McGill University

Montréal


Founded in 1828 by James McGill, a rich Scottish fur trader, McGill University is one of Canada’s most prestigious learning institutions, with 40,000 students. The university’s medical and engineering faculties have a fine reputation and many campus buildings are showcases of Victorian architecture. The campus, at the foot of Mont Royal, is rather nice for a stroll and also incorporates the Musée Redpath.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Montréal attractions

1. Musée Redpath

0.09 MILES

A Victorian spirit of discovery pervades this old natural-history museum, though you won’t find anything more gruesome than stuffed animals from the…

2. Musée McCord

0.16 MILES

With hardly an inch to spare in its cramped but welcoming galleries, the McCord Museum of Canadian History houses thousands of artifacts and documents…

3. Illuminated Crowd

0.18 MILES

Constructed of polyester resin, Raymond Mason’s sculpture of 65 people is one of Montréal’s most photographed pieces of public art. The work shows a…

4. Rue Sherbrooke Ouest

0.19 MILES

Until the 1930s the downtown stretch of Rue Sherbrooke Ouest was home to the Golden Square Mile, one of the richest residential neighborhoods in Canada…

5. Louis-Joseph Forget House

0.21 MILES

This late-19th-century Victorian mansion has a pleasing symmetry, with a focus on its wrought-iron, oak doors with fine iron grilles created at Montréal's…

6. Maison Alcan

0.21 MILES

This mélange of four carefully restored 19th- and 20th-century buildings integrates the old Berkeley Hotel and three houses, including the Atholstan House…

7. Reid Wilson House

0.22 MILES

This is one of Montréal’s finest old mansions, built in 1902 with an old coach house out back and an attached conservatory – rare features among the…

8. Rue Ste-Catherine Ouest

0.29 MILES

Lively Rue Ste-Catherine Ouest is one endless orgy of shops, restaurants, bars and cafes on the hyperactive stretch between Rue Crescent and Rue St-Urbain…