Things to Do in Montreal, Canada: Walking Guide

Montreal is a lively city in the province of Quebec, Canada, set on an island in the Saint Lawrence River and dominated by the green summit of Mount Royal. It blends deep French‑Canadian roots with a thriving scene of art, music, cuisine and innovation, making it a rewarding destination for anyone who enjoys history, culture and urban energy. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Montreal with 223 narrated places.

Explore Montreal’s highlights

Olympic Stadium

Built as the centrepiece of the 1976 Summer Olympics, the stadium was designed by French architect Roger Taillibert at the request of then‑mayor Jean Drapeau. Its most striking feature is the inclined tower that rises 165 metres and supports three‑quarters of the roof’s load, giving the venue its nickname “The Big O.” The permanent seating capacity is about 56,000, expandable with temporary seats, and the complex also includes the Montreal Tower, a sports centre with seven swimming pools and extensive outdoor esplanades.

Notre‑Dame Basilica

Located in Old Montreal beside Place d’Armes, this Catholic basilica is the mother church of the city. Inside, deep‑blue vaults are scattered with golden stars while the sanctuary glows with blues, azures, reds, purples, silver and gold. Hundreds of intricate wooden carvings and religious statues fill the space, and the Casavant Frères pipe organ from 1891 boasts four keyboards, ninety‑nine stops and seven thousand individual pipes. The present Gothic Revival building was completed between 1824 and 1829 and was elevated to a Minor Basilica in 1982.

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Founded in 1860, it is Canada’s oldest art museum and stretches across both sides of Sherbrooke Street West in downtown Montreal. The encyclopedic collection holds more than 43,000 works ranging from historic pieces to contemporary art, and it includes one of North America’s notable collections of contemporary decorative arts and design. The museum is organized into five pavilions, each with a distinct focus—modern and contemporary art, world cultures, decorative arts and design, Quebec and Canadian art, and a pavilion for peace that brings together international works.

Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal

This Roman Catholic basilica and national shrine was founded in 1904 by Brother André in honour of Saint Joseph. Over six decades it grew into a vast complex completed in 1967, today recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada and the country’s largest church. The exterior shows a monumental Renaissance Revival façade, while the interior is Art Deco; the dome has an internal height of 60 metres and a diameter of 39 metres, and the cross at its summit reaches 300 metres above sea level. The grounds feature a life‑size Way of the Cross installed since 1951, with sculptures representing the Passion of Christ.

Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral

Situated on the eastern side of Place du Canada, this minor basilica serves as the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal. Built between 1875 and 1894 in the Neo‑Renaissance style, it is a reduced‑scale copy of St. Peter’s Basilica, measuring 101 metres in length, 46 metres in width and 77 metres to the top of its cupola, which itself is 23 metres across. Since 1999 the cathedral has been a National Historic Site, and its scale and architectural ambition remain a vivid reminder of its importance in Montreal’s religious and urban landscape.

Château Ramezay

This historic building on Notre‑Dame Street opposite Montreal City Hall was erected in 1705 as the residence of Governor Claude de Ramezay, with construction finished in the spring of 1706. Its stone walls give a glimpse of early Montreal architecture, and today the château operates as a museum presenting history through ethnological displays and a portrait garden. The surrounding garden adds another dimension to the visit.

Montreal Biosphère

Set on Saint Helen’s Island, the geodesic dome that houses the Biosphère was originally the United States pavilion for Expo 67. Designed by Richard Buckminster Fuller and Shoji Sadao, it is described as the largest geodesic dome of its kind in the world. After an agreement with the City of Montreal in 1990, Environment Canada took over the pavilion, and the museum has been dedicated to environmental education since 1995.

Redpath Museum

Located on Sherbrooke Street West at McGill University’s downtown campus, the Redpath Museum is Canada’s oldest building constructed specifically as a museum and has been part of the university since 1882. Inside, nearly three million specimens reveal the diversity of the natural world, with exhibits touching on ethnology, biology, paleontology and mineralogy. The Victorian‑Greek inspired building was designed by A. C. Hutchison and A. D. Steele and remains an idiosyncratic example of eclectic Victorian Classicism.

Bell Centre

Home of the Montreal Canadiens since opening in 1996, Bell Centre is a major indoor arena in the city. During hockey games it can accommodate more than 20,000 spectators, and it also offers 135 luxury suites and 2,674 club seats. Its busy schedule makes it one of the most heavily attended venues in North America, and it ranks highly for ticket sales at non‑sporting events as well.

Montreal Holocaust Museum

Founded in 1979 as the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre, the institution became Canada’s first and only museum dedicated to Holocaust remembrance. After a complete redesign and renovation, it reopened on June 30, 2003 and continues to educate visitors of all ages about the Holocaust and the dangers of antisemitism, racism, hatred and indifference, while promoting respect for diversity and human dignity.

Canadian Centre for Architecture

Established in 1979 by Phyllis Lambert, this institution in the Shaughnessy Village neighbourhood combines exhibitions, research and public programs to foster understanding of architecture’s role in society. The building was completed in 1989 and houses a large library and archives, hosts year‑round exhibitions and provides a study centre open to the public. Its architectural garden includes a sculpture garden designed by Melvin Charney, an outdoor complement to the ideas explored inside.

Montreal Science Centre

Situated on King Edward Quay in the Old Port, the Montreal Science Centre opened in 2000 under the name iSci Centre and adopted its current name in 2002. Set on the site of former maritime warehouses, it invites visitors of all ages to explore science and technology through hands‑on discovery. Interactive exhibitions bring topics to life, and an IMAX theatre adds a larger‑than‑life dimension to the experience.

Explore Montreal with Neywo

Neywo’s free audio guide lets you discover the city at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. The app offers 4 walking tours, 1 bus route and 1 bike route.

• Birthplace of Ville‑Marie: Place d’Armes to the Clock Tower – 3.53 km, 116 minutes, 12 stops (Old Canadian Bank of Commerce Building, Maisonneuve Monument, Notre‑Dame Basilica, Old Custom House, Pointe‑à‑Callière, Place D’Youville, Montreal Science Centre, Place Jacques‑Cartier, château Ramezay, Chapel of Our Lady of Help, Sir George‑Étienne Cartier National Historic Site, Montreal Clock Tower).
• Quartier des Spectacles: Concert Halls, Cabarets and the Latin Quarter – 2.1 km, 85 minutes, 11 stops (Church of St. John the Evangelist, Montreal Symphony House, Salle Wilfrid‑Pelletier, Théâtre Jean‑Duceppe, Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, Monument‑National, Gayety Theatre, Université du Québec à Montréal, Saint‑Jacques Cathedral, Espace Saint‑Denis, Place Émilie‑Gamelin).
• Golden Square Mile: Art, Money and McGill – 4.15 km, 117 minutes, 11 stops (Canadian Centre for Architecture, Grey Nuns Motherhouse, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, Ravenscrag, Square Forms and Circles, Redpath Museum, McGill University, McCord Stewart Museum, La Foule illuminée, Christ Church Cathedral).
• A Mini St. Peter’s, an Irish Basilica and a Fountain of Fire – 3.42 km, 112 minutes, 12 stops (Bell Centre, St. George’s Anglican Church, Place du Canada, Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, Dorchester Square, Lion of Belfort, St. James United Church, St. Patrick’s Basilica, La Joute, Victoria Square, International Civil Aviation Organization, World Anti‑Doping Agency).
• Bus 24 Sherbrooke: from Notre‑Dame‑de‑Grâce to the Golden Mile – 6.4 km, 27 minutes, 7 stops (Notre‑Dame‑de‑Grâce, Trinity Memorial Church, Fort de la Montagne, Valentin Gallery, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, McCord Stewart Museum, Monastère du Bon‑Pasteur).
• Lachine Canal: Old Port to Lachine – 15.6 km, 78 minutes, 7 stops (Montreal Science Centre, Pointe‑à‑Callière, Place D’Youville, Fonderie Darling, Griffintown Horse Palace, Musée de Lachine, The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site).

Each story plays automatically as you reach a location, allowing you to linger or move on as you wish. Narration is available in 11 languages. Download Neywo today and let the city’s stories guide your walk, bike ride or bus trip through Montreal.