Short Trip to Montreal

See a giant apple, drive by a Thousand Islands, tour the War of 1812 Fort Wellington, and check out the Olympic Park Biodome in Montreal!

After stopping in Toronto, we headed to Canada’s second city, Montreal, and checked out more amazing places along the way.

(If you’re planning a road trip from the Midwest to Canada, you can visit Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia all in one drive. So here was our amazing Canadian adventure!)

DRIVE TO MONTREAL

FIRST STOP BIG APPLE

Our first major stop is The Big Apple. This area of Ontario is known for its orchards.

This roadside attraction has food, a country store, miniature golf, a petting zoo, and children’s train rides.

You can watch them bake the goods.

At the back of the country store is The Big Apple, which you can walk inside and even go to the top, although it was cloudy the day we were there.

We bought an apple bread for a reasonable price and wished we had bought more than one, it was so good.

Hours: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., daily

Address: 262 Orchard Rd, Colborne, ON K0K 1S0, Canada

THOUSAND ISLANDS PARKWAY

Next, we turned onto the Thousand Islands Parkway, where you drive along the St. Lawrence River.

Here you have a view of the many islands, some with houses on them.

We stopped at the Thousand Islands Viewpoint to look out over the rocky shore and see distant islands.

Address: Thousand Islands Viewpoint, 291 Thousand Islands Pkwy, Leeds and the Thousand Islands, ON K0E, Canada

If you have more time, you can stop at the Thousand Islands National Park Visitor Center. There is an entrance fee, but you can rent a kayak here.

Address: 1121 Thousand Islands Pkwy, Mallorytown, ON K0E 1R0, Canada

FORT WELLINGTON NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

This well-preserved nineteenth-century fort was strategically important during the War of 1812. The British even attacked nearby Ogdensburg, New York.

In the museum section are the remains of a ship including a cannon.

You can walk around the fort and see where the officers and soldiers spent their time.

My son enjoyed exploring the passageways.

Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday-Monday; closed Tuesday-Wednesday

Admission: Check the website for different rates

Address: 370 Vankoughnet St., Prescott, ON K0E 1T0, Canada

BATTLE OF THE WINDMILL NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

Just north of town on Highway 2 is the Battle of the Windmill National Historic Site.

*View of the St. Lawrence Seaway from inside the Windmill*

There is no windmill, but there is a lighthouse that you can go inside.

Hours: 10 am – 5 pm, July-August, Thursday-Monday; Closed Tuesday-Wednesday.

Admission: There is a small fee to go inside to the top.

Address: Battle of the Windmill Historic Site, Windmill Rd, Prescott, ON K0E 1T1, Canada

MONTREAL STAY

Next, we went to Montreal for our stay.

We chose the Holiday Inn Montreal Centreville Downtown which is located in Montreal’s Chinatown and close to the old part of Montreal. Also nearby is a subway station, which you can take to other parts of the city.

The hotel also had a koi pond in the lobby.

Address: 999 Rue Saint-Urbain, Montreal, QC H2Z 0B4, Canada

Near the hotel is the gate to Chinatown.

Address: 975 St. Laurent Blvd, Montreal, Quebec H2Z 1J4, Canada

*Cafes and stores fill the streets of Montreal*

OLD MONTREAL

That night, we went out to dinner with relatives and took a walk around Old Montreal.

We stopped in front of the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal. It was built between 1824 and 1829 and has two towers reminiscent of Notre Dame de Paris. The church is open to the public.

Address: 110 Notre-Dame St W, Montreal, Quebec H2Y 1T1, Canada

*Le Grande Roue de Montreal by the St. Lawrence Seaway*

La Grande Roue de Montreal

Located near the Old Port is Canada’s largest Ferris wheel Le Grande Roue de Montreal. An admission fee is charged.

Address: 362 Rue de la Commune E, Montreal, QC H2Y 0B4, Canada

BIODOME

The next day we spent at the Biodome in Montreal’s Olympic Park.

It is a large natural science museum that is a mixture of a zoo, aquarium, and botanical garden housed in a former Olympic velodrome.

It offers an immersive visit through five ecosystems of the Americas: the Tropical Rainforest, lush and warm even during the Montreal winter; the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which showcases marine life; the Laurentian Maple Forest, which changes with the seasons; and the Labrador Coast and Sub-Antarctic Islands.

My son loved the winter exhibit with penguins and an ice wall.

Hours: 9 am – 6 pm, daily in summer. Hours may vary by season, check the website for more information.

Admission: $22.75, adults; $20.50, 65 and older; $16.50 (students 18 and older with ID); $11.50, ages 5-17; $62.75, family.

Address: 4777 Pierre-de Coubertin Ave, Montreal, Quebec H1V 1B3, Canada

NOTE: There are activities such as the Insectarium or the Botanical Garden, but we did not have time for these other activities.

ST. HELEN’S ISLAND

Next, we spent some time on St. Helen’s Island and walked around the area. You can take a ferry or the subway, which we did.

The island was the site of an Expo 67 World’s Fair. Several popular Montreal attractions are located on Saint Helen’s Island, including Montreal’s Biosphere, Environment Museum located in a large geodesic dome that was first introduced at Expo ’67. Another attraction on Saint Helen’s Island is La Ronde, a theme park owned by Six Flags.

The island is like a park and we walked the grounds and took in the view of Montreal.

On the island is a large sculpture, the massive Trois Disques, created in 1962 as a gift from France.

We wanted to take the ferry back, but the wait was too long, so we had to take the subway. It was also too late in the day to do any other activities.

Then we had dinner in Old Montreal.

We were only free for one day in Montreal, so we didn’t have time to do everything. These are a few of the many attractions and activities to do in the largest French city in the world.

Check out Tourisme Montreal for more ideas!