Attractions in Downtown Montreal

Montreal’s Atwater Market (Marché Atwater) is one of Montreal’s most popular food markets. It features fresh produce, over ten butcher shops, three cheese shops, a fish shop and over a dozen specialized boutiques. At the Atwater Market, you’ll find fruits, vegetables, meats, fishes, flowers, spices and so much more. The Atwater Market has both indoor and outdoor sections.

Montreal’s imposing Centre Canadien d’Architecture (Canadian Centre for Architecture) spans an entire block. Located in the southwest corner of downtown Montreal, the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA ) consists of two buildings that take up 130, 000 square feet of exhibition space. You will find exhibition galleries, a theatre, bookstore, library and study centre. All dedicated to the appreciation of architecture.

Montreal’s Complexe Desjardins is a multifunctional building located in the heart of downtown Montreal. The Complexe Desjardins contains a shopping mall, a hotel complex and several office buildings. Located across the street from the Place des Arts, the Quartier des Spectacles and the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art, it is an important attraction that houses over 200 free, public activities every year.

Founded in 1964, Montreal’s Contemporary Art Museum (Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal) is located inside Montreal’s Quartier des Spectacles. The museum is inside the Place des Arts and opposite of Complexe Desjardins. Montreal’s Museum of Contemporary Art’s primary mission is to promote Quebec art along with Canadian and International contemporary art.

Montreal’s Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral (Cathédrale Marie Reine du Monde) is an European-inspired Basilica that also happens to be the seat of the Archdiocese for Montreal. The Cathedral is meant to be a scaled down version of the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It covers approximately one quarter of the area of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Montreal’s McCord Museum of Canadian History (Musée McCord d’histoire Canadienne) is a museum dedicated to Canadian history. Located in downtown Montreal, right next to McGill University, the Museum contains a large collection of exhibits on Canadian social history. Along with being an exhibition museum, the McCord Museum is also considered to be a teaching and research facility that examines contemporary issues of Canadian society and history.

Montreal’s McGill University is recognized as one of the top Universities in all of Canada and the world. The University has a very diverse student population that contains students from more than 150 countries. McGill University is one of Montreal’s two Anglophone universities (the other being Concordia University), and is the oldest institutions of higher learning in all of Canada.

Montreal’s Planetarium (Planétarium de Montréal) has been helping visitors discover the Stars and Universe since 1966. The Montreal Planetarium is designed to help uncover the fascinating world of astronomy and space exploration to all. It offers various multimedia shows that feature content for all ages.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal) is dedicated to promoting and acquiring the work of Canadian and International artists, past and present. The museum has a vast collection of Ancient Cultures, European Art, Canadian Art, Inuit and Amerindian Art, Contemporary Art and Decorative Arts. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square Mile stretch of Sherbrooke Street.

The Place des Festivals is a large public urban space that is dedicated to festivals and entertainment within the Quartier des Spectacles. The Place des Festivals draws huge festivals, particularly, during the summertime because of the many free events that take place in the Quartier des Spectacles. As part of the Place des Arts, the Place des Festivals contains the biggest interactive fountain in Canada.

Montreal’s Underground City is a cornerstone of Montreal that is visited by over a quarter of a million people each day. The Undergound city contains hotels, restaurants, galleries,stores, rail stations, Metro stations,cinemas, nightclubs and even a library. This vast network runs under Montreal’s streets, crosses certain plazas and intersects with many Metro stations. You can find busy walkways and quite corners.