These Montreal tourist attractions were ranked among the 'most disappointing' in Canada

But the top spot went to an Ontario zoo and amusement park. 🐋

Aerial view of Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau, including the Biosphere and Jacques Cartier bridge.

Aerial view of Montreal, including the Biosphere and Jacques Cartier bridge.

Senior Writer

As Canada's second largest city, Montreal is a prime destination for tourists — no surprise if you've ever tried walking through the Old Port in the summer. In fact, the Great White North is full of picture-perfect landscapes and unmissable landmarks that attract millions of travellers each year.

But some of Canada's most famous tourist attractions are leaving visitors disappointed, according to a study by language learning platform Preply, and Montreal has two spots in the top five.

To compile its list, Preply analyzed more than 130 tourist attractions from 29 cities across Canada, each with at least 1,000 Tripadvisor reviews.

One, two and three star reviews were classified as "disappointing" experiences, while four and five star reviews were classified as "positive" experiences. Preply says it used this ratio to calculate the percentage of disappointing reviews and then compile the rankings.

Topping Canada's 'most disappointing' chart is Ontario's Marineland, a controversial zoo and amusement park in Niagara Falls with 55.36% disappointing reviews. While it's technically only closed for the season, there is speculation that Marineland may soon be shutting down for good after years of animal cruelty allegations, though Marineland has denied those claims.

In second place is Montreal's La Ronde amusement park with 51.86% disappointing reviews.

"Unfortunately, despite its thrilling rides and rollercoasters, this attraction may be perceived as disappointing by some tourists. Reviews often highlight concerns about long wait times and high prices, impacting the overall experience," reads Preply's summary of La Ronde's results.

Unfortunately for our city pride, two more Montreal sights also made the top 10: the Olympic Park (30.80%) and the Biodome (21.86%). Zoom out to the top 20 and Montreal makes the list one more time, with Rue Sainte-Catherine placing 16th.

A list of the 20 'most disappointing' tourist attractions in Canada.A list of the 20 'most disappointing' tourist attractions in Canada.Preply

On the flip side, two Quebec spots made the top 10 on Preply's list of "The most worthwhile tourist attractions in Canada," but neither are in Montreal.

Quebec City's Old Quebec area took fourth place while Terrasse Dufferin, also in Quebec City, ranked ninth.

You can see the full list of Canada's 20 most worthwhile tourist attractions on the Preply website.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

This article has been updated since it was originally published on Apr 17, 2024.

  • Ilana Belfer
  • Editor

    Ilana Belfer (she/her) was an editor for MTL Blog. She's obsessed with great storytelling in all its forms having worked in print, radio, television, theatre, and digital media over the past decade. A graduate of Carleton University’s journalism program, her words have appeared in The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, The Kit, VICE, Salon, Foodism TO & more — covering everything from cam girls to COVID-19. Ilana can usually be found with her dog André, tracking down Montreal’s prettiest ruelles vertes and tastiest treats.

Quebec's minimum wage is increasing in May and here's how much workers will make

About 258,900 workers across Quebec will see their pay go up.

Uber & Uber Eats users in Quebec could be owed money from a new class-action lawsuit

If you've been charged a cancellation fee for an Uber ride or Uber Eats order in Quebec since 2019, you're automatically included.

A single Quebec by-election could decide if Mark Carney's Liberals get a 'real' majority

Carney is poised to hit 172 seats, but here's why a Montreal-area by-election could still keep him from a "real" majority.