Mount Royal Park is regularly dubbed Montreal’s Central Park, which rings truer than many realise, since both were the work of Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of New York City's centrepiece greenery.

Around the Mount

The path up Mount Royal's northern side is named after Olmstead and provides the well-graded classic route up to a lookout at the top some stellar panoramas of Downtown Montreal.

Just shy of the lookout, Lac des Castors, is a lake where, depending on the season, you can rent paddleboats or ice skates.

Meanwhile the summit lookout itself lies an easy 10-minute walk to the city’s landmark illuminated cross, with the current 1924 version at the same site as its earliest 1643 ancestor.

There are plenty more well-graded paths to enjoy around the park, with many radiating from the Smith House by a parking lot and a short walk above Lac des Castors. The house also features a small museum, café and boutique with maps of the park.