The 14 best free museums in Montreal you need to check out

These Montreal museums offer free admission, making them the perfect place for kids to learn about our history, culture and arts while they’re still young.

If you’re looking for the ultimate cultural experience in Montreal, look no further than the city’s free museums.

This list highlights 14 of the best—and includes some of the city’s most impressive art collections, historic treasures, and interactive exhibits. Check out for an unforgettable experience that’s free and open to the public.

The best free museums in Montreal

1. Musée de Lachine

Address: 1 Chemin du Musée, Lachine, QC H8S 4L9

Website: Musée de Lachine

Opening hours: Apr 1 – Nov 1: Wed – Sun: 10am – 5pm (closed from Mon- Tue); Jun 25 – Sep 6: Tue – Sun: 10am – 5pm (closed on Mon)

Price: Free

Visit the Le Ber-Le Moyne House or the Musée de Lachine to get your money’s worth. It has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada since 2002, making it Montreal’s oldest standing structure.

There is also an extensive archaeological collection and a sculpture park known as the Musée plein air de Lachine in addition to the ancient structures.

2. Redpath Museum

Address: 859 Sherbrooke Street W, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0C4

Website: Redpath Museum

Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 9am – 5pm; Sat – Sun: 10am – 4pm

Price: Always free (but a $10 donation is suggested).

This science-and-more museum, run by McGill University, may be one of the city’s most overlooked gems.

It houses a noteworthy collection of minerals from Quebec, Egyptian mummies, and even a life-size skeleton of a Gorgosaurus libratus dinosaur. The cherry on top? Pay what you can afford.

3. Centre de design de l’UQAM

Address: 1440 Rue Sanguinet, Montreal, QC H2X 3X9

Website: Centre de design de l’UQAM

Opening hours: Wed – Sun: 12pm – 6pm (closed from Mon – Tue)

Price: Free entry (depending on the program)

Even if you don’t have a lot of money, the Centre de design is worth a visit because of its world-class design displays, which include picture galleries and multimedia performances.

Make sure to keep an eye on their exhibition calendar, which changes every few months and features a wide range of art, design, and architecture.

4. Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

You can see some of Canada’s finest exhibits at this fine arts museum, but it will cost you around $15 every visit.

For those who can’t afford the price of admission, the museum’s permanent collection includes works by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Picasso, and Monet, among others.

It is highly recommended that visitors take a stroll around the museum buildings on Sherbrooke Street, which are full of outdoor sculptures, including an eye-catching work of art by Dale Chihuly.

How free is it?: The permanent collection is free on the first Sunday of every month, or for people aged 0-20.

5. McCord Museum

McCord Museum’s stated goal is to honor the history and people of Montreal, but in practice it serves as a hub for all things cultural and living well. In addition to their permanent collections of paintings, samples of fashion.

Indigenous artifacts, furniture, and photography, they likely feature everything from morning yoga classes to Indigenous music performances to film screenings, depending on the day.

How free is it? On the first Sunday of every month, as well as every Wednesday evening, the library is open to the public.

6. Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal

The MAC’s exterior and interior design are inseparable, and it can be found in the Quartier des spectacles on the Place des Festivals.

It was the first museum in Canada to focus on contemporary art when it opened in 1964, and it now houses a wide range of exhibitions, from digital and video installations to more traditional paintings and sculptures, in its permanent and temporary galleries.

How free is it?: Free and half-priced on Wednesdays from 5 to 9 p.m. for Quebec residents every month’s first Sunday.

7. Canadian Centre for Architecture

Don’t overlook the CCA if you’re interested in architecture. Its mission is to raise public understanding of the importance of architecture in the modern world.

A broad variety of exhibitions and activities, including photography, blueprints, and more, will be on display.

It’s impossible not to learn something new and interesting about other cultures because to the meticulous attention to detail that’s evident throughout this website.

How free is it?: Free every Thursday after 5:30 pm and on the first Sunday of every month.

8. Montreal Holocaust Museum

An uncensored account of Jewish life in Montreal during World War II is provided by survivors and their belongings at the Montreal Holocaust museum.

As a result of this event, you’ll remember it for years to come. This museum is not suited for children under the age of 8 due to its content.

How free is it?Taxi drivers, recipients of social assistance, journalists, Holocaust survivors, and more are always welcome. See the complete list here.

9. La Guilde

Address: 1356 Sherbrooke Street W, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1J1

Website: La Guilde

Opening hours: Tue, Thu, Fri: 10am – 6pm; Wed: 10am – 9pm; Sat – Sun: 10am – 5pm (closed on Mon)

Price: Free

Come spend a day admiring works in various mediums created by Inuit and First Nations artists over the last century, including pottery, sculpture, and paintings, as well as traditional clothing. You can go across the street from Montreal’s Museum of Beaux-Arts to see this modest gallery—and it’s free.

10. Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum

Museum visitors are transported back in time to 17th century Montreal, where Marguerite Bourgeoys, who was Montreal’s first schoolteacher and the creator of the Notre Dame de Bon-Secours Chapel, resided.

Guests may learn about the history of Montreal’s initial settlement in the chapel’s crypt, which dates back to the city’s construction 300 years ago.

How free is it?In contrast to the larger museum, entry to Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours is always free.

11. Biosphere

The Biosphere, one of Montreal’s most iconic structures, is more than just a circular structure.

The Biosphere, North America’s environmental education hub, is located in Parc Jean-Drapeau. It was once the United States pavilion for the 1967 World’s Fair.

How free is it?People under the age of 17 are always free to use.

12. Musée du Sault-au-Récollet

Address: 10865 Rue du Pressoir, Montréal, QC H2B 2L1

Website: Musée du Sault-au-Récollet

Opening hours: Tue – Sun: 12pm – 6pm (closed on Mon)

Price: Free

Musée du Sault-au-Récollet is located in the countryside of northern Montreal for visitors desiring to check out this historically important institution.

Guests will trip back to the 17th century in this beautiful stone edifice with exposed wooden beams.

Upon entering the building, tourists will be informed through personnel and displays on the industrial, residential, and religious past of the Ahuntsic-Carterville region.

Visitors will learn about Canada’s early settler’s everyday life via household goods in these vibrant displays and the museum’s teaching program.

13. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

1380, rue Sherbrooke Ouest
514-285-1600

FREE: The permanent collection is always free

Since this museum is enormous, I’ll get right to the point (three buildings). There is a permanent modern exhibit that you may access by going below in the main building.

Like reading Dr. Seuss on a psychedelic. If you’ve ever wanted to see anything truly out-of-this-world, here is the place. The greatest modern art museum I’ve ever been to.

14. Cinematheque Quebecoise

335 De Maisonneuve Blvd East
514-842-9763

FREE: Exhibits are always free.

This film conservatory presents about 500 foreign films and videos a year. While viewings do have an entry price, the displays, which feature historical equipment, screenplays, stills, images, props, and costumes, are always free.

Currently, the “Do Not Adjust Your Set!” display exhibits approximately 100 vintage television sets, while “Forms in Motion” vividly illustrates how movement is formed using stop-motion animation.

Conclusion

There are so many amazing museums in Montreal. But, I have selected the ones that you can visit for free.

If you love art, culture, history, and science, I am sure you will enjoy this list of 14 free museums in Montreal. Have fun exploring these cool places for free.

FAQ