Dog-Friendly Attractions in Montréal

The wooded hill at the centre of the island, laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted, is the city's great outdoor room and its best walk with a dog. The chemin Olmsted climbs gently from downtown to the Kondiaronk lookout, where the whole skyline and the St Lawrence open up below the chalet terrace. Dogs are welcome throughout on a leash, and Lac aux Castors at the top gives a flatter loop for older or smaller dogs.

The two-kilometre riverside promenade along the old quays is the single easiest sightseeing walk in the city with a dog, running from the Clock Tower to the Bonsecours basin past moored boats and the cobbled edge of Old Montréal. The Société du Vieux-Port explicitly allows walking a leashed pet on the promenade des Quais, with the owner picking up after it and keeping it under control. Inside the Société's buildings and on the Plage de l'Horloge, only working and assistance dogs are admitted.

The two islands in the St Lawrence facing downtown hold the Biosphère dome, the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit and long riverside paths with the best skyline view in Montréal. Leashed dogs are admitted in the green spaces and on the trails, which covers nearly all of the walking, though they are kept out of the park's facilities, including the Jean-Doré beach. Reaching the islands is the catch: the métro to Jean-Drapeau station is the practical route, so métro dog rules apply.