Taking a Daytrip to Montreal from Ottawa isn’t as difficult to plan as we had initially thought. It’s also not as easy as simply showing up, either. Being only 2 hours from Montreal means it is always there when you want to plan a day trip but also one never gets around to visiting, because it’s always there.
Having worked most of the summer, I wanted to take the kids on a fun overnight trip to Montreal. This can easily be done in two day trips spreadout over the summer or whenever your schedule allows it. We plan to go back during the Winter months to check out the Christmas markets and city lights.
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Where to Stay in Montreal with Kids
The best opinion was given to me by friends and family that have visited the island many times before; “never drive on the island”. And we took this to heart.
We stayed here at the Sandman Hotel Montreal in Longeuil. When it comes to certain trips, especially ones that require lots of “out of the hotel” time, we don’t splurg on accommodations. It is a place to sleep and park the car. This trip was no different, I am happy to report that this hotel is pretty amazing. There were cheaper options not far away but their reviews online were not promising and the extra fees just add up.
How to Navigate Montreal with Kids
Knowing that we didn’t want to drive in Montreal, we knew our only option was taking public transit.
Parking at Longueuil–Université-de-Sherbrooke meant we were meters away from the Metro station, and the ideal hotel for our trip. At $15/day, this was a great option.
The Metro system is not too complicated, as long as you know how to use a Metro. Children under 12 ride free, simply use the turn-style next to the Station guard and they will open the handy-gate. I purchased a 3 day Unlimited ticket because I didn’t want to buy a new one each time we got on the train.
FYI – if you plan to stay off the island and train into Montreal , you must be sure to purchase an AB ticket; Longeuil being in Zone B and Montreal being in Zone A. The signs are all in French but the ticket machine does have an English button.
The Ideal 2-Day Summer Itinerary In Montreal
Being only 2 hours away, we didn’t want to rush around the city and get everything covered in two days. But I also didn’t want to come back a dozen times to cross off my list. So we mapped it out on Google and seperated the trip into Two sepecific days.
Day 1 – Driving to Montreal and sight seeing
Leaving Ottawa at 8am, we arrived at the Metro station just after 10:30am. In order to stay out of Montreal, be sure to program your GPS to stay on Highway 30. It will try to redirect you (a few times) to take the shorter route through the Island; don’t take this way. The whole point is that we never drive in Montreal.
Get a Metro pass for Zone AB and head downstairs towards Berri-OQAM. We took a short walk through Montreal towards Old Montreal, through Old Port then around Old Monntreal again on our way back to the Metro station.
Old Port
The clouds were poking their heads out but it look smuch worse than it is. It was nice not to have the blaring sun on us the whole time. Aside from this specific pack of trees, there isn’t much shade cover at the Port.
La Grande Roue de Montreal
2/3 of us are afraid of heights so we didn’t actually ride the Ferris wheel, but it was beautiful to look at and photograph. There are family-ticket options, as well as purchasing the book privately so you aren’t sharing with potential strangers if you don’t meet the max occupancy with your group.
There is also a cute “J'(heart) MTL” sign at the base of the Ferris wheel. A nice woman offered to take a family picture for us.
Mini Train
The mini train takes you around the Ferris wheel and adjeccent area. It was cute to watch the kids putter around in the small train.
Zip Line
A zip line from the “main land” to the other side of the port is available for adventure seekers. Having watched my youngest zipline at Niagara Falls, I knew she would like this particular adventure. But we decided to splurge elsewhere today.
Voiles en Voiles
A giant pirate ship at the entrance of the Port has a series of bouncy castles and Tree-top treking options. At nearly $75 per person, and 2 hours to complete, this is an adventure that requires preplanning.
Clock Tower
Walking along the port between the Ferris wheel and the Clock tower, you get an amazing view of St Helen’s island. We took a moment to watch the Heritage Moment video about the creation of St Helens Island and explaining the various things that we can do on the island.
At the eastern edge of the historic port stands the 45m-high white Clock Tower. This precise clock, a replica of Big Ben in London, commemorates all of the sailors and shipmen who died in the world wars. Visitors can climb the 192 steps for a view over Old Montréal and the river.
The Clock Tower is usually open daily in the summer between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m, the views looks to be breathtaking. However, a fear of heights has struck again and we kept our feet firmly planted on the ground.
Old Montreal
Across the street from the Old Port, is Vieux Montreal. There are many street vendors and patio dining, and it is very busy with cars and people traffic.
Notre Dame Basilica de Montreal
Online tickets are available for pre-purchase and this will save some time in the lineat the door. Tickets aren’t too expensive, and the Basillica is closed to tourists during Mass.
In the evenings, starting at 6pm, is L’expérience AURA | The AURA Experience. Children under 5 are free and tickets are required for the whole family to enter. It is a nighttime light show within Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal.
The original building was created in 1824 and la Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal can hold up to 10,000 worshippers and it is the largest neogothic church in the world. Fun fact – Celine Dion and René Angélil were married here on December 17, 1994.
Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours de Montréal
Founded by Marguerite Bourgeoys in 1655, Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours de Montréal is a pilgrimage church in Montreal. Free to visit, we enjoy visiting the beautiful architecture of religious buildings everywhere we visit.
Montréal Underground City
This was purely for the sake of checking out the fountain. The stores in the mall are definitly too expensive for our budget but the fountain looked incredible online and we wanted to take a quick walk around just to say we did.
Further into the mall you will find a piece of the Berlin wall. Having lived in Germany for 4 years, and visited Berlin twice, the oldest was more than happy to remind the youngest (who doesn’t remmeber any of it) what the wall represents.
The metreo stop back to the Hub is across the street from the mall so we were heading in that direction anyway. If you want to keep going towards Mont Royal, China town or any other amazing sights in Montreal, you will need walk passed the Montréal Underground City.
Square Viger
When we first got out of the Metro and headed towards Old Port, we stopped at Square Viger to munch on our packed lunch. Sandwiches and snacks can always be found in our lunch-bags and the fountains were great to watch as we ate. The kids decided to have a little too much fun walking between the shoots of water and Boy-child got soaked. Oh well, his choice. Thankfully they were both wearing proper sandals and the sun was shining bright so he dried off fairly quickly.
Behind the bistro you can see the spire of an old church incorporated into modern architecture in the new CHUM hospital building.
Day 2 – Biodome and all it’s related buildings
Because we picked a hotel right at the train station, we didn’t have to get up too early to get anywhere fast. Calmly waking up and having breakfast before checking out first thing in the morning meant we didn’t feel rushed, no one was upset at anyone (because that’s how siblings react when rushed in the mornings), and overall felt calm and great about the day ahead.
And that’s how I strive to slow-travel. Calm and without rush. It will all get done and will all work out. Check out our complete guide to the Biodome for detailed information regarding prices, touring plans and more.
Biodome
4 very different biomes within the Biodome showcase the diversity of Canada’s wildlife. Arriving early means beating the tour groups and seeing the animals move about their enclosure more freely and without much noise distraction. It takes about an hour to complete the Biodome andeverything except the messazine are handy/stroller friendly.
Planetarium
Around the corner from the Biodome is the Planetarium. The main museum has lots of information regarding space and everything we have learned about the history of Space and Space travel. There are two cinemas that constantly play movies and interactive shows for children and adults, in both English and French.
Insectarium
At the mouth of the Montreal Botanical Gardens, you will also find the entrance to the Insectarium. If you are not fans of bugs, but like Butterflies, this is still the right place for. There are interactive activities for the kids to learn about insects, a beautiful Butterfly conservatory at the end of the journey, and a small room with insects displayed in all their colourful beauty. The room is easy enough to bypass for those, like me, that don’t care much for this section. The rest is still very much worth checking out.
Montreal Botancial Gardens
The Montreal Botanical Gardens is the last stop in this park. Covering 190 acres, it contains a greenhouse complex full of plants from around the world, and large outdoor gardens, each with a specific theme. The greenhouse is open year round, hosting the annual Butterflies Go Free exhibit from February to April. By mid-afternoon the touring groups have started to make their way towards the gardens so I would recommend the Chinese Garden first, where there are more photo opportunities, and it is a mcuh tighter space than the rest of the Montreal Botanical Gardens. Work your way around counter-clockwise and end at the Rose Garden back at the entrance.
Hometime
Depending on when you leave and how full of Poutine the family is, you will arrive home just in time for late dinner and you have saved yourself the cost of eating out.
Pro Tip – Travelling with Snacks is all about filling up on healthy snacks in order to stave-off hunger until we get home or to the restaurant of our choice. This is a key way to save time and money. You will always find me traveling with a Backpack or Backpack purse, that way we don’t need to purchase snacks between meals nearly as often.
Top Attractions in Montreal, Canada for Families
Of course our 2 day trip didn’t cover everything there is to see in Montreal, so I am including a short list of other Top Attractions that are on our list for next summer when we do this all over again.
- Pointe-à-Callière Montreal Archaeology and History Complex
- Montreal Science Centre
- Mount Royal Park
- Parc La Fontaine
- Six Flags La Ronde
- Montreal’s Chinatown
- Dorchester Square
- Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal
- Ecomuseum Zoo