33 best things to do in Montreal with kids

Grand Prix weekend is coming up, and the Montreal Eaton Centre is home to some of the best free family-friendly activities. Race your friends on state-of-the-art Formula 1 simulators to see who clocks the fastest time, take on the Pit Stop Challenge, sharpen your reflexes, memory, and coordination at the interactive digital wall, and capture the moment in the photo zone. 

The MAC (located in Galerie PVM, at the corner of Mansfield and Cathcart on the northwest corner of Place Ville Marie) is offering everyone a chance to spend some quality time appreciating art en famille. Combining the opportunity to visit a diverse range of artworks with a hands-on art-making activity, this program will be sure to broaden your horizons. The best part? It's free for children under 18!

Bounce high among the trees 12 months a year! About 30 minutes from Montreal, Uplå — North America’s largest outdoor trampoline park — is offering an illuminated tree top experience that’s like no other. Picture jumping on a series of bouncing platforms suspended 20 feet above the ground in the Mont-Saint-Grégoire forest. And as the sun goes down, the net world comes alive surrounded by a dazzling display of neon twinkling lights.

Free museums in Montreal are a great place to explore art, history, zoology and more—all without spending a dime. A combination rich history, a steady influx of scholars and up-and-coming artists make the free museums in Montreal the hosts to world class exhibitions and some of the best galleries around. Best of all? Checking out these top 10 museums is only one of many of the best free things to do in Montreal.

A mysterious giant illuminated orb has arrived in Montreal via the Egyptian pyramids. From Cairo to Place Des Arts, a majestic sphere created by famed Spanish street artist Spy has made its home in Montreal. Gleaming in the sunlight and reflecting off of the giant pool of water, make sure to revisit it in the evening when the interior lights really make it come alive.

Pair inexpensive tickets and a pretty good tour in less than two hours and you've got perfect activity for tots who need an activity before naptime. Stroll through four drastically different ecosystems and experience the climate, flora and fauna in an immersive way. Side recommendation goes to the Planetarium next door.

Get up-close and personal with the world of insects at this recently renovated museum—one of the largest in North America. The new museum is 40% bigger and visitors can now see over 3,000 species (some of which crawl around freely).

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Head down to the Old Port and keep a look out for a big red molecule sculpture. There you’ll find this interactive museum located smack dab on the harbour. The exhibits rotate fairly regularly, but the Tiny Tots room and IMAX cinema are always available. Located on a pier that’s surrounded with important historical buildings and lunch spots, you could easily plan for full day visiting this place.

Cabane Panache is back and bigger than ever. The beloved outdoor free festival is returning to Promenade Wellington for its 13th edition as part of Verdun’s 150th anniversary celebrations. The four day event is family-friendly and all on-site programming is free of charge. Expect traditional games, stories and legends, logging, jigging, traditional dancing, campfires… there’s something for everyone!

Montreal is brimming with artists, in part due to its enticing art programs that attract students from distant places. Additionally, it remains the most affordable major city in Canada, making it an appealing choice for artists who prefer budget-friendly options. Consequently, the city boasts a diverse and vibrant cultural scene, offering numerous independent art galleries and artist-run centers that can be explored without any admission charges. Whether you're interested in commercial galleries (be prepared to spend money if you want to purchase artwork) or non-profit exhibition venues, each one has its own distinctive character, providing an excellent complement to the city's renowned museums.

Les Glissades Gamelin in Quartier des spectacles is the ultimate family-friendly winter playground in downtown Montreal. With three new hills and six runs, Les Glissades Gamelin is also home to L’Après-glisse, a cozy chalet where snacks and hot drinks will be served by Café Tranquille. Don't miss the special evening on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. (snow sports demos, free hot chocolate and free equipment loans!)

All aboard the best family-friendly holiday activity in Montreal! This famous, secret alleyway on rue Wellington, named one of the coolest streets in the world, just got even cooler. The only catch? You have to know where to find it.

Looking for a thrilling outdoor adventure? From Snow Bobsleigh and Vortex360 to Snow Rafting, Tornado, and Tubing, there’s an adventure here for everyone. Nestled in the hills near the ski hill Saint-Sauveur, Les Glissades boasts 63 slopes for all skill levels, 15,000 lift rides per hour, and an 80-metre vertical drop across three peaks with 13 snow ride zones. 

You won't believe the way Montreal lights up the city for the wintertime holidays—especially with all the free programming leading up to the New Years Eve fireworks—and this is your essential guide. The city transforms into a festive place with glittering decorations around every corner, and it makes for one of the best things to do on Christmas. So bundle up and for a stroll after a full dinner at one of the city’s stellar new restaurants, and enjoy some dazzling discoveries that rival our favourite Montreal attractions.

Montreal celebrates fresh beginnings with the arrival of the 2025 Lunar Chinese New Year, which falls in January and kicks off the year of the Snake, symbolizing wisdom, growth and renewal. The snake has the ability to shed its skin, which shows transformation. Don't miss all the free celebrations around town, including the parade on Saturday, February 1, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

The city is full of amazing things to do once autumn arrives, from apple picking and visiting pumpkin patches to discovering corn mazes and strolling through the city’s farmers’ markets. But the changing colours is at the top of our list. Check out the interactive map from Tourisme Québec which reveals where to find the most fire foliage.

There are few things that are more picture-perfect for the fall season than going pumpkin picking at one of the patches near Montreal. If heading out of town isn't an option, the best farmers markets in Montreal always stock pumpkins by the end of September, but this narrow window of the year when the weather's just right, and apple picking near Montreal is at its finest. Get out there, enjoy what little good temperatures we have left, and get prepping for Halloween.

Apple picking season in Quebec is short and sweet, with peak freshness starting in mid-August and ending just before the beginning of November. A great fall family activity, a lot of these spots also produce a selection of ciders (cue a spontaneous fall road trip from Montreal). These are U-pick orchards and farms that offer at least a dozen different apple varieties to choose from at varying times of the season (in addition to pears, plums and pumpkin picking in the mix). Take your pick!

Once you've got your pumpkin spice latté in hand, it's time to get lost in a corn maze near Montreal. Whether or not the corn harvest at farms is over, it's a great way to follow up some apple picking or pumpkin picking near Montreal and picking up some fresh baked goods, donuts and pastries (topped with locally-made jams and preserves) from the best suppliers found at the best farmers markets near Montreal. Whether you want some light-hearted fun with friends or you're looking for one of the best things to do with kids in Montreal, it's time to make the most of the season before the frost hits.

Montreal is famous for being Canada’s most haunted city—and residents revel in it. Halloween is our time to shine, whether you’re looking for seriously scary ghost tours, spooktastic Halloween celebrations or kid-friendly activities like pumpkin patches and corn mazes. The most immersive terrorizing comes courtesy of both pros of panic and amateur creep freaks who transform their entire houses—and beyond—into shrines of fright. Enter at your own peril.

An indoor maze in Old Port, SOS Labyrinth is a challenging activity with a historical twist. Learn about the Montreal harbour’s history with an adventure in a maze, featuring puzzles and obstacles to keep your kids busy. SOS Labyrinth is open to all ages, but it’s best enjoyed by kids of reading age. Note that the Labyrinth is in a 105-year-old hangar that cannot accommodate winter fun, so the summer season’s the best time to go.

When it comes to the abundant array of amazing free activities in Montreal, spending time in the city's numerous urban green spaces and beaches stands out as a top choice. These locations are frequented by Montreal residents throughout the year, but it's during the warm summer months that they truly flourish.  They also serve as perfect destinations for unwinding after a long day at school or grabbing a casual meal. Here are some of the finest parks in and around Montreal.

When it's hot, Montrealers head to their favourite spots to cool off. Whether it's at one of these pools, one of the city's many glorious beaches, a stunning park, hiking trail or a rooftop hotel pool with a view, take a quick dip into these refreshing addresses.

Going to a sugar shack is one of the best things to do in Montreal. It’s that cultural touch point that every local kid experiences as a high school field trip, but no one’s ever too young to go. They’re a way of connecting with Quebecois history by eating more pig and maple syrup than anyone thought possible. Sucrerie de la Montagne in Rigaud is one of the few sugar shacks open year round and has provided an authentic sugaring-off experience for over a century.

Performed by Allegra Chamber Music, Bach Before Bedtime is a series of classical music concerts with interactive elements to entertain toddlers and babies. The shows are presented in a mix of English and French, but even if you didn’t understand half of what’s said, the music carries the show. Bach Before Bedtime is presented downtown at McGill University and Place des Arts.

This 60-metre tall observation wheel—kaleidoscopically lit and equipped with climate-controlled booths running throughout the year—offers killer views of Old Montreal and downtown. It's also (conveniently) located next to Voiles en Voiles (a pirate-themed ropes course) and the Tyrolienne Mtl Zipline (an aerial adventure where you can fly like a super hero).

In the trendy Mile End neighbourhood stands Cinema Moderne, a small 54-seat movie theatre. On weekends it plays children’s movies selected by a curator with terrific taste. These aren’t the annoying films you’ve already seen 1000 times; the kids’ movies usually play in the late morning, so you can still get home in time for that 1pm nap. There’s a bar downstairs where you can grab a beer during the show, let alone enjoy the brunch they have during weekends as well.

Parc Mont-Royal was inaugurated in 1976 in an effort to preserve a natural space in the city’s core, but the park has been an important social meeting ground for generations before it was made official. Today, it’s the site of the weekly Tam Tam drum circle, vast picnic grounds, an excellent toboggan hill where equipment can be rented for a nominal fee, a lookout at the summit and multiple hiking trails.

With one of the city’s best restaurants at one end, and one of the best new restaurants at the other—plus a slew of bars, cult coffee shops and family-friendly spots in between—there’s no questioning a street’s cool factor. Throw in a tuk-tuk service and a sandy beach smack in the middle, and you’ve arrived on Rue Wellington in Montreal.

It’s rainy outside and your kids have boundless obnoxious energy. What do you do? Easy: Take ‘em to a giant warehouse full of trampolines and let them bounce until they pass out. iSaute has two Montreal locations, one in Kirkland and one in Anjou. Open to both kids and adults, Mondays are the best time to go, as there’s family jump night with special prices for people with kids.

Whether you grew up in Canada or it’s your first time north of the 49th, you probably haven’t engaged with Canadian animals as closely as you might like to. Well, you can at the Ecomuseum. This West Island zoo houses 115 species from Quebec, including arctic foxes, black bears and a delightful raft of otters. Rather than keep the animals in traditional zoo cages, the animals roam in beautiful specialized habitats designed with conservation in mind.

For nearly four decades, Geordie Theatre has presented plays for kids performed by award-winning actors. Their headquarters is in the Sud-Ouest neighborhood of Montreal, but you can catch public shows at the MAI and DB Clarke Theatres in Montreal’s downtown core. Different shows are good for different age groups, with shows for youngins and young adults alike.

It’s difficult to grasp just how grand steam engines are until you’re standing in front one. The Exporail train museum in Saint Constant—an hour away by public transportation—offers exhibits that get you up close and personal with locomotive artifacts. Exhibits include a miniature train ride, antique steam engines and a model train room which captures the attention of more dads than anyone would like to admit.

Cotton candy carnival queen? Tahini and chocolate swirl covered in sesame crumble, pistachios, cinnamon and cardamom? Oat milk vanilla soft serve in a vegan waffle cone? Cool off at one of the city's coolest ice cream spots.

Twice the size of the The Rink at Rockefeller Center, the refrigerated ice rink at the Esplanade Tranquille—located at the intersection of Sainte-Catherine Street West and Clark Street—is 1,500 m2 of winter fun. Expect 70s vibes on Saturday nights thanks to all the musical disco hits (hello, Donna Summer!), and classical vibes (Mozart and more) on Wednesday afternoons. Did we mention you can borrow board games at no charge from the Esplanade Tranquille’s Grand salon?

Illusion Theatre has been around for nearly thirty years. The company performs puppet shows for toddlers to double-digit-aged kiddos. Shows are primarily in French, and are so dazzling and engaging that you’ll definitely enjoy them (even if you aren’t a fluent Francophone). It’s located in Little Italy, where you’ll find lots of parks and family-friendly restaurants for a follow-up meal and some relaxation by sundown.

Located on Saint Helen’s Island, La Ronde is accessible by public transportation, so forget about parking. The park includes Halloween-themed events, classic roller coasters for pre-teens, a kid zone for toddlers and a series of family-friendly rides. Stroller rental is available, so you don’t even have to tackle Metro stairs with a buggy. Genius!

Montreal is an island, so make the most of it! Our selection of the finest beaches in and around Montreal ranges from expansive sandy stretches adorned with tiki-inspired huts to spots where you can catch some waves. We're talking about urban escapes, shores adjacent to parks, and family-friendly escapes that are consistently worthwhile (don't miss this hidden gem, a must-visit on your Montreal road trip itinerary). Remember to pack your preferred affordable meals, grab a beach chair, and, of course, don't forget the sunscreen.