Our trip to Montréal was different from most of our trips, both because we went without the kids and because our itinerary wasn’t fully planned out. Typically I have all of our activities booked or at least planned ahead of time and we figure out our dining at the last minute. But this trip was the opposite. Because this trip was just my husband and I and we were celebrating our anniversary, we had dinner reservations at nice restaurants for two of our three nights, but our days were wide open for just wandering around the city, exploring its main attractions as well as its hidden gems.
On the afternoon of our arrival, we went out the front door of our hotel in Old Montréal and just walked. We had no destination in mind and just followed streets that looked interesting. We walked along St Paul Street before turning towards downtown.
Victoria Square
Victoria Square connects Old Montréal and the city’s business district. A monument of the square’s namesake, Queen Victoria, is displayed at one end of the square. There is a metro entrance in the square that features an early 1900s railing from the Paris metro. The art-nouveau cast iron metro entrance was designed by Hector Guimard and gifted to the city of Montréal from the city of Paris in 1967. At the far end of the square is a really cool large stone sculpture by Taiwanese artist Ju Ming entitled Tai Chi Single Whip.
Quartier International
After strolling through the square, we turned down Viger Avenue West and continued walking through the Quartier International. We came upon another square, Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle. Built in 2004 over a former expressway, the square’s main feature is La Joute, an art installation that includes bronze sculptures and a fountain. The fountain operates on a 32 minute kinetic cycle that includes mist, water, and fire. I’ll admit that we passed by it several times without realizing that if we had stood there long enough or gotten lucky with the timing we would have seen a ring of fire erupt around the sculpture. Perhaps we were too distracted by the colorful convention center across the street, Palais des Congrès.
On our second day, we decided to walk to Parc du Mont-Royal and saw lots of the city along the way there and back.
The Ring
The Ring is a recent art installation in downtown Montréal. The gigantic steel structure is exactly what its name implies, a ring. Weighing 50,000 pounds and measuring 30 meters across, the huge ring is affixed to two building on either side and hovering over the staircase at the entrance of the esplanade at Place Ville Marie. When we were there, a 52-foot steel human figure was centered behind the ring. We thought it was part of the permanent work but apparently it was installed temporarily as part of 3 GIANTS, a circus festival. There were 2 other “giants” in other parts of the city, and each site hosted two daily acrobatic performances throughout the 10 day festival. The Ring was met with a lot of criticism, and I have to admit that the ring alone without the giant is much less appealing to me. The giant added some interest and character to the sculpture.
McGill University
One of Canada’s most prestigious universities, McGill’s hilly campus is at the foot of Parc du Mont-Royal. The university is internationally recognized for its work in biology, chemistry, and medicine. Although it was summer and the campus was relatively empty, we enjoyed walking through and appreciated the beautiful old buildings and the view of Montréal below.
Montréal Museum of Fine Arts Sculpture Garden
On our way back to the hotel from Parc du Mont-Royal, we walked through the wonderful sculpture garden at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts. The oldest art museum in Canada, the MMFA has 5 pavilions spread across 3 buildings on either side of Sherbrooke Street that are all connected by underground passage. The Sculpture Garden features 22 sculptures, mostly lining the colorfully painted Avenue du Musée. It was such a treat to get to see so many wonderful works of art outside the museum. We also went into the lobby of the museum, had a wonderful conversation with a museum volunteer, visited the gift shop and vowed to come back the next day. Sadly we didn’t make it back but will put it at the top of our list when we return to Montréal next.
Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde
After meandering through the Sculpture Garden, we continued our walk back to the hotel, passing the Mary Queen of the World Cathedral. The seat of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Montréal, this church is the third largest in Québec. Consecrated in 1894, the exterior of the cathedral features statues of the patron saints of the 13 parishes of Montréal that contributed to the construction of the church. We enjoyed the building from the outside but somebody important must have been inside at the time we went past. There was a fancy car in front and multiple police officers outside turning people away, saying that the interior of the church was temporarily closed.
Out and About in Montréal
As in all cities, some of the best sites in Montréal are the random streets and buildings that you come across on your way to other places. Below are some things that caught our eye during our 4 days in Montréal.
Montréal is a wonderful city to explore on your own. We rarely take the time to just wander on our trips and I think Montréal was the perfect city for us to do so. We loved the old world, European feel mixed with a modern, cosmopolitan vibe.
