Downtown Montreal is the central business, cultural and academic district of Montreal. It is located in the borough of Ville-Marie, the district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal and borders roughly from Atwater Street to the West, Berri Street to the East, the southern slope of Mount Royal to the North and Rene Levesque Street to the south.
The downtown Montreal region houses many corporate headquarters as well a large majority of the city’s highrises — which, by law, cannot be greater in height than Mount Royal. It also houses three major universities: McGill University, Concordia University and Universite de Quebec a Montreal (UQAM), as well as numerous colleges and other educational institutions.
It also houses many of the city’s major museums including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art, the Canadian Centre for Architecture and others. It is also home to many of the city’s famously beautiful churches including St James United and St Patrick’s. In short Downtown Montreal is the nerve centre for the commercial, cultural, academic and social life on Montreal.
As well Downtown Montreal is also home to supporting commercial, entertainment and social infrastructure including many of Montreal’s top hotels, department stores, independent shops, and world renowned restaurants as well as sports venues, parks and other unique cultural and entertainment destinations.