Île Ste-Hélène

Montréal


Created from 15 million tons of earth and rock excavated when the metro was built, Île Notre-Dame is laced with canals and pretty garden walkways. The Grand Prix du Canada Formula One race is held each year on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, named after the Québec race-car driver who died in a crash in 1982. From mid-April to mid-November the smoothly paved track is open for cyclists and in-line skaters.

Throughout the year, the island's main draw is the huge, spaceship-like Casino de Montréal in the former French pavilion from the World's Fair. You can challenge Lady Luck at 3000 slot machines and 115 gaming tables. Alcohol is not allowed on the floor and you must be 18 to enter. Bridges link the pavilion to the Jardin des Floralies, a lovely rose garden.

On the southern tip of the island, the Plage Jean-Doré draws thousands on hot summer days. Nearby is the Olympic Bassin, the former Olympic rowing basin, which now hosts the popular Dragon Boat Race Festival in late July.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Montréal attractions

1. Jardins des Floralies

0.27 MILES

In spring and summer, these flower-filled gardens are a delight to stroll through.

2. Biosphère

0.58 MILES

Housed in Buckminster Fuller’s striking geodesic dome built for the American pavilion at Expo '67 World Fair, this nature center has its own geothermal…

3. L'Homme

0.61 MILES

This huge sculpture was created by famed artist Alexander Calder for Expo '67.

4. Parc Jean-Drapeau

0.76 MILES

Occupying the site of the hugely successful 1967 World's Fair, Parc Jean-Drapeau consists of two islands surrounded by the St Lawrence River: Île Ste…

5. Île Ste-Hélène

0.9 MILES

This island in the St Lawrence River still bears interesting traces of its use as a World War II prison camp, a fort and a 1967 World's Fair. Today you…

6. Musée Stewart

1.01 MILES

Inside the old Arsenal British garrison (where troops were stationed in the 19th century), this beautifully renovated museum displays relics from Canada’s…

7. Habitat 67

1.04 MILES

The artificial peninsula Cité-du-Havre was created to protect the port from vicious currents and ice. Here, in 1967, architect Moshe Safdie designed a set…

8. Tour de l’Horloge

1.07 MILES

At the eastern edge of the historic port stands the 45m-high white Clock Tower. This precise clock, a replica of Big Ben in London, commemorates all of…