Vieux-Montreal, Or Old Montreal is a charming and well preserved “old town” located in downtown Montreal. The oldest building here dates back to the 1600s. A lot of effort has gone into maintaining this town in its original state, complete with cobbled roads and 17^th and 18^th century architecture.

This town came up in 1642 when French settlers landed on the banks of the St. Lawrence River and started setting up a Catholic community. The resultant town became an important military and trading post. One can gauge its importance by the fact that it needed fortification around it to keep it safe. In the 1800s the Canadian parliament was located in this small waterside community.

Today, it is a major tourist attraction with restaurants, hotels, shops, and commercial spaces to appease visitors. Simply walking down the meandering lanes of this quaint town with a distinct European touch is an experience in itself. However, there are some famous attractions here that the visitor cannot afford to miss out on.

The Point-a-Calliere Museum is one of these famous places. It takes its visitors through an exploration of Montreal’s history with the help of some beautiful artifacts, relics, and archaeological studies. The Notre Dame Basilica offers a light and sound show that retells the history of Vieux-Montreal and the church. The Château Ramezay has a number of paintings and artifacts that look at the history and culture of Quebec and Montreal. In addition to this, there are lovely gardens and cafes spread across this town, just waiting to be discovered and explored.

If you are interested in shopping, you will find boutiques, jewelery stores, souvenir shops, and gourmet outlets in abundance here. For a shopaholic, this is paradise itself. You can take back some interesting curios to decorate your house or trinkets to give away to your friends as a memoir of a beautiful journey. Most of the shops are located in beautiful old buildings and shopping in them makes for quite a treat.

You have to be prepared for the fact that the most predominant language here is French. Road signs, advertising, public information, signals, and transportation are all in French. However, you will not feel at loss over here as the stores, hotels, taxi stands, and bars have English speaking staff that will be more than happy to assist you. Restaurants even have menus that are translated into English for your benefit.

A trip to Vieux-Montreal does take you back to the time when horses drew carriages across cobbled streets. In fact, here you can probably get yourself a Caleche, or a horse drawn carriage to help you relive the experience of the old days.  And that’s just one of the many things that you will experience here.