Old Montreal

Old Montreal is the historic heart of Canada's vibrant, French-speaking cultural capital, a quarter of cobbled streets and handsome grey-stone buildings gathered by the old port on the St Lawrence. Its crowning glory is the Notre-Dame Basilica, whose breathtaking interior glows deep blue and gold beneath a star-spangled vault, and its squares, cafes and galleries hum with the city's celebrated joie de vivre.

History

Samuel de Champlain set up a fur-trading post at Place Royale that was later abandoned, and in 1642 Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve founded Ville-Marie on almost the same spot, building a fort in 1643 for the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal. After the société was dissolved in 1663 the Sulpicians became seigneurs of the island, François Dollier de Casson laid out the first streets, Notre-Dame, Saint-Paul and Saint-Jacques, the walls were raised from 1717 by Gaspard Chaussegros de Léry, and after a series of fires a royal order of 1721 required building in stone; in 1964 much of Old Montreal was declared a historic district (Wikipedia, Old Montreal).

The main sights

• Notre-Dame Basilica - the breathtaking blue-and-gold Gothic Revival interior.
• The cobbled streets - the old lanes and squares of the quarter.
• The Old Port - the waterfront promenade on the St Lawrence.
• Place Jacques-Cartier - the lively square of cafes and street life.

When to go

Summer for warm weather, festivals and terrace life, as Montreal is a city of festivals; autumn for colour and December for Christmas markets. Winters are long and cold but the city thrives with underground city and winter events.

What to expect

The old quarter is touristy and its restaurants pricier than the rest of the city, so venture into the Plateau and Mile End for local flavour. Winters are harsh. The basilica charges entry and can be busy. It is the historic core of a much larger, lively city worth exploring.

Nearby

Mount Royal park, the Plateau and the city's markets are elsewhere in Montreal; Quebec City is a few hours east.

Key facts