Montreal is filled with lush gardens, sprawling parks and expansive green spaces—and one of our very favourites is the Montreal Botanical Garden.
One of the city's treasures, it is celebrated as one of the world's finest botanical gardens, hosting an array of events, exhibitions, and activities throughout the year.
The Garden boasts a collection of 20,000 plant taxa, including hybrid species and cultivars, with 5,300 housed in greenhouses—the perfect place to find some peace and quiet after attending one of Montreal’s festivals or beach parties.
Among these 20,000 taxa, 800 species are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Visitors can explore ten exhibition greenhouses, three cultural gardens, the Frédéric-Back Tree Pavilion, and more than fifteen thematic gardens across 75 hectares. It's an ideal spot for enjoying fresh air and natural beauty.
What’s new at the Montreal Botanical Garden?
In collaboration with the Urban Parks Division of the City of Montreal and the firm Lemay, Pelletier de Fontenay has designed a new pavilion to enhance visitor orientation and navigation while preserving the site's cultural heritage.
Taking inspiration from 18th- and 19th-century English gardens, the new pavilion highlights the connection between human-made structures and nature.
By intentionally minimizing its size, the pavilion will gradually merge with its environment, serving as a habitat for greenery, insects, birds, and small animals.
The pavilion also eliminates the boundaries between the indoors and outdoors thanks to large sliding doors which can remain open during warmer months.
And the Corten steel exterior also provides an ideal surface for vining plants.
The firm won a Prix d’excellence 2024 from l’Ordre des Architectes du Québec for the entrance pavilion of the new insectarium.
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How much does it cost to go to the Botanical Garden?
Free for children under age 4, free to those accompanying people with disabilities (one person accompanying per people with disabilities) and free to the Jardin botanique for Aboriginal people (upon presentation of a status card or other if available).
The other rates vary and can be found here.
How long does it take to walk through the Montreal Botanical Garden?
A 2-3 hour window will give you enough time to visit the gardens, unless you are an amateur botanist.
Just minutes from downtown Montreal, the Montreal Botanical Garden is a living museum showcasing plants from around the world, and is just steps from the Biodôme and Olympic Park—home to one of Canada’s largest food truck festivals.
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