28 Hours of Family Fun in Montreal
Looking for a quick getaway with the family? We spent 28 hours in Montreal and explored some top spots for kids! Come along with us and plan your own trip across the border for some family fun en francias.
We drove to Montreal on a Saturday morning from Burlington for an overnight trip in August. The plan was to explore the city with two solid kid-friendly destinations and at least one stop for a family favorite – poutine.
Montreal Science Centre
Our first stop of the trip was the Montreal Science Centre, located in the Old Port. The science center is part of the ASTC Passport Program, so our family’s admission was FREE because we are members of ECHO in Burlington.
Side note: ASTC stands for the Association of Science and Technology Centers, and it gives you free access to all partners if you pay for membership to one of them. ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain is a partner! We get a membership there every year as a Christmas present from a family member. It’s a great way to cut down on stuff and gift experiences.
Upon entering, we first encountered the Banquet interactive exhibition, which will stay at the center through May 16, 2025. Kids and adults alike can explore the art of making food. Our favorite parts were the “sniff” test installations where you had to guess the scent and the digital banquet show where light and sound took you on a culinary journey!
On the same floor at the rotating exhibit space, you’ll find the IMAX theatre and the Mini Mondo space for kids 0-7. This a wonderful space for the younger kids to safely explore and create. We had a hard time prying our kids away from this free-play space to discover the upstairs exhibits.
Upstairs was a whirl of light, sound, and science experiments. Our kids tried their hand at connecting circuits to power lights and carousels, lifting heavy objects with varying degrees of leverage, and playing with prisms.
We spent about two hours at the science center but were eager to get back outside on a gorgeous day. We could have easily spent another two hours exploring. One great perk of the center is the ability to come and go as you please, so you can easily return if you want to step out for lunch or a tour of the Old City and Port.
Vieux Port and Old City
The Old City section of Montreal is a beautiful space to explore in the summer, and definitely the most populated tourist part of the city. Outdoor dining options line the streets alongside vendors selling arts and crafts, and even balloon animals.
Along the river below the Old City lies the Old Port or “Vieux Port” in French. Viex Port has an expansive menu of activities for families from the Science Centre we visited to beaches, boating, ziplines and ropes course, a food truck court, ferris wheel and so much more.
We toured the area and opted to see the city and river from atop “La Grande Roue de Montreal,” the tallest ferris wheel in Canada. The ferris wheel was a bit of a splurge with family packs costing about $92 Canadian with tax, or $67 US. The ticket seller, however, was nice enough to notice our youngest and let us know kids 4 and under were free, bringing our costs down to about $58 US. With free access to the Science Centre this felt like a worthy splurge. We cycled 3 times which was perfect timing and the kids loved being so high and seeing the expanse of the city and river action below us.
We rounded out our first day with poutine and Montreal-smoked meats at Montreal Poutine in the Old City, giving everyone a needed break from pounding pavement. Poutine is a crowd pleaser and budget friendly – a win, win. Paired with slushies for the kids and a beer or cocktail for the parents and it was the refreshing break we needed from summer in the city.
Once replenished we made our way back to the hotel for a swim and a good night’s sleep to rest up for another day of fun.
Insectarium and Olympic Park
Sunday morning we were up early and eating pastries while we packed. We were headed off to the Olympic Park area of Montreal which is home to the Olympic Stadium, Biodome, planetarium, botanical gardens, and the Insectarium. We bought tickets the night before to the Insectarium for about $42 US.
Intending the leave by mid-afternoon, the recently renovated Insectarium was a great choice among the many options in the area. We spent about 2 hours exploring the tunnels that mimicked a bug’s life underground, the beetle and moth exhibit, and of course, the live gardens full of butterflies.
The highlight of the Insectarium was the large glass vivarium housing free-flying butterflies, a live leafcutter ant exhibit, examples of chrysalis, and more. Through workshops throughout, the kids learned about the life cycle of moths, the importance of katydids, and even got to hold a live leaf bug!
If we had more time, we might have explored the botanical gardens outside or visited one of the other area attractions. There are options to purchase tickets and museum passports at the Space for Life museum site, plus more details on each of their five museums.
Before heading home we enjoyed a healthy lunch at Restaurant Jardin Botanique, which is a ten-minute walk from the Insectarium past the Olympic stadium and skateboard park. They offer a vegetarian menu with items like grilled cheese and pasta salad for the kids, potato, curried and green salads, and a variety of wraps and sandwiches. Plenty of outdoor seating was available among the garden and fountains making it an enjoyable break before hitting the road home.
Montreal Travel Tips
Staying Overnight in Montreal – We opted for and recommend hotels in Montreal. While we typically AirBnB, we’ve had less that stellar results in Montreal and prefer the hotel locations and secure parking options. Plus, the kids love a pool!
Walking the City – Montreal is pretty walkable city and has a simple subway system to navigate. As in all cities, it has rough areas to avoid, but if feel safe to walk, especially in the old city.
Crossing the Border – Adults will need a passport or a Vermont enhanced license to cross into Canada. While we have passports for kids, you can also use birth certificates for their ID.
Value: - Montreal is a great destination for proximity and value. The US dollar is strong in Canada with $1 US dollar being the equivalent to $1.36 in Canadian currency. Or you can say for every Canadian dollar you spend, it’s only 73 cents US. (This is subject to the market though, and is accurate at the time of publication.)
So, if you are looking for an easy getaway that still feels far away, check out Montreal. If going for one night, we recommend picking one destination per day and leaving the rest of the time for exploring, snacking, and taking in the Quebecois culture. Amusez-vous bien !
