest stone dwelling in a city where originally most buildings were constructed more cheaply and simply in timber. History is everywhere- At its center is a majestic Gothic fountain, a beautiful monument to Paul de Chomedey, the French military officer who founded Montreal. and it's surrounded by what seems like a "best of" Montreal monuments: Notre-Dame Basilica, the Saint-Sulpice Seminary, and the majestic Aldred building, an Art Deco icon built in 1931 for the New York-based Aldred & Company. The 23-story, tiered building has been called Canada's answer to the Empire State Building

Amazing square in Old Montreal! It is right in front of Notre Dame and has plenty of great…read moredecorations and sometimes has music playing.

Vieux-Port de Montréal, or the Old Port, is part of the Vieux-Montréal area of the city. Along with…read morethe adjacent area that's filled with shops and restaurants, this is one of the top destinations for tourists visiting the city. There's a lot to see and do here; the promenade is quite long, and is filled with great views of the water and surrounding architecture. One of the main focal points here is La Grande Roue de Montréal - a large Ferris wheel that sits right on the water's edge. Additionally, there are carnival rides, food trucks, ziplining, and a beach that's open seasonally. Since I was there in autumn, most of the attractions and beach areas were closed for the season. It was still a great experience though because there were clear views of the water and foliage in the background. I also found myself sitting, people watching, and soaking in the aesthetics. No matter what time of the year, though, it's definitely worth stopping here during your time in Montreal.

During our last visit, we spent some time just relaxing and hanging out around the Old Port. My…read morehusband and stepson got on the ferris wheel (La Grande Roue de Montréal) and had a great time, being able to see far from atop. The tickets were $28CAN per adult. There are also places to rent paddle boats and many benches to sit and enjoy the scenery. There are food trucks in one area of the Old Port and shops in another section A great place, day or night to hang out and people watch...

"Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb? Mother, do you…read morethink they'll like this song? Mother, do you think they'll try to break my balls? Ooh, mother, should I build the wall?" (Pink Floyd) It stood from 1961 through 1989. It was 87 miles long and stood between 11.5 and 14 feet high. It fully encircled West Berlin and separated it from East Berlin and East Germany It had 116 watchtowers that were manned 24 hours a day by armed guards to prevent East Germans from fleeing into West Germany. Over the years, somewhere between 100 -200 people were gunned down by guards trying to escape to the West. David Bowie in 1987 and Bruce Springsteen in 1988 held "pro-freedom" concerts at the wall. On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan famously challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev with the iconic words: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Two and a half years later, the wall became a thing of the past as public pressure against East Germany and mass protests from a growing populist movement led to the end of the wall. Crowds of East Germans on one side, and crowds of West Germans on the other side stormed the wall, climbing on it, pushing it over, and smashing it with hammers and pickaxes. Soon, the two governments began to officially dismantle and demolish the wall. Many Germans kept pieces of the wall as souvenirs, and larger sections traveled around the globe as pieces of public art and monuments. In 1992, this segment of the wall was donated by the city of Berlin to the city of Montreal on Montreal's 350th anniversary. The wall is covered in spray paint and graffiti and measures nearly 4 feet wide and 12 feet tall. It incongruously sits in an indoor office park mall on the lower level of the Centre de Commerce Mondial de Montreal. What an unexpected piece of history to run into.

You can see a real piece of history within the Centre de Commerce Mondial de Montreal…read more A segment of the Berlin Wall was given to the city of Montréal in 1992 for its 350th birthday. This segment of the wall comes from a location near the Brandenburg Gate. It was a bit surprising to find this in Montreal when I was there but it is rather cool.

The Short Version: Neighbourhood in Montreal around…read moreConcordia University. Good variety of inexpensive eateries. The Long Version: Shaughnessy Village is one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Montreal. Its northern boundary is Sherbrooke St. W. and spans as far south as Rene Levesque Blvd. To the east is Guy St. and to the west is Atwater Ave. Lots of Concordia University students live in this area and as a result, there are lots of cheap eats to be had. Once upon a time when I was living in Montreal, $0.99 pizza slices were ubiquitous, but there was this one pizza shop either on St. Marc or St. Mathieu that had $0.49 pizza slices and I'd go there often. The place is long gone, but you can still find food for pocket change in the area. Supermarche Bonjour (de Maisonneuve Blvd W) has fresh pork or vegetarian bao buns for $1.50 each (the beef baos are $2). These prices are a bit of an outlier though, but I'd say you can eat well for about $10-$15 a meal easily in this area. There's a good variety of cuisines in this neighborhood, which has only gotten even more diverse over the last few years. PA Supermarket is in this neighbourhood. It's an independent grocery store that usually has great deals. I used to shop there a lot when I was a poor and starving student and all these years later, they are still around. And they've expanded too and have opened new locations since I left Montreal. Great little neighbourhood, especially for diverse inexpensive casual eateries. Review #235 (2025)

Shaughnessy Village also known as Concordia. You will find Concordia University located smacked in…read morethe center of Shaughnessy Village. B and I came here to explore the neighborhood and also to grab food. At Shaughnessy Village you will find a lot of Japanese, Korean and Chinese restaurant. The neighborhood is very busy during the day. The streets are clean and I would say it is a safe neighborhood. It is a densely populated neighborhood. Oh guess what B's favorite restaurant Gyu Kaku is located in Shaughnessy Village.

Truly unique architectural design! Built for the 1967 Expo and designed by Moshe Safdie, this condo…read morecomplex is truly unique and worth seeing. We didn't have time to book a tour, but tours are offered. We slowly drove by Habitat 67, then illegally parked the car and took some photos. Traffic was minimal the day we visited. The Wall Street Journal ran a story on Habitat 67 on September 7, 2022. That article reported that monthly dues are now $760 / cube / month and that the complex needs some structural repairs.

I was on the waterfront by the Ferris Wheel and was wondering what the building across the water!?…read moreIt was so cool looking. So then I researched it and discovered it was Habitat 67! What a cool housing and architectural landmark. I highly recommend to drive over and see this amazing piece of architecture. I did not realize there is a guided tour. If I had more time, I would have done a tour. I could not stop looking at this beautiful building.

What an enormous crazy labyrinth of a building! I suppose this was a factory of some sort... ahem,…read morequick Google suggests that yes! This was a factory built in the 1880s to make textiles that at one point employed over 3000 people. Then it was a toy factory where they made Pong! Over the decades a lot of the original building was covered up but a restoration project focused on the original plans and the Chateau now stands as an impressive wall of 19th red stone. It houses lofts, offices, a restaurant and more and it's an easy place to get lost in for sure, but the getting lost leads out onto wide wooden hallways, and looming glass doorways the open out onto surprising stone courtyards. I think this could be an amazing space for all kinds of big and small events.. A place I intend to spend more time discovering, but maybe I'll wait till summer..

My husband and I had our wedding there in April. We selected this venue because they were able to…read moreaccommodate fairly large group (120 people) with 6-7 months notice and the reasonably priced menu. They also offered a fairly turn-key solution, including a complimentary menu tasting. The food and service at the tasting were quite good. We opted for their "distinction menu" with several canapes including (fillet mignon skewers, fig and marscapone, chicken and olive bites). However, as the wedding approached, things began to unravel. About a month before the wedding we let them know that we would be fewer people than originally anticipated. They begrudgingly agreed to this although no contract was ever signed stating that a minimum number of people were required. In addition, having heard some horror stories from other people who were married there, I prepared detailed outlines for the room setups and timing of events for the day. The person in charge of sales (Nathalie) refused to follow the planned flow of events that we had established with all of our other vendors (bakery, florist, DJ, etc). This resulted in many arguments and really tainted our overall experience. It also resulted in our flowers being delivered later than would have been best and thereby forcing my husband to dress quickly in the washroom rather than at the hotel. Despite the drama leading up to the event, the wedding itself went fairly well, although the sound system was quite poor outside and the table setup was mess (unpressed linens, etc). The food was ok, but definitely not the quality that we experienced at the tasting (or the same dessert). Perhaps the lamest part of the experience, was that rather than riding off into the sunset, my husband and I were stuck there after everyone else had left to pay the balance owing. Because it was so late (in fact it was Sunday, and not Saturday), my husband's credit card company flagged the transaction for a large sum which we had warned them would occur on the Saturday (not Sunday). Not wanting to spend our wedding night on the phone with the credit card company, we requested to come in the next morning and sort out the balance then. The manager, Kevin, refused and wouldn't let us leave until the balance was paid (45 minutes). Since then, the staff have failed to answer a single one of our emails or phone calls to have us pick up left over items from the wedding (vases, a crystal glass from my grandmother, our wedding cake topper). When we showed up in person, no one was there to help and our things were scattered everywhere with many items missing. So in summary, if you don't care how things roll out and don't care about seeing your personal belongings ever again, this may be the place for you to host your event.

Right next to the famous Kondiaronk Belvedere terrace, the Mount Royal Chalet is a landmark…read morebuilding dating back to 1932. Step inside and you'll find free, spotless public restrooms (a real plus after hiking the park's trails), a small café serving pastries, coffee, and tea, and plenty of chairs where you can cool off and rest. There are also park maps and displays with a bit of history about the chalet itself. Staff were friendly during my visit, and there's even a water fountain just outside to refill bottles. You can't miss the chalet -- it's a massive structure overlooking the terrace -- and it's well worth stepping inside, even if just for a quick break.

To gain access to the chalet from downtown and get an awe-inspiring view of Montréal, you need to…read morewalk up about 500 stairs from Drummond Street. There are other access points, but this is the one I took. The view is phenomenal, and the walk itself is challenging and beautiful, through the forest. If you're not a fan of stairs, you can take the circuitous path, but that takes longer to reach the pinnacle. The chalet has been there for decades, and is an interesting site to visit for its historic charm. The view is unforgettable and epic!

"You were the founders of the clinic on the hill Until he…read morecaught you with your fingers in the till He slapped your hand so you settled up your bill" (Steely Dan) Sir Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve (February 15, 1612 - September 9, 1676) was a French military officer and the founder of Montreal. He was born into the French aristocracy, joined the military when he was thirteen, and when he was thirty, was hired to lead a Jesuit mission into Iroquois territory on Montreal Island in New France (what is now known as Canada). In 1641, his expedition built a small settlement with a chapel and hospital on Montreal Island. The Maisonneuve Monument was completed in 1895 on Place d'Armes. The dedication date coincided with Montreal's 250th anniversary celebration of the city's founding. In a city overflowing with monuments and public art, this 30-foot-tall bronze statue was one of the most impressive I saw. At the top of a square column is a statue of Maisonneuve. In his right hand is the flag of the king of France and he holds a sword in his left hand. The base of the statue features four men and women that played critical roles in the city's history. You'll see North America's first nurse (Jeanne Mance) as she bandages a child's hand. Then there's Raphaël-Lambert Closse, he was a soldier and major of the garrison. Closse is holding his dog Pilotte in his arm. Next is Charles Lemoyne, a farmer and soldier holding a sickle and a gun. And finally, you'll see an anonymous Iroquois warrior holding a tomahawk with a rifle slung across his back. Putting all of these features together, along with some sculpted panels around the base, makes this eye-catching monument a very impressive sight.

Place d'Armes was the perfect spot to celebrate the founder of Montréal, as it was the central…read moresquare of the historic city. At the top of the square column is the statue of Maisonneuve, the founder and first governor of Ville-Marie. His eyes fixed on the horizon, he holds the flag of the king of France in his right hand. Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve (1612-76) was the founder and first governor of Ville-Marie (Montréal). Having arrived from France a few months before, he left Puiseaux, in the Québec City region, with two ships headed for Montréal to live with the French settlers. The monument, standing in the center of a water basin formed of four half-circles, is composed of a pedestal and a square column.

Art! Love the selection and variety of galleries from every corner of the world. This place is…read moreworth the journey.

This place is a phenomenal spot for both visitors and artists. Always updating and changing,…read morenumerous galleries of differing shapes and sizes. Art studios of differing sizes both open and closed. + 3 bars and live entertainment! + 3 restaurants in the building. (I tried one, excellent experience) + Movie theatre with 15 seats available for private events Not for profit organization supporting the local community and artists.