8 Best Day Trips from Montreal
Montreal sits at the hub of a rail and highway network that reaches deep into Quebec and Ontario, which is the whole case for using it as a base rather than a one-city stop. VIA Rail leaves from Gare Centrale downtown for two of these; the rest need a rental car or a guided tour. Here are the 8 real options, with honest verdicts on which ones are worth a full day and which work better as an overnight.
1. Quebec City (~3 hours by car or VIA Rail)
This is the marquee pairing and the one trip in this list that deserves a caveat: it’s roughly 3 hours each way by car or by VIA Rail (5 trains a day), so a day trip is mostly travel. Old Québec is the actual UNESCO World Heritage Site here, not Montreal, its historic district was inscribed in 1985, and the Château Frontenac anchors the skyline above the St Lawrence. If your schedule allows it, stay one night; if not, an early train and a late one still buys a few solid hours in the old town.
2. Ottawa (~2h20 by car, ~2 hours by VIA Rail)
Canada’s capital works as a long day trip without the overnight caveat above. Parliament Hill, the national museums, and the Rideau Canal corridor fill a full day, and VIA Rail direct from Gare Centrale means no driving.
3. Eastern Townships / Cantons-de-l’Est (~1-2 hours SE)
A true day trip: the wine route around Magog and Lake Memphremagog, the villages of Bromont and Sutton, and a spa day at Balnea if you’d rather relax than sightsee. Fall foliage season (late September into October) is the best time to go; book winery tastings ahead on weekends.
4. Laurentians / Mont-Tremblant (~1.5 hours N)
Works as a day trip or an overnight. In winter it’s a ski village; in summer, hiking trails and lake life around Lac Tremblant. Either season, it gets busy on weekends, book lift tickets or lodging ahead if you’re staying over.
5. Trois-Rivières (~1.5 hours NE)
A true day trip sitting right on the Quebec City rail line, which makes it an easy add-on or a scenic stop en route rather than a special trip on its own.
6. Montebello / Parc Omega (~2 hours W)
Parc Omega is a drive-through wildlife park, a full day on its own. The Fairmont Château Montebello, a historic log château, is the overnight option if you’d rather not do the round drive in one day.
7. Montérégie / Mont-Saint-Hilaire (~40-45 minutes)
The closest true day trip on this list, apple and cider country south of the city. Best in early fall for picking season; a half-day works if you’re combining it with something else.
8. Sugar shacks / cabane à sucre (~45-60 minutes)
Spring only, late February through April. A cabane à sucre feast, maple taffy on snow, and the tail end of the maple harvest are worth the season-specific detour, but there’s no point chasing this one outside that window.
Planning around these
Quebec City and Ottawa are the two you can do without a car, straight off VIA Rail from Gare Centrale. Everything else needs a rental car or a booked tour. Read more: our Montreal day-trip base guide covers what to see in the city itself before you head out, and the travel tips guide has the entry, tax, and transit details that apply to all 8 of these.