My wife and I visited on March 30. Still like winter outside, so we missed all the site would have offered in summer, but we were not disappointed by the inside displays. Pretty cool that they included interactive displays for kids and adults alike. The format for the facility was unlike any we've seen, making for an enjoyable visit. If we are ever back in Montreal during warmer weather, we would return.

An easy place to spend half a day. A bit outside the main city but worth the metro trip. I caught them right before the summer season so things were under construction, a lot of the gardens just had dirt or dead plants, many of the ponds didn't have water and the main building was under construction. Nonetheless, the gardens that weren't under construction were gorgeous. I still would recommend going to check it out. Especially if you're a plant lover.

A year ago in Paris we visited the Jardin Botanique, to that point in my life, the most impressive collection of plant life I’d ever seen. Our visit to the Botanical Gardens here in Montréal blew that experience out of the water. Don’t get me wrong, Paris is no slouch in the flora department, but the range and diversity of the Montréal collection, paired with the presentation in really authentic habitats really changed the game. Not to mention the gorgeous architecture of the China gardens, tea ceremonies and taiko drummers in the Japanese Gardens, and the largest and most aromatic collection of lilac trees and bushes anywhere—it was delightful. Cap that with a collection of mostly locally sourced and expertly prepared lunch selections—it was an incomparable day.

The lilacs and crabapple trees were in full bloom and were beautiful but that's about it. Tulips were spent and not much else was in bloom when we were there. Most of the benches were in use as nobody was really walking around, mostly just sitting on benches and visiting. The gift shop had a lot of general merchandise but hardly anything that had Montreal Botanical Garden branded on it. I guess we hit it at a bad time of year.

Beautiful and relaxing diversion in Montreal. Recommend strolling the various interesting gardens while taking your time away from the tourist bustle. Take 1 hour or 3. Easy subway access.

What a beautiful place to visit! Stunning, peaceful gardens with lots to suit all different ages. The outdoor cafe was a bit disappointing- big queues, not a huge menu and pricey so probably wouldn’t eat there again. We loved sitting in the yellow chairs and watching the world go by!

Jardin Botanique is large and spread out. We started with the Aquatic Garden, then onto the nearby the Japanese Garden, then ambled through the Shade Garden (not much to look at but it was shaded as the name suggests) to the larger Chinese Garden. From there we thought we’d take a look at the toxic plants was but it was closed – kind of disappointing when we went out of our way to see it. On our way to the toxic plants, there was a family with a boy who was having a total meltdown yelling something like I’m not falling for that again and I’m not walking any more. We felt for the kid and kind of agreed with him. It just felt like a lot of walking. The garden did seem to be lacking kid friendly stations with hands on activities or fun exhibits like gopher holes (NY Botanical Gardens). In Jardin Botanique, some years ago we had seen an impressive special exhibit called the Garden of Light. It was really special and we have such great memories of it. Without this exhibit, the gardens did not seem as interesting. In terms of logistics, we drove because it’s too far away from city center to walk, the busses looked infrequent, an uber would have cost C$20 plus tip and the metro at C$6.50 round trip for 1 person didn’t make sense for a party of 4. The main parking lot is small and it was challenging to find a parking spot – it took about 15 minutes. Entrance is timed so while you can buy tickets online, we didn’t know our exact timing so we decided to purchase the tickets upon arrival. We waited in line for maybe 10 minutes. To be clear, this is to gardens and the other “museums” are separate entrances and fees. If you want the passport which includes all 5 museums (Jardin Botanique, Insectarium, Biosphere, Biodome and Planetarium), you get directed inside the nearby building undoubtedly to wait on another line. Admission costs C$22.75 adult, C$20.50 senior 65+, C$16.50 student 18+ with card, C$11.50 children 5 to 17y, C$62.75.25 family 2 adults 2-3 children. Children under 4y are free but you’ll need to get a ticket for them. CMM residents get less expensive pricing C$17 adult, C$16 senior 65+, C$13.25 student 18+ with card, C$8.50 children 5 to 17y, C$48.25 family 2 adults 2-3 children. We wanted tickets for the insectarium (same pricing as Jardin) but the sales rep indicated they were sold out but recommended that we head over to their ticket booth to check. It was odd because we went online via cell phone and purchased 4 tickets for entrance half an hour later. Once you enter the garden, you walk through a long gauntlet of white tents selling various items. We doubt we will return to the gardens unless there is a special exhibit. But we will return for the Insectarium.

Leave plenty of time for this. We went here after a morning at the Biodome. I loved the Biodome, but I wish we had spent an entire day at the Botanical Garden. There was so much to see, but we were tired and had a long walk back to our hotel. Every garden had beautiful flowers in bloom in July. A surprising highlight was the alpine garden, with beautiful rock gardens, terraces, and water features. Next time I visit I will bring a picnic and take my time.

we visited in July and the botanical garden entrance was under some construction. We took the metro to station Pie IX on the green line. To reach the area, it was a short walk from there, although there was a big hill. Once inside, we really enjoyed all of the plants and the way they were grouped into little worlds. The China Garden was the most memorable and so photogenic. Fans of Epcot will surely love it. I will say it would have been nice to have more refreshments throughout the park. It was only 74° but humid when we went, and we never saw any water other than right after we purchased our tickets. I also thought it was odd that they sold glass water containers in a park. Although there certainly were shaded areas, some of the main arteries of the park are in full sun. Some of the signs were misleading regarding where they pointed, and we definitely spent way more time walking because of it. They provide maps but it would be so helpful to have named or labelled pathways and direction markers so you can confirm your location. One thing that stood out to me as different from other botanical gardens, such as Dallas and Cincinnati, is that this one did not have hard surfaces like bricks or pavers or asphalt. Everything was pea gravel and compacted soil pathways. This makes for a more natural experience, however, if it has rained recently, there are some muddy parts, and I almost slipped couple of times. My favorite part was the irisis and lilies around a big pond with lily pads. The area was like a Van Gough painting and so peaceful. They had adairondak chairs along the edge and I could have spent the whole day reading. Nearby fast food to refuel: La Belle Province - diagonal from the entrance. Note: insectarium is very nearby and shown on the maps but admission is not included.

The Montreal Botanical Gardens are seriously amazing. I wasn't so sure what to expect when my friend recommended I come here with him and some of his other friends, but I am so glad that I trusted their recommendations. The botanical gardens are composed of so many great places to see while here, from Chinese and Japanese gardens to butterfly conservatories and arboretums, and being here makes you feel like you've been transported into a calm, serene, perfect world with no problems. Seriously, this is probably one of the best botanical gardens I've been to! Everywhere you go is filled with plants, flowers and details of all kinds, but all well maintained and chosen accordingly to catch your attention as you stroll through the gardens. You could easily spend hours here looking around and not even realize it. There is such a quiet, serene feeling here that is quite unique given how this garden is located within a major city in Canada. There are also student discounts available, so students in the area should definitely take advantage of that. Also, plan on spending an entire day here. When I was here, there was not enough time for me to see everything here as I was visiting from Ontario, and only had so much time to do things. Seriously - Montreal has one of the best botanical gardens I have EVER been to! This city is very lucky to have this gem here. I’ll be back for sure.