What is the Underground City?
Montréal’s famed “Underground City" is a pedestrian network and giant underground mall situated right under the heat of the city that links metro stations to shopping plazas for over 33 km (about 20.5 miles). It’s the absolute perfect place to be to explore, entertain the family, shop a little and eat something yummy on a day
that’s either blazing hot or freezing cold — or just a little drizzly. Because ultimately, it’s a great spot to spend time, anytime.
The official name for the "Underground City" is RESO, after a rebrand in 2004 that riffed off the French works “réseau”, i.e. “network”, though it’s more known as the Underground City.
Don’t ask for directions to the RESO, though — locals might not know what you're talking about! Its colloquial name, Underground City, sticks to this day.
Used by nearly 500,000 people per day, on average, the Underground City, consists of a series of interconnected complexes including office towers, hotels, shopping centres, residential and commercial complexes, convention halls, universities and performing arts venues, all located in the heart of Montréal’s downtown area.
The network is completely integrated into the city’s underground transportation system, the Montréal metro.
Though most of the connecting tunnels are located underground, many of the key passageways and principal access points are at ground level — and there's even one skybridge connecting buildings at Lucien-L'Allier metro station.
So ready your camera for some cool selfies when you’re both underground and not, all at once.
Historical Background
The first link of the Underground City dates back to 1962, when Place Ville Marie was built, an iconic office tower and underground shopping mall which now is home to the famous Ring installation by award-winning landscape architects Claude Cormier + Associés.
Two tunnels linked it to Central Station and the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth Hotel. The Underground City was the brainchild of visionary urban planner Vincent Ponte, whose innovative designs connect various buildings underground, to whom you’ll find a commemorative plaque in Place Ville Marie.
When the Montréal metro system was first built in 1966, to coincide with the legendary Expo 67, tunnels were built that spread to join Bonaventure station to the Château Champlain hotel, Place du Canada, Place Bonaventure and Central Station, forming the core of the Underground City.
Square-Victoria-OACI station connected to the Tour de la Bourse — Montréal's stock exchange building — and in the years since, every time a large commercial complex, office tower, university or hotel is erected downtown, efforts are made to link it to the great network.
Today, the RESO has spread to reach countless sources of entertainment, food and shopping, connecting both new and old parts of the city.
Navigating the Underground Network
Key Entry Points and Navigation Tips
The Underground City network, both new and old sections, is climate-controlled and brightly lit, and it’s arranged in a U-shape with two principal north–south axes connected by an east–west axis.
Depending on where you are in the downtown core, Complexe Guy-Favreau, Complexe Desjardins or Place des Arts are your easternmost starting points, smack bang in Quartier des Spectacles, the city’s entertainment district along Sainte-Catherine Street. To the west, you can get exterior access to the Underground City via the Bell Centre on De la Gauchetière Street.
In total, there are more than 120 exterior access points to the network along various streets, not including the 60 or so metro station entrances located outside the official limits of the RESO, some of which have their own smaller tunnel networks.
Many of Montréal’s larger institutions — such as McGill University (accessible via McGill metro), the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts, Concordia University, Université de Montréal, and the Université du Québec à Montréal — also have their own tunnel networks that link up to the Underground City. For a detailed map, look no further than RESO.
Accessibility and Connectivity
All of Montréal’s metro stations have escalators, and 27 have elevators that make them wheelchair accessible. Plan your trip by checking here.
For more information onsite, refer to the RESO, and look for the RESO signs throughout the Underground City to figure out where you’re heading. Schematic maps bearing the RESO logo are found throughout the underground pedestrian network.
With all 68 stations and 71 km of tunnels of the Montréal metro system now being fully connected to the mobile network, you should have no problem at all doing work, watching videos or texting friends while in the Underground City.
Shopping and Retail Experience
Overview of Shopping Options
From designer gear courtesy of Holt Renfrew Ogilvy to local crafts at L’Art des artisans du Québec, the Underground City has got anything you can dream of in store.
You can get a whole makeover in a day in the Underground City’s many, many clothes, shoes and accessories shops, not to mention you getting your nails and hair done at the several spas and salons located in the adjoining hotels and malls.
If you end up shopping so much at the Centre Eaton de Montréal, Complexe Desjardins, Place Ville Marie, Place Montréal Trust, Alexis Nihon or other malls that your new threads won’t fit into your luggage, simply stop by one of the luggage stores to buy a bigger bag!
And to avoid your finds weighing you down as you trek the rest of the network, lockers are available on the Centre Eaton de Montréal’s tunnel level, in the food court. You can securely store coats, bags and other personal effects for a nominal price.
Unique Finds and Souvenir Shopping
Looking for goodies to remember your trip by? You’ll find a great variety of Montréal-made goods in the Underground City shops.
At Complexe Desjardins you’ll find a store dedicated entirely to local crafts: L’Art des artisans du Québec, full of woodwork, blown glass and amazing finery. There’s also fine Montréal-made jewellery on the spot at Joaillerie St-Jean or Bijouterie Ralph et Elle, and books by local authors at Renaud-Bray.
Further west throughout the Underground City you’ll find brands like Rudsak leather goods, Signé Local (all locally designed fashion, accessories, food, cosmetics and décor), and of course the Montréal-based, internationally famous ALDO shoes.
Dining and Food Venues
Culinary Diversity in the Underground City
When you want a break from all the shopping, there are amazing food options from all over the world, mainly courtesy of the city’s top-notch food courts like Time Out Market, a food hall that brings together different counters by some of the city’s best and most famous restaurants, as well as Le Cathcart at Place Ville Marie, where you can people-watch in the amazing indoor-outdoor space while feasting on next-level burritos, poke bowls, Korean fried chicken or Montréal bagels and lox.
There are many unique finds throughout the tunnels between the different shopping plazas and office towers, however; think Californian juice bars, Vietnamese báhn mì spots, French bistros and Chinese sweet bun bakeries. It’s just a matter of exploring.
Recommendations for Food Lovers
Apart from the unmissable Time Out Market in the Centre Eaton de Montréal and Le Cathcart in Place Ville Marie, the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel — conveniently connected to the city’s central train station — boasts the amazing Marché Artisans, where you can get food to go or enjoy a selection of meals from various stations.
You can also sit down for a gastronomic experience at the stylish Rosélys Restaurant, head to the tawny Le 9e for a half-dozen oysters in a stunning Art Deco setting, or walk a little further and take your pick of any of Montréal’s best downtown restaurants.
Entertainment and Cultural Activities
Connection to Cultural Venues
Life isn’t all shopping and feasting — it’s also about entertainment! The Underground City links to the Place des Arts and its endless dance, theatre, opera and classical music offerings.
It’s also directly connected to the Maison Symphonique de Montréal, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (temporarily located in Place Ville Marie), and the edgy contemporary art galleries located in Concordia University and Université du Québec à Montréal.
Culture lovers will also want to explore the whole art network in the Underground City itself, thanks to the Art Souterrain festival, which leaves new works in the network every year. Check out the public art network maps on the Art Public Montréal website too; many are reachable via the Underground City.
Entertainment Options Within the Network
If you’re looking for other immersive forms of entertainment, try OASIS Immersion at the Palais des congrès de Montréal; it offers a selection of temporary walk-through exhibitions featuring three immersive galleries brought to life with a million projections, plus a lounge area with café-bar and boutique.
The Underground City also includes two movie theatres, a number of arcades, the Grande Bibliothèque de Montréal (an incredible library where there are also exhibitions, readings and all sorts of events), the Bell Centre and its never-ending roster of sports and blockbuster music performances, and even the Barbie Expo — the biggest permanent collection of Barbie dolls in the world.
Practical Tips for Visitors
Best Times to Visit and How to Prepare
Most parts of the Montréal underground network are open whenever the metro system is in operation, which means from 5:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., though some of the businesses will be closed outside of opening hours.
The food courts tend to come alive around 11 a.m., but the coffee shops and bakeries throughout the malls and tunnels cater to the morning office worker crowd.
Since the Underground City is temperature controlled and open all year-round, there’s no particular way to prepare in terms of clothing, other than to wear comfortable walking shoes that fit well!
To find your way, follow the RESO signs, or you can find maps of the Underground City and the metro free of charge in all metro stations and information centers.
Safety and Security Measures
Montréal is officially the world’s second safest city: it nabbed second place in the 2024 list of world’s safest cities to visit produced annually by Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection, and the Underground City is no exception to that rule.
You can enjoy the network leisurely no matter your colour, creed or gender. If you’re in need of assistance for whatever reason, every shopping centre and metro station along the way has an information desk or customer service staff that are ready to lend a hand.
Comparing Montréal’s Underground City
Global Comparison with Similar Structures
Many cities across Canada have some kind of tunnel or skywalk system downtown to help people avoid the weather, because not only do we get sweltering summers here, we can also get over 20 cm of snow in a day in the winter.
But Montréal’s Underground City is the largest underground complex in the world, setting it apart from other systems in Canada. It stretches for 33 km (20.5 miles) and covers 4 million square meters (one and a half square miles), and services 500,000 people per day on average, whether it’s for leisurely shopping and enjoying, or for getting from A to B in all comfort.
Conclusion
It’s famous for a reason: Montréal’s Underground City is a beautifully maintained, seemingly endless series of pathways that link some of the city’s most attractive cultural landmarks and commercial destinations, all in the heart of the city.
So duck in out of the rain, take a breather from the July heat, and start exploring this 33-km playground—you’ll uncover stellar shopping, activities, culinary delights and unforgettable good times from your first visit.