Summer Vacation 2020: Explore le Vieux with Your Family

Le Vieux is the perfect destination to plan a getaway for you and your children this summer. Follow this guide for a readymade program, designed to show off the historic neighbourhood and the myriad activities it offers.

A gourmet breakfast and morning activities

To get the absolute most from this day planned for your family, start it off with a delicious brunch at Comptoir 400, a proven establishment that will fill you up! Whether you lean more toward crêpes or a bagel with lox, you will surely find the right dish to satisfy your appetite!

After that energizing meal, you will be ready for your first adventure! Your next stop is Voiles en voiles, which boasts an aerial obstacle course, a climbing wall, inflatable games, and many more outdoor activities, all taking place on pirate ships. It is the perfect place to laugh and play!

Do your little pirates still thirst for adventure? Then run to SOS Labyrinthe without delay! They will need to find the four treasures of the longshoremen in a labyrinth of 2 kilometres, filled with obstacles and dead ends! Laughter and great memories are sure to come!

Once you’re done playing pirates, seek out a truly intense experience! Take in the unique view of the Old Montreal skyline by zipline at Zipline MTL! Your children will feel like superheros as they fly over the Old Port, surveilling the area and bringing peace to the people! This unique experience will be etched in their memories for years to come.

Do you have kids with you who are fascinated by everything outer space? Then you definitely need to take a trip to the Montreal Science Centre to see the temporary exposition Journey to Space. By traversing the exposition’s five zones, you will discover how astronauts live and work in space.

Sumptuous snacks and a cultural detour

All the whirling emotions from the morning will definitely work up an appetite! Why not let yourself enjoy a savory waffle, piled with fruit, sweets, chocolate, or whatever your heart (or diet) desires at LApop? Here you can find waffles on a stick, reminiscent of an ice cream treat, which even the parents will happily devour with no second thoughts, after the very active morning they had! And if you want to kick up your feet for a little bit, come take your snack break at one of the benches at Pigeon Hole on the corner of Saint-Jean and Notre-Dame Ouest, near Place d’Armes.

Once the last crumbs from your snack is finished, you might think that the day is well-underway, and you may want to seek out a nice souvenir for this day. If you and your children are reading fans, you’ll want to go to Bertrand Bookstore! An amazing selection of books for all ages await you there. Having difficulty deciding? The bookstore on Saint Pierre Street advertises some carefully-chosen recommendations for kids and adults, and their selection of books changes monthly. Let their suggestions inspire you!

Urban exploration

This is the sunny summer season. The bookstore’s AC restored you a bit, and now you’re ready to get back out into the fresh weather. So next, you’re going to want to visit the Pointe-à-Callière Museum, a mainstay for any family in le Vieux! Get off the beaten path and explore the Memory Collector exhibition, a 110 metre trek through inactive storm drains! This is a multisensory experience that the young and old alike will speak about for a long time.

Another original and really great way to discover a little more of le Vieux is by renting a quadricycle from ÉcoRécréo. Ride around the Old Port as a family without tiring yourself out as much.

Family dinner

The day has been jam-packed, but before you return home, you need to take time for a good supper to discuss everything that you’ve seen and done! There are several options around here to dine. First, Chez Suzette is only a few steps from the museum on de la Commune Street, and great for sharing some fondue and some nice conversation. Or a crêpe meal, why not! As a different suggestion for your famished kids, a few minutes’ walk away on Saint-Paul Street, we recommend the aptly named L’usine de spaghetti. Its warm ambiance and salad bar make a perfect accompaniment to all of their main dishes! But of course, summer is also food truck season! So you should try Smokies Deli in Old-Port if you have a craving for poutine or Smoke Meat while you’re walking riverside!

Le Vieux is one of the top family vacation destinations, but that’s not its only strength! Whether you call yourself a foodie, a fashionista, or maybe you’re just dreaming of a relaxing vacation, le Vieux will give you a fulfilling summer if you explore what all it has to offer.

© Photo Credit 1 Geneviève Giguère

© Photo Credit 2 SOS Labyrinthe

© Photo Credit 3 Thibault Caron

© Photo Credit 4 Montreal Science Centre