Beyond the Basilica Walking Tour by Spade & Palacio

We start our Montréal walking tour by skipping the line at the Notre-Dame Basilica before wandering Vieux-Montréal. We’ll pop into some historic and architecturally gems to get an understanding of the district before heading out and leaving the tourist crowds behind.

We stroll through a segment of our interior or underground city. It’s the largest indoor network on the planet and lets us make our way to Chinatown for a quick snack as we get the skinny on the area.

Then it’s off to our old Red Light District, turned entertainment Mecca to see where the biggest festivals take place. We pop into a whacky often missed institution for a visit. Up Saint-Laurent boulevard, we check out half a dozen impressive works of art from Montréal’s MURAL Festival in the borough that is home to the highest concentration of artists in Canada.

With a coffee from a local third wave shop in hand we walk the hip parts of the lower Main before leaving you with a custom list of recommendations.

Meeting point

Monument to Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, 512 Pl. d'Armes, Montréal, QC H2Y 2W2, Canada

At Place d'Armes, in front of the monument which is in the center of the square.

End point

Dispatch Coffee, 4021 Boul. Saint-Laurent, Montréal, QC H2W 1Y4, Canada

We end in the Plateau district. We'll leave you with a list of recommendations and point out places if you want to grab a bite or a drink!