Parc du Mont-Royal measures 101-hectare and occupies part of the mountain that lies in the midst of Montreal island, and includes the highest spot in the city (234m).
The park has been popular with the locals ever since it was inaugerated in 1876, and offers many outdoor activites - picnics, paddle boating, skating, tabogganing, snowshoeing, etc., it even has a small ski slope.
The park's highlights include:
- The Kondiaronk Belvedere - a semicircular plaza that overlooks downtown Montreal offering great views of the city.
- The Mount Royal Cross - a steel structure 31m high and 9m across. It was erected in 1924 at the same point that Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve (Montreal's founder) erected a wooden cross in 1643.
- Beaver Lake (man-made) - used for paddle boating in the summer and ice-skating in the winter. The grounds around the lake are dotted with sculptures. There is also a small pavillion with a cafe that looks out onto the lake.
- Smith House (built in 1858) - has an information centre where one can learn about activities in the park, as well as an exhibition about the park's history. It also houses a gift shop and a cafe.
- Montreal's two main cemetries: Notre Dame des Neiges (catholic) and Mount Royal Cemetery (protestant): pleasent places to stoll, especially in the spring when flowers are in bloom.
Designs for the park's landscape were made by Frederick Law Olmsted, best known for New York City’s Central Park, however many of his ideas never materilised due to financial constraints caused by depression in the 1870's.
Opening Hours
Daily: 6am to Midnight.
Prices:
Admission is free.
Address
Parc du Mont-Royal
Montreal Quebec
Tel: 514-843-8240
How to Get There
Metro: Take the Orange Line to Mont-Royal Station.
Bus: No. 11 bus runs to the summit of the park from Metro Mont-Royal and Côte-des-Neiges Road
External Links
Parc du Mont-Royal
Map of Parc du Mont-Royal
 | | Pavillion over looking Lake Beaver |
 | | Kondiaronk Belvedere's plazza |
 | | View from Kondiaronk Belvedere |
 | | Mount Royal Cross |
 | Sir George-Étienne Cartier monument.
Tamtam players gather here each
Sunday during the summer |
|
