Wondering what to do in Montreal’s Entertainment District? Our scavenger hunt is a 2/3-hr self-guided walking tour of the Quartier des Spectacles, with challenges!
Indeed, walk from the Place des Arts to Theatre St-Denis, by way of UQAM, BAnQ, Gesù, and much more. And, solve challenges at every step. Each challenge will tell you where you are going next as well as some local history and trivia.
Your Entertainment District scavenger hunt takes you to:
- Place des Arts
- The contemporary art museum of Montreal
- Desjardins Complex
- Nouveau Monde Theatre
- Club Soda
- Mtelus Theatre
- UQAM
- Montreal Friendship Gate
- Gesù
- Imperial Cinema
Indeed, we live in Montreal and know it very well! This Tourist Scavenger Hunt is dear to us as we get to share our “neighborhood” with you. So, we hope you’ll enjoy it!
- Starting point: in front of the Desjardins Complexe, at 150 Saint-Catherine St, Montréal, QC H2X 3Y2
- Distance: 3 km / 1.9 mi
- Duration : 2:30 – 3h
- Method: on foot
- Required: A well-charged smartphone with a data plan
- Suggested:
- Bottled water
- Local map
The island of Montreal was “discovered” by Jacques Cartier during his second trip to America, where he happened upon the Iroquoian village of Hochelaga. Samuel de Champlain who explored the St. Lawrence River 70 years later discovered that these Iroquois had left. He established, then abandoned a trading post in 1611 in what’s now Old Montreal.
Montreal was finally founded in 1642 by Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve. Maisonneuve’s name was given to many landmarks throughout this city including a large park north of the Olympic Stadium in the east, as well as an important east-west artery that runs through the city center.
Montreal, the center of the hinterland at the time, passed from the French Empire to the British Empire in 1763. It was then inflated by new Scottish and English Bourgeois, as well as British-American loyalists fleeing the American Revolution.
1800s onwards
Montreal became important in the late 1800s when rail connections to New York, Toronto, and the Maritime Provinces were established. In 1860, it was the largest British municipality in America until the end of WWII, when Toronto took over.
Finally, It is the 2nd most populous city in Canada and the 1st in Quebec. It stands on an island in the St. Lawrence River which connects Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean. Montreal is also the largest French-speaking city in the Americas. In fact, it is considered the second-largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris.
Did you know that Montreal celebrated its 375th anniversary in 2017?
