Historical Museums

Because the city is over 370 years old, Montreal has many historical places and museums. Here are some of them:

The McCord Museum of Canadian History  tells the story of Montreal and Canada. They have a large collection of objects and photos. It is near McGill University. Admission is $7 for students (with an ID card).  Free on Wednesday evenings. Closed on Monday (except in the summer).

  • 690 Sherbrooke Ouest near Metro McGill

The Pointe-à-Callière Archaeology Museum  is an unusual museum where you can learn about the history of Montreal by going underground! It is built on a place where there were many other buildings going back to the beginning of Montreal. The museum shows the different levels of Montreal’s history. Walking through the underground displays takes you to the gift shop, which is in the old Customs House on the other side of the street. This museum has an interesting multimedia show about the history of Montreal and many archaeological artifacts. You can also to up to the tower on the roof for a fantastic view of the Old Port and Old Montreal. There are also other visiting exhibitions of archaeology from around the world. It is closed on Mondays (except in the summer). Admission is $8 for students.

  • 350 Place Royale, at the corner of de la Commune in Old Montreal;  Metro Place d’Armes or Metro Square-Victoria

The Château Ramezay is a small museum in Old Montreal across the street from Montreal City Hall, near Place Jacques-Cartier. It is just a few minutes walk up the hill from Metro Champ-de-Mars. It has a nice collection to show the history of New France and Montreal. It is $5 for students. It is closed on Monday except in the summer.

  • 280 Notre-Dame Est;  Metro Champ-de-Mars

The Stewart Museum is an interesting history museum in an old fort on Saint Helen’s Island. It covers four hundred years of history in Canada. In the summer, there are actors there who wear old uniforms and costumes to show how life was in the old days. The soldiers march and shoot old guns. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. It costs $10 for students

  • Metro Jean-Drapeau (yellow), then follow signs (about a 10 minute walk)

The Montreal History Centre [Centre d’histoire de Montréal] is a very interesting museum that tells the story of our city since it was founded in 1642. The museum is in a beautiful old building that was an old fire station in Place d’Youville in the Old Port and Old Montreal. It is located just a few metres from where the first buildings were in Montreal over 370 years ago. It is open every day except Monday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. It costs $4.00 for students.

  • 355 Place d’Youville;  Metro Square-Victoria or Metro Place d’Armes

The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre is a special museum to remember and educate everyone about the Holocaust. The Holocaust is the name of what the Nazis in Germany did to Jewish people between 1933 and 1945. During this time, millions of Jews were killed, and after World War 2, many survivors of these terrible events left Europe and came to Montreal. In fact, Montreal has the third largest population of Holocaust survivors in the world. The museum has hundred of photos and thousands of artifacts from one of the saddest episodes in the history of the 20th century.

It is open Sunday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Wednesday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. Closed on Saturdays and Jewish and statutory holidays. Admission is $5.00 for students.

  • Cummings Square (5151 Côte Ste-Catherine Road);  Metro  Côte Ste-Catherine, Bus 129

Maison Saint-Gabriel is a house built in 1668, and it is an interesting museum about life in Montreal in the 17th century. It is like visiting New France in the early days of the city. It has furniture, dishes, household items, documents, tools and clothes. The house is in a beautiful small park/farm. In the summer, there are people in costumes working there, so it looks like it is 300 years ago. Closed on Monday. Admission is $5 for students.

  • 2146 place Dublin in the Pointe-Saint-Charles neighbourhood; Metro Charlevoix , Bus 57 East or  Metro Square Victoria station, Bus 61

The Château Dufresne is a museum in the east part of the city. It was the mansion of the rich Dufresne family and it was built in 1915. It is a wonderful example of the the “Beaux-Arts” style of building of that period. Its beautifully decorated rooms are full of beautiful furniture and art from the early 20th century. The museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday. Admission is $7 for students.

The Ecomusée du fier monde is a small museum in an old 1920s public bathhouse that shows the history of industrial development and working class life in Montreal. It has mainly historical photos and some artifacts. Open Wednesday to Sunday. Admission for students is $4.00.

  • 2050 Amherst Street, corner of Ontario Stree; Metro Berri-UQAM

The Sir George-Étienne-Cartier National Historic Site of Canada is a building in Old Montreal that was the family home of Sir George-Étienne Cartier (1814-1873) who was a lawyer and politician, and is one of the “Fathers of Confederation”, the leaders who made Canada a country in 1867. The house is full of beautiful furniture from the 19th century Victorian period, and it is a good place to learn about the life of the upper class at that time, and about the life of a Montrealer who was very important in Canadian history.

The museum is open from April to December, Wednesday to Sunday, and every day in the summer months. The National Historic Site is closed January to March. Admission is $4.00 for adults.

  • 458 Notre-Dame East, corner of Berri in Old Montreal; Metro Champ-de-Mars