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Planning Montreal, Quebec, in winter with kids? I have been to Montreal in winter twice, in December 2018 and in January 2025, and my last trip was a 24 hour winter trip to see my sister while she was visiting. It was cold, short, and still worth it. Montreal in winter is a city trip, so the secret is to plan a mix of indoor stops and a few outdoor moments, and to dress for the cold. Here are the things to do in Montreal, Canada, in winter with kids, the festival dates for 2026 and 2027, how to get there from Toronto, where to stay and what to wear.
Is Montreal worth visiting in winter with kids?
Yes, as long as you plan for the weather. I will be honest, I prefer indoor or summer activities, and summer is my favourite time to visit Montreal. But Montreal, Quebec, is a city that keeps going in winter. There are Christmas markets in November and December, free outdoor skating rinks, snow tubing on Mount Royal, winter festivals in January and February, and a whole underground network downtown, so you can move between malls, metro stations and the train station without going outside.
Canada is known for its snowy winters, especially in cities like Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City, and the temperature can drop below -20°C. The good news is that most indoor places put the heat on in winter, so with the right layers you can spend a day outside, warm up inside, and go back out again.
When is the best time to visit Montreal in winter?
It depends on what you want to see. Each part of the winter has its own events, so pick your dates around the one your family would enjoy most. These are the dates listed for the 2026 and 2027 season when I checked in October 2026. Some of them are still marked as to be confirmed, so check the official site before you book.
- Christmas markets, from late November to early January: Le Grand Marché de Noël runs at Place des Festivals downtown, with free admission, and listings give opening dates in mid to late November 2026 through 3 January 2027. The Village de Noël sits near Atwater Market and is listed from 26 November to 24 December 2026.
- Igloofest, from 14 January to 6 February 2027: the outdoor winter music festival in the Old Port. It is for adults 18 and over, so this one is for a night out if you have a babysitter.
- Fête des neiges de Montréal, in January and February: the snow festival at Parc Jean-Drapeau. Past editions ran on weekends from mid January to early February. The 2027 dates were not out yet when I checked, and the program is usually announced in December.
- Montréal en Lumière, listed for 18 to 28 February 2027: the winter festival in the Quartier des Spectacles, with a free outdoor site, light installations, rides and entertainment for children. The 2026 edition ran from 27 February to 7 March, so confirm the 2027 dates before you plan around it.
March break also works well. March break 2027 in Ontario runs from 15 to 19 March, and my March break 2027 guide from Toronto has Montreal as one of the close to home ideas, along with sun and snow trips.
How do you get from Toronto to Montreal in winter with kids?
You have 3 good options: the train, the car or the plane. You may want to compare the prices, because I have found that sometimes it is cheaper to drive.
Toronto to Montreal by train
VIA Rail runs trains between Toronto Union Station and Montreal Central Station, and the trip takes about 5 to 5.5 hours depending on the train. VIA prices change with demand, so booking ahead usually gets you a better fare. In winter, it helps that Montreal Central Station is connected to the Underground City, so you can arrive with the kids and the bags and stay inside all the way to the metro or to a connected hotel. Check viarail.ca for child fares and current offers before you book.
Toronto to Montreal by car
Driving between Toronto and Montreal takes about 5 hours without stops, and more with kids and winter roads. A car is easy for the luggage and the snow gear, but check the weather before you leave, plan your stops, and remember that parking downtown Montreal is paid. Quebec requires winter tires on cars registered in Quebec from 1 December to 15 March, including rental cars, and winter tires are worth having on your own car for this drive too.
Toronto to Montreal by plane
The flight from Toronto to Montreal is about 1 hour 15 minutes, and Air Canada, Porter, WestJet and Air Transat fly the route. For my 24 hour trip in January 2025, I flew in and out of Montreal-Trudeau airport (YUL). If you are flying with little ones, Montreal airport has a fun play area for kids, and when we had a layover there on our way to Lyon, my eldest loved playing the airport piano.
From the airport to downtown, a taxi or an Uber is the simplest with kids. If you want it booked before you land, you can book a Montreal airport transfer with Kiwitaxi. Here are my tips on choosing an airline for a family trip and on protecting your stroller and car seat when flying. If you are going without your partner, here is how to travel alone with your kids.
Where to stay in Montreal with kids in winter
In winter, location matters more than in summer, because every walk is a cold walk. These are the 2 areas I would look at.
- Downtown Montreal: close to the Underground City, the Eaton Centre, Place des Festivals and the Esplanade Tranquille rink. If a hotel is connected to the underground network, it usually says so in its listing, and that is worth looking for with kids in January.
- Old Montreal (Vieux-Montréal): cobblestone streets, the Old Port and the Montreal Science Centre close by, and the most beautiful area to walk in the snow. It is a little further from the downtown malls, so plan on the metro or a taxi.
You can search hotels in downtown Montreal and Old Montreal on Booking.com or compare Montreal hotels on Hotels.com. Hotels in Canada can be more expensive around the winter holidays, so book early if you are going in December.
Things to do in Montreal in winter with kids
Balance is everything in winter. Plan one outdoor activity, then an indoor one, then food, and you will have a much better day than if you try to stay outside the whole time.
Montreal Underground City (RÉSO)
The Underground City, now called RÉSO, is about 32 km of tunnels and indoor walkways that connect downtown buildings, shopping centres, metro stations and Central Station. It links places like the Eaton Centre, Place Ville Marie, Complexe Desjardins and Place des Arts, so on a very cold day you can walk, shop, eat and take the metro without going outside. With kids, it is the easiest way to get around downtown in January.
Montreal Biodôme, Planetarium and Insectarium
The Montreal Biodôme is a kids’ favourite, and it is a good indoor stop in winter. It recreates different ecosystems under one roof, so you can go from a tropical forest to the polar world in the same visit, and it is warm inside while it snows outside. The Biodôme and the Planetarium sit side by side at the Olympic Park, and the Insectarium and the Montreal Botanical Garden are right across the street, so you can do 2 of them in one day. They are all part of Espace pour la vie. Children under 4 are free (checked October 2026), and it is worth booking your time slot online before you go, especially during the holidays and March break.
Montreal Science Centre and the Old Port
The Montreal Science Centre is another indoor stop, right at the Old Port. It is hands-on, with a space for the youngest kids and experiments for the older ones, plus an IMAX theatre. La Grande Roue observation wheel is also at the Old Port, and it is on my list of indoor things to do in Montreal. One thing to know if you remember the old skating rink at the Old Port: it closed for good in 2025, so plan your skating at one of the rinks below.
If you want to book some activities ahead, you can look for Montreal tours and activities on Viator.
Old Montreal in the snow
Old Montreal is beautiful in winter, with its stone buildings and cobblestone streets, and a short walk along Rue Saint-Paul is enough with kids before everyone needs to warm up. For the indoor part, Notre-Dame Basilica, the Pointe-à-Callière Museum and Château Ramezay are all in or next to Old Montreal. Keep the walks short and plan a warm stop every hour.
Ice skating in Montreal: Mount Royal and Esplanade Tranquille
Outdoor skating is a classic Montreal winter activity, and the 2 rinks below are free to skate on.
- Beaver Lake (Lac aux Castors) on Mount Royal: a big refrigerated outdoor rink next to the Beaver Lake Pavilion, run with Les amis de la montagne. Entry is free if you bring your own skates, and you can rent skates on site. The 2026 to 2027 season is listed from 12 December 2026 to 8 March 2027, weather permitting.
- Esplanade Tranquille in the Quartier des Spectacles: a free outdoor rink downtown, at the corner of Sainte-Catherine West and Clark, close to Place-des-Arts metro. You can rent skates and helmets on site, and at night a projection lights up the ice. It usually runs from November to April.
Snow tubing and snowshoeing on Mount Royal
If your kids love the snow, Mount Royal Park has snow tubing on the slopes above Beaver Lake, snowshoe and cross-country ski rentals, and lessons for children. The slopes only open when conditions are safe, so check lemontroyal.qc.ca on the day. The Beaver Lake Pavilion has a café inside to warm up after, and Mount Royal is the same park that is on my summer list for the sunset views.
Christmas markets in Montreal
If you are going in December, Le Grand Marché de Noël at Place des Festivals is the big downtown one, with free admission, and the Village de Noël near Atwater Market is a smaller one in the Saint-Henri area. They are an easy way to see the city in its holiday lights. If you love Christmas markets, here is my guide to Paris, France, in December with kids, and my tips to choose your family’s Christmas break destination.
Fête des neiges and Montréal en Lumière
These are the 2 winter festivals for families. The Fête des neiges at Parc Jean-Drapeau is the snow festival, held on winter weekends, and Montréal en Lumière in the Quartier des Spectacles has a free outdoor site with lights, rides, skating and shows. Check the dates above and plan your weekend around one of them if you can.
What to wear in Montreal in winter with kids
The winters are cold, and I was not prepared for that when I moved to Canada. Bundle up and wear layers, because most indoor places put the heat on in winter, and you will be taking things off and putting them back on all day.
- Layers for everyone: a base layer, a warm sweater and a winter coat, so the kids can take a layer off in the Underground City or the Biodôme and put it back on before going outside.
- Snow pants, warm waterproof boots, a hat and mittens for the kids, especially if you are skating, tubing or going to a festival. A spare pair of mittens and socks in the bag helps when one pair gets wet.
- A big scarf: I bought mine in 2017 and I still take it on every trip, because it works as a blanket when someone gets cold on the plane or at the hotel, and as a stroller cover when we are exploring.
- For travel day, the kids wear the same airport outfit every time: long pants and closed-toe shoes, because airports and planes are always cold.
Pack the hats, mittens and pyjamas for the first night in the carry-on, so you can land or arrive and go straight out, or straight to bed, without opening the big suitcase.
Getting around Montreal in winter
The STM runs the Montreal metro and buses, and the metro is a good option for the central areas, especially in winter when you can go from station to station through the Underground City. Uber and taxis are easy too, and with kids and a stroller in the snow, a short taxi ride is often worth it. Sidewalks can be icy and full of snow piles, so a stroller is harder to push than in summer. For a baby, a carrier can be easier for the outdoor parts of the day.
Quebec is mainly French-speaking, so knowing a few basic French phrases helps. Sales taxes are not included in the prices, and in Quebec you pay about 15% in taxes at checkout, so expect to pay more than the price you see on the menu or the tag. If you are visiting Canada for the first time, here is what you need to know before your first trip to Canada.
Montreal in winter or in summer?
Both, if you can. Montreal during the summer is amazing, and it is still my favourite time to visit, with Jean-Talon Market, the Lachine Canal and the outdoor festivals. My guide to things to do in Montreal in summer has the full list. In winter the days are shorter and the walks are colder, but you get the Christmas markets, the skating and the snow, and the Biodôme and the Science Centre work in every season.
If you want more winter ideas close to home, here is my Toronto, Ontario, with kids guide, with skating and the holiday markets, and my family guide to Blue Mountain Village for skiing, tubing and skating 2 hours from Toronto.
What I pack for trips like this
The things I actually use are in my Amazon store: my packing essentials list and my electronic must-haves for travel list.
If you are planning Montreal in winter, my pre-travel checklist is the list I run before every trip, and it is free. You can get it here.
Planning Montreal with your kids this winter? Send me a message on Instagram and tell me when you are going.