Explore Downtown Montreal Walking Tour

SPECIAL OFFER!
Early booking offer – Reserve your tour before April 30th, 2023 and receive -15% off discount.
Apply the following discount code at checkout: DETOUR15

On this walking tour of downtown Montreal, you’ll experience the exciting energy of downtown as your local guide points out impressive architecture – new and old, beautiful park spaces, and historic sites along your route. Of course, it wouldn’t be an MTL Detours experience if we didn’t reveal some secrets and hidden gems of the city centre along the way! Come equipped with your curiosity (and favourite walking shoes!) and leave with a new perspective on this buzzing section of Montreal.

This tour kicks off outside Montreal’s Museum of Fine Arts, where you’ll meet one of our fun local guides. After an introduction from your guide, the walking begins!

First, we’ll head to parts of the “Golden Square Mile” neighbourhood to see the sumptuous homes of the past. We’ll pass by the massive Leonard Cohen “Tower of Songs” mural, a tribute to the late Montreal icon, and see the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Montreal – the very first Ritz in the world.

Next, we head to Dorchester Square and Place du Canada, a beautiful public space that features benches, monuments, and green space. We’ll admire its fantastic Victorian-style fountain, which appears to be cut in half! We’ll take in the Romanesque-Revival-style architecture of Windsor Station, once a working railway station and now a national historic site, whose beautiful arched entranceways will transport you in time.

This tour has no shortage of Montreal landmarks and historic sites! From the modern Bell Centre, home of the legendary Montreal Canadiens hockey team, to the stunning religious architecture of the neo-Gothic Christ Church Cathedral, and Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral – a miniature replica of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

We’ll pass by Place Ville-Marie Esplanade and the awe-striking “The Ring” art installation. Learn the significance behind this 30-metre wide steel structure that sits suspended above a public staircase. We’ll also see some of McGill University campus, founded in 1821 and one of the most prestigious universities in Canada, and take in the variety of notable buildings & beautiful green spaces. A tour of downtown wouldn’t be complete without a stroll along the buzzing Rue Sainte-Catherine, which is bursting with fashion, food, and festivals. Throughout the route, your passionate local guide will reveal secrets and hidden gems of the city centre, engaging you in dialogue and answering any questions you may have along the way.

Finally, we’ll finish at historic Phillips Square, where the first shops were set up outside the old city and marked the beginnings of modern downtown Montreal. But don’t worry, your guide will leave you with some personal suggestions and local insider tips on how to make the most of the rest of your time in Montreal!