French Capital of the Americas: An Old Montréal Walking Tour

Welcome to Montréal, the French Capital of the Americas in the middle of the grandiose St.Lawrence River. It’s a unique and multicultural city that’s proud of its French and English heritage, and also open to the world.

On this walking tour with Context Travel expert and tour guide, Bruno-Serge Boucher, you’ll find out how the city got its start. You’ll also see where the French dropped anchor, where the Catholic Church established its churches, and where English entrepreneurs founded their banks and businesses.

The tour starts on the corner of Place d’Youville and Place Royale, at the very place where Montréal was founded in 1647. You’ll walk through the Old Port, a reminder of Montréal’s industrial 19th-century past, and see where the Parliament of Canada was located in 1849. You’ll then discover St. James Street, Canada’s answer to “Wall Street”.

After being struck by the splendour of the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal, you’ll continue to Place Jacques-Cartier, a square regularly filled with markets and festivities. You’ll end the tour at the Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours Chapel – the very same chapel that’s featured in the song “Suzanne”, by Leonard Cohen, who was a Montreal-native. Along the way, you’ll hear about other prominent locals including city founders Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve and Jeanne Mance, entrepreneur John Molson, and French religious sister, Marguerite Bourgeoys.

On this 75-minute Montreal tour, you’ll have a chance to:

• Spot Habitat 67, a city landmark and housing complex across the Saint Lawrence River
• Visit Royal Bank Tower, where major Canadian Banks have their head offices
• Pass by St. James Theater, now one of Montréal's most prestigious multi-purpose venues, previously home to the Canadian Bank of Commerce
• Be moved by the tomb of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal
• See the Old Sulpician Seminary, one of the oldest of its kind in North America
• Grab a tasty treat from Bonsecours Market, a public food market which was the city’s main public market for 100 years

By the end of this tour, you’ll have a greater appreciation for Montreal’s mixed heritage and its journey to becoming a city where there is a little sweet madness in the air!