Home › Montreal › Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal - Things to Do at Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Things to Do at Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Complete Guide to Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal

About Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts greets you with hushed galleries and the faint shuffle of shoes on parquet. Filtered air drifts past, laced now and then with the sweet tang of oil paint from conservation labs. Founded in 1860, it remains Canada's oldest art museum, and the years show in the depth of its holdings, stretching from ancient Mediterranean shards to luminous contemporary installations. The campus stages an architectural dialogue across Sherbrooke Street: the original neoclassical pavilion stares at the crisp Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion, linked by an underground passage. Turn one way and a 17th-century Dutch still life catches the light on painted grapes. Turn again and Quebecois modernist colors flare like neon.

What to See & Do

The Bourgie Pavilion Concert Hall

Inside the repurposed church, silence feels expectant. Tiffany stained-glass windows blaze ruby and sapphire when sun strikes them. During rehearsals, a cello note ricochets off gilded balconies and lingers in the rafters.

The Decorative Arts and Design Collection

Decorative arts deliver texture. You will stroke the inlaid surface of an Art Deco cabinet, feel the chill of a Studio Glass vase, and trace the clean sweep of mid-century chairs. Spotlights inside the cases kill glare and let the craftsmanship speak.

The International Contemporary Art Galleries

The Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion hums with different energy. Video installations murmur in low loops. Mirrored sculptures warp your reflection. Raw metal and solvent bite the air. Lighting skews dramatic, throwing long shadows across the concrete.

The Canadian Art Collections

Here, place becomes paint. Group of Seven canvases carry the bite of northern wind across thick boreal strokes. Jean-Paul Riopelle's impasto slabs erupt in chaotic ridges you could almost climb.

Practical Information

Opening Hours

Open Tuesday through Sunday, the museum often stretches into the evening on Wednesdays. Mondays and Christmas Day, doors stay shut. Check online for seasonal tweaks or event closures.

Tickets & Pricing

Permanent collections cost nothing. Major temporary shows charge, ranging from mid-range to splurge territory. Book those tickets early online to bypass the queue. Members and pass holders jump the line.

Best Time to Visit

Tuesday or Wednesday mornings stay hushed. Weekends swell with families and chatter. Evening slots draw locals, sometimes live music in the atrium. Choose your mood.

Suggested Duration

Art addicts can burn a full day roaming the permanent haul plus a special exhibit. Two to three hours covers the highlights. Ninety minutes on one pavilion still satisfies if time is tight.

Getting There

The museum sits on Sherbrooke Street in the Golden Square Mile. Guy-Concordia metro, Green Line, lies two short blocks away, cheap and reliable. Buses cruise past the front doors. Drivers face paid lots and pricey street meters, worse at rush hour. Many downtown hotels and Milton Park are within easy walking distance when weather cooperates.

Things to Do Nearby

McCord Stewart Museum
Walk east a few minutes to the McCord Stewart Museum. Its social history and First Nations galleries give backstory to the art you just viewed.
The Golden Square Mile Architecture
Circle the surrounding blocks. Limestone mansions guard wrought-iron gates. Carved cornices catch the afternoon light. The street itself is a gallery.
Café Parvis
Slide south to Mayor Street. This plant-filled local haunt steams with fresh basil and clattering plates. Good for a casual reset after marble corridors.

Tips & Advice

The website lists rotating exhibitions and performance dates. Check before you go.
Ride the elevator to upper floors of the older wings. Small rooms often hold surprise rotations from the vaults. Quieter, closer, better.
The museum shop deserves a peek even if you walk out empty-handed. It stocks beautiful art books and locally made crafts that echo the styles you just met in the galleries. Worth it.
Visit on a busy day and the lower-level link between pavilions clogs fast. Step outside instead. The street-level crosswalk can save minutes and gifts you a gulp of fresh air. Smart move.

Tours & Activities at Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Didn't see anything interesting yet?

Browse Viator's full catalog of tours, day trips, food experiences, and private guides in Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

See All Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Tours on Viator