Montreal with Kids
Parks, beaches and museums that work for children
Montréal is easy with children, and 37 places on this map are tagged for families. The Biodôme, the Insectarium and the Planétarium sit together near Olympic Park, and the Montréal Science Centre and the Grande Roue are on the Old Port. La Ronde and Plage Jean-Doré are on Parc Jean-Drapeau, and Parc La Fontaine and Parc Jeanne-Mance are free city parks. Verdun's beach and waterfront path are on the map as well, along with day trips to Quebec City's Citadelle and Montmorency Falls.
57 places
Year round When
The places
Museum · Old Montréal Pointe-à-Callière Montréal's archaeology and history museum, built over the remains of the city's earliest settlement. The permanent and temporary exhibitions are covered by one ticket.
Park · Old Montréal Old Port of Montreal The riverside waterfront along the Saint Lawrence at the foot of Old Montréal, with quays, promenades and the Clock Tower. The site is open from 6 a.m. to midnight.
Museum · Old Montréal Montreal Science Centre A science and technology centre in the Old Port, with interactive exhibitions.
Viewpoint · Old Montréal La Grande Roue de Montréal A Ferris wheel on the Old Port waterfront that's open every day of the year. It gives views of the river and Old Montréal.
Museum · Downtown and Quartier des spectacles Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Montréal's main art museum on Sherbrooke Street West, with permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. Admission is free for visitors aged 25 and under.
Museum · Downtown and Quartier des spectacles McCord Stewart Museum A museum of Montréal and Quebec history, with permanent and temporary exhibitions. It's currently renovating, so check the museum's site for the way in.
Museum · Downtown and Quartier des spectacles Redpath Museum A natural history museum on the McGill campus in a historic building. Admission is by voluntary contribution.
Landmark · Downtown and Quartier des spectacles Place des Festivals The main outdoor square of the Quartier des spectacles, opened in 2009, with a programmable fountain of 235 jets and four lighting structures.
Park · Plateau Mont-Royal Parc La Fontaine A large city park in the Plateau with a pond, the Théâtre de Verdure and the Théâtre des Merveilles, a petanque court and a snack bar. The Centre culturel Calixa-Lavallée and a welcome centre sit inside it.
Landmark · Mount Royal Beaver Lake Pavilion A two-floor pavilion beside Lac aux Castors, fully renovated, with five outdoor murals by Québec artists and an upstairs café with large glass walls.
Park · Mount Royal Parc Jeanne-Mance A park at the foot of the mountain, part of the Mount Royal heritage site, with tennis courts, soccer pitches, a wading pool and two skating rinks. Views of the mountain open up from several points.
Market · Little Italy and Jean-Talon Marché Jean-Talon A public market at the corner of Henri-Julien and Jean-Talon, open since May 1933. It has fruit and vegetable growers, butchers, bakers, fishmongers, grocers and food counters.
Landmark · The Village Grande Bibliothèque Quebec's main public library and national library, run by BAnQ on Boulevard De Maisonneuve Est. It holds the Espace Jeunes, the Pavillon music space and Le Square, a technology lab.
Park · The Village Parc des Faubourgs A city park north of Rue Sainte-Catherine Est with a playground, toddler area, picnic area and play fountains. In winter it has a public skating rink and a sledding hill.
Museum · Olympic Park and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Biodôme A Space for Life museum on Avenue Pierre-De Coubertin beside the Olympic Stadium.
Museum · Olympic Park and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan A Space for Life planetarium with two theatres showing double features and an exhibition on the search for life in the universe. The ticket includes one double feature and the exhibition.
Museum · Olympic Park and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Insectarium A Space for Life museum of insects beside the Botanical Garden. Visits are a one-way circuit through every gallery and take about 90 minutes.
Park · Parc Jean-Drapeau Parc Jean-Drapeau A park made up of Île Sainte-Hélène and Île Notre-Dame in the St. Lawrence River, with trails, gardens, a beach and several attractions. It was a site of the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Landmark · Parc Jean-Drapeau La Ronde An amusement park on Île Sainte-Hélène run by Six Flags. In autumn it opens only for Fright Fest and Pumpkin Festival days.
Park · Parc Jean-Drapeau Plage Jean-Doré A beach on Île Notre-Dame with cleaned sand and a supervised swimming area. The park posts water quality results on its beach page.
Park · Parc Jean-Drapeau Floralies Gardens Gardens on Île Notre-Dame left from the 1980 Floralies internationales de Montréal. They have flower beds, trees, shrubs, canals and public art.
Park · Griffintown and Little Burgundy Lachine Canal A 14.5 km national historic site running from the Old Port locks to Lock 5 in Lachine, with a path along the water. The Atwater Market wharf sits between Locks 3 and 4.
Park · Saint-Henri Square Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier A city square on a Saint-Henri street of the same name, with picnic tables. An outdoor pool at 4550 Rue Sainte-Émilie is listed at this location.
Park · Verdun Plage de Verdun An urban beach on the St. Lawrence at 4110 Boulevard LaSalle, close to De l'Église station. Swimming is allowed only inside the buoys during supervised hours.
Landmark · Verdun Auditorium de Verdun A restored arena beside the beach with two ice rinks, open skating, adult hockey and figure skating.
Landmark · Verdun Bibliothèque de plage de Verdun A free summer library at the beach where you can borrow books and outdoor equipment.
Neighbourhood · Verdun Rue Wellington Verdun's main shopping street, pedestrian in summer since 2017, with planters, terraces and rest areas. The Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs church stands at 4155.
Park · Verdun Natatorium de Verdun A city swimming and wading-pool site at 6500 Boulevard LaSalle. Admission is free.
Park · Verdun Verdun waterfront path (Les Berges) A multi-use path along the St. Lawrence, one of four in the borough. Verdun counts about 15 km of public waterfront paths.
Park · Westmount Westmount Park A city park of about 26 acres acquired in 1898, with a splash pad, playground, dog run, tennis and pickleball courts, and two indoor rinks with an outdoor pool. The library and Victoria Hall sit in its northwest corner.
Landmark · Westmount Westmount Conservatory A free municipal conservatory and greenhouse complex on Sherbrooke Ouest.
Park · Westmount Summit Woods A natural forest and bird sanctuary on the western peak of Mount Royal, just over 57 acres and the largest green space in Westmount.
Day trip · Quebec City La Citadelle de Québec A star-shaped fortress on Cap Diamant that is still an active military site. Admission includes a guided tour and access to the Royal 22e Régiment Museum.
Day trip · Quebec City Parc de la Chute-Montmorency A Sépaq park at the Montmorency Falls just outside Quebec City, with a cable car, a panoramic circuit and viewpoints at the base and top of the falls.
Day trip · Quebec City Plains of Abraham (Parc des Champs-de-Bataille) A large public park in Quebec City run by the National Battlefields Commission, with trails and a museum at its main entry point.
Day trip · Eastern Townships Magog and Lac Memphrémagog A lakeside town on Lac Memphrémagog, where the local tourism office lists cruises, boat and kayak rentals, beaches and the Parc de la Baie-de-Magog.
Day trip · Mont-Tremblant Village de Mont-Tremblant The base village of the Tremblant ski resort, set out as a pedestrian village at the foot of the mountain.
Park · Parc Jean-Drapeau Mont Boullé The wooded high point of Île Sainte-Hélène, with a 6 km trail network, ponds and viewpoints over Montréal, the South Shore and the St. Lawrence. It's steps from Jean-Drapeau station and has a children's play area.
Landmark · Mile End Mordecai-Richler Library A public library in the former Church of the Ascension, built in 1910 and renamed in 2015 for the Montréal author. Besides books it has an art hive for free-access creative activities.
Landmark · Plateau Mont-Royal Plateau-Mont-Royal Library A public library across from Mont-Royal metro, in the former Saint-Basile boarding school. The collection runs past 80,000 documents.
Park · Plateau Mont-Royal Parc Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier A large Plateau park with sports fields, a dog area, play areas, a pétanque court and ping-pong tables. In winter it has outdoor rinks and a community chalet.
Park · Plateau Mont-Royal Parc Baldwin A Plateau neighbourhood park with a picnic area, a drinking fountain, community composters and a ping-pong table. The chalet nearby has the restrooms.
Park · Little Italy and Jean-Talon Parc de la Petite-Italie A neighbourhood park on Rue Clark in Little Italy, with outdoor rinks in winter.
Park · Verdun Parc Arthur-Therrien A Verdun park with a skatepark, a wading pool and play fountains, a basketball court, a pétanque court and a ping-pong table.
Park · Verdun Parc Poirier A small park on boulevard LaSalle in Verdun with a children's playground, a toddler playground, a ping pong table and play fountains.
Landmark · Olympic Park and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Bain Morgan A public indoor pool on avenue Morgan in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve with free open-swim sessions, including adults-only periods.
Viewpoint · Quebec City Observatoire de la Capitale An indoor observation deck on the 31st floor of the Marie-Guyart building, billed as the highest view of Quebec City. It looks out in four directions and shows more than 400 years of the city's history.
Museum · Quebec City Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec Quebec's national fine arts museum, on the edge of the Plains of Abraham. Its collection holds more than 42,500 works by more than 4,600 artists.
Day trip · Quebec City Fortifications of Québec National Historic Site Parks Canada looks after 4.6 kilometres of fortifications around Old Quebec, with views over the old town and the river. Artillery Park adds more than three centuries of military and social history.
Day trip · Eastern Townships Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook A nature park around the Coaticook River gorge, with hiking trails and a suspended footbridge. The park also has 23 km of marked trails, disc golf, camping and lodging.
Museum · Old Montréal Marguerite Bourgeoys Museum A museum and archaeological site beside Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, covering more than 2,400 years of history. The belvedere above the chapel looks over the Old Port, the historic district and downtown.
Park · Old Montréal Champ-de-Mars A historic park behind City Hall, once used for military drills. It's now a place to sit downtown, next to the Champ-de-Mars metro station.
Landmark · Saint-Henri Bibliothèque Saint-Henri A public library in a former Asten Johnson factory in the middle of the neighbourhood, with a modern, playful interior.
Park · Saint-Henri Parc Saint-Henri A neighbourhood park in Le Sud-Ouest that the city describes as a place to relax and enjoy the outdoors. It has a picnic area.
Museum · Quebec City Musée de la civilisation A museum on the Old Quebec waterfront. The main entrance is on Rue Dalhousie, facing the river.
Park · Quebec City Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site An urban park in Limoilou on the site tied to Jacques Cartier's second voyage and his meeting with the St. Lawrence Iroquois. It has a bike trail, picnic lawns and a self-guided tour that uses the Parks Canada app.
Park · Olympic Park and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Parc Morgan A neighbourhood park in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve with a children's play area and a hill used for sledding in winter.
