3 of the best places to pick your own tulips near Montreal are finally opening for spring

Everyone's favourite spring tradition is back. It's time to tiptoe through the tulip fields and pick your own beautiful bouquet.

Three sprawling u-pick tulip fields near Montreal announced the dates they're officially re-opening to the public for the season, with one farm promising 600,000 multicoloured tulips in each of its fields.

U-pick farms, where you pick your own flowers, feel like little slices of heaven this time of year. Unfortunately, you don't have much time to enjoy them. The tulip fields are only open for the duration of Quebec's extremely short-lived season — typically, around two weeks.

That means you'll have to grab your sun hat and your camera and hit the road fast if you want to get a solid Instagram-worthy photoshoot in (or, you know, pick up some gorgeous flowers for your significant other).

Tulipes.ca (the place that promises more than 600,000 tulips) is preparing to open its Laval location on Tuesday, May 7 and its Boucherville location on Wednesday, May 8.

Meanwhile, Vankleek Hill, which has three acres of u-pick tulip fields in Vankleek Hill, Ontario — about an hour and 20 minutes by car from downtown Montreal — is set to open Tuesday, May 7 as well.

The concept is simple: just show up ready to pick flowers. You will be provided with a bucket and no tools are required. You simply explore the rainbow rows, enjoying the scenery and snapping some pics, until you find a tulip you like. Then, you hold the tulip by the stem as close to the ground as possible and pull. Voila!

In terms of pricing, Tulipes.ca charges an admission fee of $9.95 per adult or $6.65 for children and seniors. Tulips cost $1.50 per stem. You can also save money by purchasing packages that include multiple tickets and/or tulips. For instance, one ticket plus 12 tulips costs $25.95 while four tickets plus 48 tulips costs $89.95.

Tulipes.ca is also planning a special Mother's Day event on May 11 and 12. You can bring your mom to pick tulips from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at both locations for $14.95 per adult or $11.95 for children and seniors, plus $1.50 a tulip.

At Vankleek Hill Tulip Fields on weekends, tickets cost $12 per adult and $8.50 for kids. During the week, it's 10$ per adult or $7 for seniors and children. Alternatively, you can opt to buy a season’s pass, granting you unlimited access to the field for the 2024 season during opening hours. The pass costs $25 for adults or $18 for children and seniors. Tulips are $1 per stem.

According to a Vankleek Hill Instagram post, May 7 to 10 is the early season so not all rows will be in bloom yet. May 11 to 13 is mid-season, which the post calls a "great time for picking and photography! Most of the tulips will have bloomed."

The late season, May 15 to 18 or 19, it says, is "perfect for photos" because the tulips will all have bloomed and will "still look beautiful." However, for the most part, they won't last as long when picked.

Both Tulipes.ca and Vankleek Hill Tulip Fields are open seven days a week, rain or shine. Tickets are available for purchase on their respective websites.

These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.

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