Montreal's Clock Tower Urban Beach

Clock Tower Urban Beach

In Montreal, as a number of other large cities like Paris, Prague, Amsterdam and Toronto, now has its own urban beach with no access to water. It features beautiful white sand, pretty light blue umbrellas, white and blue wooden beach chairs, and refreshing sprinklers so fine that what comes out of them does not even feel like water but only as moisture laden air mist.

From the beach one can see an old grain silo that was converted into condominiums (photo above), as well as Molson brewery, the oldest brewery in North America that continues to produce beer on its very original founding site. Those of you who have never tasted Molson beer, you really should. It might not compare to some European brews, but on the North American scene it tops many large-scale brewed ales.

The Clock Tower beach is located just at the foot of the Clock Tower. It also extends along a marina on one side. On the other side and above it is a parking area which leads to the Clock Tower.The white Clock Tower was in the past centuries the beacon for all the ships intending to docs in what used to be the port of Montreal. Now that area is called Old Port but is no longer opened to commercial ships.

The Montreal’s Urban Beach opened its door to the public on June 16th, 2012. For 2 days, June 16 - 17, the entrance fee was waived to all the visitors. And that was the last time, unfortunately, when that area was open to anybody to freely walk in. 


In the inauguration speech it was claimed that that Montrealers have long demanded more access to St. Laurence river, and that the Port of Montreal authorities have now provided it. The statement was really ironic. I used to like to walk in the little park just at the very tip of the land below the Clock Tower. Now that park is gone, the trees which grew there are gone as well, replaced by stylish umbrellas. The area is no longer freely accessible to all the Montrealers, especially the less affluent ones.

As I was walking recently towards the Clock Tower, looking down at the strip of the beach to my left, three young ladies past me by. I overheard one woman’s  comment, “This is more like a beach club”. Yes, indeed, it does give that impression. Judging from the onlookers in the picture below, they might be of a similar opinion: they cannot enter this beautiful piece of land unless they pay.