12 cultural attractions to discover with Passeport MTL

Centrally located in downtown Montréal, this museum is a celebration of the city’s history, people, and communities. Contemporary and immersive, their exhibitions are consistently intriguing, including anything from the fashion of the 1980’s and the work of famous cartoonists to presentations on eating locally.

690 Sherbrooke Street West

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With future-forward programming, this cultural centre in Old Montréal is on the leading edge of the experiential in the city. With a wealth of contemporary artists’ exhibitions and impactful digital experiences including VR and installations to blow your mind in a myriad of ways, few places can hold to a candle to its attractions.

407 Saint-Pierre Street

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Overseen by the Société du Château Dufresne, this museum set inside a heritage Beaux-Arts structure dating back over a century offers tours of a preserved past from the building’s original owners, the early 20^th-century business moguls Oscar and Marius Dufresne, as well as art collections. Wandering through the storied interiors here, and you’ll hear all kinds of stories about bygone eras and artistic evolutions.

2929 Avenue Jeanne-d'Arc

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A museum space entirely dedicated to the memory of Lower Canada citizens known as Patriots, this is the site where members of the Lower Canada Rebellion were incarcerated between 1837 and 1840 as political prisoners, and 12 were hanged for high treason against the British Crown. A site of immense historical importance, the Prison-des-Patriotes stands out due to its archaeological and artistic collections, cultural programming throughout the year, and exhibition on a wide range of historical topics.

903 De Lorimier Avenue

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Located in former farm house dating back to when Marguerite Bourgeoys purchased it in 1668, this museum and historic site is an architectural storyteller for Québecois culture in Montréal. It’s as educational as it is historical, with everything you’ll ever need to know about the province’s rich rural heritage, and to understand how people here once lived.

2146 Place Dublin

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A history museum created for and operating on the basis of grassroots involvement, exhibits here tell the stories of the working class’ lives throughout industrialization and beyond, from post-war to how Montrealers’ identities grew into the later half of the 20^th century. Founded in 1980, it’s an accomplished example of a cultural institution that looks on its city with a socio-cultural lens.

2050 Atateken Street

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As Montréal’s most accomplished institution for Holocaust education and communicating the universal perils of antisemitism, racism, hate and indifference, every visit here is a humbling, provocative and inspiring experience. Survivor testimonies, preserved and collected oral and written histories, and more are all available here as it continues to innovate with its collections. 

5151 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine

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Composed of a monastery, a hospital, a garden, a crypt and three chapels, the exhibitions at this museum explore subjects such as hospital heritage, explorations of the city’s centerpiece of Mount Royal, healthcare throughout history, and more. Coming here is educational in and of itself, as its organizational roots date back as early as 1642.

201 des Pins Avenue West

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Situated inside a historical monument in Old Montréal, this museum has been operating since 1895, having been a history museum, national portrait gallery and public library open to the public in the following year. Today, their educational and cultural activities are aimed at introducing people Québecois culture, heritage, and daily life over the centuries—plus a unique example of urban garden one would find in New France.

280 Notre-Dame Street East 

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A museum with a primary focus on the first Montrealers who founded the city in 1642, it has grown into a substantial cultural complex over the years that’s equal parts local and world history. Explore its archaeological crypt, learn about what makes Montréal so unique in terms of culture, architecture and art, and enjoy any one of its three to four temporary exhibits that it hosts every year.

350 Place Royale

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Founded in 1860, this preeminent art museum is the oldest in the country and has led the pack in cultural offerings with its mix of Quebec and Canadian heritage alongside international artists from every time in history and corner of the globe. Today, it hosts thousands of works of art and has grown to include up to five different pavilions—each with their own atmosphere.

1380 Sherbrooke Street West

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A leading organization for tours of Montréal and its surroundings, Guidatour has been operating since 1985 and has grown to include more than 100 certified guides offering services in more than 15 languages. From local tours on foot and spooky ghost experiencesto bus tours and scavenger hunts, the options to experience the city with the organization are as widely varied as the subject matter they cover.

360 Saint-Francois-Xavier Street

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