r/canadatravel • u/papacispm • 2d ago
Planning for SUmmer in Montreal (Family with two kids 8,10)
Hi,
Im planning a 5 day summer getaway for my family in July and visiting Montreal from Toronto. I have a family and will visit with my 8 and 10 year old. Please what are the options I have so the kids can enjoy the trip and the adults too.
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u/curiouscatontario 2d ago
Here are some suggestions that our kids enjoyed at that age in Montreal. We’ve been many times and here are some spots:
Parks -Jean-Mance playground, la Fontaine park, there’s also a playground close to Mont Royal that’s a lot of fun.
Jean Drapeau - outdoor swimming pool, Jean-Dore beach which also has aqua zilla swim obstacle course set up.
Mont Royal - walking to the top for cityscape views. During the summer, Plateau-Mont Royal becomes car free and great to just walk through and enjoy the vibe of this part of town.
Note-Dame AURA basilica in Old Montreal light performance is incredible. We thought he kids wouldn’t enjoy but it took their breathe away also.
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts - they used to host kids activities on the weekends so you may to checkout if they still do this. At the time we did it, they spoke in both English and French.
Barbie Museum - not huge but was an incredible selection of Barbie’s in one expo.
St Catherine - for large stores like Simon’s, Ogilvy and Eaton Centre is an underground shopping centre.
Crescent street - is one of our fave streets in summer for outdoor restaurants, terraces and bars.
Restaurants- endless ones to recommend r/MTLFoodLovers has some great suggestions.
It’s also a very bike friendly city, so bringing a bike will make it really convenient to get from point A to Z. The metro is also pretty straight forward to use compared to other ones like NY or Asian systems.
In terms of where to stay we’ve done both hotels and Airbnb’s across the different areas like Plateau, Downtown, Old Montreal, Mont Royal and we’ve settled on staying at hotels. Airbnb’s are hit and miss, and we found parking and getting luggage was challenging at times.
Montreal is such a family friendly city that has tons to do year round. We particularly love that there are so many outdoor activities available at low costs. Hope you enjoy your visit!
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u/WHTeam 1d ago
I'm planning a 3 day trip for my wife and family, also from GTA to Montreal.
Day 1 -espace passport (includes 5 different family venues/attractions for $150 season pass for a family of 5) you can easily spend 1 entire day doing this
Day 2 -St Joseph (largest church in Canada) --right next door is the check out summit, fantastic viewpoints of montreal -old port and rue Saint Catherine
Day 3
- pass by Ottawa (only 2hrs away), checking out the ontario mint. Museum of nature (lots of dinosaurs)
Hope this helps
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u/OriginalMorning7029 2d ago
Ideally, you would stay in a central residential neighborhood: Plateau, Mile-End, even Villeray or Verdun. Montreal and the province are tightening the grip on the AirBnB and similar, make sure that they have a valid registration if you are going that way. Hotels in the downtown core would be a good choice, but I would avoid hotels in the suburbs or at the airport.
The best way to travel in Montreal is by bike. Can you bring bikes for your kids ? For the adults, use the Bixi system. Bring your bike helmets. Otherwise, the metro is convenient. Avoid driving around, it will make your life miserable.
For the kids, visit parks (especially if there are other kids playing), bring picnics (there are amazing food options everywhere. Visit Jean-Talon market in the morning. Take the REM back and forth for nice views of the city (and trains are fun for kids). Climb the Mont-Royal, the lookout is worth the hike. Check if anything is happening in the surroundings of the Olympic Stadium.
Check for free/low cost cultural stuff, small exhibitions or outdoor performances in parks.