City Page Type: Destination

The Montreal Science Centre was first established in 2000 but it didn’t go by its current name until 2002. It was originally known as the iSci Centre. In addition to containing a number of interactive science and technology exhibits, the Montreal Science Centre is also home to an IMAX theater. The movies shown in this theater always contain spectacular imagery and amazing insights into the power of nature, science, and technology.   The center’s interactive exhibitions are a delight for visitors when compared to more traditional museum displays. For example, The Windmills of the Imagination exhibition contains the world’s first electricity-to-water and water-to-wind transformers. Visitors can interact with these transformers and learn some basics of “applied pataphysics,” as well as more about the machine’s inventor.   In addition to the center’s daily operations, the Montreal Science Centre Foundation is dedicated to impacting the local community through a number of initiatives, including an extensive sponsorship program. Each year, the foundation gives out nearly 10,000 free passes for underprivileged youth to visit the science center. They also provide yearly memberships to the Montreal Science Centre for more than 100 underprivileged families in their area.

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, MMFA) is Canada’s largest art museum. The museum recently completed a substantial expansion of its facilities and now spans across five separate pavilions. Its two principal pavilions include the original 1912 Montreal Beaux Arts style Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion, and the Modernist style Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion, designed by Moshe Safdie (of Habitat 67 fame). The museum’s permanent collection comprises over 44,000 works and includes everything from ancient Mesoamerican ceramics and European oil paintings to 1920 streamline moderne teapots and Inuit soapstone carvings.   In addition to its permanent collection, the MMFA is known for its high-profile seasonal expositions featuring Canadian and International artists alike. Recent exhibits have included major retrospectives on the works of fashion icon Thierry Mugler, American sculptor Alexander Calder, the early modernist Marc Chagall, and photographic pioneer Robert Maplethorpe, among many others.

Located in Maisonneuve Park, in the borough of Rosemont-La-Petite-Patrie, the Montreal Botanical Gardens are one of four nearby nature-focused venues that make up Montreal’s Space for Life museum district. The gardens were founded at the height of the Great Depression in 1931, as a make-work project at the insistence of local botanist and religious figure, Brother Marie-Victorin. Today, the gardens are considered among one of the best in the world, featuring over 22,000 plant species, ten greenhouses, and dozens of outdoor thematic gardens. Among others, these gardens include an Alpine garden, a Chinese garden, a First-Nations garden, a Japanese garden, and even a bonsai garden with a diminutive needle juniper that is over 370 years old. The garden is also home to a giant bronze lion statue called The Lion de la Feuillée, found near the entrance to the rose garden. The monument was a gift from Lyon, France, donated in 1992 to celebrate Montreal’s 350th anniversary.

Some call it a small mountain. Some call it a hill. But whichever way you lean, Mont Royal offers some of the best panoramic views of Montreal without actually having to leave the city. It is part of a longer chain of hills called the Monteregian Hills, which lie between the Laurentians to the northwest and the Appalachian Mountains to the southeast.   The park that surrounds Mont Royal is one of the city’s most sizable green spaces. It features a number of winding nature trails and boat rentals for those interested in going on a quick paddle on Beaver Lake. The park was first inaugurated in 1876 and was actually designed by the same man who designed New York’s Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted. It covers more than 200 hectares and offers Montreal residents year-round outdoor recreation opportunities.    Mont Royal is one of the most highly visual landmarks in the St. Lawrence Valley. As such, it was designated as a Historic and Natural District by the Quebec government in 2005. It is actually the first place to receive such a designation in the entire province. The park boasts a number of eco-friendly activities for visitors to enjoy, including birdwatching, snowshoeing excursions, ice skating, and participating in the park’s Annual Mountain Clean-Up Day!

Established in 1821, McGill University is among Canada’s most prestigious institutions for higher education. Among its alumni, the school boasts the most Nobel laureates and Rhodes Scholars in the country on top of numerous astronauts, billionaires, former prime ministers, justices of the Canadian Supreme Court, and dozens of members of many national legislatures. If that wasn’t enough, McGill has also seen several winners of Academy Awards, Grammys, and Pulitzer Prizes grace its classrooms. Offering degrees and diplomas in over 300 different fields of study, most of McGill’s students are enrolled in the institution’s five largest faculties of Arts, Science, Medicine, Engineering, and Management. On top of its prominent downtown campus, McGill is connected to multiple research institutes located across Canada and in countries such as Barbados. It’s an amazing gathering place for academics both national and international.

Originally built as an entertainment complex for Expo 67, the La Ronde amusement park is the second largest of its kind in all of Canada. Host to a range of family activities, 9 roller coasters, 3 water rides, thrill rides, and the international fireworks competition, L’International des Feux Loto-Québec, there are few reasons to not pay this collection of entertainments a visit during your next visit to Montreal. Spanning across 146 acres, La Ronde is owned and operated by the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation and has acquired more and more rides with each passing year. One of the most notable rides is Le Monstre, a 131-foot high wooden double-tracked roller coaster which is said to hold the record for being the highest double-tracked roller coaster in the world.

Officially established in 1974, Concordia University represents the combination of Loyola College (founded in 1896) and Sir George Williams University (founded in 1926). Today, the university is spread across Montreal with its Loyola campus in the neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and the large, sprawling Sir George Williams campus downtown. With over 300 undergraduate and 100 graduate programs and courses, including one of Canada’s top 10 business schools, Concordia University has made significant leaps and strides in academia and research despite its relatively young age as an institution. With its prime location in downtown Montreal, the university boasts a vibrant and urban lifestyle alongside athletics, student organizations and student-run media outlets, in addition to a reputation for being significantly politically active. Its alumni include the likes of world famous authors, scientists, artists, athletes, political leaders, presidents, and CEOs.

The Biosphere Environmental Museum sits within a notable architectural masterpiece. The building was designed by famous American architect Buckminster Fuller and housed the United States pavilion during the Expo 67 world’s fair. The museum’s overarching mission is to “raise citizen awareness, action, and engagement on significant environmental issues”.    The various educational exhibitions within the museum tackle a wide variety of environmental topics and challenges. These include, but are not limited to, sustainable development, biodiversity, and climate change. The museum is also home to various interactive displays related to local issues. For example, the Planet MTL exhibit allows visitors to assume the role of the city’s mayor for a brief time. You can learn the complexities of managing an urban ecosystem as you deal with traffic jams, snowstorms, international events, and more.    From various points throughout the museum, visitors can also enjoy amazing views of the river and downtown Montreal. 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of this one-of-a-kind museum, and if you visit on May 31st, which is Montreal Museums Day, you’ll be able to gain access for free!

The Montreal Biodome officially opened its doors in June of 1998 with a mission to educate, research, conserve, and protect the natural diversity of the Americas. The Biodome, meaning the “house of life,” lives up to its namesake, featuring flora and fauna from five different ecosystems of the Americas. Guests are invited to walk through the following ecosystems: The Tropical Rainforest, the Laurentian Maple Forests, the Gulf of St Lawrence, and Subpolar regions of America (specifically the Labrador Coast and Sub-Antarctic Islands).   Each unique biome immerses their visitors by inviting them to take a walk through where guests can get an up close and personal experience marvelling at the diversity of each ecosystem. The Tropical Rainforest features sky-high mangrove trees where macaws take shelter, enclosures with capybaras, a bat cave, and so much more. The Laurentian Maple Forests gives guests a unique view of North American animals (such as the Lynx, the Raccoon, and the Porcupine) in their natural habitat. The Subpolar regions will be a chilly treat where they can experience first hand the atmosphere in which penguins and auks live in.

When it comes to seeing the biggest star-studded shows and sporting events featuring Canadian hockey, the Bell Centre is the must-visit destination in Montreal. Ever since it first opened in 1996, this sports and entertainment complex is regarded as one of the busiest in Canada for its high attendance rates. While its stage has seen the likes of artists both historical—Leonard Cohen, Celine Dion, U2 and Bob Dylan, to name a few—and up-and-coming, any fan of the Montreal Canadiens knows this is the place for a true fan of the team to visit. The complex features 21,273 seats, making it the largest arena for hockey in North America, and is hallowed ground for Montreal’s own home team which has won 24 Stanley Cups in its lifetime.