To make the best of Montréal’s cultural offerings, the Montréal Museums Pass is the way to go. This three-day pass, unlimited bus and métro travel included, opens doors to 31 museums in metropolitan Montréal.

Start your cultural tour by taking the métro, whose stations are themselves works of art. Get off near one of the oldest museums in Canada, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The museum has magnificent permanent exhibits that explore every form of art, and includes an impressive encyclopedic collection. Some 33,000 objects, from ancient cultures to decorative and contemporary art, is an unforgettable look into the imagination of various peoples. Also of note is the space dedicated to landscape painter Marc-Aurèle Fortin (1888-1970).

Afterward, have lunch in one of the many downtown restaurants you’ll see on your way to the McCord Museum of Canadian history. Founded in 1921, this institution is home to an abundant collection of Amerindian works, costumes and Canadian textiles, as well as a world-renowned photographic archives depicting the history of Montréal, Québec and Canada since 1840. Just a few blocks away is the Vitrine culturelle, a good place to start when planning an evening of fine entertainment. This “window on the arts” takes the pulse on all cultural happenings in Greater Montréal. It’s the place to go to for information, promotions and sales of events and shows happening in the city, as well as for last-minute tickets and special deals.

Next, get together at one of Old Montréal’s restaurants, where you can choose from a vast selection of gastronomic offerings, such as the delicious cuisine de terroir, a culinary style based on local produce. Spend the perfect ending to a perfect day at Place des Arts for a performance by the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Opéra de Montréal or one of the ci

Montréal’s present lives very happily with its past. To see it in action, visit the Pointe-à-Callière Museum, which literally exposes a thousand years of the city’s history, including the city’s founding, in its substructure. Next, head for the Darling Foundry in adjacent Griffintown, a monument to the industrial era. Transformed into a gallery of contemporary art, the foundry is a provocative place with references to the builders of yesterday and the artists of today. Don’t leave without sipping a café au lait at the striking Café-bistro Artbar Cluny. Built from recycled materials, it’s a reflection of Montrealers’ avant-gardism.

To start your afternoon, take a stroll through Atwater Market then board the Croisière patrimoniale sur le canal de Lachine (heritage cruise on Lachine Canal). The boat takes you through the Saint Gabriel Lock to the Peel Basin, with panoramic views of the city, as you learn about the canal’s fascinating history.

Meet up again in Old Montréal, where some of the city’s most happening night clubs are installed in centuries-old buildings. For a bird’s-eye look at the quarter’s rich architecture, go the rooftop of Hôtel Place d’Armes for cocktails. The Hôtel Saint-Paul, housed in a former bank, is worth a look. Dine at the Restaurant Vauvert for excellent market cuisine and its ultra-sophisticated décor—one of several examples that make Montréal the only UNESCO City of Design in North America.

The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) is a museum and internationally recognized research centre. Take the guided tour of the building—winner of several design prizes—and the garden. The building comprises Shaughnessy House, built in 1874, around which the modern structure was integrated in 1989. The garden, at once urban garden and outdoor museum, is the work of Montréal artist-architect Melvin Charney.

A good place for your next coffee break is in the Quartier des spectacles, on the way to the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal. The first institution in Canada devoted exclusively to contemporary art, the museum presents highly popular exhibits from here and abroad of paintings, digital art and photography, installations and videos. A must see is the hall dedicated to the largest collection of work by Québec artist, Paul-Émile Borduas (1905-1960).

For dinner afterward, you can choose from among all the fine restaurants that line Saint-Denis Street. To bring the evening to a close, dance to the rhythms of electronic music or be wowed by a contemporary dance production in one of the quarter’s theatres.