The Big Wheel of Montreal (La Grande Roue de Montréal), Montreal

The Big Wheel of Montreal (La Grande Roue de Montréal), Montreal

Open to the public in September 2017, to mark the 375th anniversary of the city, The Big Wheel of Montreal (La Grande Roue de Montréal) is the tallest Ferris wheel in Canada, standing at 60 metres (200 feet). It is also the fourth of its type installed worldwide following those in Hong Kong (2014), Baku (2014), and Chicago (2016).

Situated directly on the river, on Bonsecours Basin Island in the Old Port of Montreal, the wheel provides a 360° view of the city, including Old Montreal, its historic buildings, Jacques-Cartier Square (Place Jacques-Cartier), and the architecture of Downtown Montreal with Royal Mountain (Mont-Royal) as the backdrop. To the south, unfolds the Saint Lawrence River and its seaway, while in the middle of the river, you can see Saint Helen's Island and Notre Dame Island – the former sites for Expo 67. In the evening, the dominant view is the illuminated Mount Royal Cross accompanying the changing lighting on Jacques-Cartier Bridge.

The wheel has 42 passenger units, each capable of carrying up to 8 persons, for a total capacity of 336 passengers. The climate-controlled cabins are suitable for use all year round, day and night, in temperatures down to −40 °C (−40 °F) and winds of up to 240 kilometres per hour.

A small park by the wheel contains modern and clean facilities including a restaurant, a cafe with an ice cream parlor, a gift shop, and restrooms.

Package deals are available for families, and those wanting VIP rides, yearly passes, and more. You do not have to book or reserve a time in advance – just show up and pay. Certainly not a bad addition to an Old Montreal itinerary!

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Montreal. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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The Big Wheel of Montreal (La Grande Roue de Montréal) on Map

Sight Name: The Big Wheel of Montreal (La Grande Roue de Montréal)
Sight Location: Montreal, Canada (See walking tours in Montreal)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Montreal, Canada

Create Your Own Walk in Montreal

Create Your Own Walk in Montreal

Creating your own self-guided walk in Montreal is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Old Montreal Walking Tour

Old Montreal Walking Tour

Old Montreal (Vieux-Montréal) is a historic neighborhood southeast of the downtown area, home to many architectural monuments of the New France era. Founded by French settlers in 1642 as Fort Ville-Marie, the settlement gave its name to the city borough of which it is now part.

Most of Montreal's earliest architecture, characterized by uniquely French influence, including grey stone...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.3 Km or 2.1 Miles
Historical Buildings Walking Tour

Historical Buildings Walking Tour

Whenever you gaze upon the historical buildings of Montreal, you are reminded that the true measure of a city's greatness lies in its ability to preserve its past while embracing its future. Old Montreal – home to four centuries of architecture shaped by French sophistication and English practicality – is a place all its own.

Here, modern buildings coexist with some of the oldest and...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.8 Km or 2.4 Miles
Montreal Introduction Walking Tour

Montreal Introduction Walking Tour

The second-most populous city in Canada, Montreal is an old, yet at the same time, modern metropolis, flagship of Canada's Québec province. Sitting on an island in the Saint Lawrence River, with Mount Royal at its center, the city owes its name to this triple-peaked hill (Mont Royal in modern French, although in 16th-century French the forms réal and royal were used interchangeably).

The...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles
Historical Churches Walking Tour

Historical Churches Walking Tour

The religious fervor that inspired French settlers in the mid-17th century to build a “Christian commonwealth” on North American soil gave rise to a number of churches, chapels, and cathedrals. Each sacred edifice in Montreal's ecclesiastical panorama – notably, in its religion- and architecture-infused oldest area, Vieux-Montréal – is a testament to the divine craftsmanship and...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.2 Km or 2.6 Miles
The RMS Titanic Walking Tour

The RMS Titanic Walking Tour

Built as the ship of dreams, the RMS Titanic went down in history as the one that carried “both the hopes and the tragedies of a generation.” The luxury cruiser sank on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic in the early hours of April 15, 1912, and today is largely remembered throughout the world, in part, due to the blockbuster movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Although Montreal's...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.5 Km or 2.2 Miles

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Montreal Souvenirs: 15 Trip Mementos to Bring Home

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The outpost of Frenchness in North America (and the world's 2nd largest francophone city after Paris), Montreal is the meeting point of the New and Old World styles, the collision of the French, English and Aboriginal cultures. The historical and ethnic uniqueness of the city is seen throughout...