Day Trips from Montreal: Quebec City, Mont-Tremblant & Ottawa
The big day trip from Montreal is Quebec City: three hours each way to the only walled city north of Mexico, with the Château Frontenac, the Petit-Champlain quarter and a stop at Montmorency Falls, 30 metres taller than Niagara (full-day tours from $39, with hotel pickup from $73). Closer are the Laurentians: Mont-Tremblant’s pedestrian village, gondola, lake cruise and ziplines are 90 minutes north (day tours from $80). Ottawa, the capital, is two hours west for Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal and the ByWard Market. The Eastern Townships, 90 minutes south-east, are Quebec’s wine and cider country with Loyalist villages like Knowlton and Magog on Lake Memphremagog. Every one runs as a guided tour with pickup from downtown hotels.
183 tours · prices per person, book with partner
Day Trips from Montreal in Montreal — FAQ
What are the best day trips from Montreal?
Quebec City and Montmorency Falls (3 hours each way), Mont-Tremblant (90 minutes), Ottawa (2 hours) and the Eastern Townships (90 minutes). Quebec City is the one to prioritise; if you have two spare days, stay overnight there instead of doing it as a 14-hour day.
Is Quebec City worth it as a day trip from Montreal?
Yes, if a day is all you have: tours leave around 7–8 am, give you three to four hours in the walled Old Town plus Montmorency Falls, and return by 8–9 pm. From $39 it is also one of the cheapest full-day tours in Canada. With more time, take the three-hour train and stay a night.
What is there to do at Mont-Tremblant from Montreal?
In summer: the panoramic gondola, the Lake Tremblant cruise (from $32), zipline courses through the forest (from $121), hiking in the national park and the colourful pedestrian village. From late September the Laurentians’ fall foliage is the main event; in winter it is Eastern Canada’s biggest ski resort.