Montreal Downtown West walking tour

This scavenger hunt has a difficulty level of NORMAL.

The ideal group size is between 2 and 6 people – but is not restricted to this. Children are welcome and will enjoy most of the challenges.

After purchase, to begin your hunt, you will need to be on Boulevard René-Lévesque W. between Place Ville-Marie and the Queen Elizabeth hotel. This is the start location.

Once there, stand outside and log in to this website and begin your hunt, or go to My Account and follow the instructions.

Ancient History

Jacques Cartier discovered the island of Montreal on 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 Old Montreal.

Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve founded Montreal in 1642. Maisonneuve’s name is associated with many landmarks throughout the city, including a large park located 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 French Empire at the time, passed to the British Empire in 1763. Scottish and English Bourgeois inflated their population, as did British-American loyalists fleeing the American Revolution.

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.

Recent History

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. 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?