Experience Québec
Montréal’s underground city
Life… “six feet” under!
Welcome to the world’s largest underground network! Over 30 km (19 mi.) of corridors, 1,250 businesses, some 100 buildings, four train stations, 14 metro stations, 9 hotels, 2700 apartments, 15,000 parking spots, many librairies, five universities, one college, six entertainment venues, two skating rinks and two museums… and a whole lot more! Come share the secret of the 500,000 Montréalers who visit the underground city every day!
But why live “six feet” under when the view on the street is so lovely? There are a number of good reasons, and climate is top of the list! So long heat waves! Bye-bye, cold snaps! Snow and rain are foreign to this fascinating world! Not to mention there are no red lights, no speed demons cutting you off, and you have the right of way to go into any store you want! Follow the RÉSO sign and enter Ali Baba's cave!Blame it on… da Vinci!
Montréal’s underground city will soon be 50, but the idea for building in the basement dates back over a half a millennium: Leonardo da Vinci conceived of it in one of his drawings! For Montréal, it was almost a century ago that Canadian National Railway started developing a similar plan for its land (90,000 m2 (968,760 sq. ft.) of what is now downtown), but a few decades went by before the project saw the light of day… underground! (see text box)
Move to the underground rhythm: the green line
Start your walk at the Cours Mont-Royal. Admire a chandelier from the Casino de Monte Carlo, in a section of the former hall of what used to be a luxury hotel. Just next door, at Place Montréal Trust, discover the highest indoor fountain in Canada. And take a look at the balconies that surround it: they represent “Balconville,” one of the city’s nicknames. The Eaton Centre, a mecca for shopping, is a hop and a skip away; then enjoy a heavenly stroll under the Anglican Christ Church Cathedral.
Break the ice: the orange line
Browse through the Canadiens shop at the Centre Bell and, if you’re in the mood to skate like the Habs (a Canadiens nickname), the indoor skating rink at 1000 de la Gauchetière is only a few minutes away. A little peckish? Glide over to Central Station’s food court, with its award-winning design. Finish this section at the entrance to Old Montréal, at the World Trade Centre Montréal, with a salute to the Berlin Wall and the majestic statue-fountain of Amphitrite! ! If modern is your art: the multicolour route
The western facade of the Palais des congrès is a show in and of itself: the tinted glass will show you a bit of local colour… literally! Add the pink of the 52 trees in the Jardin Nature légère, and you’ll be hard-pressed to have… the blues! Via the north tunnel, visit the hexagon-shaped Complexe Desjardins, the eastern heart of downtown. Now you’re a stone’s throw from the Musée d’art contemporain and the Place des arts, where you can take in a whole range of shows in one of the five theatres year round, or outside, at the new Place des festivals of the Quartier des spectacles, all summer long!
A city unique in the world !
No other city in the world has such a large underground network! Where else can you go to a show, park your car but walk forever without seeing one, go to the dentist or a restaurant, do your shopping, go to work, take a university course, see a movie, visit a museum, go to a hockey game, take the train, bus or metro, go to your hotel room or apartment, attend a conference, go from one neighbourhood to the next, all without setting foot outside? Only in Montréal’s underground city! So if you’re in town, do as Montréalers do: good weather, bad weather, winter or summer, any day, take a tour of the depths of Montréal! So if you’re in town, do as Montréalers do: good weather, bad weather, winter or summer, any day, take a tour of the depths of Montréal!
| Place Ville Marie |
 In 1943, the underground Central Station opened. Jean Drapeau, the visionary mayor elected in 1954, encouraged the plans of CN’s president, who lured New York developer Bill Zeckendorf to the city. Zeckendorf called on architects Leoh Ming Pei and Henry Cobb to create the first glass, steel and aluminium skyscraper in Canada: Place Ville Marie! During this time, CN’s hotel, the Queen Elizabeth (where John Lennon held his famous Bed In), was erected over the station: by the early 1960s, the beginnings of an underground city were in place! |
| No limits |
 Once Place Ville Marie opened, anything seemed possible: the metro opened its doors in 1966, creating many corridors connecting skyscrapers. Then followed Expo ‘67, the 1976 Olympic Games, the opening of Complexe Desjardins, connecting the axis of Place des Arts, the new shopping centres of the 1980s and 1990s and, finally, the creation of the Quartier international de Montréal at the beginning of the new millennium, all contributing to this “city under a city.” |
Sylvain Lacoursière
Photos: Tourisme Montréal
2009-01-19
