Biking in Montreal is a great way to see get some exercise and see the city. But it can also be really stressful, you’re biking through a city after all! I don’t know about you, but I hate biking on busy roads with oncoming traffic and manoeuvring parked cars.
So growing up in the city, I found the best bike paths around Montreal that designated bike lanes, perfect for beginners or families out on a biking adventure! Plus I’ve also included some easy bike paths around Montreal to explore a bit more of the greater Montreal area!
Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!
Is Biking In Montreal Safe?
Biking in Montreal is like biking in any other city. Of course, the island of Montreal is quite large, so there are better and worse places for biking.
Growing up in a suburb in the West Island, biking around different neighbourhoods was very safe. I would bike to friends house, to get ice cream, the possibilities were endless.
Moving to the city, I became a bit less comfortable biking everywhere. There are, for the most part, allotted bike paths – but not all the time. Sometimes you’re sharing the road with other drivers and there’s no separation between you and the cars.
Ultimate Bicycle Path Montreal: La Route Verte
La Route Verte is a free cycling path that goes all across Quebec (over 230 km!). Because it’s typically a well maintained bike path that’s free, a lot of these routes are in fact a part of La Route Verte.
But it’s important to note that just because a route is part of La Route Verte, does not mean will be easy or a designated bike path!
P.S. Are you visiting Montreal and want to go on a biking tour of the city, Viator offers a few in different tours around the island, like this hidden gem bike tour in the Plateau, Mile End & Jean Talon Market, or enjoy a bike and a beer tour around Montreal.
Top Easy Bike Paths In Montreal
Montreal is filled with bike paths throughout the city. But some of my favourite are a bit more off the beaten path, away from traffic, and a little bit closer to nature rather than the city! These easy bike paths around Montreal are perfect if you’re just getting into biking or are biking with your family.
Cycling Routes Montreal Along The Lachine Canal
One of the best easy bike paths around Montreal is along the Lachine Canal. You can start in Lachine, the Old Port, or anywhere you want along the canal. There are a few parking lots along the canal making it easy to park and start from anywhere you want!
The benefit of the Lachine Canal bike route is that it’s pretty flat and all paved. There are also a ton of Bixi stations nearby where you can hop on a bike and ride if you don’t have your own bike (yet).
The historical section of the Lachine Canal can be quite busy in Lachine and the Old Port, but between both of them it will be a lot quieter. And you get some nice final destinations to work towards. You can even end at René Lévesque park in Lachine to avoid the historical section of the canal, which is the perfect spot for a picnic lunch!
Logistics of on the Lachine Canal
Trail Length: 13.5 km (one way)
Trail Difficulty: Easy, flat
Trail Quality: Paved bike trail Montreal
Parking: Yes. There are paid lots in the historic centre of the Lachine Canal. If you’re willing to go a bit further there are smaller, but free, parking lots (like at Dollier-de-Casson Parc).
Facilities: At the end of the Canal there is an information centre with a cafe and washrooms you can use. If that’s closed, there are stores and restaurants you can ask to use the washroom if you buy something.
Bike Rentals Nearby: There are Bixi stations throughout the canal.
Depending on where you start, you have a few options. At the entrance to park René Lévesque, there’s a small shop where you can rent some bikes (although they aren’t in the best condition, they will get the job done). If you start in the Old Port, you can rent from Ca Roule Montreal. Midway on the canal, in Pointe-Sainte-Charles is Ma Bicyclette (mabicyclette.ca).
Saint Helen’s Island & Île Notre-Dame Bike Paths Montreal
If you want stunning skyline views of Montreal and an easy ride, Saint Helen’s Island is the place to go.
Saint Helen’s Island is kind of a like a Jack of All Trades island. It’s home to Montreal’s theme park, La Ronde, and Parc Jean Drapeau with a giant swimming pool, countless biking and walking paths around the island, and hosts several Montreal summer festivals (like Osheaga!).
You can choose to just bike around the island itself or bike through the small, hilly, forest paths. Just a heads up, if you choose to bike around the island, some parts are on the road. Even though parts are on the road, it’s still pretty safe because driving on the island is all one way (and there are still two lanes). There aren’t any parked cars to worry about either.
The bike path also connects to Île Notre-Dame. If you want to bike on a real F1 race track, cross the Cosmos bridge to bike on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
It’s free to access the island, but you will have to pay for parking once you’re there. Alternatively, you can park in the South Shore and bike over the St. Lawerence River (taking the St. Lambert Locks). Just check if the bridge is open before heading out.
Logistics of Biking Saint Helen’s Island & Île Notre-Dame
Trail Length: 14 km+
Trail Difficulty: Easy, flat
Trail Quality: paved and gravel bike path
Parking: Yes, paid lots. You can also park in the South Shore and bike onto the island.
Facilities: Yes, throughout the island.
Bike Rentals Nearby: Bixi
Hidden Bike Trail Montreal: La Petite Voie De Fleuve
If you wanted a longer bike ride from Île Notre-Dame, you can continue by biking along La Petit Voie de Fleuve. It’s a very, very thing and narrow peninsula, surrounded by the Sainte Lawerence River on either side. It’s a 14 km bike path only, so you won’t see any cars here!
If you can make it the entire way, you’ll end at the Recreo Park, with a beach and other outdoor activities. Otherwise, you can cross the Saint-Lawerence River on the Champlain Bridge (there’s a separate bike path). This will bring you back to Montreal (crossing Nun’s Island), and ending up in Pointe-Saint-Charles / Verdun.
I will warn you though, depending on when go, La Petit Voie de Fleuve can be quite buggy and bug spray won’t exactly work. The bugs are flying directly at you… so make sure to keep your mouth closed! I would recommend waiting for August to bike this route – it will be a lot less buggy. And even though the bike trail on St Helen’s Island was paved, La Petite Voie De Fleuve is a completely gravel bicycle path in Montreal.
Bikes Paths Montreal West Island: Bois-de-Liesse Nature Park
I’ve written about Bois-de-Liesse park before as one of my favourite spots in the West Island. It’s a HUGE nature park spans three Montreal neighrbourhoods from Pierrefonds to Saint-Laurent.
Although the park has many activities, there are also endless bike paths to explore. Bois-de-Liesse is all gravel paths and it’s also quite hilly. So you do have to be a bit more careful when biking here, but you are completely surrounded by forest! You have to also watch out when biking through Bois-de-Liesse that you are on the allotted bike path. There are a lot of trails throughout the park, but they aren’t all for bikers.
I’ve made that mistake and ended up on one of the many, very narrow, hiking trails. There are many signs to keep you on the right path, you just have to look out for them.
Logistics of Biking Bois-de-Liesse Nature Park
Trail Length: 8 km
Trail Difficulty: Easy & medium
Trail Quality: Gravel bike path
Parking: Yes, paid lots & free street parking (Sunnybrooke entrance)
Facilities: Yes (at Chalet d’accueil des champs information center)
Bike Rentals Nearby: No
Easy Bike Paths Around Montreal
Some of the best bikes paths around Montreal are just off the Island, a short drive away. Discover some of the surrounding towns and cities, and reconnect with nature as you bike! Some destinations have bike rentals on location, otherwise you’ll need to transport your bike. I mount my bike on my car using a removable mount, like this one on Amazon.
Île Bizard Bike Trail Montreal
Île Bizard is an island just off the West Island of Montreal, and there are two biking options here. You can either bike around the island itself on a paved road, although it’s pretty quiet, you are biking on the road with cars. Or you can head into the Île Bizard nature park.
I would opt for the park if I were you, it’s beautiful with gravel, winding bike paths through wooded forests and marshlands. It’s a fun adventure in nature! You can even stop for a dip in the lake for a mid-bike break. The beach is near the Pointe-aux-Carrières lookout along the shores of Lac de Deux Montagne.
Sometimes they have to close certain trails due to flooding, so be sure to check their website for updates.
Logistics of Biking Île Bizard
Trail Length: 10 km in the park. 20 km loop around the island.
Trail Difficulty: Easy
Trail Quality: paved and gravel bike path
Parking: Yes (paid)
Facilities: Yes
Bike Rentals Nearby: No
Easy Bike Paths Around Montreal: The TransTerrebonne
The TransTerrebonne is a series of easy bike paths around Montreal that take you through Terrebonne all the way to Mascouche and eventually meets up with the P’tit Train du Nord (more on that biking trail near Montreal in a bit!).
There are a few different Montreal bike paths to choose from with varying difficulty along the TransTerrebonne. I recommend the Circuit TransTerrebonne sur Route, a 28 km loop taking you through Old Terrebonne and onto Île des Moulins.
The Circuit du Coteau bicycle path is recommended for families, it takes you through the Parc écologique de la Coulée. This route is a 34 km loop but you can cut part of the loop out depending on where you start.
What I love about the TransTerrebonne is how much information about the routes they give you. They tell you the best place to park, points of interest along the way, as well as repair shops and bathrooms. They give you all the information here for each route (french).
Logistics of Biking the TransTerrebonne
Trail Length: 50 km total
Trail Difficulty: Easy to medium
Trail Quality: mixed paved and gravel bike path
Parking: Yes, depends on where you start. For most routes you can start and park at the train station for free (Terminus d’autobus 5000, Côte de Terrebonne)
Facilities: Yes
Bike Rentals Nearby: La Cribs, Giant Mascouche, Vélos St Joseph (Fatbikes)
More information and choose a route!
La Route Verte: Sentier Oka – Mont Sainte-Hilaire
If you want a beautiful, mostly flat, easy bike paths around Montreal, The Oka-Sainte-Hilaire cycling route is for you! This section of La Route Verte takes you along the Oka National Park (if you buy a pass to the National Park, you can also bike through it).
What’s great about this bike path Montreal is that you can bike for as long, or as little as you want. It isn’t a loop though, so remember you need enough energy to bike back. The bike route is entirely paved, and it’s half in the sun and half shaded. The challenge of this route are the two larger hills you have to bike up!
The route I recommend is about 22 km (total), you can see it on GoogleMaps. You start at the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church and end at Lac Sabliere. Lac Sabliere is the perfect spot to stop for lunch too, just make sure to pack a picnic blanket to sit on, I like this one from Amazon. Then after you digest, you make your way back to Oka.
P.S. Oka is also a great day trip from Montreal even if you aren’t biking, see my complete guide from Montreal.
Logistics of Biking in Oka
Trail Length: 11 km one way (see my recommended route to bike)
Trail Difficulty: Easy to medium (mainly flat with 2 larger hills)
Trail Quality: Paved bike path
Parking: Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church,
181 Rue des Anges, Oka, Quebec J0N 1E0
Facilities: Yes at the parking lot.
Bike Rentals: Cycles Tomahawk (Mountain bikes)
La Route des Champs Cycling Routes Montreal
La Route des Champs is ideal an ideal bike path for beginner bikers. It’s a 99% flat and paved path that takes you through the Monteregie region. You can bike from Chambly, passing through Marieville, Rougement, Sainte-Césare, and St. Paul D’Abbostford before arriving in Granby.
The total route is 40 km, but there are several parking lots along the way so you can choose your starting point. Also be aware that it’s not a loop so you’ll ride the same way back that you came.
What I love about this bike path is that every 5 km or so there’s a place to stop with a bike pump, some tools, and an outhouse. Some of them have even have water fountains and a picnic area. These stations came in handy when we forgot to pump our tires beforehand and had a pedal fall off halfway through biking… now we always keep a set of bike tools with us, like these from Amazon.
Despite being perfect terrain and well marked, there are a few downsides to La Route des Champs. First, it’s VERY flat terrain… which isn’t very exciting to bike through at time, and there are long stretches without any shade.
The scenery is for the most part stunning, but there are some longer stretches of the bike path that’s next to the road…More information and choose a route!
Another easy bike trail Montreal in Chambly is a 20 km bike along the canal. Check it out!
Logistics of Biking La Routes des Champs
Trail Length: 40 km (one way) from Chambly to Granby
Trail Difficulty: Easy
Trail Quality: Paved bike path
Parking: Yes (free)
Facilities: Yes at the parking lot (outhouses), with bike pumps and tools
Bike Rentals: No
Favourite Bicycle Path Montreal: La P’tit Train du Nord
La P’tit Train du Nord was a family favourite growing up and honestly still is! La P’tit Train du Nord actually used to be a railway track that took you from Montreal all the way to Mont-Laurier, stopping at the small towns throughout the Laurentians.
The railway wasn’t successful so they took it down in the 90’s and replaced the tracks with a multi-use trail. Now you can bike all the way from St. Jerome to Mont-Laurier, although that would be a pretty long ride!
La P’tit Train du Nord is a mix of gravel and paved roads with a few points of interest along the way. It isn’t completely flat as you’re going further into the mountains, so there’s a slight elevation making it harder the farther you bike. This keeps it more interesting with slight uphills and downhills. But if you want an easier bike ride, start towards the beginning of the P’tit Train du Nord.
Logistics of Biking La P’tit Train du Nord
Trail Length: 234 km (one way)
Trail Difficulty: Easy
Trail Quality: Paved and gravel bike path
Parking: Yes
Facilities: Yes in the train stations.
Bike Rentals (and luggage transportation): Autobus Le P’tit Train du Nord, RST Velosports in Prevost, Espresso Sports Sainte-Adèle
P’tit Train Du Nord Recommended Route – Bike Paths Montreal
You probably won’t be able to bike the entire P’tit Train du Nord. Instead, drive to a train station and bike a section of it.
My favourite route starts just outside Sainte-Adèle at Cafe de la Gare. There’s a parking lot, bathrooms, and bike rentals. It’s about a 45 minute bike ride to Val-David (17 km), which is the best destination to end at because it brings you right to the heart of the town. If you wanted a bit of a longer bike, I recommend starting earlier (around Prévost). After Val-David the trail becomes even more uphill. See the full bike trail!
If you wanted an easier, shorter route (but that’s all gravel) you can bike the path between Prévost and Sainte-Adèle, which is only 12 km one way. Prevost is another good starting point with parking, bike rentals and bathroom options (I buy a cookie from Les Moulins La Fayette). The path has slight up hills and downhills throughout, whereas after Sainte-Adèle it’s mainly uphill. And this way you end at the Café de la Gare.
If you want to add a bit to your bike ride, head a few kilometres past Sainte-Adèle (about 4 km), you’ll reach an entrance to Parc Doncaster (look for signs for Relais du Père Eddy). It’s a great spot for a picnic lunch if you want, or you can lock up your bikes and go for a little hike through the park.
Favourite Bike Trail Montreal: La-Villageoise-de-Mont-Tremblant
La-Villageoise-de-Mont-Tremblant takes you from Tremblant Village to Old Tremblant. Although it’s a farther drive from Montreal, it’s one of my favourite bike paths. La Villageoise-de-Mont-Tremblant is the furthest and one of the more difficult biking trails near Montreal.
Despite the more difficult terrain, it’s still doable. It’s A LOT of hills but it’s also SO MUCH FUN! Also keep in mind, I biked this as a child, so it is appropriate for beginners and families.
If you’re staying in Tremblant, we like to bike to the Old Village, pick up a bite to eat before heading back to Mont Tremblant Village. But, you can also stop at the beach or continue along the P’tit Train du Nord to Saint Jovite. View the full map.
And Tremblant isn’t just a winter resort town, it’s a lot of fun to visit in the summertime too, see my full guide!
Logistics of Biking La Villageoise
Trail Length: 1.2 km to 11.6 km (loop)
Trail Difficulty: Medium (hills)
Trail Quality: Paved bike path
Parking: Yes
Facilities: Yes
Bike Rentals: CyberCycle Old Tremblant, Mont Tremblant Village Bike Rental
Montreal Bike Rentals
If you’re just visiting Montreal, or you don’t have a your own bike (yet) you can rent one in the city. Depending on where you’re biking, you can take the city bike, Bixi. Bixi Bikes are Montreal’s pay as you go bike share, and can drop them off at your destination (just double check beforehand where the closest Bixi station is!).
A better bike rental option is Ca Roule Montreal in the Old Port. They offer all different types of rentals and even bike tours around the city.
If you’re heading outside of the city, depending on which route you choose try to find a bike rental company at your destination. I’ve recommended a few for each route if there was a bike rental company nearby. You can also go on an organized bike tour around Montreal, like this one on Viator!
Recommended Bike Accessories For Beginners
There are so many biking accessories when biking in Montreal. I know when we first got into biking, there’s a lot to buy and I didn’t even have half of it. The are the obvious bike accessories, like a helmet, but here are some others that we love having with us when cycling in Montreal too!
Bell & Rearview Mirror For Cycling In Montreal
Pro bikers will just yell at you to get out of the way… If you aren’t so keen on yelling, get yourself a bell to let bikers and pedestrians know you’re behind them.
The rearview mirror is really useful if you’re biking next to someone else. This helps out so you know when to get out of the way so you don’t have someone yelling at you.
Saddlebags (& Rack)
Very intense bikers will not be riding with anything on their bike! But if you’re all about the casual biking in Montreal, then you need a saddlebag, or I prefer a bike basket (but you definitely can’t fit as much!). You don’t want to be biking with a backpack (trust me, it isn’t fun!). This is where you can keep a back up water bottle, picnic lunch, and we even pack a picnic blanket.
You’ll also need to get the rack that fits on your bike, it looks like this (double check that the size will fit your bike!).
Car Rack To Reach All The Easy Bike Paths Around Montreal
Once going anywhere with your bike, unless you can bike there, you’re going to need some sort of car mount. We went with one that doesn’t attach to a hitch. You take it on and off with each use, which is kind of nice because you don’t have to drive around with a bike rack all the time.
Slight disadvantage though, especially at the beginning, it’s a bit hard to figure out how to mount and put the bikes on. Now that we’re used to the system, we put the rack on and mount the bikes in under 15 minutes!
Bike Tools
I did not realize how important it was to have a set of bike tools until we needed them and didn’t have them. My partners pedal fell off (I know, not typical) but we were kind of stranded until someone stopped to help us. So do yourself a favour and get a set of bike tools before something you’re stuck.
Bike Tire Pump: Biking In Montreal
Pumping your tires before each ride makes an enormous difference in the difficulty of your ride. Buy a basic bike pump, like this one on Amazon, that gets the job done!
Book Your Stay In Montreal
I love going on staycations at Hotel Nelligan in the Old Port of Montreal. It’s in a great location, walking distance to everywhere you need to be. When you stay there you can’t miss out on their unique roof top terrace above the hotel. See room rates & availability.
I’ve also stayed at the newly built Homewood Suites in Montreal Midtown (west of the city) and I’d highly recommend it if you’re looking for a hotel that isn’t in the city centre. But they also have a branch downtown as well. It has a little kitchenette in every room and breakfast is included. Even though it isn’t downtown, you aren’t far from it. It’s walking distance to the Namur metro station, which will get you downtown in less than 20 minutes. See room rates & availability.
Here are some other alternatives I’ve heard about if you’re looking to stay in Downtown Montreal;
If you’re looking to stay in the heart of Downtown Montreal check out Auberge Les Bons Matins. This is a one of a kind stay perfect for a romantic getaway in Montreal. In this charming inn in Montreal, you’ll get a taste of local life. See room rates & availability.
You can also stay Le Square Phillips Hôtel & Suites if an auberge isn’t your style. Le Square Phillips Hôtel & Suites is in a supreme location in between the orange and the green metro line that get you anywhere else in the city. Breakfast is also included with your stay! See room rates & availability
For more accommodation options in Montreal, see Booking.com.
Plan the ultimate vacation
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More Montreal Guides
- Hikes An Hour or Less from Montreal
- A Guide To Lavender Fields Around Montreal
- Discover Oka Québec: Why Go On A Day Trip From Montreal
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