It's that time of the year again! No, we don't mean the end of summer when students head back to school and patrons flock to cafes for all things pumpkin spiced. We mean the time of year when sunflowers are in full bloom in and around Montreal!
Read on to discover the nearby sunflower fields sparkling with flowers golden enough to conquer the worst end-of-summer blues and make you feel like you're walking on sunshine well into the fall.
La Belle de Coteau-du-Lac
Price: $22 to $25 to look, $32 to $35 to pick
Address: 75, rte. 201, Coteau-du-Lac, QC
Distance from Montreal: 45 minutes
Why You Need To Go: This family farm just outside Montreal in the heart of Montérégie is the perfect spot for one last summer hurrah before fall closes in. Known for its strawberry and flower fields, La Belle de Coteau-du-Lac is ending the summer season in style with a Sunflowers in Bloom event over Labour Day weekend.
This magical experience gives visitors access to the farm's endless sunflower fields brimming with over 60 varieties of sunflowers, the option to pick your own flowers, an enchanted village, a playground, a corn maze, and unlimited photo ops. On Thursdays and Saturdays, the farm is open late for sunset and fire nights, where you can roast s'mores over a bonfire while watching the sky slowly turn the same golden hue as the sunflower fields.
Ferme Marineau
Price: $12.95
Address: 4356, boul. Dagenais O., Laval, QC
Distance from Montreal: 35 minutes
Why You Need To Go: A short trip to a Laval farm is all that's stopping you from getting lost in a sea of flowers. Ferme Marineau's Flower Festival runs until September 14 and features fields upon fields of beautiful, colourful flowers to explore.
Admission to the festival gives you access to the flower fields, a corn maze, a mini goat-petting zoo, daily live music performances, a farmer's market, and most notably, a giant sunflower trail where you can walk amongst the stunning sun-kissed flowers. For an additional $15, you can purchase a jar to fill with an assortment of pick-your-own flowers and grasses, so you can take home a colourful reminder of your fun day at the farm.
La Prairie Louvain
Price: Free
Address: 50–150, rue de Louvain O., Montreal, QC
Distance from Montreal: In Montreal
Why You Need To Go: Want to feel like you're miles away frolicking through the countryside in a meadow of golden sunflowers without having to leave the city? Then look no further than La Prairie Louvain, an immersive floral experience right in the heart of Montreal's District Central. With over 18,000 square feet of sunflowers, vibrant perennials, and multicoloured annuals, La Prairie Louvain is a natural oasis amid the highly urbanized region — with enough flowers to brighten your mood.
Sultan Sunflower Farm
Price: Free with donation
Address: 8520 Flewellyn Rd., Ashton, ON
Distance from Montreal: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Why You Need To Go: This family-run farm just outside of Ottawa boasts over 15 acres of bright yellow sunflowers open to the public (and dogs!) to enjoy.
Sultan Sunflower Farm is the primo destination for the minimalist sunflower lover, as the focus here is on the flowers. There may not be extra activities or facilities at this farm, but who cares when there are endless fields of beautiful sunflowers and walking paths to make exploration and photo ops a breeze. And best of all, admission is free, barring a donation to a great cause: maintaining the sunflower fields and caring for the farm's rescued animals.
Champs de Rêves
Price: $19.95
Address: 1620, ch. Daoust, Vaudreuil-Dorion, QC
Distance from Montreal: 45 minutes
Why You Need To Go: Champs de Rêves (or "Dream Gardens" in English) is exactly what it sounds — an enchanting experience on one of the largest private gardens in Quebec that feels like a literal dream come to life.
To paint a better picture, think of your favourite theme park, and now imagine it with rides made of dazzling flowers and way fewer lines. Sounds like a dream come true, right? Champs de Rêves features a stunning sculpture trail full of art installations made of flowers and plants that look straight out of a Disney film. The sculptures, along with a massive labyrinth of 10-foot ornamental grass and fields of purple lavender and golden sunflowers, make Champs de Rêves a dream you'll never want to wake up from.
Green Corners
Price: $4.42 to look, $22.12 to pick
Address: 1259 York's Corners Rd., Ottawa, ON
Distance from Montreal: 2 hours
Why You Need To Go: If you're the type of person who leaves everything until the last minute, who waits until fall to scratch every item off your summer bucket list, then don't wait a second longer to turn your attention to Green Corners, a flower farm in Ottawa.
Green Corners is the sunflower field tailored made for the epic procrastinator, open much later in the season than neighbouring fields with sunflowers blooming until the first frost, typically in late September or early October. The secret is that their sunflower field is never in full bloom. Instead, farmers plant 10,000 to 20,000 sunflower seeds weekly, so visitors can experience waves of sunflowers throughout the summer and into the fall. So if you've always wanted to bask in the warm glow of sunflowers while sipping a pumpkin-spiced latte and planning your Halloween costume, Green Corners is the place for you.
Passion Lavande
Price: Free entry
Address: 188, Rang de Saint-François-de-Pique-Dur, Saint-Sévère, QC
Distance from Montreal: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Why You Need To Go: Nestled in the heart of the Mauricie region of Quebec, this family-run business spans 35 acres of picturesque lavender, rose, and sunflower fields.
A 2-kilometre hiking trail takes you on a relaxing journey through the flower fields and gardens, the nearby woods, and along a river. Entrance to Passion Lavande is free, so you can use the money you save to shop at the onsite boutique that specializes in health, wellness, cosmetics, and food products, all cultivated from the flowers grown in the fields. Between the beautiful floral gardens and the well-stocked boutique, Passion Lavande is the perfect place to take a moment to stop and smell the roses... and the sunflowers.
Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your trip.
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