City: Montreal
Top Things to do in Montreal
The 10 Best Historical & Heritage Tours in Montreal, Canada
Montreal, c’est si bon! This French-speaking city is considered the cultural capital of Canada, and is a cosmopolitan celebration of Québécois style. A horse-drawn carriage ride around the cobblestone streets and grand buildings of Vieux-Montréal will give you a taste of European flavor. The Basilique Notre-Dame is a confection of stained glass, and the Plateau Mont-Royal district will delight you with its quaint boutiques and cafés. Dig in to a massive plate of poutine to fuel up for a tour of the epic Olympic Park.
Restaurants in Montreal
1. Explore Old Montreal - Small Group Walking Tour
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 8 reviews
WINTER November to March = See "Winter Charms of Old Montreal" Tour - At the top of your Montreal bucket list should be a visit of Old Montreal, our enchanting heritage district which is best discovered on foot. This is a small group tour with a maximum of 6 people, ensuring that your Old Montreal experience will be up close, personal and intimate. Learn about the fascinating beginnings of the French colony that was founded in 1642 and all the historical highlights that contributed to making Montreal the unique and diverse city that it is today. Learn about history, architecture, art, food, culture, fun facts and anecdotes. Your guide will cover all the bases and will add their own personal insights to the spots that you will visit. They will point out their fave places along the way and will be sure that you leave with plenty of recommendations and suggestions for making your Montreal trip a memorable one! Come armed with your comfy walking shoes, camera, curiosity and questions!
Inclusions: Local certified guide, Small group = maximum of 6 people, WINTER SEASON November to March = See "Winter Charms of Old Montreal" Tour, This tour operates from April to October. , NOTE: Notre-Dame Basilica is currently CLOSED
Exclusions: Gratuities (recommended), Hotel pick up and drop off, Notre-Dame Basilica is currently CLOSED, not included and is not accessible to visitors
Reviewed By Passenger589037
Our tour guide was excellent. She knew exactly where to go and even maps out a specific walking route to hit all the sites including bathroom breaks. She knew tons about the history of Old Montreal and you can tell she loved sharing all her knowledge.
2. Old-Montreal Delights with a local - PRIVATE Walking Tour
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
2.5 hrs Private Walking Tour to Explore the most picturesque historical area of the city! Explore a must-see district for any first visit to Montreal! I share my personal favorites in this historic district full of charm. While observing beautiful buildings, I will show you some amazing details and tell you stories that you would have never known had you walked by yourself. Travel back in time and learn more about the founding of the city, some great characters in Montreal's history, and the French-English rivalry.
Inclusions: Explore Old-Montreal with a professional local guide and enthusiast Montrealer!
Exclusions: Items of a personal nature: souvenirs, coffee/drinks, snacks, etc.
Reviewed By TNKKAK
Our group of four recently enjoyed a wonderful 3.5-hour personal walking tour of Montreal with Marie. As two in our group had not been to Montreal, we selected Marie’s tour specifically because it offered “A Bit of Everything” not just concentrating on one area of this fabulous city. Marie’s tour started atop Mont-Royal, continued down through the McGill University campus, into the downtown and ending in the eclectic and touristy Vieux-Montreal. We also opted for a most interesting and informative tour by Marie inside Notre-Dame Basilica. The time on the entire tour seemed to pass all too quickly. Marie was thoroughly engaging with us, inserting humour and personal experience into her commentary; she is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about her adopted hometown. She answered our questions and was keen to know what we were interested in seeing and doing while on tour and during our stay in Montreal providing suggestions about restaurants, places to visit and things to see and do. Everything from our pre-booking correspondence to end of tour was first rate. We would highly recommend this tour with Marie for anyone interested in a highly engaging, very interesting and informative walking tour of several diverse areas of Montreal.
3. Montreal Olympic Park Tourist Scavenger Hunt
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
Are you looking for things to do in Montreal? Or, do you live here and are looking for a fun way to explore your city? You should try this scavenger hunt around the Montreal Olympic Park! It will take you from the Botanical Garden to the Maurice Richard Arena, by way of the Olympic Stadium and the Saputo Stadium. You’ll face challenges at every step. Each challenge will tell you where you are going next, as well as a bit of local history and trivia.
Inclusions: 20+ challenges on this scavenger hunt, Scavenger Hunt on your smartphone (mobile site, not App), Available in English and in French
Exclusions: Internet Access is required on your smartphone - WiFi is not enough.
Reviewed By 654wpw
Overall fun, hampered by some errors in navigation, lots of questions are basic. Nice info on history
4. Winter Ghost Stories: A Québécois Tradition (Virtual Tour from Montreal)
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
Prepare a glass of mulled wine or brandy, fire up your computer, and go back in time to celebrate a Victorian era Québécois tradition of telling local ghost stories around the hearth. Guests will be regaled with winter ghost stories from Montreal’s past.
Inclusions: Virtual Tour via Zoom
Exclusions:
Reviewed By Trent L
Good storytelling and performance. Learned a different side to my city and some of my old haunts I’ve frequented. I really wanted to go inside some of the haunted sites... Covid-19 measures will not permit it. I will be attending future events for sure so hopefully we can get the full evening experience by the time this pandemic is over.
5. Beyond the Bike Lanes Bike Tour
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 36 reviews
Pedal through Montreal's different neighbourhoods in a small group through the eyes of a local. Your guide show you street art, the waterfront, our many parks and back green alleyways, the Gay Village and hidden gems. Picnic lunch and craft beer are included as well as a deep understanding of our culture and history. The best way to see the city is on two wheels, we'll make sure you fall in love with Montreal.
Inclusions: Lunch, Local guide, Professional guide, Use of bicycle, Use of helmet
Exclusions: Hotel pickup and drop-off
Reviewed By Malero3
Loved the tour and our guide, Danny, was very knowledgeable, he knew of every artist and technique used and could tell the story behind each design, great tour and it's Covid-friendly (outdoors) which is great!
6. Helicopter Tour Over Montreal
Overall Ratings
4.8 based on 39 reviews
Discover Montreal as you've never seen before as you fly overhead in a helicopter. See the Olympic Stadium, Downtown Montreal, Mount Royal and more from the best perspective out there. Fly along the Saint-Laurent with a 30-minute ride to go over the Parc Jean Drapeau, and Jacques Cartier Bridge until the Boucherville Islands. Explore this beautiful city in a totally unique way in this unforgettable tour.
Inclusions: Driver/guide, Headsets to hear the guide clearly, Live commentary on board, All taxes, fees and handling charges, Free for children under 24 months
Exclusions: Gratuities, Hotel pickup and drop-off
Reviewed By Culture765939
It was a wonderful experience, where it was possible to observe the different areas of Montreal, also how the helicopter is piloted, and how the pilot described the entire area that we managed to fly over.
7. History Walking Tour of Old Montreal
Overall Ratings
4.6 based on 988 reviews
Soak in the rich history, culture and heritage of Montreal on this walking tour of Old Montreal. See famous sites such as Notre-Dame Basilica, Place Jacques-Cartier, City Hall and Champ de Mars, and learn about the city's amazing art and spectacular architecture from your guide, all while enjoying the quaint French charm. You can choose to tour the east side, west side or both the east and west sides of Old Montreal.
Inclusions: Certified guide services, Local taxes
Exclusions: Gratuities, Hotel pickup and drop-off
Reviewed By ChasTay
Frederic was very pleasant and filled with information about history, architecture, notable citizens and even shopping. Highly recommend this tour if you’re visiting Montreal in the winter as we did or in the summer.
8. Montreal City Sightseeing Tour with Live Commentary
Overall Ratings
3.7 based on 1,156 reviews
See the best of Montreal on this sightseeing tour with a professional guide. Aboard a coach, admire more than 200 top Montreal attractions and landmarks while enjoying live commentary, letting you learn about the sights you see. Highlights including Old Montreal, Olympia Park, Notre-Dame Basilica and St Joseph's Oratory. This is an easy, comfortable way to soak up the unique French character of this charming Canadian city!
Inclusions: Hotel pickup and drop-off (only subject to downtown hotels), Air-conditioned vehicle, Professional guide, Live commentary, Local taxes
Exclusions: Gratuities
Reviewed By 893katea
We showed up at the designated meeting spot, Cafe Presse, at 10am on Saturday, August 8, 2020 for a 10:30am departure time. No one showed up! We tried calling and texting Grey Line Montreal. The voicemail was full and no one answered. We also received no response to our text. We were so disappointed and will be pursuing a complete refund of our prepaid tickets (family of 5). This business should be closed down.
9. Montreal History Guided Sightseeing Cruise
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 92 reviews
Discover Montreal from the river and weigh anchor for a fascinating guided cruise on the St. Lawrence River. Cruise from the Old Port of Montreal to the Boucherville Islands and enjoy breathtaking views on the city center. With our guide, learn more on the Metropolis or relax on our outdoor terraces. Craving for a light snack? Let yourself be tempted by our bistro menu, available at all times.
Inclusions: Cruise relating the maritime history of the metropolis Montreal, The best view on the city, the river and its shores, Indoor bistro service as well as on the terraces, New: Audio guide in 8 languages!
Exclusions: Gratuities, Food and drinks, Hotel pickup and drop-off
Reviewed By Hkgplus
DO NOT CHOOSE AML! BE CAREFUL WITH AML, EVERYTHING THEY DID WRONG, CUSTOMERS ARE THE ONE BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE! We booked a helicopter tour at 4.30pm on 17th July at AML, and there were numerous problems. First, they made a mistake on the time. When we got the tickets, it literally told us to go at 11.30pm. After I called them, they reschedule our tour to 12.45pm on the same day. And apparently they told us they are not responsible for their mistake and they have nothing to offer to make up for it. So we had to replan everything. What’s worse, the day we got there, the weather was bad so we called to ask if the helicopter can take off. AML told us they would call us back but they never called back. So we had to take the risk to go there and of course the helicopter couldn’t take off. So we asked for a reschedule, they just simply told us NO. And same for a refund obviously. But they have never written it in a contract or an agreement that there is no refund because of the weather conditions. So customers have to take responsibility for their mistake again. The lady who works there was impatient, rude, and dismissive when we were asking for a refund. The most ridiculous thing was there is no manager to call in this company. They kept giving us a same phone number to call, which is the number for booking a new tour. So basically, AML has no customer service, no refund, no manager, no department to deal with complainant, only employees to handle booking. Even for booking, they can’t do it right.
10. Old Montreal History Walking Tour
Overall Ratings
3.1 based on 41 reviews
Experience the history and progression of Old Montreal on this 1.5-hour walking tour. Follow a guide into off-the-path courtyards and see where the city started in the almost forgotten Place Royale. Stroll through the bustling squares of Place Jacques-Cartier and Place d’Armes, and pass by renovated historic warehouses in Old Port and on rue de la Commune, home to swanky restaurants and tech start-ups. On this tour, see the best of both east and west Old Montreal.
Inclusions: Professional guide
Exclusions: Hotel pickup and drop-off, Gratuities
Reviewed By Pinback1752
This is a very well organized and conducted tour. I've been to Quebec City on my own but didn't see or learn a fraction of what I saw on this tour. The tour guide was excellent. There was a generous and appropriate amount of free time.
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