Catholic Shrines & Places of Interest in Montreal, Canada
About Montreal:
The French-speaking city of Montreal has a rich Catholic history, having been part of “New France” for 229 years (1534 to 1763). With so many churches, it lived up to its nickname of “La ville aux cent clochers” (The City of a Hundred Bell Towers). The city was founded on May 17, 1642 and then, on January 6, 1943, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve erected cross atop Mount Royal to thank God for sparing his colony from rising flood waters. It was replaced by a steel cross in 1924.
As mentioned, French is the most common spoken language in the city; however, Montreal is a bilingual city where both French and English are widely spoken and almost all signs and menus are bilingual. So, if you don’t speak French, it will not likely be a concern.
Catholic places of interest in Montreal & nearby:
Basilica of Saint Anne of Varennes (tomb of Marguerite d’Youville)…..near Montreal in Varennes
Kahnawake: Saint Francis Xavier Shrine & tomb of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
Notre Dame des Bon Secours & Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum
Saint Irenaeus Church (FSSP, Latin Mass)
Sisters of Providence Museum & Emilie Gamelin Center
Montreal area:
Longueil (Located just across the Saint Lawrence River from Montreal):
The Co-Cathedral of Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue (French: Co-cathédrale Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue).
In addition to the Catholic places of interest, Montreal hosts two major Christmas markets: The Great Christmas Market at Place des Festivals and The Montreal Christmas Village at Atwater Market), both offering free entry, local artisans, food, and festive activities.
Traveling to Montreal, Quebec, Canada:
For U.S. citizens, if your U.S. passport is valid for the length of your stay, you can enter Canada for tourism or business for up to 180 days without a visa, regardless of how you arrive (air, land, or sea).
By plane: Montreal has a major airport, Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (Aéroport international Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau de Montréal), IATA/ICAO codes: YUL / CYUL. It is Montréal’s main passenger airport and the busiest airport in Quebec, serving extensive domestic, U.S., and international routes. It is located in Dorval, approximately 15–20 km west of downtown Montreal.
By train: The main train station in Montréal is Gare Centrale (Central Station), located at 895 Rue De la Gauchetière Ouest, Montréal, QC H3B 4G1. It serves VIA Rail, Amtrak, Exo commuter trains, and connects directly to the metro (Bonaventure station) and the REM network.
There are excellent rail connections from Montreal both to other parts of Canada as well as to the U.S. via New York City.
“The Adirondack” is Amtrak’s daytime service linking New York City (NYP) with Montréal (MTR) that takes about 10 hours, and runs once a day, offering a scenic journey through the Hudson Valley, the Adirondack Mountains, and along Lake Champlain. Unfortunately, train travel in the U.S. is not what it could be, and the U.S. portion is sometimes held up, but it still makes a great journey. Be aware, if you are taking the train, you will need proper identification to enter Canada.
By ship: Montreal is also a popular port of call for many cruise lines sailing from such U.S. East Coast cities as New York and Boston.
By car: From the U.S., Montreal is a quick 40 miles (63 km) north of the border with Vermont. After crossing theborder, take the second exit off the I-87 freeway. Note: assuming a U.S. license alone grants entry ignores enhanced ID needs for some and overlooking insurance gaps leaves you liable for wrecks.