Visiting Montreal with kids: find out family friendly attractions in Montreal and tips for visiting this fascinating city with this guide based on our city trip with kids to Montreal, Canada
We decided to go to Montreal following Philip’s memories from when he was a student.
His students-years tales about the city didn’t immediately scream ‘family destination’ to me.
Still, I always wanted to go to Quebec so when we got an offer for a home exchange there, I was happy to give it a chance and try a Montreal city break with children.
As it turned out, Montreal is a fantastic city to visit with children! It has a relaxed, friendly vibe, it is full of young families, it has a green coffee culture and exciting heritage you can easily enjoy in the company of little people.
This is our list of the top things to do in Montreal with kids, with Montreal family attractions and fun places you and your children will surely to enjoy.
Keeping the list this short was a challenge, we loved so much about the city, but these are the ten things out kids loved the most about it and what made our Montreal vacation with kids one to remember.
See also >>> our top 11 places to visit in Canada with kids
Please note: this post contains affiliate links. Should you make a ;purchase through them, we might make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know: I wrote this post after our first trip to Montreal when the kids were little. Since then, we have stayed in touch with local friends who have helped us keep this article up to date.
Table of Contents
Why visit Montreal with kids
There are many reasons why we loved our family vacation in Montreal and why we believe this fascinating Canadian city is a great destination for a city trip.
In particular, we found that:
- Montreal is safe and very family friendly in vibe and facilities
- Montreal is easy to explore with little kids in tow, thanks to a good system of public transport and taxis
- The city has many parks and green areas perfect for children
- The historical center of Montreal is beautiful and has a peculiar European/ Canadian feel that is unique and pleasant
- Montreal has a relaxed vibe that makes it a perfect first city to visit with toddlers and small kids
Our top 10 things to do in Montreal with kids
Visit Old Montreal
A city break in Montreal can only start with a stroll in Old Montreal.
The old town’s cobbled streets, the historical centre of Montreal in the photo above, deserve the top spot in our list of the best places to see in Montreal with kids because of their beauty and family-friendly vibe
This part of town dates to the XIX century and it is widely responsible for Montreal’s reputation as the most ‘European’ of Canadian cities.
Here older, historical buildings stand against the backdrop of high skyscrapers and big avenues make way to small roads dotted with elegant boutiques and shops.
This area is famous for its many beautiful buildings such as the Hotel de Ville and the Basilique Notre-Dame, among others, and these attractions will tease you and stretch your sense of space.
The distinctive French style of this part of Montreal mixes with a distinctive Canadian vibe that will make you second guess your exact location!
We visited this part of town on our first day and it was the perfect family activity to get a first feel for the city.
This area is served by Montreal’s good metro system and can be easily discovered on foot.
We spent here a whole morning, pottering around the shops and seeing the famous Place des Armes, but we found ourselves back here many times.
What kept bringing us back were the many restaurants and family attractions such as Montreal science museum (see below) and of course Montreal’s famous old Port.
Stroll around Montreal Botanical gardens and the insectarium
Montreal’s botanical gardens is a big green space, just at the back of the Olympic stadium.
It is a place worth spending time in: it’s beautiful, fascinating and it’s safe for children, who can run around without cars or majour safety concerns.
Some of the most beautiful gardens were the Japanese and the Chinese ones, where it is also possible to stop for a cup of tea.
The Botanical Gardens of Montreal are a beautiful, exciting and safe space for families and this is why we recommend it as one of the unmissable things to do in Montreal with kids of all ages.
Within the same complex as the botanical gardens, the insectarium is exactly what you think it is: an extensive museum of insects.
Some of them are dead, pinned into glass cases, but some are not.
You can see ants, stick insects and a huge variety of animals in replicas of their native environment and at different times of the day, under supervision, you can even get them to crawl on your hands!
I am not the best person to be around insects (this being the understatement of the year, you can read my post about my butterfly phobia to understand the extent of it).
However, I went into the insectarium partially to escape the rain that suddenly caught us and partially to prove that my phobia does not need to pass onto my children.
Of course, the kids loved the place, while I spent half an hour flaunting an easiness I did not have and making sure I wasn’t too close to any of the glass cases…
It was my personal room 101: what do we do for our kids!
Experience the Biodome, the best place in Montreal for kids who love animals
The biodome was a lot more my kind of place.
The Montreal Biodome is a wide dome with severl rooms recreating climates and eco-systems from around the world.
You go from a large room devoted to the rain forest, with birds and small monkeys, to a Canadian northern ecosystem, chillier and home of raccoons and furry mammals.
What changes around you is the temperature, the humidity and, of course, the animals: you will find yourself putting on warmer clothes as you walk on!
It is like taking a world tour in 30 minutes! Delightful, exciting, fascinating and one of the most fun things to do in Montreal for kids of any age!
Explore the science museum at Montreal Old Port
On a rainy day, we brought the kids to the science museum.
It is a brilliant, fun space, and perfect for children.
The kids loved the mechanical machines and us adults loved an exhibition they had about family food across the world: eye-opening!
This was an excellent day out and a great Montreal attraction for kids to visit on a rainy day! A
Go to the park
One of the things that made Montreal ideal for a family vacation is its many parks.
The biggest inner-city park is Parc du Mont-Royal, in the North-Western part of the city, and it’s a beautiful green space with a plethora of things to see and do for families with kids (but also without!).
As the name suggests, the park develops over a mountain and it is possible to reach its summit on foot or more easily, with little legs in tow, by bus (the climb is on a large paved road, but it is steep and to be avoided with a buggy).
However you decide to tackle the ascent, at the top you will be rewarded with beautiful views over the city, a pond with ducks, cafes and some fascinating buildings such as the Croix du mont Royal, on of Montreal’s landmarks, and the historical Chalet du Mont-Royal.
The day we got the bus to Montreal summing was one of your favourite of our summer in Montreal.
I loved the view over the city and the kids enjoyed running around the Lac des Castors nearby: we all then moved to the Maison Smith cafe for some of Montreal’s famous coffee and delicious cake.
Top tips for families on a Montreal city break with kids: as well as big parks such as Parc du Mont Royal, Parc La Fontaine and Parc Jean Drapeau, Montreal has many green squares and smaller parks where kids can take a break from sightseeing and play even in the centre of town.
These squares are marked on all city centre maps and, while gated, are open to the public and often sport good playground equipment.
Montreal’s coffee culture is legendary and we were happy to discover we didn’t have to miss out on it because we had very young kids with us.
Rent a bike to cycle around the islands
Our favorite family activity in Montreal was cycling in Parc Jean Drapeau.
The park is an island in the mighty San Laurence river and is full of things to do for kids: in the summer you can pretty much spend every day there without getting bored.
The island has many attractions including the world tallest wooden roller coaster ‘La Ronde’ and an interesting museum hosted in the Biosphere, with exhibitions about the environment and its current challenges.
Since 2017, the park also hosts La Grande Roue, the tallest observations wheel in Canada!
We do not like heights so you won’t see us up there but you can check photos and prices here.
If you are feeling active and are looking for a fun activity to experience in Montreal with kids, consider renting bikes in Parc Jean-Drapeau and explore the island.
Our kids were too small for individual bikes so we got a quad one, complete with helmets (you might need them, make sure you check the breaks before you give the wheel to your kids!)
Cool down on Montreal beach and water complex
You can’t beat water when it comes to entertaining children and Montreal’s beach and water complex did not let us down.
Both are on the islands: the beach is small but sandy and safe, with a playground and a cafe with burgers, sodas and beer.
The water complex is a functional, spacious pool or rather set of pools with space for diving, swimming and even a splashing pool for children.
Indulge in Montreal’s amazing food and markets
Montreal is a famous foodies destination.
The city has delicious restaurants and bustling food markets: the quality us top notch and there is such a variety of ptopns, you are sure to find something to please the kids too!
The markets have a mix of shops and places to get hot food and so, going food shopping became one of your favourite Montreal family activities.
Contradicting the rule that says you should never go food shopping when hungry, we always went at lunchtime as many of the stalls sell noodles and crepes.
As well as markets, we tried many restaurants and we were always pleasantly surprised how child-friendly everywhere seemed to be.
Rue St Denis, right in the centre of town, was one of our favourite hangouts (I believe we ate in every single establishment there!), but our favourite places of all were Beauty’s Lancheonette, on Mont Royale, Mai Xiang Yuan, Chinatown (dumplings) and of course the iconic bagel shops in Mile End and Outremonts, one of Montreal’s institutions.
You can find a list of great spots for brunch in Montreal in this article by Happy to Wander
Escape the rain in the underground city
We had our Montreal city break in the summer and while we had many lovely sunny days, we also experienced rain.
Thankfully, the city is well equipped for indoor entertainment and the underground city, with its impressive fountains, was a god refuge from the rain.
One of the most fun places for kids in Montreal is a space that is not designed for them but for anyone seeking refuge from the cold: the underground city!
Marvel at Montreal Olympic stadium
Last but not least, one of our favourite places in Montreal was the stadium.
We did not visit during the day, but brought the kids to an open-air free concert of Carmina Burana there: a great mild summer evening out and definitely a location worth checking out!
Where to stay in Montreal with kids
During out vacation in Montreal, we stayed near the stadium and we loved the location.
While a little far from the centre, the area has a wonderful local feel, a lovely playground, many local kids around, great supermarkets and a wonderful market for produce and food.
The metro station connects this area with the old town center in an efficient and reliable way: we felt this was a perfect location for a longer stay such as ours.
The best time for visiting Montreal with kids
We visited Montreal with our children and in the summer and we found it to be the ideal time of year for a Montreal city break with little ones.
Summer in Montreal is mild yet sunny: the temperature we experienced was warm enough for pleasant days at the pool, yet not so hot to make sightseeing, staying in the park or even cycling a problem.
We felt the summer was the best time for a family trip to Montreal, all others seasons being too cold for our liking.
I hope you enjoyed our list of ideas to enjoy Montreal with family. Safe travels!
How to get around Montreal with kids
We found using public transport in Montreal easy and safe.
The city is well served by a well-functioning metro and bus system that connections neighbourhoods to one another and it is easy to explore the city on food, once in your area of choice.
We moved around Montreal with a travel stroller, that we occasionally had to lift to access the metro train: despite this inconvenience, we found Montreal to be overall stroller friendly, with large pavements and several flat areas.
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Attractions and businesses in this post are mentioned for information purposes only. We received no compensation for their inclusion and the selection reflects our experience only.
This post was originally written in 2015 and has now been updated.
Notre Dame Basilica in the Old Town Montreal should be on your list for the next time. Hope you enjoy it.
Love Montreal, we used to go there every summer when I was a kid for the Formula 1 race. I love the BioDome as well so much fun!
Oh yes, I remember we saw the racing track! Empty in the summer, unfortunately. I loved the biodome – the raccoons were my favourite 🙂
We love biking on vacation, so very glad to see Montreal is a bike-friendly place!
Those bikes were really fun but one word of warning: check the brakes 😉
I haven’t been in years. I’m due to go back and would love to bike there. I’ll check my brakes:)
Great list and helpful tips! The food market looks wonderful and I’d love to visit the biodome, sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing #CityTripping
I really, really want to visit Montreal. Thanks for the all the tips. The city has something for all type of travelers.
This looks such a lovely city – I’ve only been to Toronto (before daughter) which I loved, and Montreal sounds similar in many ways in terms of attitude, green space, beach. I’ve always fancied visiting Quebec as well, so this is very tempting for a city break with a difference. Thanks for linking up with #citytripping
I’ve never been to Montreal but plenty of reasons here to visit as a family. Looks like a really fun trip. Thanks for linking to #citytripping
Great tips! I’m going to Montreal later in the year so I will have to check out the Insectarium 🙂
I loved the market when I was there! Ottimo articolo!
I am a born and raised Montrealer and I am raising my kids there now. I think you got to see some of our great places. What could be added would be the Pointe à Calière Museum for any kids or family interested by archeology and the Maison Sir George Etienne Cartier to learn about the history of Montreal In the decor of a real old house with people dressed up playing roles (both In the Old Montreal area). Also, the art museums have kids activities on the weekend. Depending on the time of year, there are many festivals in Montreal and almost all of them have kids activities. The best known is Montreal Jazz Festival and has a section just for kids and a free kid show everyday (inside). There is festival almost everyday in summer but even in winter we have Montreal en Lumière with lots of outsides and inside activities and in May there is a special festival for 0 to 5 years old child’s with theatre and music shows and workshops called Les Petits Bonheurs. Also, Kids under 10 years old ride the public transport for free on weekend, holidays and all the Montreal school breaks.