On my last day in Montreal, I went for a walk near Rivière des Prairies, on the northwestern part of the island of Montreal. There, I walked in Parc de la Merci, Parc des Bateliers and Ile Perry, a small island in the river. I then crossed the Rivière des Prairies to Laval.
The Canal de Lachine is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, running 14.5 kilometres from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis. The canal was built to bypass the treacherous Lachine Rapids on the Saint-Lawrence river upstream of Montreal. After completion of the canal in 1825, its banks became a major industrial area of the city. However, the canal closed to shipping traffic in 1970, a few years after the opening of the Saint-Lawrence Seaway (in 1959), which bypasses the rapids starting in Longueuil, on the other side of the river.
The canal is lined with a nice path, suitable for walking and biking, all the way from the Old Port to Lake Saint-Louis. I followed that path on foot until the Saint-Henri neighbourhood, where I took the subway back to Downtown.
Le Plateau-Mont Royal is a neighbourhood of Montreal located north-east of Mount Royal. It is a mostly residential area, with many parks, trendy shops and restaurants. It is also well known for its large number of murals.
Starting from the Bassins Peel, I walked in the Cité du Havre neighbourhood, passing by the brutalist Habitat 67, until I reached the Parc de la Cité du Havre (recently renamed Parc de Dieppe), at the tip of the peninsula. There was a great view on the Old Port, Pont Jacques Cartier and Parc Jean Drapeau from the park. I then crossed the Saint-Lawrence river on Pont de la Concorde until Ile Notre-Dame. At that point, it was getting dark so I walked to Ile Saint-Hélène and Parc Jean Drapeau to take the subway back to the city. I stopped at the Biosphère on the way.
The Bois-de-Liesse Nature Park is a large park in the northwestern part of the island of Montreal, near the Rivière des Prairies. It has a number of walking trails to choose from (see the map). In winter, the trails are used for cross-country skiing (see the winter map).
The Old Port of Montreal (Vieux-Port de Montréal) is the historic port of Montreal, located along the Saint-Lawrence river. It no longer has any industrial activities and is now a recreational area, with many activities like the Montréal Science Centre, the Clock Tower (and its beach), a skating rink or a ferris wheel (coming soon).
Starting at la Villette in Paris, the Canal Saint-Denis connects the Canal de l’Ourcq to the Seine, crossing the towns of Aubervilliers and Saint-Denis on the way.
The Canal de l’Ourcq, the Bassin de La Villette and the Canal Saint-Martin link the River Ourcq with the Seine (at the Port de l’Arsenal, near Bastille).
The Coulée Verte René Dumont (formerly known as Promenade Plantée) is a 4.7 km elevated linear park built on top of a former railway in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. It links Bois de Vincennes with Bastille.
The start of the Coulée Verte is near the Périphérique. However, I started from Square Charles Péguy: I wanted to check out the community garden built near the Petite Ceinture railway, which can only be accessed from the Square. I then walked all the way to Bastille.
The Parc de l’Observatoire is a park in Meudon near Paris. It owes its name to the astronomical observatory nearby. After leaving the park, I walked towards the Seine and the Parc de Saint-Cloud.