Exploring Montreal's Underground City

Montreal’s fabled underground city opened fifty-five years ago. What began as a subterranean pedestrian network beneath Place Ville Marie is now an integral part of the city. Over the past decades it has developed into a parallel metropolis, an amazing labyrinth of passageways, alleys, atriums, and hallways that snake their way along over 40 km, connecting 85 downtown skyscrapers, ten hotels, 2,000 stores apartment blocks and 68 Métro stations. Montreal author Alan Hustak looks at its history, takes you on a personal tour of the multi-level environment, and along the way reveals its many hidden surprises. Like the city above ground the underground city has its own mix of sun and shade, public squares, fountains, green spaces, and even an indoor skating rink. It is not so much an underground city—that’s a misnomer--as it is an enclosed, weather proof city: a climate-controlled environment, above and below ground that is air-conditioned in summer and warm against the blast of winter. For Montrealers and visitors alike, Montreal’s Underground City is an indispensable guide with tours, maps, and indexes, and photographs in full color.

Veteran journalist Alan Hustak is the author of several books including Titanic: The Canadian Story, and Faith Under Fire. He divides his time between Montreal, Quebec and Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan.