Place Jacques Cartier

You’re now standing on Place Jacques-Cartier. Before becoming the charming Old Town pedestrian square you see right now, this site was home to Château de Vaudreuil, the former residence of the Governor of New France, built in 1723. Fifty years later, with no need for the governor’s presence anymore, the city repurposed the palace into Montréal’s first secondary school—the Collège de Montréal. It served this educational purpose until a fire destroyed the building in 1803. If you look closely, you’ll notice dark pavement stones on the ground that trace where the palace used to stand. The space was then transformed into a bustling marketplace. Two years later, when the beautiful Bonsecours Market opened, the square was renamed after Jacques Cartier—the French explorer from Saint-Malo who was the first European to sail up the St. Lawrence River towards Montréal. He’s also the one who named the land Canada, derived from the Iroquoian word “kanata”, meaning “village”. Since then, the square has been reimagined as a lovely pedestrian area lined with cafés and restaurants. It’s a must-see when visiting Montréal, alive with tourists, street performers, portrait artists, and the lively buzz of its terrace cafés.