Montreal with Kids: The Best Family Activities

Montreal is one of the best cities in Canada for families with children — a claim that holds up under scrutiny because the city combines world-class family attractions (the Biodome, the Science Centre, the Botanical Garden, the Olympic facilities) with the kind of general urban infrastructure (safe metro, cycling paths, accessible waterfront) that makes navigating a city with children genuinely manageable rather than merely theoretical.

The additional advantage that Montreal offers families is that it is a city where eating is an activity in itself. Children who can be introduced to poutine, fresh-from-the-oven bagels, crepes from market stalls, and gelato from Little Italy coffee bars are having a cultural experience alongside a nutritional one. Montreal’s food culture works for children precisely because it is not especially child-specific — it simply takes eating seriously at every level.

This guide covers the best family activities in Montreal by age range, with practical information for making a family visit work efficiently.

Top family attractions

The Biodome (ages 4 and up)

The Biodome at the Olympic Park is the most reliably excellent family attraction in Montreal. Four complete ecosystems under one roof — tropical rainforest with howler monkeys and capuchins, Laurentian forest with lynx and otters, St. Lawrence marine environment with Atlantic puffins, and sub-Antarctic islands with king penguins — provide genuine biological diversity in a completely climate-controlled environment.

Children of almost any age find the penguins compelling; the monkeys are reliably entertaining; and the engineering of the building itself — the former Olympic velodrome, converted in 1992 — provides architectural interest for older children and parents. Plan 2–2.5 hours.

The Espace pour la vie combination ticket covers the Biodome, Insectarium, Botanical Garden, and Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan. For a family intending to visit multiple attractions, this represents significant savings. See our Olympic Park guide for full details.

The Insectarium (ages 6 and up)

The completely renovated Insectarium at the Botanical Garden is one of the finest insect museums in the world — and better for children than that description might suggest. The renovation (completed 2022) produced immersive rooms where visitors are surrounded by living insects in their natural behaviour, a butterfly pavilion that fills with tropical butterflies in season, and exhibits designed to make insect ecology tangible rather than merely visible.

Children who might approach a conventional insect museum with reluctance often find the Insectarium’s interactive design genuinely engaging. The butterfly pavilion, in particular, is an experience — hundreds of tropical butterfly species in a warm glasshouse, landing on visitors — that tends to produce genuine delight across the age range.

Montreal Science Centre (ages 5 and up)

The Science Centre at the King Edward Pier in the Old Port is a large interactive science museum with exhibits about technology, engineering, and the natural world that are designed primarily for the 6–14 age range. The hands-on approach — building, testing, experimenting — engages children in ways that passive exhibit viewing rarely matches.

The IMAX theatre within the complex shows educational documentary films on its large-format screen; the combination of a morning in the exhibit halls and an afternoon IMAX film makes for a satisfying full museum day.

Best for rainy days: The Science Centre is entirely indoors and is one of the most useful wet-weather options in the city.

Old Port outdoor activities (ages 4 and up)

In summer, the Old Port is one of the most activity-rich areas in the city for families:

Voiles en Voiles: A zip-line and aerial adventure park installed in the rigging of sailing mast structures in the Old Port basin. Routes are graded by difficulty; the entry-level routes are accessible to children from about age 5 with an adult. The experience of moving through an aerial obstacle course with the river visible below is one that older children (and parents) particularly enjoy.

Pedal boats and kayaks: Available for hire in the Old Port basin for use within the protected water. The basin’s flat, calm water is entirely safe for children; the pedal boats have dual controls and are suitable from about age 3 with an adult.

The waterfront promenade: The wide, flat promenade is excellent for scooters and bicycles (bring your own or rent). Children on wheels are common and the infrastructure accommodates them well.

Winter skating: The Old Port skating rink on the Bassin Bonsecours is one of the most atmospheric in the city and operates from late November through late February. Skate rentals are available. The combination of skating on a river basin with the surrounding historic buildings lit at night is one of the genuinely memorable winter family activities in Canada.

Mont-Royal Park (ages 3 and up)

The forested mountain at the city’s centre is excellent for families in both summer and winter:

Summer: The Beaver Lake area is the most family-friendly part of the park — a natural lake with pedal boats for rent, picnic areas, and playground equipment. The trails through the forested sections are accessible to most children from about age 4 with appropriate footwear.

Winter: The outdoor skating rink at Beaver Lake is free, scenic, and one of the best cold-weather family activities in the city. The toboggan slopes nearby provide sledding. Cross-country ski trails are appropriate for older children (8 and up) with some prior experience.

The tam-tams: The Sunday drum circle at the mountain’s base (May–September) is an excellent family outing — freely accessible, musically stimulating, and with sufficient space for children to run around while adults appreciate the scene.

See our full Mont-Royal Park guide for details.

La Ronde amusement park (ages 5 and up)

La Ronde on Île Sainte-Hélène is Quebec’s largest amusement park and the only Six Flags property in Canada. The park runs from late May through October and operates evening sessions on summer weekends with a fireworks component. For families with children in the 8–14 range who want a conventional amusement park experience, La Ronde delivers it at the standard North American level.

The park is accessible by metro (Jean-Drapeau station on the yellow line) and by ferry from the Old Port in summer.

Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan (ages 5 and up)

The planétarium in the Olympic Park cluster offers dome-projected shows about the night sky, the planets, and the universe in a format that is well-designed for children. The digital projection system allows the show to range across time and space in ways that older planetarium technology couldn’t achieve. Shows run multiple times daily in both English and French.

Food with children in Montreal

Montreal’s food culture, while not specifically oriented toward children, works well for families willing to engage with it:

Bagels: The Mile End bagel bakeries (St-Viateur and Fairmount) are universally beloved by children from the moment they encounter a warm, fresh bagel from a wood-fired oven. The simplicity of the product — bread, sesame seeds, cream cheese — makes it ideal for even picky eaters.

Poutine: La Banquise’s classic poutine — fries, cheese curds, gravy — is about as universally child-approved as food gets. The 24-hour operation means it works as a late-night option when other restaurants are closing.

Crêpes: The market food stalls at Jean-Talon and Atwater both offer fresh crêpes with a range of sweet and savoury fillings. A crêpe with maple syrup from a market stall is one of the great simple pleasures Montreal offers visitors of any age.

Jean-Talon Market: The market visit, approached as an exploration rather than a shopping task, engages children’s curiosity about food. The variety of produce, the spectacle of the flower stalls, and the prepared food vendors make it a multi-sensory experience.

See our Montreal food guide for the full picture.

Neighbourhood walks with children

Old Montreal: The cobblestone streets and historic buildings of Vieux-Montréal engage children’s imagination, particularly when framed as exploration of a very old city. Place Jacques-Cartier with its street performers and flower stalls is almost universally appealing. The Notre-Dame Basilica interior, if framed correctly (biggest church in Canada, stars on the ceiling, thousands of pipes in the organ), can engage children from about age 6.

The Old Port: The promenade, the activities, the waterfront — and in winter, the skating — make this the most consistently child-friendly area in the city. See our Old Port guide for the full picture.

Mont-Royal: The hike to the Kondiaronk Belvedere is accessible to children from about age 5 with adult assistance. The view from the top — the whole city visible below — tends to produce a satisfying sense of accomplishment even in children who found the 20-minute uphill walk challenging.

Practical family logistics

Getting around: The Montreal metro is safe, clean, and easy to navigate with children. Strollers are allowed and most stations have elevator access. The Bixi bike-share can be used by adults with children (children ride on parent bikes with appropriate equipment; Bixi itself provides adult bikes only). Rideshare (Uber) is readily available.

Accommodation with families: Hotels in Old Montreal tend to have smaller rooms; consider suite-format hotels or serviced apartments for families with multiple children. The Fairmont Le Reine Elizabeth downtown has family rooms and the infrastructure that makes large-group stays manageable. Several apartment-style properties in the Plateau offer full kitchen facilities that are useful for families who want to self-cater some meals.

Weather preparation: Montreal’s weather is variable — genuinely warm and sunny from June through August, but with unpredictable rain possible throughout the summer. For a family visit, having a list of indoor alternatives (Biodome, Science Centre, Insectarium, underground city shopping) ensures that a rainy day doesn’t derail the trip.

Language: Children are inevitably more adaptable than adults about language — pointing, smiling, and the universal language of being clearly a visiting family gets you a long way in French-speaking contexts. The major family attractions (Biodome, Science Centre, Olympic Park facilities) all offer full English-language programming.

Cost management: Montreal’s major family attractions are reasonably priced by North American standards. The Espace pour la vie combination ticket is the best value for families visiting multiple attractions. The outdoor activities (Old Port promenade, Mont-Royal, the tam-tams) are free. The food, at market and café level, is affordable.

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Sample family itineraries

3-day family visit

Day 1: Old Montreal and Old Port (Science Centre, waterfront walk, Place Jacques-Cartier). Notre-Dame Basilica for older children. Dinner in Old Montreal.

Day 2: Olympic Park cluster — Biodome in the morning, Insectarium or Botanical Garden in the afternoon. Return via Mont-Royal or the Plateau for poutine at La Banquise.

Day 3: Jean-Talon Market for the morning (crêpes, produce exploration, market lunch). Mile End in the afternoon (bagels from St-Viateur, neighbourhood walking).

5-day family visit

Add: La Ronde for a full day (if ages appropriate). Mont-Royal for a mountain hike and Beaver Lake afternoon. The underground city if the weather deteriorates. Atwater Market and the Lachine Canal cycling.

Related reading

• Olympic Park guide — Biodome, Insectarium, and the tower
• Mont-Royal Park guide — the mountain for all ages
• Old Port guide — the waterfront for families
• Things to do in Montreal — the full activities overview
• Montreal food guide — feeding the family well