5 Awesome Things to Do the Next Time You Visit Montreal

YES, MONTREAL HAS an incredible food scene. (Poutine, sure, but also Haitian griot, Vietnamese pho, and Thai curry.) Yes, the city has a European vibe. (Mainly old Montreal—and also all the French words.) But the 514 has so much more to offer—especially if you’re looking for adventure. As a seventh-generation Montrealer, here’s what I tell my fit friends to do when they’re in town.

Summit the City

When Montrealers talk about “the mountain,” they mean the big hill called Mount Royal that overlooks downtown. The climb takes 339 steps to the lookout point, where I like to take first-time visitors because nothing beats the view. There’s a short loop around the park (designed by the same guy, Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park) and then it’s back down the 339. Nothing too rough, but we’re just getting started.

Hit the Water

Most people outside of Montreal don’t realize that the city is located on an island. Which means you should rent a kayak (Lachine Canal Nauticla Centre makes it easy) paddle the Lachine Canal. But you should also join up with a Rafting Montreal trip through the Class I/II Lachine Rapids along the Saint Lawrence. Not exciting enough for you? Rent a seat on a massive jet boat via Saute-Moutons and smash through that same whitewater. (Just bring a change of clothes.)

Cycle Everywhere

Montreal has more than 435 miles of bike path. That’s roughly the same driving distance from Philadelphia to Cleveland. The 43-miles of the West Island Heritage Bicycle Trail weaves between historic sites and nature parks. Downtown, bike routes cut through the city, and even the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve,the track where the Grand Prix de Montreal is held every summer. For one weekend it’s taken over by Formula One race cars, but the rest of the year, it’s a park. (If you’re not traveling with your bike, grab a ride from the city’s Bixi bike-sharing system, the first in North America.)

Go Aerial

Cirque de Soleil started in Montreal and still debuts their shows in a throwback big top by the Old Port. But you can also test your strength and flexibility with a class at Le Châteaude Cirque, a trapezium (real thing!). And if you’re in the city come July, Montreal also hosts Complètement Cirque, a new-school circus festival that features acrobatics, stunt work, and highwire acts.

Unwind Dockside

If you’re looking to ease out of your trip, try Bota Bota. The floating spa is actually a boat moored in the Old Port—and many of its services fully embrace the concept. Like the spacious sun deck sauna with its window looking out over the city. Or its open-air mineral hot tub. Or its hydrotherapy treatments. However you relax, end your session in a ceiling mounted hammocks-for-one. That’s living.