Glass entrance of the MEM museum on Boulevard Saint-Laurent at dusk, with the orange MEM sign above vintage neon signs, including St. James United Church, glowing inside and a blurred passer-by

Museum / Quartier des spectacles / Downtown

MEM – Centre des mémoires montréalaises

RAINY-DAY MONTRÉAL PRIMER

The city's own history museum, on Saint-Laurent at Sainte-Catherine, and it's open on Thanksgiving Monday.

From home: 34 min walk; 2.43 km, or 6 min by car
Spend: $$$$; est. $15.5 per person
Our dates: Open Tue-Thu. Mon unconfirmed; Give it 1-1.5 hours (estimate, not sourced)

Photo: Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf, CC BY-SA 4.0

The verdict

A solid indoor fallback and the rare museum that is open Monday Oct 12. Go if the weather turns or you want the city's story told by Montréalers themselves. Exhibition lineup for our dates is unconfirmed, so check the programming page before committing; the free public areas make a low-risk peek.

Open Thanksgiving Monday 11am-6pm per official site
Free public areas, $15.50 adult entry
Central location, steps from Saint-Laurent metro

Why maybeOpen on the holiday Monday and cheap, but exhibitions for Oct 12-15 are unconfirmed and it is not a headline sight; best as a weather backup.

Vibe check

design forward/low key

Best forrainy afternoon, history-curious travellers

What it costs

$$$$Est. $15.5 / person

Adult ticket $15.50 incl. taxes; seniors $13.20, students $10.90, teens $6.70, 12 and under free. Public areas free.

From a published source. Québec purchases carry the 5% federal GST plus the 9.975% Québec Sales Tax (QST, TVQ in French): 14.975% combined on taxable items. Tourisme Montréal: it is customary to tip restaurant servers, taxi drivers and hairdressers 15% of the bill, before taxes. Bellhops, porters and doormen generally get at least $2 per bag or service; coffee and food counters often have a tip cup by the register.

On our dates

Tue 11am-6pm, Wed-Sat 11am-7:30pm, Sun 11am-6pm; Mon closed except public holidays (11am-6pm)

Mon 12Unclear
Tue 13Open11am to 6pm
Wed 14Open11am to 7:30pm
Thu 15Open11am to 7:30pm

Thanksgiving MondayOfficial visit page states it is open on public holidays including Mondays, 11am-6pm. Thanksgiving is a Québec statutory holiday; no specific Oct 12 notice seen, so this rests on the standing statement.

Full week

Mon	Closed
Tue	11am to 6pm
Wed	11am to 7:30pm
Thu	11am to 7:30pm
Fri	11am to 7:30pm
Sat	11am to 7:30pm
Sun	11am to 6pm

Ticket counter closes about 30 min before closing. Closed Dec 25 and Jan 1.

Hours from the venue's own listing, checked Oct 8, 2026.

Is it worth it?

Worth an hour as a weather backup, not a priority over the main sights.

Best time: Afternoon; Wed-Sat open to 7:30pm
Time needed: 1-1.5 hours (estimate)
Cost: $15.50 adult; $13.20 seniors; $10.90 students; $6.70 teens 13-17; free 12 and under; public areas free
Weather: Fully indoors, ideal in rain or cold.
This season: Mid-October weather is variable; indoor option.

Good forrainy day, history, downtown stop

Where

1210 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montréal, QC H2X 2S5

34 min walk (2.43 km) / 6 min drive, no traffic / 18 min by bike

From 216 Rue Young. Routes from OpenStreetMap data; transit times are in the maps app.

Show on our map memmtl.ca Call

Tickets valid for the day; counter closes about 30 min before closing. Public areas are free.

While you're there

A plated seafood dish with greens and sauce on a white plate at a candlelit restaurant table, with wine glasses and a basket of bread nearby

BILK'S LOUDER LITTLE SIBLING

Cadet

Quartier des Spectacles6 min drive or 36 min walk$$$$

3 min walk from here

A green glazed bowl of chirashi, assorted sashimi with salmon roe and fresh wasabi over rice, beside a bowl of miso soup on a dark table

THE FLOWER SHOP IS A FRONT

Fleurs et Cadeaux

Chinatown27 min walk$$$$

7 min walk from here

Close-up of a crowded rail of vintage clothes on black hangers, with a red and gold varsity-style knit, leopard print and a patterned fabric in warm, soft focus

DIG UNTIL YOUR ARMS ACHE

Eva B

Plateau / Lower Main7 min drive or 38 min walk$$$$

6 min walk from here

A cobblestone street in Old Montréal lined with grey stone buildings, with a church spire in the distance under a soft cloudy sky

TOURISTY. WALK IT ANYWAY.

Old Montréal (Vieux-Montréal)

Old Montréal26 min walk$$$$

9 min walk from here

Felt fedoras in cream, olive and brown stacked on a two-tier metal shelf against a plain white wall

HATS SINCE 1932

Henri Henri

Quartier des Spectacles / Downtown East7 min drive or 40 min walk$$$$

8 min walk from here

A frothy sour cocktail in a cut-crystal coupe, topped with a dried citrus slice and drops of bitters, on a warmly lit wooden table

PISCO SOURS, FRONT-ROW SEATS

Tiradito

Downtown24 min walk$$$$

10 min walk from here

A single rosette of sliced raw fish on a round wooden plate, lit in warm amber low light with soft blurred background

THE QUEBEC TERROIR BENCHMARK

Toqué!

Quartier international / Old Montréal edge21 min walk$$$$

14 min walk from here

A tiled-roof paifang gate with blue and gold painted panels spans a pedestrian street in Montréal's Chinatown, with trees and brick buildings beyond.

SMALL BLOCK, REAL APPETITE

Chinatown (Quartier chinois)

Chinatown / Quartier chinois (Ville-Marie)27 min walk$$$$

12 min walk from here

The receipt

Where every fact on this page comes from.

ResearchedResearched Oct 8, 2026. Second check pending. Confidence: medium.

Details to confirm

Which exhibitions run Oct 12-15 2026 (homepage lists Detours and a sex worker resistance exhibition, undated)
Any Oct 12 specific holiday notice
Operating-status news check not done (search unavailable)
Typical visit duration unsourced

OfficialMEM official website: Your visit: hours, prices, addressaccessed 2026-10-08
OfficialMEM official website: Homepageaccessed 2026-10-08