A Guide to the Montreal Botanical Garden: Things to See and Do

The Montreal Bontanical Garden is not just one of my favorite gardens in Canada; it’s one of my favorite gardens in the world. I absolutely loved spending time here—both during the day and especially at night.

Centered around various cultural themes (First Nations, Japanese, Chinese, etc.), this garden showcases elaborate and colorful displays—all with breathtaking results. In addition to the displays, there are gift shops, a library, restaurants, and greenhouses, among others. Moreover, due to its collection and facilities, it is considered one of the most important botanical gardens in the world.

As an added bonus, from September through October, there is a Garden of Lights event. During the event, various themed gardens are lit up in a brilliant display of striking colors.

In this guide, I’ll show you the great things to see and do when visiting the Montreal Botanical Garden.

Montreal Botanical Garden: Important Information
Dimensions	The garden has a land area of 190 acres (77 hectares).
Duration	The recommended duration of visit is 3 to 5 hours.
Best Time	Early mornings is the best time to avoid crowds. Noon has the best lighting. For the Garden of Lights, you want to arrive about 1 hour after sunset. Also make sure to check the Garden of Lights website for the event dates.
Cost	You can find more information and buy tickets on the Botanical Garden page.
Parking	There are massive parking lots near the Botanical Garden. If you paid for parking to see the other attractions in the area (Biodome, Planetarium, Insectarium, etc.), then the same parking pass can be used.
Special Considerations: The day ticket can be exchanged for the Garden of Lights ticket at no extra cost. However, you have to select the time that you want to visit, and you can't enter the garden before that time.

Flowers, Fountains, and Fields

This massive garden features tens of thousands of species. And while many flowers are displayed across numerous fields, some are arranged in unique shapes and patterns.

Although there are many themed gardens (Rose, Aquatic, Peace, etc.), the three most prominent are the First Nations, Japanese, and Chinese.

First Nations Garden

The First Nations Garden is part garden and part forest. It was opened in 2001 to honor the indigenous population of Canada. Various objects of cultural significance are displayed throughout the garden.

For some hilarious reason, there is a giant dinosaur egg as well.

Maybe the dinosaur is still wandering around this garden 😏.

Japanese Garden

The Japanese garden features Japanese plants, mini waterfalls, Japanese-style buildings, a koi pond, and a peace bell, among others.

Every year on August 5, the Peace Ceremony commemorates the bombing of Hiroshima. In Japan, it will be August 6, and the Japanese gather at the Peace Park. Hiroshima signed a treaty of friendship and peace with Montreal. The Peace Bell is a symbol of this treaty.

The bell weighs 418 pounds (190 kg). Hiroshima also presented peace bells to five other cities: Volgograd, Russia; Hanover, Germany; Honolulu, United States; Chongqing, China; and Taegu, South Korea.

Chinese Garden

The Chinese Garden—constructed to resemble a Ming Dynasty garden—is the most elaborate garden of all. Like the other gardens, this one is authentic. In fact, most of the materials used to construct the garden were imported straight from China.

Although similar in size compared to the other gardens, the Chinese garden has far more artificial displays.

Pandas and cranes are commonly seen throughout the garden (basically the characters of Kung Fu Panda 2).

Mythical creatures resembling oxen and peacocks are scattered throughout the garden as well.

But the most elaborate and breathtaking display of all is the Lake of Legend. In the legends, He Luo Yu is a creature with 1 head, 10 bodies, and barks like a dog. It is said that one taste of the fish can heal skin infections and diseases.

The strangest part about this display is how everyone seems so chill even though there’s a giant monster fish nearby. They’re like, “Oh, giant monster fish. Koo. Imma just casually row my boat on by. Nothing weird here!”

Garden of Lights

From September through October, the place lights up in spectacular fashion during the Garden of Lights event. While many things are the same shape and size, their striking color and contrast present the garden from an entirely different perspective (i.e. a different light). Overall, you’ll feel as if you are walking through a different garden.

For the event, the three cultural gardens (First Nations, Japanese, and Chinese) are set aglow. Lanterns and/or illuminated paths will guide the way.

The First Nations garden will appear as if thousands of fireflies are weaving through it. There will also be a multimedia event where lights and sounds bring the garden to life.

The Japanese garden will lead visitors along an illuminated path inspired by the seasons.

The Chinese garden will simply be illuminated like crazy in every manner possible, and almost every single display will feature stunning bright colors.

Of course, the best display will be the Lake of Legend. Note: The sky was not actually that bright. The brightness was due to the longer exposure time (I was using a tripod + slow shutter speed).

To minimize the amount of people in your photos, the Chinese Garden should be visited first.

Understandably, the photos provided here are but a small sample of all the wonderful things to see.

If you are ever lucky enough to be in Montreal during September or October, make sure to visit the Montreal Botanical Garden, because the Garden of Lights is easily one of the best attractions in Montreal. Even without the Garden of Lights event, the Botanical Garden is still very beautiful, and a leisurely stroll through such splendid nature will ease the mind and calm the spirit.