Sights & Attractions in Winnipeg

Winnipeg Sights

Neighborhood character in Winnipeg is forged in part by residents' cultural heritage. The Eastern European influence registers strongly in the North End, which begins on Main Street north of downtown and contains onion-domed Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox churches. Turn west from Main down Selkirk Avenue for the shops and restaurants that pay tribute to the roots of late-19th-century European settlement. For a vivid sense of the cultural shift since the 1980s, take Ellice Avenue, into the West End neighborhood, where Portuguese, Indian, and Vietnamese shops and eateries rub shoulders. The St. Boniface area, east of the Red River, honors this region's French heritage, offering historic buildings as well as modern culinary adventures. Street signs in this historically French-speaking community are labeled in both French and English.

Downtown is centered on the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street. The nearby Exchange District sets galleries, shops, and beguiling restaurants against a backdrop of the early-20th-century office buildings and warehouses that make this part of Winnipeg a favorite for film shoots. With its downtown core packed close to the junction of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, Winnipeg is an excellent city for walkers. However, the necessity of developing streets against the contours of those rivers makes for many diagonal roads and streets that connect at an angle; a map is recommended.

Paved paths along stretches of both rivers have handsome views of the city. Several overhead enclosed walkways connect parts of the commercial area. A vehicle is necessary for reaching more-distant sites. Portage Avenue (Highway 1) leads west, while Main Street (Route 52) heads north. Pembina Highway (Route 42) is the main artery to the south.

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