7 Fascinating Places to Watch Cherry Blossoms Montreal

Want to know the best places to watch Cherry Blossom Montreal? Keep reading.

Spring is the season between winter and summer, and one of the most beautiful sights observed during this season is the beautiful spring blooms. Since the temperature turns pleasant enough to go out for a vacation or enjoy a couple of morning and evening strolls, there are plenty of options to pick from.

‘Hanami’ could be a term you’d be familiar with if you adore Cherry Blossoms. This is a Japanese tradition where you (mostly) appreciate the beauty of the cherry trees from the beginning of the spring season to its end since the bloom can be enjoyed for only a short period after the blossoms open for the first time.

If you’re thinking about what to do this spring, we’ve got four words for you: Cherry blossom Montreal Trip.

One of the most popular things to do when the temperature begins to rise in Montreal is to wait in anticipation for the blooming of the Cherry Blossoms trees along with the other spring blooms.

The sign of spring is evident when you wake up to the sight of trees starting to grow their leaves back, and the daylight lingers more than the winter season.

Photo by from Shutterstock

Springtime and Cherry Blossoms Montreal

The beauty and scenery displayed during the spring season are like no other, especially for Cherry Blossom flowers. Cherry trees symbolize the spring season and these beautiful pink trees buds bloom into cherry blossom flowers.

A flowering cherry blossom tree can bloom in its full glory under proper sunlight, and although it blooms for only about two weeks in a year, it’s an enchanting sight that many await when spring arrives. Although spring arrives in Montreal during mid-March, you’re likely to see the Cherry trees bloom from the beginning of May.

Not many places in Montreal witness these beautiful cherry blossom trees in their full glory due to the climate. Here are some places where you can catch the sight of cherry blossoms in Montreal:

Best Places to Watch Cherry Blossom Montreal:

1. Montreal Botanical Garden

This exquisite botanical garden in Montreal, Quebec, is one of the most popular places to watch the Cherry Blossoms. It’s a huge garden with about 10 themed greenhouses. Some of their popular botanical gardens include the Chinese Garden and the Friends of the Montreal Botanical Garden.

They have a Japanese Garden where you can see many Japanese florae and the beautiful cherry flower.

Montreal Botanical Garden conducts an annual Japanese-style picnic for a day called ‘Hanami’ to celebrate the arrival of Spring. Although this picnic is celebrated under Cherry trees, this botanical garden utilizes Crabapple trees for this festival if the cherry blossom doesn’t bloom. It’s just as beautiful as the real deal!

The ticket price to enter this garden is $21.50 for an adult and $16.50 if you’re a permanent resident in Quebec. Adult students can get a discounted price of $15.50 and $12.75 if they live in the city. Children aged 5 to 17 years pay $10.75 or $8.25 if they live in Quebec.

The Botanical Garden itself (10 exhibition greenhouses) can take 1.5-2 hours if you walk slowly, look closely at the plants, and take pictures along the way. A quick walk/browse will take 30 – 45 minutes. If you go during the warmer months, you can spend the entire day strolling through the gardens.
Photo by from Shutterstock

2. Parc Jean Drapeau

Parc Jean Drapeau park by the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal is another place where you can catch the ‘sakura’ flowers in full bloom during their peak. ‘Sakura’ is the traditional Japanese name for the Cherry Blossom flowers.

This huge park in Montreal is a perfect place for a family outing and get-togethers with friends. There are plenty of activities to indulge in on these double islands of Saint Helen’s and Notre Dame. There are plenty of things to do in this park, from hiking, rushing through skaters’ trails, relaxing your mind by SUP, picnic spots to relax at, kayaking, and canoeing.

Floralies Gardens at this park is the perfect place to be surrounded by the beauty of nature. This garden is wide enough for bike trails and comfortable walks. You can also take your pet with you or walk through the garden surrounded by the serene environment provided by nature that you can’t find in the city.

Entry to this park and garden is free, and you can take the subway here, stopping right at the Jean-Drapeau station.

2.1 Is there free parking at Parc Jean Drapeau?

If a person has a disabled parking permit for vehicles, parking is free at all times.

2.2 Can you drive to Parc Jean Drapeau?

Motorists can access the Park via the Jacques Cartier or Concorde bridges (Bonaventure Expressway, Pierre-Dupuy exit). There are numerous parking lots around the Parc and near event and attraction venues.

3. Ahuntsic Park

Ahuntsic park is located by the Rue Lajeunesse 335 road. This park is yet another one of Montreal’s gorgeous parks wide enough to enjoy multiple outdoor activities.

Here you can find a baseball field named Gary Carter Stadium, to which you can have access after making a reservation. There’s a playground here, along with a skatepark, sledding slope, dog park, and a community garden. There’s a sports complex arena here that has an indoor skating rink.

This is one of those parks surrounded by many trees around the pathways where you can take a stroll and get away from city life for a moment. At this huge landscape with a bunch of greenery, you can catch sight of Cherry blossom flowers at the end of May. Entry to this park is free.

4. Île de la Visitation

Île de la Visitation is an island located in Rivière des Prairies where you can witness some of the incredible views of the city. Visitation Nature Park is a part of this island where you can see cherry blossom trees amongst other gorgeous trees and flowers all around this huge area.

It’s one of the perfect spots in the city for picnics, and during the spring season, you can have a picnic by the beautiful cherry blossom Montreal trees as well.

There’s a snack bar available here as well, along with paid parking and washroom facilities. Other activities such as cross-country ski trails and a sliding hill are also available here. There’s Bistro Des Moulins

Entry to this park is free, but you’ll have to pay for the parking. It’ll cost you $7.50 per two hours.

5. McGill College Avenue

This avenue in Downtown Montreal is where you’ll find one of the prettiest sights of the pink cherry blossom Montreal. On this busy city road, the sight of the pink cherry buds blooming on the median strip during late spring creates a charming atmosphere.

Unlike the last places where you had to visit an island or a garden or a park, here you can watch the spring flowers in an urban setting while you’re on a walk around the city. It’s a sight you’d want to pause for when you’re driving through or biking through this avenue.

6. Westmount Park

Westmount park can be found on Sherbrooke Street West, and it’s one of the best places to lounge under the beautiful Cherry blossom Montreal.

The gorgeous pink flower trees are a shiny contrast in comparison to the greenery surrounding the park. This park is fun for kids as it consists of a children’s playground and a wading pool. There’s a dog park where you can walk your dog, a soccer field, tennis courts, and even a swimming pool.

There are plenty of trees that offer the perfect shade to set up a picnic spot. There are quite a few lakeside views that you can choose to lounge near as well. You might spot a couple of ducks floating around.

6.1 Can you drink in Westmount park?

“It is strictly forbidden to consume alcoholic beverages in public places. The only exceptions to this rule are beverages consumed with a meal in a park.”

Cathédrale Marie-Reine-Du-Monde
by Massimiliano Pieraccini/Shutterstock

7. Montreal Convention Centre

This convention center doesn’t have cherry blossoms, but you can find a small park near Palais des congrès. Although you might not think much of this park during other seasons, when the spring season arrives, and the cherry flower begins to bloom, it’s hard to ignore the gorgeous sight that it offers.

At this park in Chinatown, you can sit down on one of the small benches and relax your mind under the shades of the Sakura trees, or you can walk around the area as there will be at least a couple of trees in bloom. This small place has one of the best spots to watch the cherry blossom in Montreal.

Closing Thoughts

The places to watch cherry blossoms in Montreal are often a sight to look forward to, although it’s debatable whether they can compare to places like Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver and High Park in Toronto.

Spring season is extensively celebrated in Canada with cherry blossom season and many festivals, which makes the blooming much more special. If you’re looking to know more about how richly this season is celebrated in this country.

Either way, spring is a gorgeous season in Montreal botanical gardens, giving rise to many beautiful spring blooms to look forward to. We hope you’ll have the best time visiting these gorgeous cherry blossoms destinations and witnessing the blooms in person for the following spring season!

Suggested Reads

Best Features of the Parks St Lawrence {Guide 2022}

Top Must-Attend Festivals in Montreal A Year-Round Celebration of Culture and Entertainment
Icy Canada

Last Updated on by Sanjana

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