Montréal: Innovation & Heritage

Students experience the city’s highest points and lowest depths, and everything in between. At the highest point, Saint Joseph’s Oratory rises majestically on Mont Royal. The church’s dome is second only to St. Peter’s in Rome. On the other end of the spectrum, students witness the double-decker city of Montréal – an underground city comprised of a series of tunnels and galleries connecting shops and restaurants.

When he saw his church completed, the Protestant architect of the Notre Dame Basilica was so inspired that he converted to Catholicism. The blue-and-gold interior certainly is inspiring: practically every bit of the immense wooden church is covered in gold leaf. The imported stained-glass windows show the history of Montreal, further illustrated by the statues of famous residences outside. This famous Basilica helps demonstrate how the church played an important role in Canada’s history.

Visit the very site where Montréal was founded over 350 years ago, learn about Canada's archaelogical history and visit Pointe-a-Calliere where important archaeological remains and artifacts collected from archaeological digs at the site are displayed.

Montréal's Olympic Stadium has the tallest leaning tower in the world, rising 556 feet at a 45-degree angle. The swooping tower was designed to retract the stadium’s plastic roof, but engineering problems led the city to close the dome permanently in 1998. Built for the 1976 Olympics by a Paris architect, the stadium now hosts various exhibitions and concerts throughout the year. Students will tour both the Olympic Stadium and the impressive Olympic pools of the Sports Centre.

Ride the funiculaire to the tallest leaning tower in the world, rising 556 feet at a 45-degree angle, for a spectacular birds-eye view of the city.

Exploration and rally through four recreated eco-systems of the Americas at the Biodôme. From Tropical Rainforest, Laurentian Maple Forest, Gulf of St Lawrence, and Sub-Polar Regions, students will see more than 300 live animals in each simulated habitats -- macaws in the Tropical Forest, lynx in the Laurentian Forest, penguins in the Antarctic and different kinds of fish that inhabit the waters of the Saint Lawrence River.

Discover the fashion epicenter of Canada as you explore the fabulous Sainte-Catherine Street where major retailers and famous fashion designers display their wares.