Montreal with Kids: Family Things to Do, Where to Stay and Winter Fun

Travelling to Montreal with kids is easier than most big-city trips, and in a few ways better. Children 11 and under ride the metro and buses free with a paying adult, the best natural science museums in Canada are a single metro line from downtown, penguins, roller coasters and a beach on an island are all inside the city limits, and winter, which parents dread, turns out to be the season children love most. Below: the best things to do by age, indoor and outdoor picks with prices checked in September 2026, what to do when it’s −15 °C, which neighbourhood to stay in, how to get around with a stroller, where to eat, day trips that work with a car seat in the back, and a three-day family plan.

Why Montreal Works for Families

Montreal is compact, safe by North American standards and built for people who walk. The main family attractions cluster in three places you can reach by metro: the Old Port, the Olympic Park area in the east end, and Parc Jean-Drapeau on its islands in the river. You can do a full day in any one of them without a car and without long transfers.

It also has a few things going for it that parents only notice once they arrive. Transit is free for younger children. Most attractions are bilingual, so French-speaking signs and staff are part of the fun rather than a barrier. Parks are everywhere, from the mountain to the neighbourhood squares with splash pads in summer and flooded rinks in winter. And the food children like, from bagels to poutine to maple taffy on snow, is a local speciality rather than a compromise.

The downsides are real but manageable. Old Montreal’s cobbles are hard on strollers, only some metro stations have elevators, summer can be hot and humid, and January is properly cold. Plan around those and you’ll be fine.

The Best of Montreal with Kids, by Age

Indoor Things to Do in Montreal with Kids

Rain, snow or a heatwave: these are the places to head when you need a roof. Most are part of Space for Life (Espace pour la vie), the city’s group of five natural science museums. Each one costs $25.50 for an adult or $68 for a family ticket, and the family Space for Life Passport costs $155 for 12 months of unlimited visits to all five, which beats paying separately if you visit three or more as a family.

The Biodôme

The Biodôme is the best family attraction in Montreal. Inside the former Olympic velodrome, you walk through recreated ecosystems: a steamy tropical rainforest with monkeys, sloths and birds flying overhead; a Laurentian maple forest with lynx and beavers; the Gulf of St Lawrence, seen from above and below the water; and the cold sub-polar regions of the Labrador coast and the sub-Antarctic islands, where the penguins steal the show. The route is a loop, the temperature changes as you go, and toddlers and grandparents enjoy it equally.

Go at opening time on a weekday if you can. Strollers are fine, but bring a layer for the cold zones and take one off for the rainforest.

Metro:

Viau (Green)

Cost:

$25.50 adults; $68 family

Allow:

2 hours

The Insectarium

Across Sherbrooke in the Botanical Garden, the redesigned Insectarium is far more than cases of pinned beetles. There’s a walk-through vivarium where insects live freely around you, live displays of ants, tarantulas and other creatures, and a gentle, slow design that encourages children to watch rather than squeal. Children who arrive scared of bugs often leave fascinated.

Metro:

Pie-IX (Green)

Cost:

$25.50 adults; $68 family

Allow:

1.5 hours

The Planetarium

Next door to the Biodôme, the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium runs shows under two domes, plus a hands-on exhibition about space and meteorites. The shows are timed, so book a slot that fits around lunch and your Biodôme visit. Children around five and up get the most out of it; younger ones sometimes find the dark a bit much.

Metro:

Viau (Green)

Cost:

$25.50 adults; $68 family

Allow:

1.5 hours

The Montreal Science Centre

On the King Edward Pier in the Old Port, at 2 rue de la Commune Ouest, the Montreal Science Centre is packed with interactive exhibits, building challenges and games about the body, technology and the environment. It’s best for children aged about 7 to 14, who can easily spend three hours here, and it has an IMAX theatre for a rest in the dark. Adult exhibition tickets cost $37; children’s and family rates are lower, so check the centre’s site before you go. Combine it with the Old Port outside.

Metro:

Place-d’Armes (Orange)

Cost:

$37 adults for exhibitions

Allow:

2–3 hours

The Biosphère

On Île Sainte-Hélène, the Biosphère is an environment museum inside Buckminster Fuller’s giant geodesic dome from Expo 67. The exhibitions on climate and ecology are aimed squarely at families, with plenty to touch and do. It’s a good add-on to an island day and is closed on Mondays from September. Adults pay $25.50.

Metro:

Jean-Drapeau (Yellow)

Cost:

$25.50 adults; $68 family

Allow:

1.5 hours

Pointe-à-Callière

Most history museums lose children within ten minutes. Pointe-à-Callière is different, because you’re walking underground through the real foundations of the city, including an old sewer tunnel, and the opening multimedia show grabs attention. It works best for children aged about eight and up. Adults aged 31 to 64 pay $30, and it’s closed on Mondays.

Metro:

Place-d’Armes (Orange)

Cost:

$30 adults 31–64

Allow:

1.5–2 hours with children

The Redpath Museum

On the McGill University campus downtown, the Redpath Museum is a small Victorian natural history museum with dinosaur skeletons, fossils, minerals and Egyptian mummies. It’s quick, calm and loved by dinosaur-mad children. Check McGill’s website for current opening hours before you go.

Metro:

McGill (Green)

Allow:

45 minutes

Our full guide to Montreal museums covers the art and history museums in more detail, including the free ones and the museum passes.

Outdoor Things to Do in Montreal with Kids

The Old Port

The Old Port is where most families end up on their first day, and it deserves it. The long waterfront promenade is flat and stroller-friendly (unlike the cobbled streets of Old Montreal just behind it), there’s space to run, and there’s always something to watch on the river. La Grande Roue, the observation wheel, has enclosed, heated or air-conditioned cabins and costs $29.50 plus tax for adults; it’s open from 10:00 to 23:00. At the end of the Clock Tower Pier, the little urban beach with its parasols is a nice spot for a snack, though it isn’t for swimming.

In summer, the quays also have zip-lining, pedal boats and other paid activities, which change from season to season, so just see what’s running when you’re there. Plan the Old Port with the Science Centre and a wander through Old Montreal, and let the children choose a maple treat on rue Saint-Paul on the way.

Metro:

Place-d’Armes or Champ-de-Mars (Orange)

Cost:

free promenade; Grande Roue $29.50 + tax

Allow:

half a day

La Ronde

La Ronde is Montreal’s amusement park, on the northern tip of Île Sainte-Hélène, with a mix of big roller coasters for teens and a large kids’ area for younger children. Tickets start from $34.99 plus tax and fees and are sold online only, so buy them before you leave the hotel. It’s open daily in summer and on weekends into the autumn. From 3 October to 1 November 2026, weekends are Fright Fest, with Halloween haunted houses and scare zones: great for brave teenagers, too much for most children under ten.

Metro:

Jean-Drapeau (Yellow), then a bus or a 20-minute walk

Cost:

from $34.99 + tax and fees

Allow:

a full day

Parc Jean-Drapeau and Plage Jean-Doré

The islands of Parc Jean-Drapeau are a family day out in their own right. There’s grass for picnics, paths for scooters and bikes, and on Île Notre-Dame, Plage Jean-Doré, a sandy, supervised beach on a clean lake. Its 2026 season ran from 20 June to 7 September, with adult entry at $8.69 plus tax, so plan it for next summer. The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, the Formula 1 track, is open to bikes and scooters when there’s no event on, and children love riding the real Grand Prix circuit.

Mount Royal and Beaver Lake

Mount Royal is the city’s big back garden. For families, head straight for Beaver Lake, a flat area near the top with lawns, a play area, a pavilion and rowboat rentals in summer. Take the 11 bus from Mont-Royal metro to avoid the climb, then walk 10 to 15 minutes to the Kondiaronk lookout for the view over downtown. In 2026 the Mount Royal Chalet is closed for works and access to the lookout is disrupted, so check before you go. Our guide to Mount Royal and Montreal’s parks has the details.

The Botanical Garden and Gardens of Light

The Botanical Garden, next to the Insectarium, is ideal for running off energy between museums, with about 75 hectares of themed gardens and greenhouses. In autumn, Gardens of Light fills the Chinese and Japanese gardens with glowing lanterns. In 2026 it runs from 3 September to 1 November, with timed evening tickets that include daytime entry to the garden. Go at dusk, when younger children can still see the lanterns before bedtime.

Beaches and splash pads

Montreal has two supervised city beaches. Verdun Beach, near De L’Église metro on the Green line, is free and has a calm, buoyed swimming area behind a rock jetty; in 2026 it was open from 13 June to 30 August, from 10:00 to 19:00. Swimming there can be suspended after heavy rain. Plage Jean-Doré on Île Notre-Dame charges admission. Don’t let children swim anywhere else in the river. On hot days, the splash pads (jeux d’eau) in neighbourhood parks all over the city are free, and local families treat them as outdoor living rooms.

Cycling the Lachine Canal

The 14.5-km path along the Lachine Canal is flat, paved and largely separated from traffic, so it’s the safest long bike ride in the city for children. Start near the Old Port or Atwater Market and ride as far as little legs will go. Bike shops along the canal rent family bikes, trailers and children’s bikes in summer. Stop at Atwater Market for a picnic lunch.

The Ecomuseum Zoo

In Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue at the western end of the island, about 30 minutes’ drive from downtown, the Ecomuseum Zoo shows only animals native to Quebec, many of them rescued and unable to return to the wild. It’s small and set among woods, with a walking loop past animals like the Arctic fox, the Canada lynx, the river otter, the snowy owl and the golden eagle. It’s open every day, including in winter, when the animals look most at home. It’s easiest by car.

Address:

21125 chemin Sainte-Marie, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

Getting there:

about 30 min by car

Allow:

2 hours

The tam-tams

On Sunday afternoons from May to September, drummers and dancers gather at the George-Étienne Cartier monument at the foot of Mount Royal, on avenue du Parc. It’s free, noisy and joyful, and children usually love it: there’s space to dance, bubbles, jugglers and grass to sit on. Go early in the afternoon, before it gets too crowded for small children.

Montreal with Kids in Winter

Parents often worry about Montreal in winter. Children don’t. Snow falls reliably, the city is set up to play in it, and indoor attractions are rarely more than a short metro ride away. January averages about −9 °C and the windchill can make it feel much colder, so dressing properly is the whole trick.

What to do

• Skating: the refrigerated rink at Beaver Lake on Mount Royal has the most reliable outdoor ice, with skate rentals at the pavilion. Parc La Fontaine’s pond is a free natural rink, and nearly every neighbourhood park floods one. The old Old Port rink has closed permanently.
• Sliding and snow tubing: there’s a sliding area near Beaver Lake with tube rentals, and children in every park drag plastic toboggans up any slope they can find.
• Snowshoeing: rent snowshoes at Beaver Lake for a walk in the woods. It’s easier than it looks and even five-year-olds can manage a short loop.
• Christmas market: the Grand Marché de Noël at Place des Festivals runs from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with around 60 artisans’ chalets and free entry. It’s open Wednesday to Sunday until 15 December, then daily.
• Montréal en Lumière: the winter festival runs from 18 to 28 February 2027, with a free outdoor site downtown full of lights, slides and activities.
• Indoor warm-ups: the Biodôme’s tropical rainforest is the best place in the city to thaw out.

Dressing children for the cold

Layers, not one giant coat. A thermal base layer, a fleece, a proper waterproof snowsuit or snow pants and jacket, insulated waterproof boots with room for thick socks, mittens (warmer than gloves), a hat that covers the ears, and a neck warmer instead of a scarf, which can be a hazard on slides. If you’re flying in, don’t buy everything at home: Montreal’s sports shops and department stores have plenty of children’s winter gear, often on sale after Christmas. Our Montreal in winter guide covers adult clothing and winter activities in more depth.

Sugar shacks in spring

From roughly March into early April, Quebec’s sugar shacks (cabanes à sucre) open for the maple season. Families sit at long tables for hearty meals of pea soup, ham, beans, eggs and pancakes, all soaked in maple syrup, and then go outside for tire d’érable, hot maple taffy poured onto fresh snow and rolled onto a stick. Most shacks are a 30- to 60-minute drive from the city, and popular ones book up early: Au Pied de Cochon’s famous cabane, for example, opens bookings on 1 December each year. Our day trips from Montreal guide has more.

Month by Month: When to Visit with Children

For school-holiday planners, July and August bring the best weather and the most to do, but also the highest prices. The Canada Day long weekend, 1 July, coincides with Quebec’s Moving Day, when a huge share of the city’s leases turn over and streets fill with moving vans; it’s not a day to drive around the Plateau. Our guide to the best time to visit Montreal goes into more detail.

Day Trips from Montreal with Kids

Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum

In Saint-Constant, about 30 to 40 minutes south of downtown by car, Exporail is the largest railway museum in Canada. The main hall is full of huge steam and diesel locomotives and historic carriages, some open to climb aboard, and outdoors there are more trains and, on some days, short rides. For train-loving children it’s the highlight of the trip.

Parc Omega

In the Outaouais region near Montebello, between Montreal and Ottawa, Parc Omega is a wildlife park you drive through in your own car. Elk, deer, bison and wild boar wander up to the car windows (bring carrots, which the park allows for some animals), and wolves, bears and other predators live in large enclosures along the route. There are also walking trails and a farm area. It’s a full day from Montreal, so leave early.

More family day trips

• Tremblant: about 90 minutes north by car, with a pedestrian village, a gondola, summer luge and beaches. The Getaway Shuttle runs from Montreal until 11 October 2026.
• Granby Zoo: about an hour east of the city, a large zoo with an attached water park in summer.
• Parc national d’Oka: a long sandy beach on the Lake of Two Mountains, busy on summer weekends. A Sépaq daily access fee applies.
• Parc national des Îles-de-Boucherville: flat bike paths and canoe routes on islands just across the river from the east end.
• Quebec City: about 3 hours 26 minutes on average by VIA Rail from Gare Centrale. It’s a long day with children; stay overnight if you can.

Where to Stay in Montreal with Kids

With children, location matters more than style. You want to be near a metro station, near a park, and close enough to your hotel to go back for a nap.

Families who want an apartment should know Montreal’s rules. Renting out a principal residence to tourists is only allowed from 10 June to 10 September, so outside that window short-term rentals must be licensed tourist accommodation in authorised areas. Book through a legitimate, registered provider. On top of GST and QST, most stays also carry a lodging tax, usually 3.5% of the room price. For a full rundown by neighbourhood and budget, see where to stay in Montreal.

Getting Around Montreal with Kids

Kids ride free

On Montreal’s buses and metro, children 11 and under ride free at any time when travelling with someone aged 14 or older who has a valid fare. One adult can bring up to five children aged 6 to 11. For a family of two adults and two young children, a day of travel costs just the two adult 24-hour passes, at $11.25 each. Adult single fares are $3.75, and a 3-day pass is $21.75. The 747 airport bus fare, $11.25, includes 24 hours of travel on the network, so a family’s first day is covered too.

Strollers on the metro

Strollers are allowed on the metro and buses, but not every station has an elevator, and many long escalators and staircases are part of daily life. Look up accessible stations on the STM’s website before you plan a route, travel outside rush hours (roughly 07:00–09:00 and 16:00–18:00 on weekdays) when trains are packed, and consider a lightweight folding stroller or a baby carrier for Old Montreal. Our guide to getting around Montreal explains the network and passes.

Arriving at the airport

From Montréal–Trudeau airport, a taxi to downtown is a flat $49.45 by day, which usually beats the bus for a family with luggage and car seats. The 747 bus runs 24 hours a day for $11.25 per adult. The new REM light rail doesn’t serve the airport yet. See our Montreal airport guide for all the options.

Driving and car seats

You don’t need a car in the city, and parking is expensive and confusing. Rent one only for day trips, and reserve child seats with the rental company in advance or bring your own. Remember that right turns on red are banned everywhere on the island of Montreal.

Eating Out in Montreal with Kids

Montreal’s most famous foods are, happily, children’s foods. Here are the classics, all of which work as a quick family meal.

• Bagels: Montreal bagels are thinner, sweeter and denser than New York’s, boiled in honey water and baked in wood-fired ovens. St-Viateur Bagel, at 263 rue Saint-Viateur Ouest in Mile End, is open from 06:00 to midnight, and watching the bakers through the window is half the fun.
• Poutine: fries, cheese curds and gravy. La Banquise, at 994 rue Rachel Est near Parc La Fontaine, is open 24 hours and has a long menu of variations.
• Smoked meat: Schwartz’s, at 3895 boulevard Saint-Laurent, is an institution, but the queue can test a small child’s patience. Go mid-afternoon.
• Market grazing: Jean-Talon Market (Monday to Saturday 08:00–18:00, Sunday 08:00–17:00) and Atwater Market are perfect for picky eaters, with fruit, cheese, bread and snacks to choose from.
• Maple everything: maple taffy, maple butter, maple cookies. You’ll find it in markets and shops across the city.

Most Montreal restaurants are relaxed about children, especially at lunch and early dinner. Tipping works as in the US (15 to 20%), and sales tax is added at the till. For more places to eat, see our Montreal food guide.

What a Family Day in Montreal Costs

Here’s a rough budget for a family of two adults and two children aged 6 to 11, with prices as of September 2026. Children’s admission varies by attraction, so the totals below are adult prices plus an estimate.

A Space for Life family day with transit and food typically comes in at around $130 to $160. A park-and-beach day costs little more than lunch.

A Three-Day Montreal Family Itinerary

Day 1: The Old Port and Old Montreal

Start at the Montreal Science Centre when it opens, then have lunch in Old Montreal. In the afternoon, walk the Old Port promenade, ride La Grande Roue and let the children run around the Clock Tower pier. If they’re eight or older, spend an hour at Pointe-à-Callière. Early dinner nearby, then back to the hotel.

Day 2: Space for Life

Take the Green line to Viau and start at the Biodôme at opening time. Next door, see a Planetarium show, then have a picnic in the Botanical Garden or Parc Maisonneuve. Spend the afternoon at the Insectarium and in the gardens, and in autumn stay on for the Gardens of Light at dusk. Buy the family Passport if you’ll visit four or more museums.

Day 3: The mountain and the neighbourhoods

Morning bagels in Mile End, then the 11 bus up Mount Royal to Beaver Lake for play, a rowboat or a winter skate. Walk down through the park to the Plateau for lunch. On a summer Sunday, catch the tam-tams in the afternoon. On other days, head to the islands of Parc Jean-Drapeau for La Ronde, the beach or a bike ride on the Grand Prix circuit.

For a more adult-focused plan, or for ideas to fit in while the kids are with grandparents, see our Montreal itinerary and the full list of things to do in Montreal.

Montreal with Babies and Toddlers

Very young children don’t need attractions so much as a routine that survives travel. Montreal makes that fairly easy. The big museums, shopping centres and the Space for Life sites have family washrooms with changing tables, and staff are used to strollers and feeds. Nappies, formula, baby food and children’s medicine are sold in every large pharmacy, and the Quebec chains Jean Coutu and Pharmaprix have branches all over the city, many open late.

Plan one outing in the morning and one after the nap, rather than a single long day. The Biodôme and Botanical Garden are ideal because there’s room to wander at a toddler’s pace, and you can leave after an hour without feeling you’ve wasted a ticket if you have the Passport. Parks with playgrounds are never far away: Parc La Fontaine, Beaver Lake on Mount Royal and the small squares of the Plateau are all good for letting a toddler loose.

For sleeping, ask your hotel for a cot (a “crib” in Canadian English) when you book, not on arrival, and choose a room away from the street in lively areas like the Plateau and Old Montreal, where terraces stay busy late in summer. Bars can serve until 03:00, and in the busiest pockets you’ll hear it.

Montreal with Teenagers

Teenagers want independence, food and something worth posting, and Montreal delivers on all three. The metro is simple and safe enough that older teens can explore on their own for an afternoon, and the city’s bilingual streets feel just foreign enough to be exciting.

• La Ronde’s big coasters: and, if they’re brave, Fright Fest weekends from 3 October to 1 November 2026.
• AURA at Notre-Dame Basilica: the Moment Factory light show inside the basilica ($37 plus tax) wins over teenagers who would never sit through a church tour. Book evening tickets online.
• Free art: the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is free for anyone 25 and under, so a teen can wander it on their own schedule.
• A food crawl: bagels at St-Viateur, smoked meat at Schwartz’s, poutine at La Banquise, all in one long afternoon walk through Mile End and the Plateau.
• Architecture: Habitat 67, the stacked-box housing complex built for Expo 67, runs 90-minute guided tours on Saturdays from April to November 2026 for $58 including tax. Architecture-minded teens love it.
• Bikes: older teens can ride the Lachine Canal or the Grand Prix circuit on Île Notre-Dame.
• Free concerts: the International Jazz Festival (25 June to 4 July in 2026) fills the Quartier des Spectacles with free outdoor stages every summer.

A Rainy Day in Montreal with Kids

Rain happens in every season, and in summer it often arrives as a short, heavy thunderstorm. Keep a rainy-day plan in your back pocket.

In the morning, go to the Montreal Science Centre in the Old Port and stay until lunch. Eat somewhere close by, then take the Orange line to Berri-UQAM and the Green line out to Viau for the Biodôme in the afternoon, with a Planetarium show if energy allows. If the rain clears late in the day, walk across to the Botanical Garden. On a cold, wet winter day, swap the Science Centre for the Redpath Museum and a warm lunch downtown, where the underground passages around the metro stations let you move between buildings without going outside, though they’re linked segments rather than one continuous indoor city.

Practical Tips for Families

• French for kids: teach them “bonjour” and “merci”. Staff will switch to English, but children who try a word of French get big smiles.
• Health: Quebec’s Info-Santé line, 811, gives health advice by phone. Buy travel insurance that covers children, since care for visitors isn’t free.
• Toilets: public toilets are scarce outside museums, shopping centres and park pavilions. Use them when you see them.
• Sun and bugs: summer sun is strong and mosquitoes are common at dusk near water, so pack sunscreen and repellent.
• Festivals: many big summer festivals have free outdoor shows in the Quartier des Spectacles that are fine for families in the afternoon. See the festival calendar.
• Older teens: Quebec’s legal drinking age is 18, lower than most of the US, which is worth a conversation with 18- to 20-year-olds travelling with you.
• Mondays: many museums close on Mondays. Plan a park or outdoor day then.
• Neighbourhoods: Villeray, Rosemont and the Plateau have the city’s best local parks and playgrounds. Our neighbourhood guide explains where they are.

Frequently Asked Questions