Musee de la Civilisation

Name: Musee de la Civilisation
Address: 85 Rue Dalhousie, Quebec City, Québec, CA
Telephone: +1 418-643-2158

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About

Musée de la civilisation is a public museum devoted to the world’s peoples in Québec City’s historic lower town, beside the Saint Lawrence River between Place Royale and the old port.

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Musee de la Civilisation — Museum entrance and tower on a sunny day

Claude Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · edited

Musee de la Civilisation — Museum buildings along the street in Old Quebec

Musee de la Civilisation — Museum exterior and tower in winter

Musee de la Civilisation — Ancient Egyptian animal mummy displayed against a dark background

Musee de la Civilisation — Archaeological wooden boat displayed in a gravel bed

Musee de la Civilisation — Black-figure amphora decorated with a boxing scene

Musee de la Civilisation — Ancient Egyptian papyrus fragment with rows of hieroglyphs

Musee de la Civilisation — Vintage black taxi displayed in a museum gallery

Musee de la Civilisation — Red steps beside a stone museum wall

Musee de la Civilisation — Visitors attending a presentation in a timber-roofed room

Musee de la Civilisation — Museum complex beside a curved brick and glass building

What's on here

Plaisirs Sunday · All day

Mémoires en réserve Sunday · All day

Why go

A collection of more than 225,000 objects related to art, society and ethnography.
Moshe Safdie’s concrete, glass and steel building has roof and tower forms that refer to the lower town’s historic setting.

Opening hours

Today10:00 – 17:00Show all

MondayClosed

Tuesday10:00 – 17:00

Wednesday10:00 – 17:00

Thursday10:00 – 17:00

Friday10:00 – 17:00

Saturday10:00 – 17:00

Sunday10:00 – 17:00

Don't miss

Le Québec, autrement ditAn exhibition on significant events that shaped Québec, presented through different perspectives.
Le Temps des QuébécoisA permanent exhibition about Québec City’s history.
Nous, les premières nationsA permanent exhibition focused on First Nations.
TerritoiresA permanent exhibition about Québec as a whole.
Mid-18th-century sloopUncovered during restoration work and displayed in the museum hall near the Maison Estèbe quay.Museum hall near the Maison Estèbe quay

Know before you go What's inside With kids Tips for your visit

Know before you go

Tickets are sold online through the museum’s own site.
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–17:00.

What's inside

Permanent and temporary exhibitions focus mainly on the humanities and social sciences.
The museum presents shows, cultural activities and educational workshops for visitors of different ages.
Online exhibitions have included one about Place Royale, Québec City’s oldest square.

With kids

The Discovery Zone is designed for children.
Interactive discovery areas are in the basement.
In “Il était une fois,” children can dress as storybook characters and recreate tales.

Tips for your visit

Buy tickets through the museum’s website.
A museum pass can be borrowed through participating Québec City libraries.

Interesting facts3

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21 rooms
Maison Guillaume-Estèbe has 21 rooms and eight fireplaces, with a façade 20 metres wide and a depth of 15 metres.
Musée de la civilisation - Wikipedia
The complex incorporates the vaulted cellars of Maison Pagé-Quercy.
Musée de la civilisation - Wikipedia
Other boat remains found during excavations were too poorly preserved to display.
Musée de la civilisation - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

The public could preview three exhibitions while construction was still underway. More than ten exhibitions had been prepared for the official opening.

1751The Maison Guillaume-Estèbe was built for merchant Guillaume Estèbe, a royal storekeeper in the colonial administration. It now houses the museum shop and some administrative offices.
1959The province acquired the Maison Guillaume-Estèbe.
1960The Maison Guillaume-Estèbe was designated a historic monument.
1984The public museum was established.
1988The museum opened on 19 October after four years of construction. Moshe Safdie won a government architecture competition to design its main building.

Show all

1995The Musée de l’Amérique française became part of the museum complex.
2015The Centre national de conservation et d’études des collections was established within the complex.

How to get there

On footThe main entrance is at 85 rue Dalhousie, facing the river.
On footThe secondary entrance is behind the museum on rue Saint-Pierre.
On footThe group entrance is immediately right of the main entrance on rue Dalhousie.

Accessibility

Accessible parking spaces near rue de la Barricade Two spaces.

Sources: Musée de la civilisation - Wikipedia · Quebec City - Wikivoyage (see) · Musée de la civilisation - Québec | MCQ · Horaires et tarifs du Musée - visiter | Musée d… · Emplacement et accès au Musée | Musée de la civ… · Musée de la civilisation - Wikipedia · Musée de la civilisation - Wikipedia · checked 28 Sep 2026

Where

85 Rue Dalhousie, Quebec City

Website: mcq.org/
Phone: +1 418-643-2158

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

What is the phone number for Musée de la civilisation?

Call +1 418-643-2158.

Does Musée de la civilisation have online exhibitions?

Yes. Its online exhibitions have included one about Place Royale, Québec City’s oldest square.

What digital activities are at Musée de la civilisation?

MLAB creaform introduces visitors to digital creation.

Where can visitors take a break at Musée de la civilisation?

The museum has a cafeteria and a leisure room.

Does Musée de la civilisation have a research centre?

It has a French America reference centre.

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