Advertisement
Morrin Centre

Morrin Centre

Morrin Centre
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Discover the secrets of our National Historic Site. Step back in time while walking through the sinister jail cells and decipher the graffiti carved into the floor by former inmates. Visit the intriguing chemistry Lab hidden upstairs, as well as the other classrooms of the Morrin College open from 1868 - 1902. Then, let yourself be spellbound by the haunting stories surrounding the Victorian Library, home to a collection of literary gems, some of which date back to the 16th century. The Morrin Centre offers: Experiences for groups and people of all ages, cultural activities, or consider renting one of our spaces as the perfect place to hold your event!
Duration: < 1 hour
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

Top ways to experience Morrin Centre and nearby attractions

The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Downtown Quebec City
Reach out directly
See what travellers are saying
  • Diane E
    20 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent Morrin Center Tour Quebec City
    We booked an English speaking tour at the Morrin Center on September 29th. Our tour guide was Fiona and she was fantastic! The tour of this historic cultural center was about 75 minutes and was extremely informative, interesting and fun! We learned about the unique history of this building, which has served as a jail, university and library over the last 200 years. Tour is inexpensive and highly recommended! Great way to learn about some of the history of Quebec City!
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 9 October 2023
  • Dimitris L
    Sydney, Australia51,704 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing Cultural Centre
    The Morrin Centre is an amazing cultural centre. It is meant to spread the word about the history and culture of English speaking canadians. It's a sort of special library. It has vast amounts of information and it really opens visitors' minds into Canada's history and culture.
    Visited August 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 22 October 2023
  • Joanne
    Lake Mary, Florida2,132 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    quaint and historic
    This was such a historical place and definitely worth a visit. It was part of a tour, so not sure the cost normally. We were met by a guide in period costume who explained a lot of the history that it had been a prison. We got to see the converted cells - and it was definitely not somewhere you wanted to be. A nice old library - quaint. The stairs are narrow and uneven - so might be a problem for those with mobility issues.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 4 May 2024
  • Christine
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fun and interesting sight for families with teens
    Very fun and interesting tour. We visited with our 12 and 15 year old kids and we all really enjoyed it. The tour guide was very engaging and the jail, library, and history provide a broader understanding of Quebec’s culture and history. Highly recommend!
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 22 August 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles757 reviews
Excellent
504
Very good
209
Average
34
Poor
6
Terrible
4

These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.

Danielle T
23 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021
This building features prominently in the Louise Penny book "Bury Your Dead" and I was eager to see the library as I loved the way it was described in the book.

I dropped by and was disappointed to find out that the library is closed to the general public during Covid (I visited in December 2021).

However, in talking to the front desk attendant I learned there was a tour of the Morrin Centre leaving in about 5 minutes from my arrival. I joined the tour on a whim and enjoyed it thoroughly!

The tour was about an hour long and covered the history of the building as a jail, college and now literary and historical society. The guide was engaging and enthusiastic and I learned a lot about the history of Quebec City. I would definitely recommend it!
Written 27 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KQ
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Family
Awesome! Booking the tour over the phone was easy and efficient. They told us before we confirmed booking what the limitations were because of COVID.
The tour was about 45 minutes. Very informative with history but not too much as to keep the kids attention. The best part was ANTHONY, great communicator, very knowledgeable and great sense of humour to make it even more enjoyable.
Written 24 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Jo L, We are so glad you and your group enjoyed the tour! Anthony is, indeed, an awesome guide and collegue! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! Hope you enjoyed your trip to Quebec City and please come back and visit us again.
Written 28 August 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Ray V
1 contribution
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
I recommend this place. It's really an interesting place to visit. The history inside this building shows another little-known side of Quebec. The only downside is that the visit is expensive for the short time it lasts ($50 for 4 people, for less than an hour of visit).
Google
Written 9 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Karen G
Vancouver, Canada710 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 • Couples
I walked in today, there was a sign saying “come in and make a reservation for your visit”. So we did, they asked my name and phone number and that’s it. They didn’t say anything else, so I thought we were making reservations to limit the quantity of people because of COVID. But when we arrived for our reservation we had to actually pay for a tour. I only wanted to see the library, I asked if we could just walk around and they said no. Ok, I paid and after around 10 minutes listening to the tour guide outside, he showed us a picture of the library and said we couldn’t go there because it’s closed. I got extremely disappointed and interrupted the tour, so he offered me a refund.
I only gave 2 stars because the the staff were really friendly, because I think this is a huge fault. The tour was actually being interesting, cool information, but if you are not getting the entire tour, they should tell you from the beginning, especially when you’ll miss the most interesting part.
Written 4 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Karen. Thank you for your comment. I am sorry to hear that you were not given enough information. As the health and safety of our visitors, members and staff is our top priority, the library had been closed since Mid-March (2020) due to Covid-19. Part of our mission is to interpret the Centre and as such we do not offer self-guided tours, however visitors are invited to experience living history by taking our Go To Jail and The Hanging of William Pouden tours which do cost 8$ per adult, per tour. Since July 2021, members may reserve a time and check out books in the library. For more information on what can and cannot be visited, as well as our health & safety protocols, please visit our website as updates are posted regularly. You are also more than welcome to email or phone us and it would be our pleasure to answer any questions you may have. Thank you!
Written 28 August 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

fredsquared
New Mexico38 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
An exceptionally entertaining tour of what at first glance does not appear to be an interesting building. The library has a long and dark history that is brought to life by the creative and talented guide. We were introduced to the last of the many men who were hanged above the front door. We saw his face, we heard the song that the children sang of him that day, and did he reach out to us? Some in our tour group would say he did or maybe it was the skill of the tour guide. Either way, it was highly entertaining.
Written 29 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Diane E
Cranbrook20 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Couples
We booked an English speaking tour at the Morrin Center on September 29th. Our tour guide was Fiona and she was fantastic! The tour of this historic cultural center was about 75 minutes and was extremely informative, interesting and fun! We learned about the unique history of this building, which has served as a jail, university and library over the last 200 years. Tour is inexpensive and highly recommended! Great way to learn about some of the history of Quebec City!
Written 9 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Christine
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Family
Very fun and interesting tour. We visited with our 12 and 15 year old kids and we all really enjoyed it. The tour guide was very engaging and the jail, library, and history provide a broader understanding of Quebec’s culture and history. Highly recommend!
Written 22 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dimitris L
Sydney, Australia51,704 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
The Morrin Centre is an amazing cultural centre. It is meant to spread the word about the history and culture of English speaking canadians. It's a sort of special library. It has vast amounts of information and it really opens visitors' minds into Canada's history and culture.
Written 22 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kay
Arlington, VA53 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2023
Alice was the guide on our tour, and she provided a fun and interesting look at the building's history. It was built to be a prison, converted to a college, and continues as an English-language library -- there's a lot to work with! We are Louise Penny fans, so we wanted to get a look at the place that is integral to her book "Bury Your Dead." However, that was not our sole reason for visiting the Morrin and the city, so we appreciate that this tour was not only about the book.
Written 2 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robert G
Adelaide332 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
The Morrin Centre was a stop on our Free walking Tour of Quebec with Sam Dubois and he piqued our interest. The first prison and at which some 16 people were hanged. The last hanging was quite an event with thousands of onlookers including entertainment and food. Even children were taken along to learn what happened to murderers etc. When the prison became too small it was converted into a Anglican University that also admitted women. Some of the original cells are still there giving a great insight into what conditions were like. The tour is excellent. It takes about 1 hr and takes in the science laboratory and lastly the private members library. We really enjoyed the tour and the guide was excellent.
Written 16 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

…
Showing results 1-10 of 585
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Morrin Centre - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

All Quebec City HotelsQuebec City Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Quebec City
All things to do in Quebec City
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars