Terrebonne travel guide
Île-des-Moulins mills and rue Saint-Pierre terraces north of Montreal
A French-speaking suburb on Montreal's North Shore whose old quarter keeps a 19th-century mill complex on Île-des-Moulins and a street of restaurant terraces. Go between May and October for riverside walks and outdoor tables. Half a day, or a day trip from Montreal, is the right length. Costs are very high, and an eTA covers visa-exempt air travellers.
Terrebonne sits on the north bank of the Rivière des Mille-Îles, across the water from Laval and about 25 minutes from east Montreal by Autoroute 25. Most of the city is suburb (Lachenaie and La Plaine merged with old Terrebonne in 2001), but its riverside core makes one of the better short escapes from Montreal.
Île-des-Moulins is the reason to go. The little island holds what survives of a pre-industrial mill complex that ranked among Quebec's most important in the 19th century: a flour mill from 1846, the Moulin neuf of 1850, an 1803 bakery and the seigneury office. The first mills here were ordered by the seigneur, Abbot Louis Lepage, in the 1720s.
Around it, Vieux-Terrebonne lines rue Saint-Pierre with heritage houses, restaurant terraces and the Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne, while the 1878 Saint-Louis-de-France church stands a few steps away with its Casavant organ. Several restaurants here let you bring your own wine, a Quebec habit worth using.
Explore Terrebonne by theme
Find your kind of trip: 24 travel themes, each with the packages in Terrebonne.
Terrebonne at a glance
The essentials first-time visitors ask about, in one place.
Explore more of Canada
Pick a place by travel style: beaches, nature, cities, heritage, hills.
Nothing in that category yet.
Top things to do in Terrebonne
A 19th-century mill island, an old quarter of terraces and a theatre, and a historic parish church.
No things to do in Terrebonne are listed yet. Browse all things to do
Best time to visit Terrebonne
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs climb from about 20C in May to 27C in July, warm enough for terrace dinners in Vieux-Terrebonne and slow loops of Île-des-Moulins.
Highs of 7C to 12C and bare trees; the island is quiet and the theatre season carries the evenings.
Highs below freezing and nights near -16C in January; come for a show on rue Saint-Pierre or a long restaurant dinner rather than a riverside stroll.
Packages in Demand
A Journey to Remember
Tours, activities and day trips in and around this destination, with the details you need before booking.
No packages in Terrebonne are listed yet. Browse all packages
Create Your Custom-Made Trip to Terrebonne
Traveling to Terrebonne? Chat with a Local Travel Specialist in Terrebonne Who Can Help Organize Your Trip.
START HEREOur Travel Experts are Recommended by
Plan your trip
Practical answers before you go. Pick a topic.
Getting there
Autoroute 25, the Montmorency bus and Exo line 15
Reach Terrebonne by road or Exo transit from Montreal. From Montreal-Trudeau airport the drive crosses Montreal island and Laval, which weekday bridge traffic can slow badly; from east Montreal, Autoroute 25 runs straight north. Without a car, take the orange line to Montmorency and Exo bus 19, or Exo train line 15. Once you are in east Montreal, Autoroute 25 runs straight up over the Mille-Îles river in roughly 25 minutes. Without a car you have three transit routes, all starting from the Montreal metro or the Ahuntsic commuter station; buy an OPUS card in Montreal before setting out.
- Orange line to Montmorency, then Exo bus 19
- A daily route from the Laval terminus to Terminus Terrebonne; allow about 45 minutes from the metro
- Green line to Radisson, then Exo bus 30
- About an hour to Terminus Terrebonne, continuing to the Mascouche train station
- Exo line 15 commuter train
- From Côte-de-Liesse (REM connection) via Ahuntsic to Terrebonne station on boulevard Marcel-Therrien, continuing to Mascouche; Exo bus 140 serves the station
- Bus 19 from Laval runs every day; the train timetable is built around weekday commuters, so check it before planning a weekend trip.
Where to stay
Chemin Gascon motels or Lachenaie
Visit Terrebonne as a day trip from Montreal, since few people sleep here. For a theatre night, the choice is small and car-based: motels on chemin Gascon or hotels in Lachenaie, with no hotel inside the old quarter itself, so plan to drive in.
- Chemin Gascon
- Motel Château Terrebonne sits off Highway 640, a short drive from rue Saint-Pierre; some rooms have a fireplace or spa bath, and parking is free
- Lachenaie
- The Super 8 on Yves-Blais suits drivers heading on east or north, though you will need the car for dinner in the old town
- Montreal or Laval
- Better for anyone without a car, with the Montmorency bus 19 link back up to Terrebonne
Getting around
On foot around Île-des-Moulins, Exo buses beyond
Walk Vieux-Terrebonne, where Île-des-Moulins, rue Saint-Pierre, the theatre and the Saint-Louis-de-France church are a short walk apart, so park once and leave the car. Lachenaie and La Plaine, the other two sectors, are spread-out suburbs best reached by car or Exo bus.
- Exo buses
- Local routes and Montreal links run from Terminus Terrebonne at 4800 chemin Côte-Terrebonne; pay with an OPUS card
- Exo bus 140
- Links the Terrebonne train station with Lachenaie on weekdays and runs on to Radisson metro
- Car
- The practical way to reach chemin Gascon, Lachenaie and the motels off Highway 640
- Check the theatre programme before choosing your day; a show turns a short afternoon visit into a proper evening out.
Know before you go
What makes Terrebonne worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Île-des-Moulins, where five buildings of the old mill complex survive on an island in the river.
- Dinner on rue Saint-Pierre, bottle in hand at one of the bring-your-own-wine restaurants.
- An evening at the Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne, on the same street as the restaurants.
Good to know
- French is the everyday language, so a few phrases help, especially outside the old quarter.
- Old-town restaurants keep irregular hours, with some closed at lunch or on certain weekdays; check before you go.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Terrebonne, month by month
Just north of Montreal: hot summers, cold and snowy winters.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Terrebonne (Environment and Climate Change Canada, via Wikipedia).
An afternoon on Île-des-Moulins and rue Saint-Pierre
Spend an afternoon in Vieux-Terrebonne, a short trip north of Montreal by Autoroute 25 or by the orange metro line and Exo bus 19 from Montmorency. Walk the flat loop of Île-des-Moulins, where boulevard des Braves meets rue Saint-Pierre, past its surviving buildings, including the 1803 bakery and the 1846 flour mill, then dine on rue Saint-Pierre.
The island is a small, flat loop, and its five surviving buildings, among them the bakery of 1803, the seigneury office, the flour mill of 1846 and the Moulin neuf beside it, tell the story in order. Walk the water's edge too, since the mills only make sense once you see how the river was harnessed.
By late afternoon, cross back to the mainland and turn up rue Saint-Louis to the Saint-Louis-de-France church, built around 1878. It is the parish's third church, and its Casavant organ dates from 1946. Then drift along rue Saint-Pierre, where the older houses now hold restaurants with terraces facing the street.
Book dinner early on a summer weekend. If the Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne has a show, it makes a natural end to the day, and you are back in Montreal within the hour.
Bring-your-own-wine dinners and steak terraces in Vieux-Terrebonne
Eat on rue Saint-Pierre in Vieux-Terrebonne, a street short enough to read every menu before you choose. Le Baluchon d'Or at number 724 cooks Szechuan and Thai food on the apportez votre vin system, so bring a bottle from a dépanneur or the SAQ, and the steak houses have summer terraces.
The surprise is Le Baluchon d'Or at number 724, a Szechuan and Thai kitchen that works on the apportez votre vin system: there is no wine list, so you bring a bottle bought at a dépanneur or the SAQ and the staff open it for you. It is mostly an evening place.
Chez Fabien, at 778, is the long-hours option, an Italian dining room with pizzas, pasta and grilled meat and fish that opens at lunch and stays open into the evening. L'Aparté Bistro Bar at 866 is the one to pick before a show, as it sits almost next door to the theatre. On a warm night the terrace at Steakerie Sainte-Marie, on rue Sainte-Marie, is the place for barbecue and steak.
For something looser, drive out to Bières et Compagnie on chemin Gascon, which pours more than a hundred beers from around the world and backs them with sausages, moules frites and game dishes. Opening days vary across all of these, so check before you drive up midweek.
Travelers are asking
No questions yet about Terrebonne. Ask the community or our travel team, and the answer will show here once it is published.
Our travel desk answers questions about Terrebonne
How we research our Terrebonne travel guide
Île-des-Moulins opens seasonally, so its dates are confirmed with the City of Terrebonne each spring; Exo services and the eTA rules are checked as they change.
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of TerrebonneGovernment of CanadaDestination Canada
Before You Go...
Discover Trips & Info
A Travel Network Connection Travelers and locals
Incredible Event & Festival, Don't Miss!
Most Popular Event & Festival of Terrebonne
Festivals and events in this destination, with dates, venues and ticket details where available.
No upcoming festivals or events in Terrebonne are listed right now. Browse all events
Memorable Experiences
Where to Go (& NOT Go) In Terrebonne!
Roaming the World one Adventure at a Time: Travel Tales, Tips, and Inspiration for wanderlusters.
Subscriber
Popular car hire destinations
Explore more options to hire a car for cheap
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Terrebonne.
Getting there
Montmorency, the end of the orange line in Laval. Exo bus 19 runs daily from there to Terminus Terrebonne, and the trip from the metro takes about 45 minutes.
At Terrebonne station on boulevard Marcel-Therrien, between the Côte-de-Liesse terminus in Montreal (with a REM connection) and Mascouche. Exo bus 140 links the station with Lachenaie on weekdays.
By taxi or rental car across Montreal and Laval, the simplest choice with luggage. On transit you would first ride into Montreal, then take the orange line to Montmorency for bus 19.
General
A small island in the Rivière des Mille-Îles with the remains of a 19th-century mill complex, listed by Quebec as a heritage site. Five buildings survive, including an 1846 flour mill.
Usually, in the restaurants and at the island, but Terrebonne lives in French. A bonjour and a merci go a long way, and signs and menus are French first.
Two hours covers the island and the church at an easy pace. Add dinner on rue Saint-Pierre and a show and it becomes a full evening out from Montreal.
Two of Terrebonne's three sectors, once separate towns that merged with it in 2001. They are mainly residential, so visitors spend their time in old Terrebonne by the river.
May to October, when highs run from about 20C to 27C and the terraces on rue Saint-Pierre are set out. From December to March the paths are often snowy and the terraces packed away.
Walk Vieux-Terrebonne, where Île-des-Moulins, rue Saint-Pierre, the theatre and the Saint-Louis-de-France church are a short walk apart, so park once and leave the car. Lachenaie and La Plaine, the other two sectors, are spread-out suburbs best reached by car or Exo bus.
Stay & facilities
L'Aparté Bistro Bar at number 866 is steps from the Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne. Chez Fabien at 778 is the alternative if L'Aparté is full.
Le Baluchon d'Or, the Szechuan and Thai place at 724 rue Saint-Pierre. Buy the wine before you arrive, as it has no list of its own.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Terrebonne is May to Oct. Terraces on rue Saint-Pierre are open and the island paths are pleasant for walking.
- Best overall: May - October (Highs climb from about 20C in May to 27C in July, warm enough for terrace dinners in Vieux-Terrebonne and slow loops of Île-des-Moulins)
- Shoulder: April, November (Highs of 7C to 12C and bare trees; the island is quiet and the theatre season carries the evenings)
- Winter: December - March (Highs below freezing and nights near -16C in January; come for a show on rue Saint-Pierre or a long restaurant dinner rather than a riverside stroll)
July is the warmest month in Terrebonne, with average highs of 27°C, and January the coolest, with lows of -16°C. July is the wettest month, at about 106 mm of rain; February is the driest. Just north of Montreal: hot summers, cold and snowy winters.
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.
