Guide to the Montreal Botanical Gardens

Find Out What You Need to Know Before Visiting Montreal's Botanical Gardens

By
Evelyn Reid
Evelyn Reid, a TripSavvy contributor covering Montreal travel and beyond.
Evelyn Reid
Evelyn Reid is a writer who specializes in Montreal.
TripSavvy's editorial guidelines
Updated on 07/07/19
Fact checked by
Erin Medlicott
Fact checked by Erin Medlicott
New York University
Rutgers University
Erin Medlicott is a fact checker and researcher with a background in lifestyle and finance. Prior to her work at TripSavvy, she did financial research for the American Express Departures Magazine as well as the Wall Street Journal. She earned a
TripSavvy's fact-checking
Montreal Botanical Garden in summer, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Perry Mastrovito / Getty Images

There's no doubt the gardens are a hit with tourists. Attracting in the upwards of 700,000 to 900,000 visitors a year, the Montreal Botanical Garden, one of the largest of its kind in the world, is often overlooked by locals

The Jardin Botanique de Montréal features some of the most beautiful grounds in the city. A haven with almost 200 different bird species, a fox family, and 22,000 types of plants, flowers, and trees, the Montreal Botanical Garden is more than a summer tourist destination, it's a refuge for locals needing a break from city life. It's a year-round attraction featuring some of Montreal's most popular annual events, including Butterflies Go Free and Gardens of Light.

The gardens also share space with the Montreal Insectarium, a family-friendly museum filled with live scarabs, tarantulas, and scorpions as well as thousands of different arthropods.

Pavilion, Chinese Garden, Montreal, Canada
Guenther Schwermer / Getty Images

What to See and Do

Arguably the most beautiful location in the city, the Montreal Botanical Garden's ten indoor greenhouses are open year-round. Meanwhile, spring, summer, and fall feature several outdoor theme gardens, including the following:

  • Chinese garden
  • Japanese garden
  • Shade garden
  • Water garden
  • Lily garden
  • Rosegarden
  • Arboretum
  • First Nations garden.

Opening Hours

This haven for the harried urban dweller and tourist destination has different hours depending on the season and is open many holidays.

November to Mid-May: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday
Mid-May until Labor Day: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., every day
After Labor Day until October 31: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., every day
Closed December 25 and December 26.
Open New Year's Day, Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Admission Fees

From January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019, the entrance fees are:

  • Adult Admission: $20.50 CDN ($16 CDN for a resident of Quebec)
  • Persons 65+: $18.75 CDN ( $15.00 CDN for a resident of Quebec)
  • Students 18+ with ID: $15 CDN ($12.25 CDN for a resident of Quebec)
  • Children ages 5 - 17: $10.25 CDN ($8.00 CDN for a resident of Quebec)
  • Family Package: $56.75 CDN ($45.00 CDN for residents of Quebec)

Save money and pay less on admission fees with the Accès Montréal card. The Montreal Botanical Garden admission grants complimentary access to the Montreal Insectarium.

Parking Fees

Parking is $12 for the day, less for half-days and evenings. For visitors intent on saving money on parking, try finding a free neighborhood parking spot just North of the Botanical Gardens, near the Treehouse/arboretum entrance on Rosemont, in between Pie-IX and Viau, such as up on 29th Avenue. It's further away than parking in the designated lots though: factor in a 10- to 15-minute walk to get to the main gardens.

Getting There

To get to the gardens using public transportation, get off at Pie-IX Metro on the green line. The Olympic Stadium will be in plain view upon exiting the Pie-IX Metro station. Walk uphill on Pie-IX Boulevard past the stadium until you reach the corner of Sherbrooke. The garden gates should be visible across the street. Here's a map of the area. For directions by car, call (514) 872-1400 for more information.

The address is 4101 Sherbrooke East, corner of Pie-IX. MAP

Montreal Botanical Gardens: Food and Facilities

There's a picnic area selling light meals and snacks near the Insectarium. It's by the Montreal Botanical Garden's Japanese Pavilion. Visitors who bring their own lunch can eat there as well as at the Montreal Botanical Garden's snack bar but not elsewhere on the grounds

Nearby Attractions

The Montreal Botanical Garden is quite a ways removed from the downtown core, but it's in close proximity to a smattering of popular attractions that can keep tourists and residents busy the entire day. Sharing space with the Montreal Insectarium, the gardens are a brief walk from the Olympic Park, the Montreal Biodome's five ecosystems—think climate-controlled rainforest in the dead of winter (the Biodome is closed until mid-2019)—and the Planetarium. 

Accommodations Near the Montreal Botanical Garden

Though the Montreal Botanical Garden is a major city attraction, it's not centrally located. Choice hotel accommodations are located closer to downtown like Montreal's top boutique hotels or in Old Montreal.