Plateau Strategy
The story
Place Jacques-Cartier descends from Montréal City Hall toward the Old Port. A public market occupied the square in the nineteenth century, and the slope still behaves like an outdoor room where residents, performers, visitors, restaurant terraces and civic ceremonies overlap.
The Nelson column has stood near the upper end since 1809. Behind it, City Hall's roof and tower close the view. General Charles de Gaulle spoke from the City Hall balcony in 1967, making the building part of a political memory much larger than its facade.
Walk to the lower end and turn uphill. The best view arrives through distance, with trees and everyday movement in front of the formal civic buildings. The square has no listed closing time. City Hall interior visits and events change, so treat the exterior and public square as the reliable experience.