Morrin Centre
Morrin Centre
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Discover the secrets of our National Historic Site. Step back in time while walking through the sinister jail cells and decipher the graffiti carved into the floor by former inmates. Visit the intriguing chemistry Lab hidden upstairs, as well as the other classrooms of the Morrin College open from 1868 - 1902. Then, let yourself be spellbound by the haunting stories surrounding the Victorian Library, home to a collection of literary gems, some of which date back to the 16th century. The Morrin Centre offers: Experiences for groups and people of all ages, cultural activities, or consider renting one of our spaces as the perfect place to hold your event!
Duration: < 1 hour
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Downtown Quebec City
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Restaurants
880 within 3 miles
Attractions
343 within 6 miles
See what travelers are saying
- Diane E20 contributionsExcellent Morrin Center Tour Quebec CityWe booked an English speaking tour at the Morrin Center on September 29th. Our tour guide was Fiona and she was fantastic! The tour of this historic cultural center was about 75 minutes and was extremely informative, interesting and fun! We learned about the unique history of this building, which has served as a jail, university and library over the last 200 years. Tour is inexpensive and highly recommended! Great way to learn about some of the history of Quebec City!Visited September 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten October 9, 2023
- Dimitris LSydney, Australia50,924 contributionsAmazing Cultural CentreThe Morrin Centre is an amazing cultural centre. It is meant to spread the word about the history and culture of English speaking canadians. It's a sort of special library. It has vast amounts of information and it really opens visitors' minds into Canada's history and culture.Visited August 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten October 22, 2023
- JoanneLake Mary, Florida2,116 contributionsquaint and historicThis was such a historical place and definitely worth a visit. It was part of a tour, so not sure the cost normally. We were met by a guide in period costume who explained a lot of the history that it had been a prison. We got to see the converted cells - and it was definitely not somewhere you wanted to be. A nice old library - quaint. The stairs are narrow and uneven - so might be a problem for those with mobility issues.Visited May 2024Traveled with friendsWritten May 4, 2024
- Christine2 contributionsFun and interesting sight for families with teensVery fun and interesting tour. We visited with our 12 and 15 year old kids and we all really enjoyed it. The tour guide was very engaging and the jail, library, and history provide a broader understanding of Quebec’s culture and history. Highly recommend!Visited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 22, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
757 reviews
Excellent
504
Very good
209
Average
34
Poor
6
Terrible
4
Karen G
Vancouver, Canada704 contributions
Sep 2020 • Couples
I walked in today, there was a sign saying “come in and make a reservation for your visit”. So we did, they asked my name and phone number and that’s it. They didn’t say anything else, so I thought we were making reservations to limit the quantity of people because of COVID. But when we arrived for our reservation we had to actually pay for a tour. I only wanted to see the library, I asked if we could just walk around and they said no. Ok, I paid and after around 10 minutes listening to the tour guide outside, he showed us a picture of the library and said we couldn’t go there because it’s closed. I got extremely disappointed and interrupted the tour, so he offered me a refund.
I only gave 2 stars because the the staff were really friendly, because I think this is a huge fault. The tour was actually being interesting, cool information, but if you are not getting the entire tour, they should tell you from the beginning, especially when you’ll miss the most interesting part.
I only gave 2 stars because the the staff were really friendly, because I think this is a huge fault. The tour was actually being interesting, cool information, but if you are not getting the entire tour, they should tell you from the beginning, especially when you’ll miss the most interesting part.
Written September 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Karen. Thank you for your comment. I am sorry to hear that you were not given enough information. As the health and safety of our visitors, members and staff is our top priority, the library had been closed since Mid-March (2020) due to Covid-19. Part of our mission is to interpret the Centre and as such we do not offer self-guided tours, however visitors are invited to experience living history by taking our Go To Jail and The Hanging of William Pouden tours which do cost 8$ per adult, per tour. Since July 2021, members may reserve a time and check out books in the library. For more information on what can and cannot be visited, as well as our health & safety protocols, please visit our website as updates are posted regularly. You are also more than welcome to email or phone us and it would be our pleasure to answer any questions you may have. Thank you!
Written August 28, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
fredsquared
New Mexico38 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
An exceptionally entertaining tour of what at first glance does not appear to be an interesting building. The library has a long and dark history that is brought to life by the creative and talented guide. We were introduced to the last of the many men who were hanged above the front door. We saw his face, we heard the song that the children sang of him that day, and did he reach out to us? Some in our tour group would say he did or maybe it was the skill of the tour guide. Either way, it was highly entertaining.
Written May 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Diane E
Cranbrook20 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
We booked an English speaking tour at the Morrin Center on September 29th. Our tour guide was Fiona and she was fantastic! The tour of this historic cultural center was about 75 minutes and was extremely informative, interesting and fun! We learned about the unique history of this building, which has served as a jail, university and library over the last 200 years. Tour is inexpensive and highly recommended! Great way to learn about some of the history of Quebec City!
Written October 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christine
2 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Very fun and interesting tour. We visited with our 12 and 15 year old kids and we all really enjoyed it. The tour guide was very engaging and the jail, library, and history provide a broader understanding of Quebec’s culture and history. Highly recommend!
Written August 22, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dimitris L
Sydney, Australia50,924 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
The Morrin Centre is an amazing cultural centre. It is meant to spread the word about the history and culture of English speaking canadians. It's a sort of special library. It has vast amounts of information and it really opens visitors' minds into Canada's history and culture.
Written October 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kay
Arlington, VA53 contributions
Jul 2023
Alice was the guide on our tour, and she provided a fun and interesting look at the building's history. It was built to be a prison, converted to a college, and continues as an English-language library -- there's a lot to work with! We are Louise Penny fans, so we wanted to get a look at the place that is integral to her book "Bury Your Dead." However, that was not our sole reason for visiting the Morrin and the city, so we appreciate that this tour was not only about the book.
Written August 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert G
Adelaide333 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
The Morrin Centre was a stop on our Free walking Tour of Quebec with Sam Dubois and he piqued our interest. The first prison and at which some 16 people were hanged. The last hanging was quite an event with thousands of onlookers including entertainment and food. Even children were taken along to learn what happened to murderers etc. When the prison became too small it was converted into a Anglican University that also admitted women. Some of the original cells are still there giving a great insight into what conditions were like. The tour is excellent. It takes about 1 hr and takes in the science laboratory and lastly the private members library. We really enjoyed the tour and the guide was excellent.
Written August 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rlmptl
Lloydminster, Canada1,232 contributions
Oct 2021 • Couples
Excellent experience and a very interesting thing to see. It's important that you have a reservation. The tour guide was very animated and made sure to explain things and answer all of our questions it was very interesting to see what the jail looked like and imagine what it must have been like ..it would have been terrible for people there but they were there for a reason. I think it's worth taking the time to see
Written October 26, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pia N
Pointe Claire, Canada75 contributions
Dec 2021 • Friends
We did the jail tour with Fiona. She is a wonderful, animated guide, she made it a lot of fun and also very interesting. She had many little stories to tell of days gone by. I’d recommend this short tour to everyone. It takes about one hour and is centrally located in vieux Quebec.
Written December 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
amrevu
Matthews, NC31 contributions
Feb 2023
Go to the Morrin Centre when a guided tour is offered and hope Fiona is giving it. She made every aspect of the centre interesting and entertained with dramatic gusto. A memorable experience. Good for all ages.
Written March 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Olá, para visitar apenas a biblioteca também é necessário pagar ou somente se for visitar o restante do prédio?
Written March 31, 2019
could you correct a spelling mistake and change Goal to Gaol.
Written April 30, 2018
Hello,
Would you be able to send me the link for this mistake please? I will then be able to correct it. Thanks!
Written April 30, 2018
Is Canada It’s Complicated in English??
Written October 4, 2017
Quebec is easy to get around --speaking English .
Written October 22, 2017
How close is the center to Hotel Manoir d'Auteuil ? What are the times for the tours ?
Written June 1, 2016
Hi Linda,
The Morrin Centre is about a 5 to 7 minute walk from Hotel Manoir d'Auteuil. Thank you Travellove414 for your instructions on how to get to the Centre.
The entrance fee for the Discovery tour is $11 for general , $9 for students (ID card required), $10 for seniors, we also offer family rates for $35 (Includes 2 adults, 3 kids aged 9 - 17 and of course children aged 8 years and younger get in for free.
We also offer Teatime every Sunday at 4:15 pm in our beautiful Victorian library. For more information, visit our website or call at 418-694-9147.
Thank you and I hope you enjoyed your stay in Quebec City!
Written July 28, 2016
Bonjour,
je cherhce un hotel pas cher pour 6 nuits, le lomardy hotel me semble correct, est-ce près de Mimai Beach et des actvitées de Miami,, des transports en commun? Pour les voyageurs avez-vous passé un bon séjour dans cet hotel et qu'avez-vous visité? Un personnel de l'hotel viendra nous chercher à l'aéroport international?
Written January 17, 2015
Bonjour, si je comprend bien c'est a Miami Floride que vous voulez de l'info, mais mon article est sur la ville de Québec, désolé.
Written January 17, 2015
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