Tour guides, including some former inmates, bring the harsh realities of the lockup vividly to life during 90-minute tours that include a stop at dank underground cells known as 'the pit.' English tours run between 11:30am and 3:30pm from late June to the end of August, and by reservation the rest of the year. No children under 12!
The prison exhibit is connected to adjacent Musée Québécois de Culture Populaire, with its renowned regional folk-art collection and changing exhibitions, which often have a quirky pop-culture bent.