europeannovice

Hello again,

When visiting Old Montreal, how much time to allocate for Chateau Ramezay, the Pointe a Calliere and the History Centre?

Is the Montreal Science Center only geared toward little kids? Is there anything there to interest a teenager?

How many buildings is the Musee de Beau Arts? How much time is needed to fully enjoy?

Is the Redpath Museum at McGill University walking distance to the Fine Arts Museum? Is it too much to do both in one day? I understand the McCord Museum is nearby as well. Of the three which is the most highly recommended?

Is the Mont Royal Park entrance close to the McGill University campus? It seems to be close on the maps but hard to tell where Beaver Lake is or where the monument hill within the park is in relation to the university.

Thanks in advance.

Southam

I can answer a couple of points, but first a more general suggestion. If you use an on-line map (Google is the most obvious source, but there are others) you can see the city's physical layout, and perhaps chart routes and estimate distances -- all for yourself. For instance you can tell whether you can walk between the museums you mention.
The musee des beaux arts consists of an old classical building on the north side of Sherbrooke, connected by a tunnel to Moshe Safdie's bold expansion (which itself incorporated several existing small buildings.) Easy to see it all; hard to predict how long, since it is a major museum and the time needed for full appreciation depends entirely on your own interests and tastes. https://www.mbam.qc.ca/en/
To measure the distance from the sprawling McGill campus to Mont Royal, you must calculate height as well as length, since you will be climbing up a steep slope.
To enjoy Montreal, and it certainly is enjoyable, you can make use of the bus and subway system as shown at this site:
http://www.stm.info/en/info/networks/maps

europeannovice

Thank you Southam.

How would you rank the three museums I mentioned

Redpath
Musee des Beaux Arts
McCord

which do you consider a "must see" vs. "a nice if you can get there"?

Southam

The Musee des beaux arts is a large, ambitious art museum. The McCord is a history museum, particularly for Quebec and Montreal, although the arts can enter into that scope. The Redpath is on the McGill University campus, based on a family mansion paid for by a leading sugar merchant. The building should be worth seeing for itself and its exhibits appear to favour the physical sciences (don't know how I've missed seeing the place despite many opportunities.) All three are along Sherbrooke and can be reached by a brisk walk.
For other tastes, the Canadian Centre for Architecture has changing exhibits on various academic themes. It concentrates on research and academic history. It is housed in a mid-19th-Century mansion with a starkly beautiful modernist addition financed by the Seagram liquor fortune. Located on the west side of the commercial centre.http://www.cca.qc.ca/en
Here is a list of museums: http://www.musees-histoire-montreal.ca/en
Here is another list, based on archival interests: http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/p..._schema=PORTAL
Of those, I like the small Montreal History Museum http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/p..._schema=PORTAL
Through November its show called Scandal depicts the city's sin and crime in the middle years of the 20th Century when it lived up to its reputation as a very naughty town.
(One tidbit: So many soldiers en route to Europe were catching the clap in brothels that the military worried the war effort would be weakened. All that, and jazz too.)
It's near the old harbour.

europeannovice

Thanks again Southam.

Of course I want to see more than we will have time for. I do want to have time to explore the city's other sights besides just the museums too but the listing of museums is so appealing. It is hard for me to decide which are our "must sees".

So far I have on my must see list the Beau Arts Museum, the Montreal History Museum as you mentioned above, the Chateau Ramezay and Point a Calliere. I would like to also get to the Redpath museum not all on the same day of course. Although it is small, the Redpath museum seems to remind me of the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford England with the pictures of the cases of items on view. McCord I am not so sure about. I think I have enough museums on the list already. The science museum will have a special exhibit called Game On which is all about the evolution of the gaming industry and I think my teenager would be interested in that but from my reading the rest of that museum seems to be geared toward very young children.

The art museum can take up a few hours at least. It seems that some of the other museums are smaller in size and would require only an hour or two such as the Chateau Ramezay and the history museum--is that correct?

What about the Point a Calliere and the science center? If geared toward young kids we won't need so much time there. We plan on purchasing the museum pass but that is only good for three consecutive days. It includes admission to the Botanical Garden and Biodome so that takes up another day.

Not sure how to maximize the time and select the best of for the museum days. Thanks again for your advice so far.

europeannovice

???

Anyone have any recommendations on how best to utilize the three day museum pass?

Of the museums I mentioned how long on average does each visit take? I know it is subjective for the art museum where you can spend anywhere from 1 hour to all day depending on interest but some of the places I mentioned seemed smaller and maybe all you need is an hour or two. Which ones are those?

Thanks.

darlenef17

While this certainly is not your itinerary, some of the museums you mention are here along with the time to allow.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Guide-g15...al_Quebec.html

As you scroll through each attraction, there is a section just after "Tips" called "Plan to Stay." This should give you a time frame from which to work.

Vttraveler

The science center is definitely geared toward fairly young kids and I would not recommend it for adults and teenagers. I do recommend the Biosphere, the ecological museum in the old geodesic dome from Expo.
I think the Pointe‑à‑Callière Museum is an excellent museum where you would want to spend a few hours for the regular collection, more if there is a special exhibit that interests you. Right now there is a major show called The Greeks - Agamemnon to Alexander the Great.

europeannovice

Yes--the Greeks Exhibit will be leaving the Point a Calliere Museum and going to the Canada History museum (formerly the Canada Museum of Civilization) in Ottawa next.

I thought the science center looks like it is geared toward little kids. However, there will be an exhibit on the gaming industry which may appeal to those in the teenage set.

Both the Biosphere and the Stewart Museum seem appealing too. Just not enough time to do everything.

Thanks too for the TA link. One guide book highly recommends Point a Calliere by giving it a star attraction while another guide book didn't star that museum but placed a must see star on Chateau Ramezay instead. Different tastes I guess. Don't know if I will have time for both.

Other than Mont Royal, is Parc Fontaine interesting to visit? What about the Floralies International on Ile Notre Dame?