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Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, Montreal: Hours, Address, Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal Reviews: 4.5/5

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Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

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Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal
4.5
4,513
#10 of 472 things to do in Montreal
Art Museums
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10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The MMFA is one of Canada’s most visited museums and the eighth-most visited museum in North America, boasting more than 1.3 million visitors. The MMFA's original temporary exhibitions combine various artistic disciplines – fine arts, music, film, fashion and design – and are exported around the world. Its rich encyclopedic collection, distributed among five pavilions, includes international art, world cultures, decorative arts and design, and Quebec and Canadian art. The Museum has seen exceptional growth in recent years with the addition of two new pavilions: the Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion, in 2011, and the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion for Peace, in 2016. The MMFA complex includes Bourgie Hall, a 460-seat concert hall. The Museum also houses the Michel de la Chenelière International Atelier for Education and Art Therapy, the largest educational complex in a North American art museum, enabling the MMFA to offer innovative educational, wellness and art therapy programmes
Suggested duration
More than 3 hours
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Ville-Marie
How to get there
  • Peel • 5 min walk
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Restaurants
3,707 within 3 miles
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801
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Bar George
257
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586
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834
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905
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141
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Le Pois Penche
750
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294
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Attractions
450 within 6 miles
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0.1 miEducational sites
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
4,513 reviews
Excellent
2,917
Very good
1,256
Average
265
Poor
53
Terrible
22
Dutch Brother
Boston, MA469 contributions
one of the best art museums in Canada
Mar 2022
I gave the MMFA a five star review when I last visited, but this time I had enough time to see the entire museum (that was open) as well as the gift shop, so I am in a better position to review it. It still deserves five stars, but just barely.

For such a large museum (five buildings), the collection is not as impressive as the size would indicate. For example, it does not come anywhere close to the Boston MFA or the Washington National Gallery of Art, both of which I have lived near and seen dozens of times. But by Canadian standards, it is a five star art museum (I'm both Canadian and US, so I'm not trying to favor one country's museums, but be objective and helpful to readers of my reviews).

The building with the Canadian collection does a nice job of providing an overview of Canadian painting. The collection of Inuit and Native American art is also a good overview, but after having seen the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, it looks like a sideshow. Nonetheless, I was still happy to see what I did.

I'm mainly interested in European and North American painting from 1500-1900, and the museum has a good collection, but concentrated in a few areas. There are two rooms of 17th century Dutch and Flemish painting, about 30 paintings. There is a very good Rembrandt portrait from 1668 and Jacob Ruisdael's "Bleaching Fields of Haarlem", two standout paintings. It's a fine collection, a highlight in my opinion. There is an enchanting small enclosed space with curiosities which is delightful, a mixture of paintings and small craft objects. There is a floor with an exhibit devoted to Napoleon. Given that France had lost most of its Canadian territory by this point, I'm not sure why the MMFA would have this exhibit, but it was interesting. There is also an extensive collection of early Renaissance religious paintings that is quite good.

The gift shop is good sized and has quite a few books. The staff were helpful in finding me a book at a very good price. My wife and daughter both bought scarves, so the shop has a lot to offer.

The museum is not inexpensive ($24 Canadian), but worth it if you have the time to explore the entire museum. It is also free to everyone 20 and under, so family friendly prices. I noticed a lot of teenagers while I was there, and that might be why. The museum was not crowded, even on a Sunday, but it was winter and cold outside, so that might be why. Unfortunately, the decorative arts part of the museum was closed, so you might want to call ahead to make sure the parts you want to see are open.
Written March 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
KostasTang
Dubai, United Arab Emirates25 contributions
Splendid museum with excellent art
May 2022 • Friends
Beautifully landscaped across several floors between the new and the old building, without it being too long.

You can spend a good day there don’t get me wrong but with the ticket fives you multi entry throughout the day.

The only minus was that the cafe only opens specific days and when we visited it was closed. We went to town for lunch.
Written May 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Ransol
Montreal, Canada54 contributions
Very interesting
Dec 2019 • Family
I had been there with my children between the age of 9 and 15, it was free entrance during Christmas vacation. it was quite interesting place , the staff was very friendly and helpful. There was a place where you can put your jackets in till you finish. We started from the fourth floor where there are antiques from different civilizations then we went down to the first floor for the paintings and that was the magnificent part of the museum, we enjoyed the most, then we went to the Egyptian mummies place ( you to pay 30$ for an adult to accompany children under 18), it is small department but well organized. The children loved the experience.
Written February 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Azza H
New York City, NY12 contributions
Interesting but Small
Jul 2021
First time I visited this museum was on a Wednesday after 5 p.m. which is when the reduced fare is. Many sections of the museum were closed off then and I was left very disappointed at how little there was to see! On a second visit, I arrived earlier so I was able to visit many more areas of the museum and I was pleasantly surprised. Paintings and sculptures by Canadian artists, and a floor dedicated to first nations art. The museum is small but worth a visit.
Written August 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Frank Sories
San Francisco, CA214 contributions
Not Worth the High Admission Fee
Dec 2019
I came to see the exhibit "Egyptian Mummies: Exploring Ancient Lives" I was surprised at their pricing policy; I saw it online but wanted to double check because I couldn't believe that there were no discounts for students or seniors. The discounts are given to visitors under 30, who might well have lucrative careers. Yes, it's nice to encourage millennials to put down their phones for a couple of hours to engage with art. However, there are students in that same age group who more than likely don't have much disposable income. I just don't get it. Seniors who have been paying to visit or be members of museums their entire lives seem to be victims of age discrimination. Very few museums offer NOTHING to seniors, but this one does and seems to be quite proud of it. When I asked the woman at the admissions desk whether there were any discounts for seniors, who said "No" in a very surly tone. I asked about discounts for students and I got the same answer and the same tone. I felt that I was being discounted.

I would have felt totally ripped off had I not found out the next day that they had, on that very day, returned to an old policy of allowing visitors to view the permanent collection for free. I only knew this because I called to ask whether paying the fee one day entitled a guest to return the next day without paying again. (The Met in NYC offers three days admission for one fee.) Since I'd seen the special exhibit the day before, I was happy to be able to see more without having to pay again.

The mummy exhibit included a large number of artifacts in addition to the mummies themselves. It was very interesting and well curated. I also got to see the entire contemporary art collection on the lower level, as well as two levels of the decorative arts collection, up to the jewelry section. The permanent collection consists primarily of local Quebec artists, so it's not really a world-class museum, but it's still an interesting place to spend a day. Hopefully museum management will rethink their indulgence of millennials who should have some motivation to expand their horizons without misguided "incentives." The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco are working to expand their outreach to younger museum goers by mounting exhibitions that will be particularly appealing to them, such as the recent Ed Hardy exhibition, and to infrequent museum goers via free admission on Saturdays. These might be better strategies in that they won't alienate senior visitors.
Written January 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Pinkcaviar
Vancouver67 contributions
Maps and Signs Are Apparently Not Important in an Exhibition
Sep 2021
I love visiting local museums when I'm traveling, been to many in Europe and Asia, and this exhibition was one of the worse when it comes to communicating to its guest.

I left not only feeling disappointed, but extremely frustrated when I learned after leaving from OTHER reviewers that there were underground passages that lead to adjacent buildings with more artwork. Apparently, I had completely missed out on 75% of the exhibition (which I hear is amazing!) because there was no map, signs or the staff to help inform. Even the exterior of the adjacent building was confusing, the doors were sealed shut as it was closed with no signs telling you to cross the street to enter. I paid $50 (for two people) at the front desk and was left to figure the rest out. Visiting their website, I also don’t see any map that I don’t have to dig for.

To realize the extent the lack of communication is that we once stood in their dark elevator having to guess which floors would work because there were no signs to let guest know which ones are closed.

Overall, I took time out of my schedule to visit this place as it was a must see, but I left feeling dismissed. I don’t like writing bad reviews, but reading other low stars reviews - I think a few other guest have the same experienced I did without realizing it (notes are saying the museum was small) – it’s warranted.
Written September 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Christina R
14 contributions
Great overview of Quebec Art
Jan 2020
If you don't have the time (or energy) to explore the whole thing, would recommend starting with the Quebec/Canada pavilion. Although they do have a collection of international art, the Canadian art is where this museum really shines. The contemporary art and design collections, particularly the section on glass in all forms, is also very good.
Written January 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
LJT
Winnipeg, Canada55 contributions
Wonderful art gallery experience
Aug 2021
Visited mid-day on a Tuesday, when the museum was not too busy, and had a very good experience. The staff taking our tickets suggested to us how best to experience the museum - by taking the underground tunnel to the second building, elevator up, and working our way back.

The exhibits of mostly Quebec and Canadian artists organized by era were really great, with features on some specific artists, groups of artists, and other types of art including sculpture. The explanations in the galleries, in both French and English, gave very helpful and interesting context throughout. The feature exhibit on Indigenous art and climate change was beautiful and very interesting, very glad to get to see it.

Also found museum staff very helpful when we asked if we could store luggage during our visit, as we went between hotel checkout and going to the airport. Only complaint was that the museum layout does get confusing, being in 3 different buildings with no map. At times had to follow others or double back to ensure we saw everything.
Written September 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Craig A
Toronto, Canada120 contributions
Well organized collection everything from modern art to middle ages
Oct 2021
Well organized and interesting collection. Notably they are well lit and the descriptions (in French and English) are also well lit, unlike a lot of museums I have been to. The first floor is a great mix of paintings and sculptures, from belle epoque, contemporary and modern art. I was lucky enough to catch the Yousef Karsh photography exhibit, so many famous people and the stories accompanying them were as interesting as the portraits themselves. Due to covid the restaurant was closed unfortunately, you can go for lunch and be readmitted (try Omnivore cafe it is very good and close by).
Written October 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Nancy C
Los Angeles, CA257 contributions
Not Tourist Friendly -- No Paper Maps. Ask How to Use Underground Tunnel
Aug 2021
I love art and I was very disappointed in the current exhibits. The Museum is located in three buildings with and underground passageway connecting them, but no one tells you that when you get there, and there is no paper map. The building you enter into had very dull contemporary exhibits, and we were about to leave when we thought to ask if the buildings across the street were somehow related. Only then did they tell us they were part of the same Museum, and not clearly (we had to ask a lot of questions to understand where to go). The best part of the Museum was across the street, where there were many beautiful historic realist paintings. Because we found them in the last hour, we had to rush through the best part.
Written August 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal
Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal is open:
  • Tue - Tue 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Wed - Wed 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
  • Thu - Sun 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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We recommend booking Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 4 Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal tours on Tripadvisor