After check-out, we drove about 40 minutes to Diefenbunker. It was a bit of a backtrack as we were headed to Montreal. We arrived about 15 mins before the opening. They have a free guided tour which filled up just as we got to our turn.
As the tour started at 1100, we gathered around the group and followed them all the way through. No one seemed bothered about it but the group was a little cumbersome through some narrow areas.
The bunker is a four level structure for the Canadian government to operate in case of nuclear war. The top level is actually at ground level but protected by an artificial hill built over it. It consisted of offices, meeting rooms, a hospital, living areas and cafeteria and plus the engineering/civil infrastructure at the lowest level (together with a gold vault).
It was about a 3h drive to Montreal. Our accommodation at Manoir Sherbrooke was very highly rated but we were prepared for parking hassles as it was on the edge of the city centre.
Fortunately for us, we were directed by the receptionist to the clearway across the road from the hotel, where we could park for two days FOC! The parking right outside the hotel would have cost $2 ph (2h max); but there was also longer-term parking for around $20 which we didn’t have to investigate).
After a rest, we wandered up nearby Rue St Denis then back down on Rue St Laurent, both lined with great eateries. We settled for a simple Indian dinner; Kim was getting a little wound up as his meal didn’t arrive for quite a while whereas my ready-made meal was available straightaway (but my naan did take a while).
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- Entrance tunnel.
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- Narrow corridors of Diefenbunker.
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- Offices in Diefenbunker.
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- Thick secondary door to the vault.
