Old Montreal Self-Guided Audio Walk: Notre-Dame Basilica, Old Port and Place Jacques-Cartier
1 hour and 30 minutes
About this experience
Old Montreal packs nearly four centuries into a few dozen streets, and much of its story is written in the stone: the outline of the first church traced in the paving, a river buried under a square, the footprint of a governor's house. This walk teaches you to read it. Start among the grand banks of Rue Saint-Jacques, cross Place d'Armes to the twin towers of Notre-Dame Basilica, and stand beside the ground where a mob burned the parliament in 1849. Then follow the city back to its beginning at Place Royale, walk the bending line of Rue Saint-Paul down to the Old Port, pass the sailors' chapel and Bonsecours Market, and climb Place Jacques-Cartier to City Hall's famous balcony before ending at the old city walls. Eleven stops, about 3 km and 90 minutes, in English and at your own pace. Start whenever you like; entry to the basilica and museums is not included.
- Experience type
- Day tour or activity
- Duration
- 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Guide
- English
- Audio guide
- English
- Categories
- Walking tour · Cultural and theme tours · City tours
What's included
Self-guided audio tour in English: 11 stops, 2.9 km, 1.5 hours Stops at Notre-Dame Basilica, Place d'Armes, Place Royale GPS map and walking directions in your phone browser, no app needed Lifetime access: start any day, at any hour, and replay it
What's not included
A live guide: you set the pace and the pauses A fixed start time: begin whenever you arrive Museum and monument tickets, all optional extras Tip or gratuity Food and drinks Entry or admission fee
Please note
To start the tour, enter the ticket code from your confirmation on the Roamer redemption page linked there. Do this before you set off, while you still have signal. The tour then opens in your phone browser, with no app to download. Bring a charged phone and earphones. Mobile data helps; if you have none, open the tour on wifi before you set off. Best time: A weekday morning is calmest, before the basilica and Rue Saint-Paul fill up. Tuesday to Friday lets you add Pointe-à-Callière, which is closed on Mondays, and City Hall is open on weekdays only. Late spring to early autumn is best for the Old Port and the Governor's Garden. The Notre-Dame Basilica day visit closes at 4 p.m. and is closed to visitors during French masses, so plan to be there before mid-afternoon if you want to go in. Choose one or two ticketed stops (the basilica, Pointe-à-Callière, the Marguerite-Bourgeoys Museum or Château Ramezay) rather than all four. If the Royal Bank hall at 360 Saint-Jacques is open, step in: it is a working café, free to enter. The walk ends a few minutes from Champ-de-Mars metro station, on the orange line: cross the footbridge over the walls, go down the steps to Rue Saint-Antoine, cross at the lights and follow the path up through Place des Montréalaises. Several streets, including Rue Saint-Paul and Place Jacques-Cartier, are cobbled and uneven, so wear flat shoes with grip. Rue de la Commune and Rue Notre-Dame carry traffic; cross at the marked crossings (the two on Rue de la Commune have no lights), and watch for cyclists along the Old Port. In 2026 expect scaffolding on the basilica's east tower and side. From beside City Hall the route goes down a flight of 22 steps with a handrail (no ramp) into the Champ-de-Mars; there is no step-free way to the walls on the route. The steps from the Champ-de-Mars down to Rue Saint-Antoine, on the way to the metro, are a summer path and may be closed in winter. If they are, go back up to Rue Notre-Dame, walk past the front of City Hall and go down Rue Gosford to Rue Saint-Antoine and the metro. In 2026 the city announced work on the City Hall balcony (a glass guard behind the old balustrade), so it may be under scaffolding. Public transportation nearby
Itinerary
- 1Day 0
Rue Saint-Jacques: A Bank Built Like a Cathedral
360 Rue Saint-Jacques, Montreal
In 1928 this was the British Empire's tallest building. Its gilded banking hall is now a café you can walk into.
- 2Day 0
Place d'Armes: Temple Front and First Skyscraper
500 Place d'Armes, Montreal
A bank built as a Roman temple. Montreal's first skyscraper and an Art Deco tower ring the square, around a founder whose face is imagined.
- 3Day 0
Notre-Dame Basilica: Twin Towers and a Famous Blue
110 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montreal
A New York Protestant designed this church. Montreal's mother church has a star-studded blue interior that is ticketed and worth it.
- 4Day 0
Place d'Youville: Where a Parliament Burned
Place d'Youville, Montreal
A mob burned the parliament here in 1849. This long, narrow square is built over a buried river, and its empty lot held the Province of Canada's parliament.
- 5Day 0
Place Royale: Where Montreal Began
360 Place Royale, Montreal
The 1642 fort stood just toward the river. Pointe-à-Callière museum shows its remains, and it is ticketed.
- 6Day 0
Rue Saint-Paul: The Street That Bends
12 Rue Saint-Paul Ouest, Montreal
This street follows the settlers' footpath. It curves for that reason, and Jeanne Mance's hospital stood here from 1645 to 1860.
- 7Day 0
Old Port: Giving the City Back Its River
Promenade du vieux port, Montreal
A grain elevator once blocked this view. It came down in the late 1970s, and the 1922 Clock Tower still guards the harbour.
- 8Day 0
Bonsecours Market and Chapel: The Sailors' Church
393 Rue Saint-Paul Est, Montreal
Model ships hang inside this chapel. They are gifts from sailors who made it home, and next door stands a domed market that was briefly a parliament.
- 9Day 0
Château Ramezay: The Governor's Stone House
290 Rue Notre-Dame Est, Montreal
The governor built this stone house in 1705. He called it the most beautiful in Canada, and it is now a ticketed museum with a free garden.
- 10Day 0
Place Jacques-Cartier: Nelson, City Hall and the Balcony
462 Place Jacques-Cartier, Montreal
Nelson stands with his back to the river. Across the street is the City Hall balcony where de Gaulle spoke in 1967.
- 11Day 0
Champ-de-Mars: The Old City Walls
Place Vauquelin, Montreal
Two low walls mark the old fortifications. They ringed the town until they were ordered down in 1801, and were dug back up in the 1980s.
Meeting point
Rue Saint-Jacques, Montreal 360 Rue Saint-Jacques, Montréal, Québec, CA
Pick up
Pickup is not provided.
Cancellation policy · Old Montreal Self-Guided Audio Walk: Notre-Dame Basilica, Old Port and Place Jacques-Cartier
Standard Viator policy
- Cancellation 0–24 hours before departure: 100% cancellation fee.
- Cancellation 24–24000 hours before departure: 0% cancellation fee.
Good to know
Operated by Roamer and sold by AGORA. Your voucher and booking reference arrive by email straight after payment.