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Area · Longueuil, Vieux-Longueuil borough · South Shore

Longueuil

A village inside the city, the river at the end of the street, and downtown Montreal one metro stop away. Here's my top 10, neighbour version, not brochure version.

Let's talk about this area

Vieux-Longueuil is the historic heart of the South Shore. A former seigneury granted to Charles Le Moyne in the 17th century, now a neighbourhood where stone houses sit next to restaurant terraces, and where you cross the river by metro instead of by car. A lot of people from Montreal discover it on a Saturday night on Rue Saint-Charles and leave with an idea in their head.

I put this top 10 together for a simple reason: when you buy or sell, you're not just shopping for a property, you're shopping for a neighbourhood life. Each point comes with a conversation starter. Use it.

Maxime Laforest, residential and commercial real estate broker · Équipe Loiselle, RE/MAX Dynamique

The area's top 10

What makes the heart of Vieux-Longueuil beat.

Ten reasons why buyers fall for this part of the South Shore, and why the people who live there don't leave.

01 Lively restaurant terraces on Rue Saint-Charles Ouest in Vieux-Longueuil
The icon

Rue Saint-Charles

It's Vieux-Longueuil's main street and one of the liveliest on the South Shore: cafés, microbreweries, restaurants and independent shops for kilometres. Since 2022, its busiest stretch has gone car-free every summer, and the terraces take over. It feels like a Montreal artery, minus the parking headaches.

Ask me about it: ask me what the summer pedestrian street changes for properties within walking distance of Saint-Charles. The answer matters to buyers and sellers alike.
02 The Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue co-cathedral seen from the corner of Rue Saint-Charles
Heritage

A heritage site with 955 buildings

Vieux-Longueuil has been a designated heritage site since 1993: 955 buildings, 455 of them with strong heritage value, spanning from the French Regime to today. The spire of the Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue co-cathedral towers over the neighbourhood, and the ruins of Fort Longueuil are a national historic site. You're walking through more than 350 years of history here.

Ask me about it: ask me what buying a property in a heritage site actually involves. There are rules to know, and a character that pays off well at resale.
03 The turnstile entrance at Longueuil–Université-de-Sherbrooke metro station
Transport

The metro, on this side of the river

Longueuil is one of the rare suburban cities with its own metro station: Longueuil–Université-de-Sherbrooke, on the yellow line, drops you at Berri-UQAM in minutes. The RTL bus terminus right above it feeds the whole territory into the station. Working downtown without owning a car is genuinely realistic here.

Ask me about it: ask me which parts of Vieux-Longueuil are actually within walking distance of the metro. The radius is smaller than people think, and it shows in the value.
04 The Jacques Cartier Bridge lit up at night, seen from Parc Marie-Victorin in Longueuil
Access

The Jacques Cartier Bridge right in the backyard

Vieux-Longueuil is framed by the Jacques Cartier Bridge on one side and the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel on the other, with Route 132 and Highway 20 running along the territory. On a bike, you can also cross the bridge on its multi-use path. And at night, the illuminated bridge seen from Longueuil's riverbanks is a free show every single day.

Ask me about it: ask me for real rush-hour commute times depending on which part of the neighbourhood you're in. It's often the factor that decides between two properties.
05 The pond and trails of Parc Michel-Chartrand in Longueuil
Nature

Parc Michel-Chartrand and its deer

A 185-hectare forest right in the city: about ten kilometres of trails, cross-country skiing in winter, ponds, community gardens, a tobogganing hill. And yes, you'll run into deer roaming free, the famous Longueuil deer that got the whole province talking. The streets bordering the park offer a lifestyle you don't often associate with the inner suburbs.

Ask me about it: ask me which streets around the park sell fastest when a property comes up. There's a clear pattern.
06 The St. Lawrence River and the Olympic Stadium seen from Parc Marie-Victorin
Waterfront

The river for 5.5 kilometres

Parc Marie-Victorin runs along the St. Lawrence for 5.5 kilometres of linear park, with the Promenade René-Lévesque for walking or biking facing Montreal. A view of the Olympic Stadium, sunsets over the city, birdwatching at Pointe du Marigot. The bike path then continues toward Boucherville on one side and the bridge on the other.

Ask me about it: ask me which areas give you real walking access to the water. On a map, everything looks close to the river; on the ground, Route 132 changes things.
07 The entrance to the Réal-Bouvier marina in Longueuil, with its willows and boats
On the water

A marina and a shuttle to the Old Port

The Réal-Bouvier marina is one of the largest in the region: hundreds of boats, a restaurant, willow trees along the water. And in season, the river shuttle connects Longueuil to Montreal's Old Port, covered by public transit fares. Crossing the river by boat to go for dinner in Montreal is the kind of detail that makes visitors smile.

Ask me about it: ask me why shuttle season is such a good selling point for properties near the riverbank.
08 Cégep Édouard-Montpetit and its lawn in Longueuil
Schools & families

A neighbourhood that studies

Cégep Édouard-Montpetit welcomes thousands of students right in the heart of the neighbourhood, and its École nationale d'aérotechnique, nearby in Saint-Hubert, is a national reference. Add the local schools, the daycares and Hôpital Pierre-Boucher to the east, and you have an area where families settle down to stay.

Ask me about it: ask me what a student clientele changes for an owner. For an income property, it's a factor that genuinely matters.
09 The entrance to the Université de Sherbrooke's Longueuil campus, at Place Charles-Le Moyne
Projects

A downtown in full transformation

Around the metro and Place Charles-Le Moyne, where the Université de Sherbrooke has its Longueuil campus, the city is planning a brand new downtown by 2035. The first major project is already underway: residential towers with more than 1,200 units, shops, a new public park and a redesigned metro entrance. The area we know today won't look like this in ten years.

Ask me about it: ask me what a project of this scale can mean for property values nearby. There's a right moment to get into an area that's transforming.
10 Maison Rollin-Brais, an ancestral fieldstone house in Vieux-Longueuil
Character

Ancestral homes still lived in

Along Chemin de Chambly and the old streets of the neighbourhood, you'll still find fieldstone houses more than two centuries old, like Maison Rollin-Brais. These aren't museums: people live in them, maintain them and pass them down. It's this mix of ancestral homes, plexes and newer builds that earns Vieux-Longueuil its nickname, a village inside the city.

Ask me about it: ask me what to check before buying an ancestral home. The inspection, insurance and financing all need to be handled differently, and it's better to know that before you sign.
Let's talk

Thinking about buying or selling in Longueuil? Let's start talking.

A free evaluation of your property, a picture of the local market, or simply answers to your questions. No strings attached, and a straight answer.

Start my real estate project

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