Montreal’s Underground City

Also known as ville intérieure (the interior city) Montreal’s Underground City is one of the largest underground complexes in the world.

Architecturally and technically considered tunnels, the space is air conditioned with excellent lighting. Some of the tunnels or corridors are large enough to have shops on both sides. There is over 32 km  of tunnels spread over more than 12 km2 of connected areas include shopping malls, apartment buildings, hotels, condominiums, banks, offices, museums, universities, seven metro stations, two commuter train stations, a regional bus terminal and the Bell Centre amphitheatre and arena. 

You can get to Montreal’s Underground City at any one of 120 exterior access points to one of 60 residential or commercial complexes comprising. The underground city has 3.6 km2 of floor space, which includes 80% of all office space and 35% of all commercial space in downtown Montreal.

500,000 people use the underground city daily.

The first section starts at McGill metro station at the Bay and run though the Place de la Cathedrale shopping center, Eaton’s and the Eaton’s Center shopping center, the Royal Trust Place shopping center, Simpson’s and finally the Cours Mont-Roya a hotel which has been renovated into a shopping center.

The second set of tunnels runs between Windsor train station, the Gare Centrale, Place Bonaventure the year-round ice rink at 1001 de la Gauchetière and Place Ville-Marie.

The third set of tunnels starts from the Place des Arts and then under Ste-Catherine Street to the Complexe Desjardins. Then it goes to the Complexe Guy-Favreau. Then it goes to the Palais des Congrès, finally ending in old Montreal. 

Montreal’s Underground City started in 1962 with an underground shopping center under Montreal’s first modern skyscraper. When the Metro was built in 1966, in time for Expo ’67, more subterranean malls began appearing and tunnels adjoined the subway stations with important locations around the city including office buildings and hotels. This eventually led to the construction of the largest underground city in the world.