Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History
Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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When I came, there was a Very long lineup for buying tickets. I had paid online, so I had no lineup (there was a line, but no one in it). Definitely worth it. I read online it takes 3 hours to go through, but I'd say minimum 4 hours if you want to see Everything. It's a great historical museum with a section where you are walking over actual ruins on a glass floor (terrifying if you are afraid of heights, but still very cool), a passage through a not-used sewer that once was a small river. When I went there was a pirate exhibit and a witch exhibit. I was impressed by how much information they had gathered about the history of witch's in lore, where it came from, witch hunts, the start of witch mania (anti witch mania and how being called a witch started becoming a bad thing), reality vs misconception of what and who a witch is, everything. There were 2 floors. The second floor focused on occult items (actually used by witches, spritualists, tarot and palm readers, etc), and what people sold as used for occult, even if it was bogus (made up)), witches in modern media, witch tools (wands, brooms, etc), and witchcraft as it is today: a holistic spiritual practice (without a specific religion, though in more modern times was mostly associated with the wicca religion, though now religion and witchcraft are divorced. You can have any religion, or none, and be a witch) that uses your intention and action (and a feeling of connection to the earth's energy) to change your life (or those you care about) for the better. Anyway, it covered almost all aspects of witches; the real, the made up (that resulted in many not actual witches to be killed), and so on. It would have been complete with a bit of a bigger section about modern witchcraft (about witches today), but was still very thorough and well done. The witch exhibit isn't for children (they would be bored by parts, or disturbed by the sections about what people did to supposed witches, etc). But children will love the pirate exhibit.
Ingrid Duffy
00
Love this Museum! This museum is the perfect place to discover or add to your knowledge about Montreal. Give yourself at least three to four hours to explore the museum. There are sections that would be quite boring for very young children, but they have a pirate room that would be fabulous for little kids. Start your visit by watching the movie. This 17 minute multimedia show called Generation MTL is well made and very informative regarding the history of Montreal. The movie sets the tone for the rest of your visit to the museum. The museum is completely bilingual and everything is offered in both French and English. There are many permanent collections but one that I enjoyed the most was called Memory Collector, which is a tribute to North America’s first collector sewer, and a feat of civil engineering. Very cool to walk below the earth in a historic sewer tunnel! While we were there the museum had two special exhibits that I particularly enjoyed. The first was called Dinner is Served! The Story of French Cuisine, which was informative and fun and certainly worth the visit. The second was called Into the Wonder Room, which is a look into the mysterious and unique world of cabinets of curiosities. Very peculiar and interesting! Make sure you end your visit by taking the elevator up to the Belvedere which offers spectacular views of Montreal. Make sure you check out the bathrooms. The museum shop is definitely worth a visit and had a huge variety of anything from candy to art to jewelry to history books and objects for all budgets. This shop was a museum exhibit on it's own!
Liisa Shafer
00
So glad we went here. The museum was shockingly un-crowded for a Saturday afternoon. The layout of the museum is excellent and super easy to navigate by the arrow stickers on the floor - if you follow them, you'll see everything! My favorite exhibits were the multimedia generations show (definitely see this!!), Crossroads Montreal, and Memory Collector. While I was excited to have the opportunity to learn extensively about the history of Montreal, I was extremely impressed with the archeological displays at the museum. For example, you can walk through a sewer tunnel that was preserved, and see what remained of the original foundation of the building that had been in the spot where the museum was eventually built! It does not seem common for such large pieces of old city architecture to be intact, so this wss a really unique aspect of the museum. I think my favorite part, overall, was the multimedia generations show. Colored lights and video of Montreal residents spesking about their childhoods and ancestors' origins in Montreal were artfully projected over a mosaic of angular screens. Things to know if you're thinking of visiting: - no food is being served during the pandemic - they have some child-oriented exhibits that seemed pretty fun - buy a ticket ahead of time, as the capacity is restricted (you buy for a time slot) - the multimedia generations show happens a few times each day, but make sure you check if the time is for the French or English version (easily found on the website)
Allie
00
I recently visited the Pointe-à-Callière Museum in Montreal and I must say that I was thoroughly impressed with the exhibits and displays. The museum is dedicated to the history and archaeology of Montreal, and it does an excellent job of showcasing the city's rich cultural heritage. Upon arrival, I had a bit of a strange encounter with the receptionist. We had a bit of a debate about how to write the number 86. I had initially thought she said "80 and 6," while she insisted that she had said "86." It was a bit of a confusing start to my visit, but thankfully, it didn't detract from the overall experience. The museum is divided into several different sections, each of which explores a different aspect of Montreal's history. One of my favorite exhibits was the one dedicated to the city's founding and early history. It was fascinating to see how the city evolved from a small trading post to the bustling metropolis that it is today. Another highlight for me was the section of the museum dedicated to Montreal's underground city. As someone who loves urban exploration, it was amazing to see all the different tunnels and passageways that crisscross beneath the city. Overall, I highly recommend a visit to the Pointe-à-Callière Museum in Montreal. Despite my initial confusion with the receptionist, the museum itself is a fantastic destination for anyone interested in the history and culture of this vibrant city.
Cityguide
00
This place would be a delight for History buffs and enthus. Array of collections portraying the generations of civilizations that built Montreal, be it French colonials or English including Native tribes. Mostly convincingly factual about the invasion, conversion, peace establishment. Reality Montreals welcomed immigrants with wide open arms my 'salut'. There are fun to do activities on a wooden ship be it navigation, sailing , killing rats, strategic deployment of your ships, escaping from pirates and many more. Don't forget to collect your sticker on a gaming board through a series of questions, pick your game and delve into it, this is immersive experience. I'd almost got lost in the museum in between when no other visitors were there at 'E' section of the building, kept circling around while I'm hungry, but this place really took me to medieval age into my inner-self, like this was almost an escape room concept. Some how exited with the help of a staff member, had lunch outside at 'Mandy's' , came back to the museum to re-visit (no new ticket required for re-entry) This time I really followed the map, Also walked with an well informed staff member in the museum , provided her with some feed forwards (improvement suggestions) on two important arti-facts , one Afro-Brazilian Bow and Arrow and Srilankan 'Naga-Rakshak', she requested me to write to the project, which i will do when I go back home.
VK S
00
I don't know why there are specific times to book your tickets for because when I got there a bit early for my allocated times on my tickets I was told it would be a 45 minutes wait then it ended up being almost 2h wait and they were still selling tickets at the booth. If you're so overbooked that the line wraps around multiple rooms on multiple floors, you are sold out. Employees were saying the museum was "victim of it's success" but that is so wrong. It's not success to overlook the capacity of your installations, it's greed. The museum should be more than aware how many people can be in an exhibit and the average time it takes to visit, enough that it can then plan how many tickets to sell so as to not be so disorganized. To continue to sell tickets which by the way are non refundable for a specific time then entirely ignore this and make people wait for hours is just straight up a scam. I won't tell anyone to go or not to go there but friendly advice, if you go, make sure you have a clear schedule and no disabled people in your group. Zero respect for people's time or their own engagements and frankly not an accessible building when there is a line with only an elevator I'm not sure how they expect us to wait in line from the bottom floor all the way to the top floor.
Xaya Blood (Mara Scorpio)
00
Nearby Attractions Of Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History
Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal
Montreal Convention Centre
Bonsecours Market
Montreal Science Centre
Bota Bota, spa-sur-l'eau
La Grande Roue de Montréal
Le Westin Montreal
Victoria Square
InterContinental Montreal by IHG
Museum of Illusions Montréal

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal
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(12.7K)
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Montreal Convention Centre
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Bonsecours Market
4.1
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Montreal Science Centre
4.4
(3K)
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Nearby Restaurants Of Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History
Vieux-Port Steakhouse
Modavie
3 Brasseurs Saint-Paul
Crew Collective & Cafe
Gibbys
Nouilles de Lan Zhou - Noodle Shop
The Keg Steakhouse + Bar - Vieux Montreal
Crêperie Maison Bagatelle
Olive et Gourmando
Crêperie Chez Suzette

Vieux-Port Steakhouse
4.5
(3.6K)
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Modavie
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3 Brasseurs Saint-Paul
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Crew Collective & Cafe
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Basic Info
Address
350 Place Royale, Montreal, Quebec H2Y 3Y5, Canada
Map
Phone
+1 514-872-9150
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Website
pacmusee.qc.ca
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Reviews
Overview
4.6
(3.4K reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
family friendly
accessibility
Description
Pointe-à-Callière Museum is a museum of archaeology and history in Old Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1992 as part of celebrations to mark Montreal's 350th birthday.
attractions: Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal, Montreal Convention Centre, Bonsecours Market, Montreal Science Centre, Bota Bota, spa-sur-l'eau, La Grande Roue de Montréal, Le Westin Montreal, Victoria Square, InterContinental Montreal by IHG, Museum of Illusions Montréal, restaurants: Vieux-Port Steakhouse, Modavie, 3 Brasseurs Saint-Paul, Crew Collective & Cafe, Gibbys, Nouilles de Lan Zhou - Noodle Shop, The Keg Steakhouse + Bar - Vieux Montreal, Crêperie Maison Bagatelle, Olive et Gourmando, Crêperie Chez Suzette

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