TURNIPSEED TRAVEL
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Partner With Us
  • New Visitors
  • Social Media

Tales From The Anti-Adventurist: Vanessa Goes Ghost Hunting in Montreal

16/8/2014

 

Updated in 2022! There's a lot of old stories in the Old Port. Are you ready to go ghost hunting in Montreal?

My tour was sponsored by Tourism Montreal. This relationship did not influence my review and all opinions remain my own. This post contains affiliate ads and links.

Ghost hunting in Montreal: A costumed guide greets the crowd
This is what ghost hunting in Montreal looks like: Madeline gets us ready for spooks and spirits outside the Museum of Archaeology.
A night out on the town is always a treat when I'm in Montreal, but when faced with a solo visit I had to admit I was a bit stumped on what I should do to pass the time.  I decided to bring one of my favourite autumn activities into summer and go ghost hunting in Montreal with Fantomes Montreal. 

Our tour guide, Madeline, was certainly in a festive, "spirited" mood.  Dressed up in period costume, she brought centuries old decedents back to life with her animated storytelling. Our evening began outside the Museum of Archaeology, on the exact site of where the city of Montreal was founded over 350 years ago. As you can imagine, with so many centuries of history, Montreal has racked up quite a few murders and mishaps and Madeline was keen to share many gruesome details of torture and torment in New France.
The gruesome tales started with one of the prettiest landmarks of Old Montreal - Place Royale. Now a popular place to sit and watch the world go by, Place Royale was once the site of public executions in older times. Considering that we were all nonchalantly hanging out there just moments earlier while we waited for our tour to begin, the small square was suddenly starting to look rather sinister!
Fantomes Montreal ghost walk ghost stories Old Montreal haunted TurnipseedTravel.com
Atmospheric.... or spooky? Montreal's Old Port at night.
Once Madeline wrapped up her opening tales, we were off to explore Old Montreal by foot. During the course of the 90 minute tour, we had 6 different stops and 6 different stories. There was about 5 minutes of walking between each stop and, while we walked at a reasonable pace, the footing underneath was occasionally a bit bumpy as much of the area has cobblestone streets. 

One of our stops included The Auberge, often described as the most haunted restaurant in Montreal and the site of a notorious arsonist's fire.  If you look at my photo below, you'll see a curious blue shape floating in the middle of the picture - did I capture the ghostly spirit of an 8 year old dead girl? 
Fantomes Montreal ghost walk ghost stories Old Montreal haunted TurnipseedTravel.com
What can be the explanation behind the ghostly blue shape floating in the centre of the building, where the roof meets the walls?
Fantomes Montreal ghost walk ghost stories Old Montreal haunted TurnipseedTravel.com Place Royale
Site of the gallows: Place Royale in Old Montreal.
For me, some of the spookiest stories centered on the Chateau Ramezay, a museum and historical site. From the accounts of horrific, un-human screaming to the tale of a portrait coming to life, it didn't take long for me to mentally cross this museum off my list of places to visit. I do love history, but not at the expense of my wits!
Fantomes Montreal ghost walk ghost stories Old Montreal haunted TurnipseedTravel.com
The Chateau Ramezay was spooky at night, as the shadows of waving tree branches were illuminated against the building.
A night with Fantomes is part storytelling, part street theatre and - for the most part - not too scary. My anti-adventurist spirit remained intact!! I loved that the theatrics were channeled through our guide's presentation and there were no cheesy bits, like fake ghosts jumping out around the corner. I also loved that the Fantomes have a serious side to their work. Often the owners of a haunted building will contact them for assistance in researching the site's history and unraveling mysterious circumstances that can date back hundreds of years. Through meticulous research they've been able to shed some light on many a haunting.

I would highly recommend a night of ghostly adventures to anyone visiting Montreal but especially solo travellers. It was the perfect night out and a great way to get better acquainted with the city - and I met a few new friends (the human kind - not ghosts!) along the way. 

If you enjoyed this post, you'll also like:

My favourite lunch spots in Montreal
Hotel review: The Omni Montreal
Sleeping like rock royalty: Montreal's John Lennon suite
Erinn Sluka
19/8/2014 05:55:17 am

Looks like fun-I cannot do anything the leas bit haunted!

Vanessa
19/8/2014 07:30:05 am

I'm happy to report it wasn't too scary - just good fun!

tara pittman
19/8/2014 06:20:36 am

I would love to do a ghost walk. They do one one here on Halloween.

Vanessa
20/8/2014 02:33:09 am

Awesome - have you ever tried it out? Scary or fun?

Censie Sawyer link
19/8/2014 07:19:28 am

This looks so cool! What a great evening!

Vanessa
20/8/2014 02:32:37 am

I had an amazing time!

Abi R link
19/8/2014 07:24:41 am

I cannot handle haunted anything!

Vanessa
20/8/2014 02:33:37 am

ha ha ha - normally I can't either!


Comments are closed.
    Recent Posts
    Posts by Location
    Turnipseed Travel Category Canada
    Turnipseed Travel Category USA
    Turnipseed Travel Category Europe
    Turnipseed Travel Category Africa
    Turnipseed Travel Category Australia
    Turnipseed Travel Category Asia

    Post Categories

    All
    $200 Challenge
    200m Challenge
    Accommodation
    Africa
    Amsterdam
    Anti Adventurist
    Asia
    Australia
    Belgium
    Business Travel
    Camping
    Canada
    Central Counties
    Cozy Travel
    Destinations
    Europe
    Experiences & Activities
    Female Travel
    Food And Drink
    Gear And Packing
    Golf
    Greece
    Guest Posts & Interviews
    Health
    Inspiration
    Making Travel Memories
    Montreal
    Most Popular Posts
    National Parks
    Norfolk County
    Ontario
    Ottawa
    Paris
    Partners
    Pet Travel
    Photo Essay
    Preparation
    Press Trip Portfolio
    Reviews Accommodation
    Reviews Gear Packing
    Round The World
    Saving
    Toronto
    Transportation
    Travel Cooking
    Travel Memories Series
    UK & Ireland
    United States

    Posts by Date

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

Disclaimers, Privacy, and Cookie Policy

Top 100 Travel Influencer
As named by the Obama White House in 2014.​
White House Study Abroad Logo 2014
Turnipseed Travel Logo 2019
DMCA.com Protection Status
© COPYRIGHT 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Partner With Us
  • New Visitors
  • Social Media