Visit Montreal’s historic centerpiece on this guided walking tour of Old Montreal. Discover the history, heritage, architecture, and culture in this, the oldest area of the city of Montreal, dating back to New France. Explore the public squares of Place Jacques-Cartier, Place d’Armes, and Place Royale. Roam the historic streets of Saint-Jacques, Saint Paul, Notre-Dame, and Rue de la Commune, then stroll along the river banks of the Old Port of Montreal. See famous sites such as Notre-Dame Basilica, Pointe-à-Callière, and many more.

Guided walking tour of western and eastern Old Montreal
Explore the public squares of Place Jacques-Cartier, Place d’Armes, and Place Royale
Meander down the historic streets of Saint-Jacques, Saint Paul, Notre-Dame, and Rue de la Commune
Stroll along the riverbank of Old Port and admire the architecture of Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal
Learn the city’s history, culture, and development from your guide
Choose from one morning and two afternoon departures to suit your schedule

What's Included

Professional guide

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Gratuities

Departure & Return

Departure Point

904 Rue Saint-Urbain
904 Rue Saint-Urbain, Montréal, QC H2Z 1K4, Canada
Presse Cafe Montreal Convention Centre

Return Details

This activity will end right where it started.

What To Expect

Meet the guide and the rest of the tour group at a central meeting point in Old Montreal to explore the historic centerpiece of this largest city in Quebec. Visit the top attractions in both the east and west parts of Old Montreal on this walking tour.

Learn about this city’s rich history, French heritage, architecture, and culture while roaming the maze of narrow streets like Saint-Jacques (the former Wall Street of Canada), Saint Paul, Notre-Dame, and Rue de la Commune—plus a few hidden courtyards. Stroll along the river banks at the Old Port of Montreal and visit some of the city’s public squares, like Place d’Armes, Place Royale, and Place Jacques-Cartier, witnessing the impressive monuments and beautiful works of art on display there.

See the famous Notre-Dame Basilica, widely recognized as one of the most impressive landmarks in the world. It’s one of the crown jewels in Quebec's rich religious heritage and a focal point in Montreal’s history. In fact, the original stained-glass windows here paint a story of Montréal’s religious past.

Your tour concludes at your original departure point.

Old Montreal

Meet your knowledgeable guide at a central café in Old Montreal for your 1.5-hour walking tour that combines top attractions located in both eastern and western Old Montreal.

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Place Jacques-Cartier

Stroll through the cobbled square of Place Jacques-Cartier, lined with cafes and street performers, and learn about the 1809 monument commemorating Lord Nelson's defeat of Napoléon Bonaparte at Trafalgar.

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 2 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
Please dress according to weather conditions; proper footwear is advised
We recommend you bring snacks and water
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

about cancellations.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:What is the policy on face masks and attendee health during Old Montreal History Walking Tour?

A:The policies on face masks and attendee health are:

Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas

Q:What is the policy on sanitization during Old Montreal History Walking Tour?

A:The policies on sanitization are:

Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitized between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized

Q:What is the social distancing policy during Old Montreal History Walking Tour?

A:The policy on social distancing is:

Social distancing enforced throughout experience

Q:What measures are being taken to ensure staff health & safety during Old Montreal History Walking Tour?

A:The policies on staff health & safety are:

Guides required to regularly wash hands
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms

Traveler Photos

Reviews

3.0

41 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 41 reviews

Great Tour of Montreal - New and Old

David_R, Jul 2019

Our guide Alfredo was great. Extremely knowledgeable on the history of Montreal, very unbiased presentation on the city and history of how Montreal has evolved over the last couple centuries. Highly recommended. Has great recommendations for restaurants and things to see.

Tour guide is good but it took one and a half hour to show up

ABXTravel, Aug 2018

We were supposed to meet with the tour guide at10:30am by the cafeteria. The tour guide didn't show up on time. I and other tour group participants tried to call the phone number listed in the ticket however it wasn't possible to reach our to any responsible person, so I'm thinking if I should continue using Viator :-(Eventually through the café employee the company communicated that the tour guide would be one hour late. At last the tour guide was good appeared - the tour guide was good.

1 traveler found this review helpful

Tour Cancelled

Robert_P, Aug 2018

Although the tour operator had my cell phone # and email, I was never notified of the tour being cancelled. An hour wasted in Montreal that I will never get back. Then, rather than automatically getting a refund, you have to navigate through the Viator website and request the refund. Must be a better way!

A good tour

Beth M, Aug 2018

We did an hour and a half tour of Old Montreal and learned some interesting information. Our guide was nice and gave us lots of historical facts but the tour lacked personality. Lots of details about banks and stories about how things came to be but sort of bland. Didn't really get the "insider" recommendations and insights that other viator tours seem to provide automatically. For example, our guide pointed out the building that looks like NY Empire State but didn't tell us you could see a piece of the Berlin Wall near there. Even when the tour ended, our guide just said there are lots of nice restaurants all around the square, but nothing specific about the food or personal preference given.

Highly recommended

Linval_D, Aug 2018

My daughter and I enjoyed the tour. The guide was well informed, articulate and interesting. We covered a lot of important places. At each place the guide gave us and interesting commentary about thew history and importance of the site. It was worth the time and the cost.

I felt with a little research on your...

Joseph P, Apr 2018

I felt with a little research on your own you could do this tour on your own and even better. Being in a predominantly French speaking area and not knowing the language I was hesitant to go on my own, but coming from New York City the area of Old Montreal was not a bad area. We arrived early and took the 6 per person tour of Notre Dame Cathedral which was very interesting.

Our guide, Clare, was not so great. She...

Karen W, Apr 2018

Our guide, Clare, was not so great. She came to the meeting point at least 10 minutes after the scheduled tour time. Her history was vague at times and flat out wrong at other times. I felt like we could have just walked around with a guidebook. We usually LOVE walking tours and have taken them all over the world, and my husband and I agreed that this was the worst. Still gave 2 stars because old Montreal is lovely and I'd recommend a tour of it... just not with our guide.

Such a great way to see Old Montreal...

Jane W, Oct 2017

Such a great way to see Old Montreal for the first time - super guide!

This walking tour was really...

Peter W, Sep 2017

This walking tour was really interesting. The guide was very knowledgeable of Montreal history and culture. We had a thunderstorm in hte middle of the tour so I recommend bringing an umbrella.

The tour was small, only 6 people...

Tracy B, Aug 2017

The tour was small, only 6 people, however, the tour guide was not the most engaging. We had two school-aged children and when I asked the guide to explain some of the history in their terms, he was unable to do so. He also kept pointing out events that had happened earlier in the summer but had left - not helpful for tourists here now. However, Old Montreal is beautiful so even a not so great tour guide still makes for an enjoyable visit.

Our guide was so knowledgeable! It was...

Beth B, Aug 2017

Our guide was so knowledgeable! It was a great way to see old Montreal and learn about what we were seeing.

The guide was friendly, knowledgeable...

Ross M, Aug 2017

The guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and the tour well planned. We found it worthwhile.

We particularly enjoyed our guide...

Bonibet B, Aug 2017

We particularly enjoyed our guide, Marco, with his enthusiasm, pride in his city/country, knowledge of history and politics, his humor and willingness to go the extra mile.

our tour guide Marco was absolutely...

Elizabeth E, Jul 2017

our tour guide Marco was absolutely amazing!! His love for the city was contagious. He took us into places that I defineitely would have overlooked had I been on my own. I recommend this tour highly.

Good introduction to the city of...

Timothy R, May 2017

Good introduction to the city of Montreal. I would recommend this tour.

guide never showed. wasted my time...

des i, Apr 2017

guide never showed. wasted my time sitting around waiting

1 traveler found this review helpful

This was by far the best tour I've ever...

Mary C, Jan 2017

This was by far the best tour I've ever taken with via tour. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and kind. I would highly recommend this tour for anyone.

This tour was terrible...not at all...

Jayne K, Oct 2016

This tour was terrible...not at all worth the money or time! The guide was redundant, tired, and certainly didn't tell us much. I picked up a brochure that told me more than the guide! Don't do it!

I can not give this tour any stars. The...

Coriander S, Oct 2016

I can not give this tour any stars. The tour guide did not provide one ounce of interesting information on this tour. We were NOT told one fun fact, one interesting fact, nor one architectural fact. We were told dates. We were told to go to the restaurants that had a lot of people at them. The end.

We had a great time on our walking tour...

Heather H, Oct 2016

We had a great time on our walking tour with Megan, she was very engaging. We saw lots of things we would have otherwise just walked past with without knowing what we were passing. Well worth the time and money.

Questions?

Product code: 3355OLDMONTREAL

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