Bilingual, multicultural, and extraordinarily family-forward — the Plateau neighbourhood's outdoor cafés and children's street performances in summer are genuinely beautiful.
Parent tip: The underground city (32km of tunnels) means winter weather never stops family exploration.
A major art museum on Sherbrooke Street spread over several connected pavilions, with collections from old masters to Quebec and Indigenous art. Best for families with a real interest in art; pick a few rooms and keep it short.
Canada's largest railway museum, in Saint-Constant about 25 km south of Montreal, with a big hall of locomotives, streetcars and carriages that children can climb aboard. In the warm season the outdoor site and short rides also open.
Five indoor ecosystems under one roof, from a tropical rainforest to the sub-Antarctic islands with penguins, each with the animals and plants that live there. A weather-proof stop at the Olympic Park.
A hands-on science museum on King Edward Pier in the Old Port, with interactive exhibitions and an IMAX cinema. A good rainy-day choice for curious children.
Seventy-five hectares of themed gardens and greenhouses in east-end Montreal, including the Chinese and Japanese gardens, next door to the Insectarium and across from the Biodome and Planetarium. Good for open space, ponds and a gentler pace.
Montreal's archaeology and history museum, built over the spot where the city was founded. Children walk underground among the excavated remains of the first settlement, old stone walls and the city's first sewer.
Quebec's largest amusement park, on Île Sainte-Hélène in Parc Jean-Drapeau, with roller coasters, thrill rides, family rides, a children's area and a walk-through park of giant animated dinosaurs. A full day for school-age children and teens.
The riverside promenade and piers below Old Montreal, open all year, with La Grande Roue observation wheel, the Science Centre and a heritage trail. In the warm months it adds a zipline, mini-golf, boat tours and pedal boats; in winter it is a snowy walk along the frozen river.
Montreal's mountain park, with stroller-friendly paths up to the Kondiaronk lookout over downtown and Beaver Lake (Lac aux Castors) with picnic spots and rowboats. In winter there is a refrigerated skating rink, tubing slopes and a sledding hill.
Space for Life's insect museum beside the Botanical Garden, where children watch live insects and other small creatures up close and walk through a warm vivarium among free-flying butterflies. A short indoor visit that pairs easily with the garden, the Biodome and the Planetarium.