Place Jacques-Cartier, Public square in Old Montreal, Canada

Place Jacques-Cartier is a public square in Old Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is a broad, divided street that slopes steeply downhill from Montreal City Hall and rue Notre-Dame to the waterfront at rue de la Commune, and it serves as an entrance to the Old Port.

The square occupies the site of the Château Vaudreuil, built in 1723, which burned down in 1803. It became a public market and was renamed in 1847 after Jacques Cartier, the explorer who claimed Canada for France.

In summer, the square fills with street artists, flower sellers, and caricaturists who set up along the slope. The surrounding historic houses hold restaurants and cafés with open-air terraces, and Jardin Nelson offers a garden restaurant right on the square.

The square is a car-free zone in summer, making it easy to walk from the upper end near City Hall down to the waterfront. Visitors can enter from rue Notre-Dame at the top or rue de la Commune at the bottom, and the slope is steep, so wear comfortable shoes.

Nelson's Column, erected in 1809, is Montreal's oldest public monument and stands at the upper end of the square. The original statue was removed in 1997 to protect it from the weather and replaced with a copy.