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Montreal in Winter with Kids: 5 Family Outings

Things to Do · Montreal

Montreal in Winter with Kids: 5 Family Outings

With kids, Montreal winters work best when you alternate: an outing outdoors when the sun is out, an outing indoors when the cold bites. Here are five addresses that work for families, from a free park to a museum dressed up for the holidays.

Suggested itinerary

1ParcJean-Drapeau2MontrealScience Centre3The Atrium Le1000 rink4Parc-nature del'Île-de-la-Visitation5The holidays atthe McCord Stewart Museum
1

Parc Jean-Drapeau

★★★★★FamiliesBudgetOutdoors
Date

The 2025-2026 season ran from January 9 to March 8, 2026; dates for winter 2026-2027 will be posted on the Park's winter activities page.

Cost

Free activities; parking is extra.

Tickets
  • No ticket needed — bring your own sled or sliding mat, or rent equipment on site from Patin Patin.
Address

Parc Jean-Drapeau, Île Sainte-Hélène, Montréal, QC.

Skating by the river and sledding at Espace 67. In winter, Parc Jean-Drapeau offers a free program: a refrigerated skating trail with a view of the river, the natural slope of Espace 67 for free sledding, three classic-style cross-country ski trails and snowshoeing. The park's partner Patin Patin rents equipment there, and several warming areas are set up near the activities. For a real day outdoors as a family, free, with downtown as the backdrop.

A large park in the middle of the river, minutes from downtown. Skating, sledding and cross-country skiing in one place, with no admission fee.

Last winter the Park also held “Glisse et groove” evenings with guest DJs — keep an eye on this season's program.

Getting there

By métro, bike, car or on foot — the options are detailed on the Park's website.

2

Montreal Science Centre

★★★★☆FamiliesYoung childrenVery cold days
Date

Open year-round, Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm, per the official hours.

Cost

$37 per adult, $27 per child aged 2 to 17, $118 for a family (2 adults and 2 children, or 1 adult and 3 children), free for children under 2, per the official rates.

Tickets
Address

2 de la Commune Street West, Montréal, QC H2Y 4B2.

Learning by touching everything. In the Old Port, the Montreal Science Centre brings together interactive exhibitions where children handle things, try and try again. The youngest have a world of their own: Mini Mondo, a world of educational activities in three zones for children aged 0 to 7. To keep curious kids busy and warm for a good half-day.

The Old Port's big interactive science museum. Mini Mondo, designed for ages 0 to 7, alongside exhibitions for older kids.

A classic on storm days, when nobody feels like taking the sled out.

Getting there

Place-d'Armes métro.

3

The Atrium Le 1000 rink

★★★★☆FamiliesBeginnersVery cold days
Date

Free skating Wednesday to Friday and Sunday from 11:30 am to 6 pm, and Saturday from 11:30 am to 9 pm; closed Monday and Tuesday, per the official schedule.

Cost

$12 admission, $10 skate rental and $1 helmet rental, per the official rates.

Tickets
Address

1000 De La Gauchetière Street West, Montréal, QC H3B 4W5.

Skating indoors, right downtown. Inside the tower at 1000 De La Gauchetière Street, the Atrium Le 1000 rink lets you skate indoors, out of the wind and snow. It's a good spot for first strides on skates: children aged 8 and under must be accompanied by an adult, and helmets are mandatory. To introduce little ones to skating without frozen mittens or red cheeks.

An indoor rink open year-round, in the heart of downtown. Skating without facing the cold, which reassures beginners and parents alike.

During the holidays and spring break the wait can reach 30 to 45 minutes, per the rink's FAQ — bring some patience.

Getting there

The building is connected directly to Bonaventure métro.

4

Parc-nature de l'Île-de-la-Visitation

★★★★☆FamiliesBudgetOutdoors
Date

Open 7 am to 10 pm; the status of each winter facility (open, closed, off-season) is updated on the park's official page.

Cost

Free access to the park; bring your own sled and snowshoes.

Tickets
  • No ticket needed.
Address

2425 Gouin Boulevard East, Montréal, QC H2B 1X7.

Sledding by the river. Along the Rivière des Prairies, Parc-nature de l'Île-de-la-Visitation is the most urban of Montreal's nature parks. In winter it has a sledding run, an easy 2.1 km snowshoe trail and an easy 3.6 km cross-country ski trail; you can also see the ruins of the old mills and the Maison du Pressoir. For an afternoon of sledding with a river view, far from the concrete.

A City of Montréal nature park, between Ahuntsic-Cartierville and Montréal-Nord. Easy sledding, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, with a bit of history thrown in.

The nature parks are Montreal's way of spending a day “in the woods” without leaving the island.

5

The holidays at the McCord Stewart Museum

★★★★★FamiliesHolidaysSmall budgets
Date

November 6, 2026 to January 10, 2027; pyjama day on Saturday, November 14, 2026, from 9 am to 5 pm.

Cost

$20 per adult online ($2 more at the door), free for ages 17 and under, per the Museum's admission fees; the pyjama day is free.

Tickets
  • Online ticketing on the Museum's website — reservation required for the pyjama day.
Address

690 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, QC H3A 1E9.

The mechanical Christmas windows. From November 6, 2026 to January 10, 2027, the McCord Stewart Museum runs a holiday program built around the return of the Ogilvy store's mechanical Christmas windows, which have delighted Montrealers for more than 75 years. On Saturday, November 14, from 9 am to 5 pm, a festive pyjama day offers free activities for the whole family, with a reservation. To kick off the holiday season with the kids, without spending much.

Montreal's history museum, downtown. Ogilvy's animated windows, with 21 Santa Claus figures from the Macdonald Stewart Foundation collection.

Going to see the Ogilvy Christmas windows is a Montreal tradition handed down from one generation to the next.

Good to know for newcomers

Good to know for newcomers. Winter facilities in the nature parks (sledding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing) only open once there is enough snow: each park's page on montreal.ca shows their current status, so check before heading out with the kids. Dress them in layers, with mittens, a tuque and a neck warmer, and keep a spare pair of socks in the bag: wet feet cut short more outings than the cold itself.

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