Hotel Place D'Armes

Four Neoclassical Facades Facing the Basilica

Place d'Armes is where Montreal began to look like a city. On one side rises the Gothic Revival Notre-Dame Basilica, on the others the stone banks and office buildings that made Saint-Jacques Street the financial capital of nineteenth-century Canada. Hotel Place d'Armes occupies four of those neoclassical buildings, joined behind their facades into a single hotel on the corner of the square. The architecture does the introduction: carved stone, tall windows, high ceilings, and the sense of stepping into a piece of the city's history. Inside, the style is classically elegant rather than museum-like, and the scale allows for the full range of a grand hotel in a quarter better known for small inns.

Why It Works

We selected Hotel Place d'Armes because it offers what few hotels in Old Montreal can: a front-row position on its most famous square combined with a complete set of services. The Rainspa, spread over two floors with ten treatment rooms and a hammam, turns a winter weekend into a retreat. Two restaurants and a seasonal rooftop terrace give guests reasons to stay in. And the choice of rooms is wide, from classic rooms to junior suites with balconies and penthouses, which makes the hotel work for a couple's weekend as well as a family visit. Its recognition by the Michelin Guide confirms the standard.

Why This Location

The hotel stands where Old Montreal meets the modern city. The Notre-Dame Basilica is directly across the square, a few steps from the lobby. Rue Saint-Paul, the Bonsecours Market and Place Jacques-Cartier are a short walk through the cobbled lanes, and the Old Port and the St. Lawrence waterfront lie just beyond. In the other direction, the Place-d'Armes metro station, the Quartier International and Chinatown are only minutes away, and downtown is easily reached. It is an address from which almost everything a first-time visitor wants to see can be done on foot.

Fast Facts

• Price: Premium to luxury (€€€)

• Vibe: classic, historic, lively, polished

• Rooms: eight categories across four buildings, from classic and deluxe rooms to junior suites with balconies, executive suites, the Suite Place d'Armes and penthouses

• Best For: couples, first-time visitors to Montreal, culture lovers

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the view of the Notre-Dame Basilica across Place d'Armes, from the rooms facing the square and from the rooftop terrace

• Dining: Brasserie 701 for French bistro cooking; Kyo Bar Japonais for Japanese small plates and drinks; Terrasse Place d'Armes, the seasonal rooftop; room service

• Amenities: Rainspa with ten treatment rooms and a hammam with two private rooms; fitness centre; concierge; bicycle rental; indoor parking

• Attractions: Notre-Dame Basilica across the square, Rue Saint-Paul, Bonsecours Market, Place Jacques-Cartier, the Old Port, Chinatown

Rooms Between Stone and Light

Because the hotel spreads across four historic buildings, its rooms vary in shape and character, with high ceilings and generous windows. The palette is calm and elegant, and the bathrooms are furnished with deluxe products and plush robes. Guests who value outdoor space should look at the junior suites with balconies, while the executive suites, the Suite Place d'Armes and the penthouses add living rooms and more space for longer stays or special occasions.

Rainspa and Its Hammam

The Rainspa is one of the hotel's strongest assets. Set over two floors, it includes ten treatment rooms and a hammam with two private rooms, where the traditional ritual of steam, exfoliation and rest is offered in a very Montreal setting. After a day walking the cobblestones in January, or before a long dinner in the old town, it is a precious resource.

From Brasserie to Rooftop

Brasserie 701 serves the classics of the French bistro in a lively room, ideal for a relaxed dinner after a visit to the basilica. Kyo Bar Japonais changes the mood, with Japanese small plates and a buzzy bar atmosphere. In the warm months, the Terrasse Place d'Armes opens on the roof, offering a view over the square, the basilica towers and the old city, one of the best places in Old Montreal for a drink at sunset.