Museums and Culture

A former industrial building downtown that now holds about 25 contemporary art galleries, artist run centres and studios on four floors, all free to visit. Wander from gallery to gallery and see new exhibitions by Quebec and international artists. Each gallery keeps its own hours (many open roughly Wednesday to Saturday afternoons), and some studios are by appointment only.

A free cultural centre on Jean-Talon Street East in Villeray with walk in art exhibitions and a program of free shows and activities. Open Wednesday to Friday noon to 7 pm and Saturday and Sunday 1 to 5 pm (closed Monday and Tuesday). Exhibitions are free; activities are free but need a free pass, released two weeks before the date, on site, online or by phone.

A free cultural centre in Ville-Émard (Sud-Ouest) with walk in art exhibitions and free shows. Open Tuesday to Friday 1 to 5 pm and Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, until 8 pm on show nights (closed Sunday and Monday). Exhibitions are free with no ticket; for some shows you can reserve a free ticket from one month ahead at the venue, at four borough libraries or online.

A free cultural centre in NDG, sharing a building with the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce library, with walk in art exhibitions and a free program of shows and concerts. From September 7 to June 24 it is open Tuesday and Wednesday 1 to 7 pm, Thursday and Friday 1 to 6 pm, and weekends 1 to 5 pm (closed Monday and over the holidays, Dec 24 to 26 and Dec 31 to Jan 2). Exhibitions are free with no ticket; shows are free but need a ticket from two weeks before: get it at the front desk to avoid the $2 online fee.

A city run cultural centre in Ahuntsic with free art exhibitions you can walk into, plus a season of shows, concerts and talks. Open Tuesday 1 to 8 pm, Wednesday to Friday 1 to 5 pm, and Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm (closed Monday). Exhibitions are always free; most shows are free too but need a free pass, available two weeks ahead: pick it up on site to avoid the $2 online service fee.

Les chroniques éphémères des passants anonymes is a street photography exhibition by Marie-Claude Halde about human presence, solitude and fleeting moments, shown at the Greenfield Park library from November 3, 2026 to January 11, 2027. Open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 1 to 9 p.m. and weekends 1 to 4:30 p.m. Free.

Plein sud, Longueuil's contemporary art exhibition centre inside Cégep Édouard-Montpetit, presents the final part of Patrick Bérubé's trilogy Écho/Système until December 20, 2026. Open Tuesday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Free admission.

Et ainsi de suite... is a free retrospective of more than twenty years of immersive installations and assemblage sculptures by Quebec artist Patrick Bérubé, running until December 20, 2026. The Maison de la culture is open Wednesday to Friday 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., and weekends 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission.

Textile sculptor François Bertrand shows seventeen dress sculptures whose skirts are made of birdcages, built from hand woven recycled metal, at Brossard's municipal art gallery from November 13, 2026 to February 7, 2027. The gallery is open Wednesday and Thursday 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to all exhibitions is free; the opening reception is Saturday, November 21, 4 to 7 p.m.

With a Montreal public library card (free for Montreal residents), you can borrow a pass that gets you into eight Montreal museums for free: the Canadian Centre for Architecture, McCord Stewart Museum, Écomusée du fier monde, Maison Saint-Gabriel, MEM (Centre des mémoires montréalaises), MUMAQ (Musée des métiers d'art du Québec), Musée des Hospitalières de l'Hôtel-Dieu and Site historique Marguerite-Bourgeoys. Reserve the pass in the library catalogue, pick it up at any library, and use it as often as you like for 3 weeks (renewable up to 3 times). Each pass covers a set number of adults and kids; see the city's page for details.

A museum of the working class and industrial history of Montreal's Centre-Sud neighbourhood, set in a former public bath. Free with a Borrow a Museum pass from any Montreal public library (2 people 13 and up, and 2 children 12 and under). Check the museum's website for hours.

A 17th century farmhouse museum in Pointe-Saint-Charles showing life in New France, with gardens. Free with a Borrow a Museum pass from any Montreal public library (2 adults and 2 children 17 and under); always free for children 5 and under. Reservations are required for all visits during nearby work.