Montreal Tours and Attractions to Book Ahead
Some Montreal tours sell out or only run on set days, while others you can join on the spot. This page splits them by how far ahead you need to plan. Prices are in Canadian dollars, sales tax is added to most of them, and every figure should be checked on the operator’s page.
Book before you arrive
Habitat 67 is someone’s home, which means you cannot just turn up and look around. Guided tours of about 90 minutes run on weekends through November in 2026, with tickets released a month ahead. The price is reported as about $58.
Space for Life tickets carry a fixed time slot, and the Jardins de lumière night event at the Botanical Garden (3 September to 1 November 2026) also uses one. The AURA show at Notre-Dame Basilica runs 40 to 45 minutes, including a 25-minute show. Arrive within the 30 minutes before your ticket time, when the doors open; for evening slots, buy online or call, as the box office does not sell them. Because of loud sound, flashing lights and lasers, it is not suited to light-sensitive young children. A day visit plus AURA combination starts from $43.50.
Bota Bota, the spa on a boat in the Old Port, takes adults aged 18 and over and asks you to book online or by phone.
Turn up on the day
Pointe-à-Callière offers the simplest walk-in visit: adults pay $30 with tax included, children aged 5 to 12 pay $10, under-5s are free, and a family ticket is $60. It opens Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00 and Saturday and Sunday 11:00 to 17:00, and it is closed Mondays.
La Grande Roue de Montréal, the Old Port ferris wheel, is 60 m high with 42 climate-controlled cabins. A turn takes about 20 minutes and it runs year-round, though closing times are listed inconsistently, so check the evening hours.
Cité Mémoire is a night-time projection route through Old Montreal. It now runs about 9 to 10 scenes across four sites from Wednesday to Sunday, and you follow it with the free Montréal en Histoires app.
On the water
Le Bateau-Mouche sails from Quai Jacques-Cartier between May and October on 60 or 90 minute daytime trips, at roughly $30 to $45 per adult. Croisières AML has a dinner cruise from the Grand Quai at 19:00, about three and a half hours, from 16 May to 7 November 2026. For the Lachine Rapids, the only sensible options are a jet boat with Saute-Moutons from Clock Tower Pier, or rafting with Rafting Montréal in LaSalle. Both accept children from age 6.
Not on offer right now
Nobody can go up the Olympic Park tower before spring 2027, when the deck is due to reopen. Horse-drawn carriage rides have been banned by the city since 2020, so an evening stroll along rue Saint-Paul is the usual substitute.
Pairing tours sensibly
Old Port attractions sit within a short walk of each other, so a cruise, the wheel and a Pointe-à-Callière visit can share one day. Give Habitat 67 its own slot, since its tours run only at set weekend times.
Read more: bus tours around Montreal , walking tours and the Montreal and Quebec 2-day plan .
Sources: AURA tickets and rules , Pointe-à-Callière hours and rates and Habitat 67 tours . Compare tours on Viator .