A rich history with a European flair and the city's interest in the arts make Montréal a fantastic spot for museum buffs.

Hours at museums vary, but most open at 10 or 11 and close in the evening. Some smaller museums close for lunch. Many museums are closed on Monday; some make up for it by staying open late on Wednesday, often waiving admission.

Museums - Arts

• Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery
  The Leonard and Bina Ellen art gallery, run by Concordia University, is committed to artistic research as well as the collection and interpretation of Canadian art.


• Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
  It attracts thousands of Montrealers and tourists alike with their refined selection of traveling, temporary and permanent art exhibitions.


• Montreal Museum of Contemporary Arts
  It operates with a mandate to "make known, promote and preserve contemporary Quebec art".


• Marc Aurele Fortin Museum
  In 1963 Stewart Hall opened its doors as a cultural center and since then has become a Pointe-Claire landmark. It offers workshops, day camps and other activities, including an annual Open House.


• Stewart Hall Cultural Center
  It operates with a mandate to "make known, promote and preserve contemporary Quebec art".

Museums - History

• Centre d'histoire de Montreal
  The Centre d'Histoire de Montreal is a small, unpretentious historical museum presenting temporary exhibitions on various themes related to life in Montreal.


• Le Chateau Dufresne
  The Chateau Dufresne was declared an historic monument by the provincial government in 1976.


• Chateau Ramezay Museum
  The humblest of all the chateaux built in Montreal, the Chateau Ramezay is the only one still standing.


• Ecomusee du fier monde
  Ecomusee du Fier Monde is a little piece of history in the heart of downtown Montreal.


• La Maison Saint-Gabriel
  A taste of the residents' daily life over the centuries.


• Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum
  This is the perfect place to learn about Montreal's early days and one of its chief organizers inside a breathtaking building whose tower provides one of the most exceptional views of Montreal.


• Notre Dame de Bonsecours Chapel
  An integral part of Montreal's religious patrimony and cultural heritage.


• McCord Museum of Canadian History
  The McCord Museum offers Montrealers and tourists alike a glimpse into our shared national history.


• Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre
  The Montreal Memorial Holocaust Centre is committed to gathering, seeking out and preserving historic, cultural and ethnographic material relating to European and North-African Jews victimized under Nazi Germany.


• Musee des maitres et artisans du Quebec
  A museum dedicated to the religious, cultural, social and popular history of the Quebecois people.


• Musee des Hospitalieres de l'Hotel-Dieu de Montreal
  The Musee des Hospitalieres provides a detailed account of both the history of the Filles Hospitalieres de Saint-Joseph, a community founded at the Hotel-Dieu de La Fleche (Anjou, France) in 1636, and the evolution of medicine over the last three centuries.


• Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History Pointe-a-Calliere
  One of the most important museums of its kind in North America.


• Sir George-Etienne Cartier National Historic Site of Canada
  Let yourself be charmed by the splendour and muffled atmosphere of the Victorian world of yesteryear.


• Stewart Museum
  A fascinating glimpse into four centuries of Canadian and European history from the 1500s to 1800s.


• The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site of Canada
  Located in an enchanting natural setting on the edge of Lake Saint-Louis, The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site will help you discover one of the most important periods in the economy of Canada: the fur trade in the early 19th century.

Museums - Sciences

• Biosphere
  Inaugurated in 1995 as the first Ecowatch Centre in Canada, the Biosphere continues to raise public awareness about environmental issues affecting the St Lawrence seaway and the Great Lakes ecosystems.


• Biodome of Montreal
  The Biodome consists of four separate ecosystems, each complete with plants and various species of wildlife indigenous to that region.


• Montreal Botanical Garden
  Open 365 days a year, the Montreal Botanical Garden is one of the largest and most beautiful botanical gardens in the world.


• Montreal Insectarium
  The Insectarium was an instant hit and is now the largest museum of its type in North America and one of the biggest insectariums in the world.


• Planetarium
  Montreal Planetarium presents a number of educational activities, workshops and exhibitions throughout the year.


• Montreal Science Centre
  Since May 6, 2000, the Montreal Science Centre, a vast, interactive recreational/tourist and science and leisure complex located in Montreal's Old Port, has allowed visitors to discover the major scientific and technological secrets of our time.


• Redpath Museum
  The home to an impressive permanent collection of anthropological, archaeological and ethnological artefacts.