Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal

Notre-Dame Basilica faces Place d'Armes in the heart of Old Montreal, next to the Saint-Sulpice Seminary. It takes its name from the city's first parish. Work began in the 1820s, with the cornerstone laid on 1 September 1824 and the church dedicated on 1 July 1829. James O'Donnell designed the Gothic Revival exterior, and the two towers followed in 1841 and 1843. When it was completed it was the largest place of worship in North America.

The interior is the reason most people come. Victor Bourgeau reworked it between 1872 and 1879, taking inspiration from the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, and the vaults are painted deep blue and scattered with golden stars. The stained glass is unusual in showing scenes from Montreal's religious history rather than Bible stories. Look up at the Casavant Frères organ of 1891, which has four keyboards, 99 stops and about 7,000 pipes, and visit the Sacred Heart Chapel, completed in 1888, where the weekday Masses are held. The west tower holds a bourdon bell called Jean-Baptiste, which weighs 10,900 kilograms and rings only on special occasions.

The basilica has also been the setting for national moments. Céline Dion married René Angélil here on 17 December 1994, and funerals have been held for the hockey player Maurice Richard and for former prime ministers Pierre Trudeau and Brian Mulroney. It became a minor basilica in 1982 and a National Historic Site in 1989.

Daytime sightseeing visits run from 9am to 4pm Monday to Saturday and from 12.30pm to 4pm on Sunday. Tickets are sold on site during those hours, and later purchases are made online or by phone. In the evening the building hosts AURA, a four-act show of light and orchestral music by the Montreal studio Moment Factory, created for the city's 375th anniversary; it is ticketed separately and worth booking ahead.

Masses are held in French only, in the Sacred Heart Chapel on weekdays and in the nave on Saturday evening and Sunday, so plan a sightseeing visit around them. The basilica is certified as partially accessible by Kéroul, and the Companion Leisure Card gives free entry to a disabled visitor's companion.

There is no parking at the basilica, so the simplest approach is the metro to Place-d'Armes on the Orange line. Pointe-à-Callière and the Old Port are a short walk away, which makes it easy to combine with a morning in Old Montreal.