Montreal Day Trips Ranked by Effort
How you get out of Montreal decides whether a trip works as a day. Rail trips have fixed timetables, the car trips depend on traffic, and one popular destination is better kept for an overnight. All prices are in Canadian dollars, sales tax is extra on most things, and fares and admission figures are worth confirming before you go.
By train
Ottawa is the easy rail day. VIA Rail lists about 2 hours 4 minutes for the 185 km, with roughly five trains each way per day. That leaves time for Parliament Hill and the National Gallery of Canada, and the Canadian Museum of History is across the river in Gatineau. Book a morning departure and an evening return.
Quebec City is 270 km away. VIA Rail needs 3 hours 10 minutes to 3 hours 40 minutes each way, so a same-day return gives only a few hours on the ground. Some trains call at Sainte-Foy and connect to Gare du Palais by shuttle, so read your ticket for the station. One night changes the trip completely: Old Quebec is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Château Frontenac, Dufferin Terrace and the Petit-Champlain quarter reward an unhurried evening.
By car
The Eastern Townships start about 1 to 1.5 hours east. Typical stops are the Dunham wine route, the lakeside town of Magog, the village of Knowlton and the Balnea spa at Bromont on Lac Gale, whose hours vary. Confirm that a winery is open before you drive out.
Parc Omega at Montebello is a drive-through wildlife park about 130 km away, 1.5 to 2 hours by car, and it stays open all year. Published adult prices disagree, so look at the park’s own page for the current figure.
Mont-Tremblant is about 130 km away, around 1.5 hours by car. In summer there is a panoramic gondola, with a 2025 return ticket of about $31. In winter people come to ski, and 2025/26 adult lift tickets ran from $155 to $185, with 2026-27 prices not yet published.
By bus
A public bus does reach Tremblant, but it takes about 2 hours 50 minutes and runs only around twice a day. That timing makes a day return awkward, so a car or an overnight stay suits it better.
Too far for a day
Ottawa River whitewater is three to four hours from the city, and Mont-Sainte-Anne is about 300 km away near Quebec City. Plan those as overnight trips. For rafting on a single day, the family and adventure trips at Rafting Montréal on the Lachine Rapids run within the city, and both set a minimum age of 6.
Planning notes
Montreal winters are cold enough to cause frostbite on exposed skin in January and February, so check the road forecast before driving. Pack layers and boots with grip in any season outside summer. In summer, carry water because heat waves are humid.
Read more: multi-day trips from Montreal , adventure tours and the Montreal and Quebec 3-day plan .
Timetables: Montreal to Ottawa and Montreal to Quebec City on VIA Rail. Browse guided excursions on GetYourGuide .