Montreal's museums

The Avataq Cultural Institute preserves and celebrates the Inuktitut language and contemporary Inuit culture of Nunavik, with artworks and documentary, photographic and audiovisual archives as well as pieces from Nunavik’s archaeological and material culture.

The Centre d’histoire de Montréal has closed its doors in Old Montreal. The museum has begun its metamorphosis to become, in 2022, the MEM – Montrealers’ Memory Centre, in the heart of the Quartier des spectacles on the corner of Saint-Laurent and Sainte-Catherine.

Montreal’s portal to its past, the Château Ramezay, was the first building in Québec to be classified an historic monument. Chosen as one of the 1001 Historic Sites You Must See Before You Die, the Château invites you to relive more than 500 years of history through its exhibits, its multimedia circuit (in six languages) and its French colonial garden.

Located along the St. Lawrence River, Maison Nivard-De Saint-Dizier is an outstanding example of rural architecture in the early days of the French regime. The foundations of the house, built in 1710, sit on the largest pre-historical archeological site on the island of Montréal, revealing Amerindian occupation that dates back over 5, 500 years ago.

The history museum invites you to discover the life of an exceptionnal woman and to visit exhibits and an archaeological site that you will find captivating. Head for Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, 18th century jewel of our heritage, for an insight into Montréal's past.

The McCord Museum is the museum of all Montrealers, a social history museum that celebrates life in Montreal, both past and present—its history, its people, and its communities. Open to the city and the world, the Museum presents exciting exhibitions, educational programming and cultural activities that offer a contemporary perspective on history, engaging visitors from Montreal, Canada and beyond. It is home to over 1.5 million artefacts, comprising one of the largest historical collections in North America, organized into the following categories: Dress, Fashion and Textiles, Photography, Indigenous Cultures, Documentary Art, Material Culture and Archives. McCord Museum: Our People, Our Stories.

The MMFA is one of Canada’s most visited museums and the eighth-most visited museum in North America, boasting more than 1.3 million visitors. The Museum’s original temporary exhibitions combine various artistic disciplines – fine arts, music, film, fashion and design – and are exported around the world. Its rich encyclopedic collection, distributed among five pavilions, includes international art, world cultures, decorative arts and design, and Quebec and Canadian art.

Visit Maison Le Ber-Le Moyne, the oldest complete building on Montréal Island. Explore Lachine’s heritage in the temporary exhibition.