Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal vs Saint Joseph’s Oratory
Two churches in Montreal. Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal has 3 tickets and tours to book; Saint Joseph’s Oratory has 2 tickets and tours to book. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
A modest ticket covers self-guided entry with an audio guide, and a guided tour costs about twice that and lasts twenty minutes longer. Booking a slot online is worth it from June to October, when eleven million annual visitors compress into the warm months and the line on Place d'Armes runs along the facade. The other product is Aura, a sound and light show staged inside the basilica most evenings, projected onto the vaults and columns with an orchestral score;
Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal stands on the northern slope of Mount Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, overlooking the Côte-des-Neiges district, and entry to the basilica, the crypt church and the museum is free, although parking is charged and donations are welcome. It is the largest church in Canada and one of the largest shrines dedicated to Saint Joseph in the world, attracting around two million visitors a year. A shuttle and elevators connect the entrance with the basilica, but many pilgrims climb the central steps, some of them on their knees.
