Montreal’s Best Underground Time Travel: Visiting Pointe-à-Callière Museum Floor by Floor

If you think museums are just for quiet halls and glass cases, Pointe-à-Callière will change your mind. This award-winning archaeology and history museum in the heart of Old Montreal invites you to step into the past, literally. Built atop the site where Montreal was founded in 1642, the museum doesn’t just display history, it excavates it.

 

Voir cette publication sur Instagram

 

Une publication partagée par Beaver Travelers 🦫 🌎 (@beavertravelers)

Spanning multiple pavilions and several underground levels, Pointe-à-Callière is a blend of cutting-edge interactive exhibits, preserved ruins, and beautifully curated displays that bring the city’s layered past to life. Whether you’re wandering through the city’s first sewer tunnel or gazing out over the Old Port from the rooftop terrace, each floor reveals a new chapter in Montreal’s story.

We visited with family on a sunny afternoon, expecting an educational outing — and left with a deep appreciation for how this city grew, adapted, and thrived through centuries of transformation. The museum’s layout makes it ideal to explore level by level, so in this article, we’re breaking down our experience by floor and pavilion to help you make the most of your visit.

Pointe-à-Callière Museum – Quick Facts

🗺️ Location	350 Place Royale, Old Montreal, QC
🕒 Hours	Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
🎟️ Admission	Adults: $28 • Students: $19 • Kids (5–12): $9 • Family: $58 (subject to change)
⏳ Visit Duration	2 to 3 hours recommended
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family-Friendly	Yes – stroller-accessible, kids’ workshop, interactive exhibits
♿ Accessibility	Elevators, ramps, accessible washrooms
🍽️ On-site Dining	L’Arrivage Bistro with views of the Old Port
🌐 Website	pacmusee.qc.ca

 

 

Ground Floor – A Warm Welcome

As soon as we stepped into Pointe-à-Callière’s main entrance at the Éperon building, we were struck by the striking contrast between the old and the new. Glass walls and modern lines meet stone walls and cobbled textures, reminding visitors that this isn’t just any museum — it’s literally built on top of history.

The ground floor serves as the central hub for orientation. The reception area is welcoming and efficient, with friendly staff ready to provide tickets, maps, and helpful tips. If it’s your first time, don’t hesitate to ask about the suggested route through the museum — it can be a bit of a maze with its many underground connections between pavilions. The self-guided tour map (which we found really useful) outlines the various paths you can take, depending on your interest: archaeology, family activities, or temporary exhibits.

Before diving into the exhibits, we took a moment to browse through the Boutique du Musée — the museum’s gift shop located just near the entrance. It’s filled with thoughtfully curated books, local crafts, educational toys, and even archaeological-themed souvenirs. A few postcards and a kids’ activity book made their way into our bag right away.

For those wanting to plan their visit around a meal or snack, L’Arrivage Bistro is also located on this level, with views overlooking the Old Port. We didn’t eat there this time, but it’s a highly rated spot offering Quebec-inspired cuisine in a relaxed setting — perfect for a post-tour lunch.

The museum’s architecture itself is worth mentioning here. Built above the archaeological remains of Fort Ville-Marie and Montreal’s first sewer system, the Éperon building sets the tone for what lies beneath. As you prepare to descend into the underground levels, you already sense the layers of history waiting below — and that’s what makes PAC unique. You’re not just learning about history here — you’re literally walking on top of it.

From this central level, staircases and elevators lead down into the heart of the museum experience. And that’s where the real magic begins — beneath the surface of the city.

 

Underground Level – Where Montreal Began

If there’s one part of Pointe-à-Callière that truly sets it apart from other museums, it’s what lies beneath. As we descended into the underground levels, we found ourselves in the very birthplace of Montreal. This is where history isn’t just told — it’s revealed, preserved, and presented in the exact location where it happened.

The underground circuit begins with a striking and immersive corridor: a stone tunnel that was once part of Montreal’s first sewer system, built in the 1830s. It’s hard to imagine a sewer being beautiful, but this one is. With its soft blue and amber lighting, echoing acoustics, and well-preserved stonework, the space feels more like a historical cathedral than a municipal structure. This tunnel was buried and forgotten for over a century before being rediscovered and integrated into the museum. Today, it serves as a captivating entry point into the deeper archaeological story of the city.

From there, the path opens up into Fort Ville-Marie, the site of Montreal’s founding settlement. We walked along glass walkways suspended over ancient foundations — actual remnants of buildings, hearths, and walls used by the first European settlers in the 17th century. It’s an experience that evokes wonder. You don’t just read about the past here; you’re walking through it, surrounded by artifacts and the very stones that supported Montreal’s earliest structures.

Exhibits in this section are both high-tech and tactile. Interactive panels allow visitors to explore the daily life of settlers: how they cooked, where they slept, how they protected themselves. Touchscreens offer zoomed-in visuals of excavation zones, timelines, and rotating 3D models of objects found on site. One screen lets you toggle through historical maps overlaid onto the modern-day street grid — a fascinating way to see just how the city grew from these modest beginnings.

For kids (and curious adults), there are several engaging elements. The lighting, sound effects, and visual projections make it feel like stepping onto a movie set, but everything is based on real discoveries made by archaeologists. One particular highlight was a digital animation showing the evolution of the site through centuries — from Indigenous presence to French settlement to modern-day Montreal. This kind of multimedia storytelling is a hallmark of the museum, and it makes the experience far more engaging than static panels alone.

The entire level is dimly lit — deliberately — to preserve the atmosphere of discovery and protect the fragile remains. It slows you down in a good way. You take smaller steps. You speak more softly. And you begin to appreciate the layers of time compacted into the very ground beneath your feet.

By the time we exited this level, we felt like we had truly connected with the city in a way that’s hard to replicate elsewhere. This is where Montreal began — and Pointe-à-Callière invites you to stand right at its heart.

 

Marketplace & Old Custom House – Daily Life in Early Montreal

After immersing ourselves in the origins of Montreal underground, we continued our journey through time by crossing into the Marketplace Pavilion (D) and the adjacent Old Custom House Pavilion (E). Connected by subterranean corridors, these pavilions expand the story from Montreal’s foundation to its early growth as a colonial trading hub and urban center.

One of the first things we noticed was a shift in tone and atmosphere. If the underground ruins were about raw discovery and ancient stone, this level was about bringing history to life through storytelling and reconstruction. It’s here that Pointe-à-Callière truly excels at blending immersive visual design with educational content.

The standout feature in the Marketplace pavilion is an enormous wall mural depicting a bustling Montreal street scene in the 1800s. More than just a backdrop, this mural is interactive — with small peek-through holes and pop-out panels revealing hidden objects and stories. It felt like a life-sized “Where’s Waldo” of Montreal history. We found ourselves pointing out all the tiny characters: a merchant unloading barrels, a child chasing a dog, a baker selling bread. It’s playful, but layered with rich detail that captures what daily life was like in the growing colony.

This section of the museum focuses heavily on trade, commerce, and the human side of urban development. Through well-lit glass cases, we saw items unearthed during city excavations — things that once filled shops, kitchens, workshops, and pockets. There were delicate porcelain teacups, glass bottles from apothecaries, hand-forged nails, clay pipes, buttons, coins, and even marbles. These small, personal artifacts tell powerful stories. They hint at how people lived, what they valued, and how global trade influenced even the most ordinary aspects of daily life in Montreal.

The Old Custom House, one of the oldest buildings on the museum grounds, offers another layer of context. It once served as a real customs office, collecting duties on imported goods arriving through the port. Today, the pavilion uses its rooms to explore topics like taxation, transportation, and civic infrastructure. There was a fascinating display about the evolution of Montreal’s postal service and a timeline of public health initiatives (including how waste and water were managed as the population exploded in the 19th century).

For families, this section is especially friendly — lots of visuals, low-text exhibits, and engaging reconstructions. Our child loved comparing historical objects to their modern equivalents and listening to audio recordings of actors playing characters from the past.

This portion of the museum balances the heavy archaeological material with more relatable, human-centered content. It helps visitors understand that history isn’t just about grand events — it’s about people going to work, raising families, solving problems, and building communities. The Marketplace and Old Custom House pavilions give faces and voices to the ruins below.

 

Mariners House – Special Exhibits & Workshops

One of the highlights of our visit was stepping into the Mariners House Pavilion, home to Pointe-à-Callière’s rotating exhibitions — and during our visit, it was hosting the spectacular temporary exhibition: Knights.

From the moment we entered, the mood shifted. The space was dark and theatrical, lit to spotlight the star attractions: authentic suits of armor, gleaming swords, lances, chainmail, and a wide range of weapons and artifacts that transported us straight to the Middle Ages. Developed in partnership with the Musée de la civilisation du Québec and Spain’s Museo de los Ferrocarriles, this exhibition gave us an in-depth look at the world of European knights between the 12th and 15th centuries.

Each section explored a different aspect of a knight’s life — from their training and daily routines to the code of chivalry, battles, and tournaments. There were informative panels in both English and French, but what really stood out were the hands-on displays and interactive stations. One screen let you “build” your own knight avatar, choosing armor, crest, and weapons. Another let kids (and adults) feel the weight of a helmet replica and compare medieval tools with modern equivalents.

We especially appreciated how the exhibit didn’t romanticize knighthood but placed it in social and historical context — exploring everything from religion and feudal obligations to weapon technology and warfare tactics. There was even a section on myths and legends, diving into the enduring appeal of knights in popular culture.

For families, this pavilion was a win. Kids were completely absorbed by the visuals — dramatic lighting, sound effects of clashing swords, and multimedia storytelling that kept the energy high. Meanwhile, parents and history lovers could linger over the finer details of craftsmanship and medieval life.

Outside the exhibition hall, the Mariners House also includes the Archaeo-Adventure Workshop, where children can try their hand at simulated archaeological digs. Though we didn’t spend much time there on this visit, it remains a great resource for younger visitors who want to explore history more actively.

Overall, the Knights exhibition made this part of the museum feel both epic and personal. It was one of the most visually striking and well-curated displays we’ve seen in any Montreal museum — a reminder that Pointe-à-Callière isn’t just about local history, but about connecting the past across cultures and continents.

 

Belvedere – A Rooftop with a View

After exploring the depths of Montreal’s history below ground, we made our way upward — both physically and metaphorically — to one of the most scenic spots in the entire museum: the Belvedere, Pointe-à-Callière’s rooftop terrace.

Getting there was part of the experience. As we ascended through the museum’s bright stairwell or took the elevator up to the top floor, the transition from the darker, immersive exhibit spaces to the open-air brightness of the rooftop felt refreshing. It offered a moment to reflect, reset, and literally gain a new perspective on the city.

Once outside, we were rewarded with a panoramic view of Old Montreal. The rooftop overlooks Place d’Youville and stretches toward the Old Port and beyond. To the right, the Notre-Dame Basilica towers above the surrounding buildings, its gothic spires standing in perfect contrast to the glassy high-rises just a few blocks away. On a clear day, you can see La Grande Roue spinning in the distance and even catch a glimpse of the Jacques Cartier Bridge spanning the St. Lawrence River.

What makes this view particularly special is its historical significance. From here, you can spot many of the landmarks that have shaped Montreal’s story — not just aesthetically, but culturally, politically, and economically. Looking down at the museum itself, it’s humbling to think that just beneath your feet lie the foundations of the original Fort Ville-Marie and Montreal’s first sewer system. It’s a literal elevation from past to present.

For photography lovers, this spot is a must. The lighting is fantastic in the late afternoon, and the variety of textures — stone buildings, steel towers, green rooftops, and winding alleys — creates a picture-perfect cityscape. We saw several other visitors snapping shots, and it’s easy to see why this area is often featured in tourist guides.

There are also interpretive panels placed along the edge of the terrace, offering explanations about the visible landmarks. These bilingual signs help connect what you see with what you’ve just learned inside — tying together the museum’s content with the physical city outside.

Although there’s no café seating up here, the tranquil atmosphere made us want to linger. It’s a quiet, contemplative spot — especially compared to the livelier streets just below. For us, it was the perfect place to pause, look out over the city, and appreciate the layers of history that Pointe-à-Callière so masterfully reveals.

 

Memory Collector – Immersive Multimedia Show

Toward the end of our visit, we entered the Memory Collector Theater, home to “Generations MTL” — an immersive multimedia show that wraps up Montreal’s story with incredible visuals and storytelling.

Seated in a dark room with headphones and panoramic projections, we were taken on a 17-minute journey from Indigenous life through colonization, industrialization, and into modern-day Montreal. The blend of animated visuals, historical maps, and personal vignettes made it more than just a timeline — it felt like watching the city breathe and evolve.

This show is beautifully done and accessible for all ages. Our child was completely absorbed, and we walked out with a renewed appreciation for how far the city has come — and how its past is still woven into every corner of the present.

The Museum pays tribute to North America’s first collector sewer—an impressive engineering feat built between 1832 and 1838. Restored and dramatically lit, this underground passage offers a powerful sensory experience that connects visitors to the early foundations of Montreal’s infrastructure.

It’s the perfect conclusion to the museum experience — don’t miss it.

 

Conclusion – Layers of a Living City

Pointe-à-Callière isn’t just a museum — it’s an experience that lets you walk through the very foundations of Montreal. From preserved ruins and underground tunnels to immersive projections and interactive displays, every level offers something unique.

What stood out most was the way the museum blends history with emotion. You don’t just learn facts — you feel connected to the people who built this city, lived here, traded, dreamed, and adapted over centuries. Whether you’re exploring ancient stone walls, discovering artifacts, or looking out over the Old Port from the rooftop, you’re constantly reminded of the layers that make up this vibrant, evolving city.

It’s family-friendly, visually engaging, and thoughtfully designed. We’d recommend setting aside at least 2 to 3 hours to see everything without rushing. If you’re visiting Montreal — or even if you’re a local — Pointe-à-Callière is an essential stop that offers a deeper, more meaningful look at the city’s roots.

Planning your visit? Click here for tickets and info or check out the current exhibitions on the museum’s website.