Old Port of Montreal

Where the St. Lawrence meets the city

The Old Port of Montreal — Vieux-Port de Montréal — occupies 2.5 km of St. Lawrence riverfront immediately south of Old Montreal. For most of the 20th century it was a working industrial port, inaccessible to pedestrians and largely invisible to the city behind its warehouses and rail lines. The federal government began transforming it into a public park in the late 1980s; today it is one of the most visited outdoor spaces in Quebec, drawing over seven million visitors a year.

What the Old Port offers is not architectural tourism — that’s the role of Old Montreal, immediately to the north — but activity and movement: jet boats, electric boat rentals, cycling along the waterfront, the Cirque du Soleil’s original home base (the Big Top still returns), the Montreal Science Centre, and a promenade that remains lively on warm evenings until well past midnight. It is Montreal’s front porch on the river, and it earns that role.


Where	South edge of Old Montreal, along the St. Lawrence
Cost	Electric boat ~$45; jet boat ~$70; Science Centre ~$20-25
Time needed	Half a day
Getting there	Metro Champ-de-Mars or Square-Victoria-OACI, 10-min walk
Best time	May–October for water activities; year-round for Marché Bonsecours and Notre-Dame

On the water: boat tours and watersports

The defining activity in the Old Port is getting onto the river, and the options range from sedate to intensely wet.

Electric boat rental is the most accessible and genuinely enjoyable option. Small electric boats (capacity 4-8 people, no licence required) can be rented by the hour from the Old Port marina for an independent cruise through the harbour and around the islands. The pace is leisurely; you steer through the water in relative quiet while the Montreal skyline comes into view.

The intimate electric boat tour organises this in a guided format for smaller groups (~$45, 1-2h), which is useful if you want context about what you’re looking at and prefer not to navigate independently.

Jet boating the Lachine Rapids is a different proposition entirely. The Lachine Rapids — Class II and III rapids immediately downstream of the Old Port — have been running since the last ice age and stopped river navigation for three centuries (boats had to portage around them, which is why Montreal was founded where it was). Today, purpose-built jet boats leave from the Old Port and spend 45-60 minutes surfing, spinning through, and getting thoroughly drenched in the rapids. Passengers wear waterproof suits; water temperature even in summer guarantees that you feel every wave.

Jet boating on the Lachine Rapids runs May through October (~$70, 45-60 min). This is not suitable for young children or anyone averse to being forcefully wet. For everyone else it is excellent.

Notre-Dame Basilica and the AURA experience

The Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal sits at the northern edge of the Old Port, on Place d’Armes. Architecturally it is one of North America’s most remarkable interiors — a neo-Gothic nave in deep blue and gold with a 7 000-pipe organ, built between 1824 and 1830 by architect James O’Donnell. Entry to the nave is modest (around 6 CAD).

The more elaborate offering is AURA, a 45-minute immersive light and sound show that projects a commissioned audiovisual production onto the basilica’s interior architecture after the church closes each evening. It runs most evenings year-round and is one of the few indoor spectacles in Montreal that genuinely justifies its price.

The AURA show combined with a river cruise packages both the basilica experience and an evening boat tour (~$60, 2.5-3h). The combination makes logistical sense — both are in the same 10-minute walk radius and the cruise at dusk offers the best light for Montreal’s skyline photography.

Craft beer and the Old Port food scene

The Old Port has one of the better concentrations of craft breweries in central Montreal, within walking distance of the main waterfront.

The Old Port craft brewery and beer tasting tour visits several establishments in the neighbourhood with a guided format that provides context on Quebec’s brewing traditions (~$85, 3h). Montreal has among the highest density of craft breweries per capita in North America, and this area is where the concentration began.

For independent exploration: Brasserie 701 (701 Côte de la Place d’Armes) is housed in a bank vault and brews on-site; pints around 8-9 CAD. Pub Le Ste-Élisabeth (1412 Rue Sainte-Élisabeth) is technically in the Quartier Latin but a 5-minute walk; it has one of the best summer terrasses in central Montreal, hidden in a courtyard. Holder (407 Rue McGill) on the edge of Old Montreal serves solid bistro food; budget 40-60 CAD per person.

Marché Bonsecours (350 Rue Saint-Paul Est) is the Old Port’s historic covered market, built in 1847 and still functioning as an artisan market and event space. The ground floor boutiques carry local craft, maple products, and Quebec-made clothing at tourist-upward prices. It is one of the most photogenic buildings in the neighbourhood from the outside; the interior is worth 20 minutes.

The rest of the Old Port complex

Montréal Science Centre (2 Rue de la Commune Ouest) is a family-oriented science museum on the edge of the Old Port, with hands-on exhibitions and an IMAX theatre. Entry around 20-25 CAD; worthwhile for families with children aged 6-14. See the Montreal with kids guide for a broader family itinerary that combines this with the Biodome.

The Old Port’s Quays (King Edward, Jacques-Cartier, Alexandra) have events throughout summer: Formula E racing passes near the port in recent years, outdoor cinemas operate in August, and there are regular markets. The Clock Tower (Tour de l’Horloge) at the eastern end of the port has an observation deck accessible by stairs, free, with views over the river and islands.

Canal Lachine begins at the western edge of the Old Port and runs 14.5 km to Lachine. The canal towpath is a cycling and skating trail (skating in winter) and is one of the better things to do in Montreal that most visitors miss — it connects the Old Port with the Atwater Market, Saint-Henri, and eventually reaches the waterfront at Lachine.

What to avoid (honest assessment)

The Grande Roue de Montréal (ferris wheel) at the Old Port charges around 27 CAD for a ride that offers a view that is… fine, but available for free from Mount Royal or from the Jacques-Cartier Bridge lookout. It is not a bad experience; it is a bad value experience for the price. Skip it unless you are travelling with small children who specifically want the ferris wheel. See the honest Montreal guide for other overpriced stops.

Cirque du Soleil and the Big Top

The Old Port’s Quai Jacques-Cartier area is where Cirque du Soleil built its reputation before becoming a global brand — the company’s blue-and-yellow Grand Chapiteau (Big Top) still returns to the same patch of waterfront periodically for touring productions, a nod to the neighbourhood where the company staged its earliest Montreal shows in the 1980s. Tickets and schedule vary by production year; check the Cirque du Soleil site directly rather than assuming a show is running, as the Big Top is not a permanent year-round fixture.

Even without a show in town, the plaza area around the Quays hosts smaller circus-adjacent performances and busking in summer, part of the same lineage that eventually produced Cirque du Soleil’s international success. It’s worth a slow walk through on a summer evening regardless of whether a ticketed show happens to be running.

Getting there and around

The Old Port waterfront runs along Rue de la Commune. From metro Champ-de-Mars (line 2), walk south through Old Montreal past Place Jacques-Cartier and down any of the streets toward the water — you’ll reach it in 10 minutes. From Square-Victoria-OACI, it’s a similar walk south.

By bike: Bixi stations throughout Old Montreal and the Old Port. Canal Lachine makes for an outstanding cycling route west from the port.

The Old Port connects directly with Old Montreal to the north — the two areas are best explored together in the same visit. The Montreal walking tour through Old Montreal covers the overlap.

Combining with a longer itinerary

A natural half-day runs: morning in Old Montreal for architecture and history, lunch near Place Jacques-Cartier, afternoon in the Old Port for water activities or the Science Centre, then evening at Notre-Dame (AURA) and dinner near the port.

For a full Montreal day, continue north after the Old Port into the Quartier Latin for evening bar-hopping, or west along the canal to Atwater Market for late afternoon cheese and charcuterie. See the 4-day Montreal itinerary for a complete structure.

Seasonal notes

May-October: full activity season for all water activities, outdoor promenade, markets.
November-April: most outdoor water activities closed. The indoor Science Centre, Marché Bonsecours, and Notre-Dame Basilica operate year-round. The Lachine Canal towpath becomes a skating rink (free) from January when temperatures allow.
Summer weekends: the Old Port is genuinely crowded from mid-June to late August. Jet boat bookings should be made 3-5 days in advance. Arrive early (before 10h) for the promenade before crowds build.

Frequently asked questions about the Old Port

Is the Old Port worth a full day?

Half a day is realistic for the core experience — the waterfront walk, one water activity, and either the Science Centre or Notre-Dame. A full day makes sense if you add the Cirque du Soleil Big Top (when in town), a longer bike ride along the Lachine Canal, or want to linger over the craft brewery circuit rather than rushing it.

Do I need to book jet boating or the electric boat in advance?

Yes for jet boating in summer — bookings 3-5 days ahead are recommended for weekends in July and August. Electric boat rentals are somewhat more flexible but still worth reserving a day ahead in peak season to guarantee your preferred time slot.