Are you wondering which museums to visit in Old Montreal? Are you planning a visit to Old Montreal? Or do you live here but have never bothered to visit this historic neighborhood of the city? In our research to develop a Tourist Scavenger Hunt in Old Montreal, we’ve come across much information, some of which can only be gleaned when doing the actual scavenger hunt.
However, we also wanted to share some of that information with you for your visit planning. Here are 8 museums to visit in Old Montreal.
Article updated 2 August 2019
8 Museums to visit in Old Montreal
- Musée Pointe-à-Callière
- Montreal’s museum of archeology, founded in 1992 as part of Montreal’s 350th anniversary. Indeed, it houses collections of artifacts from the first nations of the Montreal region. Correspondingly, Musée Pointe-à-Callière stands atop archaeological remains of the Little Saint-Pierre River and St.Anne’s Market. Pointe-à-Callière is considered one of the best museums to visit in Old Montreal. In fact, it is one of the best in the entire city!
- It is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10/11 am to 5 pm. Rates vary from $8 for children to $20 for adults
Ancienne-Douane / Old Customs House- On Place Royal next to Musée Pointe-à-Caillière, you will find this square stone building built in 1836. As a matter of fact, this is the site wherein 1605, Samuel de Champlain set up the first fur-trading post on the island of Montreal.
- In addition, at its crest, you will see a stone sculpture of Albion, representing Great-Brittan.
Montreal Science Center- Located on King Edward’s Pier in Old Montreal, is the Montreal Science Center where you will find an IMAX Theatre and many exhibits. Most exhibits are permanent while some are temporary for a year or two. Currently, an exhibit presents Aboriginal technologies from before the French and British colonization of Canada that we still use to this day.
- Rates vary from $8.50 for children to $15 for adults. Moreover, there are separate rates for the IMAX theatre. It is open from 9 am to 4 pm most days.
Musée Marguerite Bourgeoys- This museum, located within the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, presents exhibits dedicated to a 17th-century local pioneer, Marguerite Bourgeoys. Of course, you will find it located within the 300-year-old chapel.
- Rates vary from $7 for children to $12 for adults. It is open from 10 am to 6 pm daily
Château Ramezay- Located on Notre-Dame, at the intersection of Saint-Claude, across from Montreal’s City Hall, is Château Ramezay. Indeed, governor of Montreal, Claude de Ramezay, built this historic site 1705 as his residence. Today, it houses a museum on the history of Montreal.
- It is open most days from 10 am to 4:30 pm. Fees vary from $5.75 for children to $11 for adults.
Montreal’s City Hall- You can visit the five-story Montreal City Hall. It was erected between 1872 and 1878 in the Second Empire style. You will find it located on Rue Notre-Dame, between the Champs de Mars and Place Jacques-Cartier. A fire gutted it in 1922. Consequently, the city rebuilt it with a Beaux-Arts styled copper roof.
- In fact, in 1967, the French President and former General, Charles de Gaulle gave a patriotic speech which enflamed Quebec’s separatist movement for many decades.
- It is open to the public between 8:30 am and 5 pm daily except Sundays.
- Montreal Historical Center
- You will find The Centre d’histoire de Montréal, or Montreal’s Historical Center, located in an old Firehouse dating from 1903. It is built in a Flemish style. Here, exhibits on three floors present famous events from Montreal’s past, as well as pictures and portraits of everyday life here in different time periods.
- It is open from 10 am to 5 pm from Wednesday to Sunday.
- Bank of Montreal Museum
- The city’s oldest bank building, built in 1847 in Pantheon style, presents not only historical exhibits but also an actual teller’s station and mechanical banks. You will find it located at Place d’Armes across from Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal.
- It is open weekdays from 10 am to 4 pm.
We invite you to try our Old Montreal Tourist Scavenger Hunt. It is a 2 and a half-hour guided walking tour around Old Montreal you do on your mobile phone (how it works). It only costs $30 for your group and you will enjoy seeing these museums and much more while completing challenges and learning Montreal’s history.
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