Best Montreal Skating Rinks
Winter in Canada means hockey and skating. Luckily, there are tons of places to skate and play shinny around the city of Montreal. Our great city provides public rinks all around the metropolis for people to skate on. Some of the nicer ones you'll have to pay a fee to experience, but there are plenty of free public rinks you can hit up if you already have skates. These are the perfect places to take someone on a romantic date, play shinny with your bros, or just enjoy the Montreal winter.
Parc Toussaint-Louverture
If you live in the lower plateau, you need to hit this park up. Located on the corner of Rue Ontario East and Hotel de Ville, this is free outdoor rink tucked away in a brick housing complex. You better have your own skates because you can't rent here, but the city provides shovels to get rid of any snow and goals if you want to play shinny. When the ice melts, the boards are taken away and the area becomes a soccer pitch with an outdoor basketball court next to it.
Parc Jeanne-Mance
If you go to McGill and don't want to deal with the tons of people that use the rink on lower field, hit up Parc Jeanne-Mance. There is a free public rink that you can organize a game of pond hockey with your bros. All that's provided is the rink, goals, and the boards so you better have your own skates and stick.
Beaver Lake (Lac des Castors)
This is the most beautiful place you can go ice skating in Montreal. Located on Mont Royal, Beaver Lake is isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city. Admission to the rink is free, and if you don't have skates, you can rent them for $7 and use a locker for $3. The only downside is that this rink can get packed on the weekends as it's a favorite for locals, but it's open until 9 p.m. every night of the week so go after class on a weekday.
Parc Walter-Stewart
This rink is located a bit further east than the other rinks mentioned, but Metro Frontenac is right next to the park for easy access. The free outdoor rink is located at the park near Rue d'Iberville and de Rouen. Although the rink isn't open quite yet, once conditions get better, the rink is open from 8 am to 11 pm. You can check up on rink conditions at the Official city portal for Montreal.
Bonsecours Basin
With great views of Old Montreal and the St. Lawrence River, this is the perfect place to get out of the university bubble, de-stress, or take someone special. The outdoor rink provides rental skates, good music, and special lighting to add to your skating experience. This gem just opened up this past weekend and is now open 10 am to 10 pm Thursday to Sunday, and only costs $6 for adults, teens, and seniors.
Do you skate on these rinks in the winter? Did we miss your favorite ice skating rink? Let us know in the comments.