Laval travel guide
Space museum, river farms and Greek tavernas north of Montreal
Montreal's big northern suburb on Île Jésus, worth a visit for the Cosmodome, indoor skydiving, pick-your-own farms and Greek food in Chomedey, or as a cheaper hotel base. Summer suits the farms and rivers; one day is enough. Flying in, visa-exempt visitors need an eTA for Canada.
Laval fills Île Jésus, the island directly north of Montreal between the Rivière des Prairies and the Rivière des Mille Îles. It is Quebec's third-largest city but works mainly as Montreal's suburb, a spread of malls, autoroutes and housing, so most visitors come for one attraction or for hotels that cost less than downtown.
The pick of the sights is the Cosmodome beside Autoroute 15, a space science museum whose renovated Destination: Space exhibition displays a real lunar rock sample, and the home of Space Camp Canada. Next door, SkyVenture runs an indoor skydiving tunnel. For green space, the Centre de la nature is a 50-hectare city park, and the farms along boulevard des Mille-Îles let you pick your own strawberries and raspberries in season.
Food is the other draw. Laval is home to one of Canada's largest Greek communities, and the tavernas of Chomedey justify the trip from Montreal on their own. Without a car, ride the metro's orange line, which crosses the river to three Laval stations ending at Montmorency.
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Top things to do in Laval
A space museum, indoor skydiving, river parks, berry farms and Greek restaurants.
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Best time to visit Laval
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 24 to 27C in June and July, berry picking on the Mille-Îles farms and paddling on the river.
January averages -6C by day and -15C at night; the Cosmodome, SkyVenture and the malls keep running.
Avoid the bridges between Montreal and Laval at the evening rush, when traffic backs up badly.
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Getting there
Orange line to Montmorency, Autoroute 13 from Trudeau
Reach Laval, an island just north of Montreal, on the orange metro line, which crosses under the Rivière des Prairies to Cartier, De la Concorde and Montmorency stations, or by car on Autoroute 13 from Montreal-Trudeau airport. Every way in crosses a bridge, tunnel or rail line over the river. Without a car, the orange metro line is the simplest: it crosses under the river to three Laval stations, Cartier, De la Concorde and Montmorency, the terminus, and the ride from downtown Montreal takes under half an hour. De la Concorde is also a stop on exo's Saint-Jérôme commuter line, which continues through Vimont and Sainte-Rose. From Montreal-Trudeau airport, Autoroute 13 north is the quickest road, reaching Chomedey in about 20 to 30 minutes outside the rush. Drivers from Quebec City follow Autoroute 40, then the 640 and the 440; from the Laurentians, Autoroute 15 runs straight down from Saint-Jérôme.
- Metro orange line
- Cartier, De la Concorde and Montmorency; under half an hour from downtown Montreal
- exo commuter train
- Saint-Jérôme line stops at De la Concorde, Vimont and Sainte-Rose; mainly at rush hour
- REM light rail
- Île-Bigras and Sainte-Dorothée stations at the western tip, on the line from Montreal Central Station
- By car
- Autoroute 13 from the airport, 15 from downtown and the Laurentians, and 25 over a toll bridge from the east end
- Metro station car parks fill early on weekdays; arrive before about 7.30 if you plan to park and ride.
- The Curé-Labelle and Papineau bridges back up badly at the evening rush, so plan returns before 15.30 or after 18.30.
Where to stay
Sainte-Rose inns and the Saint-Martin hotel strip
Stay in Laval to pay noticeably less than in downtown Montreal. Choose the hotel strip around boulevard Saint-Martin if you drive, the older inns of Sainte-Rose by the Rivière des Mille Îles for a village feel, or a room near Montmorency station if you plan to ride the metro into Montreal.
- Near Montmorency and De la Concorde
- Best for using the metro into Montreal without a car; mostly residential, few restaurants at night
- Boulevard Saint-Martin and Autoroute 15
- Chain hotels such as Le St-Martin near Carrefour Laval and the Cosmodome; easy driving, little to walk to
- Chomedey
- Motels on boulevard Curé-Labelle and the best Greek food; a bus or drive to the metro
- Sainte-Rose
- The old village by the Rivière des Mille Îles, with the restaurant-inn Les Menus-Plaisirs; the most character, but far from the metro
Getting around
STL buses, the 440 grid and the Mille-Îles path
Drive in Laval if you can, because the city was built around the car. Autoroute 440 divides the island north from south and Autoroute 15 east from west, and addresses carry an E or O suffix for their side of the 15. STL buses cover the city, and a riverside path follows the Mille-Îles. The street plan is a rough grid: Autoroute 440 splits the island north from south and Autoroute 15 splits it east from west. Addresses carry an E or O suffix depending on which side of the 15 they are, and numbers rise as you move away from it, which makes finding places easier than it looks. The Société de transport de Laval (STL) runs the local buses, which fan out from the three metro stations; they cover the island but can be slow and infrequent in the evening. The OPUS card used on the Montreal metro also works on STL buses. Taxis and ride-hail apps fill the gaps, and summer cyclists can follow paths along parts of the riverbanks.
- Car
- The practical way between the Cosmodome, the farms and Chomedey restaurants
- STL buses
- Routes radiate from Cartier, De la Concorde and Montmorency stations; pay with an OPUS card
- Taxi and ride-hail
- Useful at night and for the farms on boulevard des Mille-Îles
- Bicycle
- Pleasant along the Rivière des Mille Îles in summer
- Address suffixes matter: 2000 boulevard Dagenais Ouest and 2000 Est are on opposite sides of the island.
Know before you go
What makes Laval worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Cosmodome, with its Destination: Space exhibition and space-camp programmes.
- Picking your own berries on the farms of boulevard des Mille-Îles in summer.
- Greek dinners in Chomedey, where the city's large Greek community sets the menu.
Good to know
- A car makes everything easier; away from the metro, public transport is slow.
- Bridge traffic to and from Montreal is heavy at the evening rush.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Laval, month by month
Like Montreal next door, Laval has humid summers and snowy, freezing winters.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Laval (Environment Canada, via Wikipedia).
Laval with kids at the Cosmodome, then berry picking
Laval's two big draws for families are the Cosmodome and the farms. Ride Montreal's orange metro line to Montmorency and take a short bus or taxi to the Cosmodome on Autoroute 15 for its Destination: Space exhibition and Space Camp Canada, then pick berries at the farms on boulevard des Mille-Îles.
The museum's Destination: Space exhibition, with immersive projections and Mars mission displays, holds children for a couple of hours, and Space Camp Canada runs longer programmes inside. Next door, SkyVenture's vertical wind tunnel lets you try indoor skydiving with an instructor; book a slot ahead, especially at weekends.
Afternoon: in summer, head north to boulevard des Mille-Îles in Auteuil, where Ferme Sauriol has run pick-your-own tomatoes, eggplants and peppers for decades and is busiest with hot-pepper pickers in September. If the weather turns, Isaute on boulevard Dagenais Ouest is a big indoor trampoline park. Otherwise, walk the trails and gardens of the 50-hectare Centre de la nature on avenue du Parc, open until late evening.
Evening: drive or take a bus down to Chomedey for a long Greek dinner, then catch the metro home from Montmorency or De la Concorde after the bridge traffic has eased.
Greek tavernas in Chomedey and fries on boulevard Curé-Labelle
Eat Greek food in Laval. The city has one of Canada's largest Greek communities, centred on Chomedey and Îles-Laval near the Rivière des Prairies, and the tavernas there serve grilled whole fish, souvlaki and lamb chops with lemon potatoes. For fries and Quebec snack-bar food, head to boulevard Curé-Labelle.
Laval's best food is in its immigrant neighbourhoods. The city has one of the largest Greek populations in Canada, concentrated in Chomedey and Îles-Laval near the Rivière des Prairies, and the tavernas there serve the dishes Montrealers drive up for: grilled whole fish, souvlaki and lamb chops with lemon potatoes, saganaki and plates of tzatziki and grilled octopus. Portions are large and families eat late on weekends, so book on Friday and Saturday nights.
Boulevard Curé-Labelle, the long commercial strip through Chomedey, is the place for Quebec's comfort food. Casse-croûtes along it turn out fries and poutine, and the Chomedey branch of Dic Ann's serves its own style of thin, sauce-covered burger, a Montreal-area institution with a loyal following.
Newer arrivals from the Middle East and Africa have added shawarma counters, Lebanese bakeries and West African kitchens along the same arteries, and they are still overlooked by food writers who stop at the island's edge. In summer, finish with the farm stands of boulevard des Mille-Îles, where Ferme Marineau on Dagenais Ouest has strawberries in early summer and a pick-your-own pumpkin field in autumn.
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How we research our Laval travel guide
Laval's own website, Destination Canada and the eTA page supply the facts; berry-picking seasons and STL routes are confirmed again each spring.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Laval.
General
Montmorency, the northern terminus, is the closest; from there a short STL bus or taxi ride reaches the museum on Autoroute 15.
Yes, if you are on a budget: rooms cost less than downtown and the orange line takes under half an hour into the city. Evenings in Laval itself are quiet.
Chomedey and Îles-Laval, near the Rivière des Prairies, have the widest choice of Greek restaurants, especially around boulevard Curé-Labelle and boulevard Chomedey.
They show which side of Autoroute 15 the address is on: E for east and O (ouest) for west. Numbers rise as you move away from the autoroute.
Yes, it is a public city park of about 50 hectares on avenue du Parc, open daily into the evening, with trails, gardens and picnic areas.
Daytime highs average about -6C and nights about -15C, so indoor attractions like the Cosmodome are the winter focus.
Drive in Laval if you can, because the city was built around the car. Autoroute 440 divides the island north from south and Autoroute 15 east from west, and addresses carry an E or O suffix for their side of the 15. STL buses cover the city, and a riverside path follows the Mille-Îles.
Families & accessibility
The Cosmodome has the Destination: Space exhibition, a lunar rock sample and Space Camp Canada programmes; SkyVenture next door offers supervised indoor skydiving in a wind tunnel.
Timing & weather
Strawberries ripen in June and early July, followed by raspberries, then tomatoes and peppers into September, when Ferme Sauriol is busiest with hot-pepper pickers.
The best time to visit Laval is Jun to Sep. Pick-your-own season on the farms and warm days by the rivers.
- Summer: June - September (Highs of 24 to 27C in June and July, berry picking on the Mille-Îles farms and paddling on the river)
- Winter: December - March (January averages -6C by day and -15C at night; the Cosmodome, SkyVenture and the malls keep running)
July is the warmest month in Laval, with average highs of 27°C, and January the coolest, with lows of -15°C. September is the wettest month, at about 99 mm of rain; February is the driest. Like Montreal next door, Laval has humid summers and snowy, freezing winters.
Getting there
About 20 to 30 minutes to western Laval and Chomedey outside rush hour; much longer at the evening peak.
Yes. exo's Saint-Jérôme commuter line stops at Sainte-Rose, mainly at rush hour; otherwise take an STL bus from the metro.
Visa & documents
Visa-exempt travelers, including citizens of the UK, the EU and Australia, need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to or through Canada. US citizens need only a passport. Other nationalities need a visitor visa.
Health & safety
Canada's main risks are natural: wildlife, summer wildfires and extreme winter cold. Store food properly in bear country, check wildfire and road conditions before summer drives, and carry winter gear when driving in snow. Call 911 for police, fire or ambulance anywhere in the country.
