Alexandria (Ontario)

Alexandria is the administrative centre of the township of North Glengarry, in Eastern Ontario. It is primarily of interest to travellers as a stop on the Montreal-to-Ottawa VIA Rail line.

Understand

Alexandria has a population of about 3,300 people. Alexandria and its nucleus Priest's Mill, built in 1819, were named for the Catholic priest Alexander Macdonell, who resided at St. Raphael's and later became the first bishop of Kingston.

The area was settled in 1792 as part of the historic Glengarry County in which many Scottish emigrants settled from all over the Scottish Highlands due to the Highland Clearances. This first wave of heavy migration lasted till 1816, emigration continued afterwards into the early 20th century but in a slower pace. Many of these migrants came from the Inverness-shire area of Scotland specifically. Canadian Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic has been a spoken language in the area since then.

Development in the region was significantly spurred by the development of a railway link between Ottawa and Montreal in the early 1880s. Maxville, Alexandria and Glen Robertson, in particular, became key railway hubs for farmers in the area.

Visitor information

• Township of North Glengarry

Get in

By train

See also: Rail travel in Canada

• 1 Alexandria station, 45 McDougald Street E (north end of town, turn east on McDougald Street). Station opens 60 minutes prior to train arrival and remains open for 30 minutes after train departure. This is an unstaffed station with a ticket kiosk. (updated Jun 2020) Train operator:
  • VIA Rail Canada, toll-free: +1-888-842-7245. Operates train routes across Canada. (updated Mar 2022) Operates a route between Quebec City and Ottawa including stops in Drummondville, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Lambert, Montreal, Dorval, and Alexandria. Multiple trains per day travel the entire route and some additional trains travel between Montreal and Ottawa.

By car

Regional Road 34 runs through Alexandria on its way between Highways 401 and 417.

See

• 1 St. Finnan's Basilica, 72 St Paul St, K0C 1A0. Roman Catholic Basilica and former Cathedral. (updated May 2022)

Do

• 1 Glengarry Golf & Country Club, 20511 McCormick Rd, ☏ +1 613-525-2912, [email protected]. May-October. An 18-hole course. The 15th hole - "The Monster" - is a 477-yard par 4. (updated Sep 2023)

Buy

• 1 Fauxmagerie Zengarry, 209 Main St N, ☏ +1 613-525-4722. W-F 9AM-4PM, Sa 10AM-2PM. Vegan "cheese". (updated Sep 2023)

Eat

• 1 The North Glengarry, 8 Main St S, ☏ +1 613-525-3030. Tu-Sa 11AM-9PM, Su 11AM-8:30PM. Housed in a gristmill dating back to the early 1800s, and serves pub meals, steaks and pizza. The patio in the back is nestled near the old dam and small waterfall on the Garry River. (updated Sep 2023)
• 2 Buvette du Marché, 17 Main St N, ☏ +1 613-642-8272. Th-Sa 4-10PM. Tapas-style snacks and cocktails. (updated Sep 2023)
• 3 La Belle Sorelle Bistro, 39 Main St N, ☏ +1 613-525-4790. M-W 4-8PM, Th-Sa 11AM-8PM. Small, friendly stop for sandwiches, bowls, daily soups and tacos. (updated Sep 2023)

Sleep

• 1 White Rock Motel, 169 Main St N, ☏ +1 613-525-2362. (updated Sep 2023)

Connect

• 1 SDG Library - Alexandria Branch, 170A MacDonald Blvd. M 3-8PM, Tu-Th 10AM-8PM, F noon-5PM, Sa 10AM-2PM. Provides Wi-Fi and computer access. (updated Sep 2023)

Stay safe

• 2 Glengarry Memorial Hospital (Hôpital Glengarry Memorial), 20260 County Road 43, ☏ +1 613-525-2222. always open. (updated Dec 2019)

Nearby

Dunvegan

• 2 Glengarry Pioneer Museum, 1645 County Road 30, RR #1 Dunvegan, ☏ +1 613-527-5230, [email protected]. A regional history museum. 

Maxville

• 3 Glengarry Highland Games (Maxville Fairegrounds). One of North America's largest festivals of Scottish culture, on the first long weekend in August. The Glengarry Highland Games include traditional Scottish events such as the caber toss, tug of war, and the sheaf toss. (updated Apr 2020)

Williamstown

• 4 St. Raphael's Ruins National Historic Site, 19998 County Rd 18, K0C 2J0. 9:30-430. (updated May 2022)

Go next

Alexandria is midway between Montreal and Ottawa.

• Hawkesbury — a town on the Ottawa River, and the largest community in Prescott-Russell. Offers travellers a variety of restaurants and outdoor activities a short detour from the highway between Ottawa and Montreal. Voyageur Provincial Park is nearby.
• Rigaud — a town along the Ottawa River in Southwestern Quebec. In addition to outdoor activities that take advantage of the gentle slopes of Rigaud Mountain, the town attracts Catholic pilgrims to the hundred-year-old shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes and several church and cemetery sites. Several cabanes a sucre (sugar shacks) operate near the town during maple season; at least one remains open year-round.
• Cornwall — on the provincial border in Ontario's Seaway Region. The town serves as the gateway to Ontario for many drivers following the Windsor-Quebec corridor from Montreal to Toronto.

Routes through Alexandria

Ottawa ←

W  E

→ Dorval → Montreal