Montréal’s main artery, rue Ste-Catherine, runs for seven miles along the length of the city. From its origins as a dirt road lined with farmhouses and orchards, the street today is now a thoroughfare passing through a number of neighborhoods. The best-known stretch runs roughly from rue Guy to rue Aylmer, where La Baie department store stands. This is the heart of the city’s busy downtown shopping district, with a mix of familiar international brands and only-in-Canada department stores and shops. Continuing east, the street passes through the Quartier des Spectacles before forming the main street of Montréal’s Gay Village. There, it is closed to cars in the summer, and patrons of bars and restaurants spill into the streets.
Susan Moss, courtesy of Tourism Montréal
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Rue Sainte-Catherine
Two blocks from the Golden Mile of Rue Sherbrooke, Rue Sainte-Catherine is Montréal’s main shopping boulevard, the city’s equivalent to London’s Regent Street. International brands are represented here, with an Apple Store, H&M and others, but it is also home to some only-in-Canada shops like Hudson’s Bay and Simons department stores. There are also several shopping centers along the street, if you find yourself in Montréal on a rainy day.
