Things to Do in Montreal

Finding things to do in Montreal is easy enough, trying to do them all in a couple of days is not. Unless you have unlimited time it's best to carefully plan your days with the places that are of the most interest to you. Here are a few ideas to help you better plan your stay in Montreal.

The Montreal Botanical Gardens are located minutes from downtown Montreal, near Olympic Park. It is one of the largest botanical gardens in the world and one place you will surely want to visit. It is anticipated your time at the gardens will be spent something like this, about an hour to visit the greenhouses, one to four hours for the outdoor gardens and another hour for the insectarium.

Located at the University of Notre Dame is Basilica Of The Sacred Heart Museum. Here you can learn about Notre Dame's past by viewing the many artifacts and other memorabilia dating back to the very beginning. Plan this trip for between 9-11 in the morning or 1-4 in the afternoon.

Jean-Talon Market is a farmer's market located in the Little Italy district. It is located on two city streets, both of them called Place du Marche du Nord. The market is open year round and most of the 300 or so vendors are farmers offering fresh fruit and vegetables. The area is surrounded by other food industries including fish, cheese, meat, spices, baked goods and more.

Located in the borough of Ville-Marie is Old Montreal, the oldest area in the city. There are buildings here that date back to the 1600s. Some of the buildings you will see are Montreal City Hall, Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, the Aldred Building, the Old Royal Bank Building and Bonsecours Market. The cobbled streets and old buildings preserve the look and feel of Montreal's earliest days.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1860. They promote the work of Canadian and international artists past a present. The museum has grown to over 35, 000 works of art including paintings, prints and drawings, photographs and decorative art objects and sculptures.

At the Museum of Archaeology and History you will see thousands of artifacts, artworks and archaeological wonders, all of which tell the story of Montreal. The museum is home to the remnants of Montreal's city wall, a customs house, a inn and a warehouse.

Another market to visit is the Atwater Market, first opened in 1933. Some of the goods offered here are horticultural produce, fine foods, meats, baked goods, cheese, wine and fish. It's located in the borough of Le Sud-Quest.

To see Montreal by water try the Le Bateau Mouche Day Cruise. The cost is thirty two dollars and they keep you on the water for about an hour. They are located in the Old Montreal area of town.

Petit Musee is all about antiques and rare art, and it's all for sale. This is a truly unique place to visit and should be on your list if time allows. They are open from 9:30 to 5:30 daily making it easy to fit them in to your schedule.

The Chateau Ramezay Museum has been in Montreal since 1895. The exhibitions allows you to relive the history of Montreal and Quebec with the help of over 30,000 objects of interest. The museum is divided into themes like The Works of Art, The Quebec Ethnological Collection, The Numismatic Collection, The Library, The Photographic Collection and The Amerindian Ethnological Collection. They are open from 10:00 to 6:00 daily.

These are just some of the many things to do in Montreal, but it should be enough to get you started. Enjoy your stay in this incredible part of Canada.