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Walking tours (Old Montreal)
- North-west (the basilica and money tour) :
- You can start at the Cours LeRoyer (old warehouses converted into condominiums). The story of the buildings and the land is written on a plaque with holograms to illustrate. It's just east of Notre-Dame basilica (walk down on St-Sulpice from Notre-Dame street).
- then there's Chapelle du Sacre-Coeur (behind the Notre-Dame basilica)
- the Notre-Dame basilica itself (Place d'Armes metro station).
- the St-Sulpice seminary seminary, oldest building in Montreal (1685) still standing, to the right of the Notre-Dame basilica.
- the Centaur theater house in the Old Stock Exchange building.
- the Place d'Armes itself, in front of the Notre-Dame basilica with the statue of de Maisonneuve. At night, the shadow of the statue looms over the Bank of Montreal building. To the east is the New York Life Insurance building (red sandstone facade).
- to the north of the Place there's the Bank of Montreal's museum itself (the building with the dome) which has a small museum about ... money (free admission, from 10am to 4pm).
- the rue St-Jacques, the old business street (between the Place-d'armes metro station and Square-Victoria metro station ) with its many banks (Royal Bank with its arched ceilings, etc).
- the Centre de commerce mondial, it's a block of renovated old buildings (at the Square-Victoria metro station). There's a great atrium with an indoor fountain where the ruelle des Fortifications (alley) use to be. There's also a piece of the Berlin wall that was given to Montreal for its 350th birthday, it's located near the east entrance (opposite of the metro entrance). It is definatly worth a look (there are self-serve type restaurants as well as a upscale restaurant, you can also do a litle shopping). From time to time, there is a little exhibit in the atrium.
- you can finish the tour at the Victoria square and the Tour de la Bourse (stock exchange tower).
- East (the touristy tour) :
- You can start at the Champs-de-Mars fortifications and Place Vauquelin (or at from the Viger square which is east of the Champs-de-Mars metro station -by the way, Jacques Viger was the elected first mayor of Montreal) and the old Viger hotel/train station, then walk up Berri street to the Dalhousie train station which was converted into the national circus school, then walk west on Notre-Dame to get to Place Vauquelin),
- Montreal's Hôtel de ville (city hall) is on the east side of the Place Vauquelin and the Old 'old' court house is to the west. (the other old court house (ie the Old 'new' court house or Ernest Cormier building is on Notre-Dame street east),
- the Place Jacques-Cartier (Champs-de-Mars metro station), starts from Notre-Dame street near the city hall and continues down to St-Paul street. It's surrounded by restaurants and cafes (mostly for tourists),
- the Bonsecours market is on St-Paul street east as is the Chapelle Notre-Dame du Bonsecour, the Hôtel Rasco (the Maison historique George-Etienne Cartier is a little further north on Berri street),
- you can then walk south to de la Commune street (parallel to the St-Laurent river) and south-west to the old port. The old port is full of activities during the summer : exhibitions, you can rent bicycles, caleche rides, musicians... Or walk south-east to the Tour de l'Horloge (clock tower),
- after the old port, you can walk north to St-Paul street then west back to the Place Jacques-Cartier.
- South-West (the other tour) :
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