Discovering traces of Montreal

Permanent exhibition
Maximum 50 students

With a guide, students discover Montreal at five defining moments of its history. Evocative images plunge them into the heart of formative events that occurred between 1535 and the present, revealing many traces of the past that can still be seen today.

An adaptable tour
This tour can be adapted according to your curiosity and the aspects you would like to explore more deeply. Let us know about your particular interests when you make your reservation.

Tour available in english and in french
Length: 90 minutes
$1,75 per student
Free for the teacher

Montreal in questions

Permanent exhibition
Maximum 60 students
Museum tour with questionnaire

Under the supervision of guide, Montreal in questions leads students to explore and discover Montreal's history on their own, by means of a questionnaire-enquiry. What kind of natural disasters did people fear at the end of the 19th century? What do the symbols in the coat of arms of the City of Montreal represent? What is left over from Expo 67? These are a few of the questions the students will be asked to respond to.

Tour available in english and in french
Length: $1,75 per student
Free for the teacher

Learning French discovering traces of Montreal (In french only)

Permanent exhibition
Maximum 40 students
Teaching material: The Passé composé newspaper

Since 1992, the Centre d'histoire has welcomed groups of adult immigrants registered in French class, as well as students who are in classes d'accueil at school. The museum visit becomes a French immersion and integration exercise for these groups. The students explore the museum's permanent exhibition with a guide who speaks very distinctly and uses an accessible vocabulary. In addition, the guide encourages dialogue throughout the tour.

For classes d'accueil, high-school level (in French)
For students in classes d'accueil at the high-school level, we offer an educational program called Vous faites partie de l'histoire! made possible by the Agreement between the City of Montreal and the ministère de l'Immigration et des Communautés culturelles du Québec. This program is done with the collaboration fo the Musée de la Personne. Information is available on the website: museedelapersonne.ca.

In french only
Length: 90 minutes
$1,75 per student
Free for the teacher

The First Nations presence in Montreal

Permanent exhibition and outdoor guided tour
Maximum 40 students (2 subgroups of 20)

Although the historical aspects of the First Nations' presence may be difficult to spot in the city today, archaeological sites, public squares, and certain buildings and monuments in Old Montreal bear testimony to the role played by the First Nations throughout the city's existence.

Choose among three options on this theme:

1. A tour of the Centre d'histoire's permanent exhibition from the point of view of First Nations history. 
   Length: 1 hr 30 min
2. A two-part visit: a tour of the permanent exhibition and an outdoor walking tour.
   Length: 2 hrs (each part lasts 1 hr).
3. The same two-part format, but the guide of the outdoor segment will be a member of a First Nation or an archaeologist, according to your interest.
   Length: 2 hrs (each part lasts 1 hr).
   There is additional fee for this last option.

No matter which option is chosen, it will be an opportunity for a new interpretation of our permanent exhibition, Montreal in Five Times, accompanied by a guide and presented from a First Nations angle.

Available in english and in french
Length: 1 hr 30 min
$1,75 per student
Free for the teacher

Outdoor guided tours

Length: 1 hr 30 min
Maximum 50 students

Place D'Youville: the city's memory.

Traces of all eras can be found in this spot, beginning from the First Nations presence 4000 years ago to the renovation of the square in 1999. Discover the days when the Petite Rivière passed nearby and when it became an important trading and gathering place for Montrealers.

Catastrophes! Tragic events of Montreal.

Floods, devastating fires, ice floes covering the port: the historical section of the city underwent a number of catastrophes that ended up transforming it. Revisit some of them in a walking tour of Old Montreal.

Industrial Montreal

A glimpse of Montreal's industrial history in a walking tour of the Old Port, Faubourg des Récollets, and Griffintown.

Available in english and in french
$1,75 per student
Free for the teacher

Who set fire to Montreal on April 10, 1734? The trial of Angélique.

Length: 2 hrs
Maximum 40 students

Who set the fire on the night of April 10? Was it really the widow Francheville's Black slave, Angélique, accused and convicted of this crime? If not, who was guilty? Could it have been an accident?

An investigation carried out under the direction of a Centre d'histoire guide is an original way to discover the city in the days when Montreal was a colourful, bustling French colonial town.

This program includes an incursion into the permanent exhibition, a game of detective work in our multi-purpose room, and an outdoor tour in which students will walk in the footsteps of real historical characters. 

Available in english and in french
$1,75 per student
Free for the teacher