Outdoors · Montreal · Canada
6 best outdoor things to do in Montreal
Parks, viewpoints and open-air sights for the dry, bright days.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Mount Royal Park, Old Port and Lachine Canal. Together the 6 picks below take roughly 13–19 hours across 5 areas; 3 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 6
- Free entry
- 3
- Time to see them all
- 13–19 hours
- Areas
- Mount Royal, Old Montreal and Saint-Henri
Outdoors in Montreal
Park · Mount Royal
1.Mount Royal Park
Climb the stairs from the top of Rue Peel (about 30 minutes) to the belvedere; on summer Sundays, listen to the tam-tams drum circle by the George-Étienne Cartier monument.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Outdoors
- Iconic
- Active
Waterfront · Old Montreal
2.Old Port
Rent a bike or quadricycle in summer, or skate the waterfront rink in winter.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Views
- After dark
Waterfront · Saint-Henri
3.Lachine Canal
Rent a BIXI bike and ride from the Old Port to Atwater Market for lunch; the path is flat and car-free.
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Active
- Kids
- Food
Garden · Olympic Park
4.Montreal Botanical Garden
Combine it with the Insectarium and Biodôme on a Space for Life ticket, and book Gardens of Light evenings ahead.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Kids
- Couples
- Outdoors
- After dark
Zoo · Olympic Park
5.Montreal Biodôme
Start in the tropical forest to warm up in winter; it is a reliable rainy-day choice with children.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Museum · Parc Jean-Drapeau
6.Biosphère and Parc Jean-Drapeau
Take the Yellow metro line to Jean-Drapeau station and walk across the island for views back to the downtown skyline.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- Views
- Kids
- Outdoors
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Royal | Mount Royal Park | 2–3 hours |
| Old Montreal | Old Port | 2–3 hours |
| Saint-Henri | Lachine Canal | 2–4 hours |
| Olympic Park | Montreal Botanical Garden and Montreal Biodôme | 2–3 hours + 1.5–2 hours |
| Parc Jean-Drapeau | Biosphère and Parc Jean-Drapeau | Half a day |
Booking and timing
Of these 6, 3 free, 1 low cost, 2 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Lachine Canal; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 5 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Mount Royal): Mount Royal Park, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Old Montreal): Old Port, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Saint-Henri): Lachine Canal, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Olympic Park): Montreal Botanical Garden → Montreal Biodôme, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 5 (Parc Jean-Drapeau): Biosphère and Parc Jean-Drapeau, at least 3 hours.
The best months to be outside
- August: highs of 25°C (77°F), about 11 rainy days, busy crowds. Summer continues, with big music festivals and Pride filling the calendar.
- September: highs of 21°C (70°F), about 11 rainy days, moderate crowds. Warm days, cool nights and thinner crowds; the Botanical Garden's lantern festival begins.
- June: highs of 24°C (75°F), about 12 rainy days, busy crowds. Warm, long days and the start of festival season, with hotel prices spiking around big events.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Old Montreal — Cobbled streets, grey-stone buildings and the Old Port waterfront
- Downtown — Shopping streets, museums and the Underground City
- Plateau Mont-Royal — Colourful row houses, outdoor staircases and Saint-Laurent bistros
- Griffintown and Saint-Henri — Lachine Canal lofts, Atwater Market and new restaurants
More of Montreal
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Montreal?
Mount Royal Park. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also created New York's Central Park, the park covers the mountain that gave Montreal its name.
+Which of these are free in Montreal?
Mount Royal Park, Old Port and Lachine Canal.