Beyond the Basilica Walking Tour by Spade & Palacio

Discover the best of Montreal on a walking tour that explores its rich history, stunning architecture, vibrant street art, and delicious local snacks.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Place d’Armes - We meet here to start the tour and learn about the eclectic architecture that surrounds the square before we enter the Basilica!
  • Notre-Dame Basilica - We learn about the beauty and history of the country’s most ornate church and leave our guests some free time to take it all in on their own.
  • Old Montreal - We walk the elegant streets, visit the old Wall Street of Canada and point out cool cultural events in the area as well get an idea of the history of the foundation of our city
  • Underground City - From the World Trade Center to Chinatown we walk a stretch of the world’s largest interior network.
  • Chinatown - We pop in for a snack to go at a local bakery and walk the pedestrian mall of our Chinatown!
  • Saint Laurent Boulevard - We visit a bunch of street art from a massive festival. We visit a crazy thrift store and art gallery. We learn about this historic boulevard and its many waves of immigration. We walk through the old Red Light now entertainment district.
  • Eva B - We visit this crazy thrift store for free time. 3 floors, a wild interior and a chance to check it out before returning on your own for free time!
  • Plateau Mont-Royal - We visit the borough home to a high concentration of artists. We see about a dozen murals and works of art. We point you in the right direction of cool shops and stuff to see when you are on your own and sit down at a coffee shop for a locally roasted coffee and hand you a list of recommendations.
What's Included
  • Experienced local guide
  • Selection of tasty snacks
  • Refreshments and beverages included
  • Culinary delight with food tasting
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off (if option not selected)
Additional Information

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.

  • Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
  • A moderate amount of walking is involved, please be ready for that and to be wearing comfortable shoes.
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • Minimum age is 5 years
Location
Monument to Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve
Place d'Armes
We meet next to engraving «  1642 « on the Maisonneuve Monument middle of Place d'Armes Square, directly across the Notre-Dame Basilica. Tour starts on time and we can't wait for latecomers. Please show up 10 minutes before the tour starts. If you are late, you might not be able to join the group.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(526 Ratings)
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Judith_t
Jul 31, 2024
We saw places and things we would probably not found on our own during our short visit to Montreal. - Rod was an excellent tour guide. He has a pleasant personality and is very informative. I loved that he showed us things that aren't in the guide books.
Review provided by Viator
Kristin
Jul 31, 2024
Perfect introduction to Montreal - This tour was the perfect introduction to Montreal. We saw some traditional sites such as the Basilica, but we also saw some local favorites, such as Eva B’s thrift shop and street art. We went through part of the underground network, which is impossible to navigate using Google maps. The tour guide, Gabriella, was knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eric
Jul 30, 2024
Fun Montreal walking tour - Great 3 hours spent with your guide Rod roaming Montréal old & new. Lots of great information throughout. Our group had 10 people and he made sure we stayed together and everyone was engaged. It was a hot July day and he made sure we got plenty of shade. Would highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
328jt
Jul 29, 2024
Fun, informative walking tour - We loved our walking tour with Rufus! He was friendly, knowledgeable and fun! We saw places we never would’ve seen on our own. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Coastal34494779482
Jul 28, 2024
Perfect Tour of Montreal - I thoroughly enjoyed out trip. Our guide was wonderful and really knowledgeable. It was the perfect day for a perfect tour. I was sad when it was over.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
965regf
Jul 28, 2024
Co$t Effective Tour with Many Special Moments - A cost effective and charming way to experience several neighborhoods in Montreal. Special culinary treats along the way with a guide who was knowledgeable, passionate, and most helpful. The tour is About 6500 steps, one two block uphill walk, I use a walking stick and could handle the adventure.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robertpetrocelli
Jul 28, 2024
Excellent tour of Montreal's neighborhoods. - This is a great tour. You start at Notre Dame and walk right up the heart of the City. It's a great way of orienting you to the neighborhoods of Montreal. Our tour guide Mel was a great. She even stayed for about 15 minutes after the tour ended to show us a couple more murals. We ended up near Schwarz's for lunch. A+
Review provided by Tripadvisor
790innat
Jul 27, 2024
Great tour - Great tour. Thank you for a lovely time. We really enjoyed learning about Montreal The history, art and different neighborhoods
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Janim835
Jul 26, 2024
An accidental lucky find! - I accidentally bumped into Rufus the Tour guide in front of the Basilika. I hadn’t made any walking tour plans and he seemed very kind as he checked in his guests, and I loved what he had to say about the sights around us. I asked if I could possibly join in, the group said OK, he cleared it with the bosses and off we went! What a lucky find! We had a great time, learned SO much that I actually remembered and was able to tell my family about. 100% recommend this company, and Rufus too! What a treat to not only see some touristy parts of Montreal! 🥳🥳
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Steve_s
Jul 25, 2024
Great Tour - Pascuale was informative, friendly and a great ambassador for the city. The added bonus of recommended bars, restaurants and other sights were also appreciated.
Review provided by Viator
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1 Adult
September 2024
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