A perfect marriage of urban infrastructure and green civic planning: a 14km-long cycling and pedestrian pathway, with picnic areas and outdoor spaces. Since the canal was reopened for navigation in 2002, flotillas of pleasure and sightseeing boats glide along its calm waters. Old warehouses converted into luxury condos line the canal near Atwater market. The Lachine Canal was originally built in 1825 as a means of bypassing the treacherous Lachine Rapids on the St Lawrence River.

　　It’s well worth hiring a bike or in-line skates (kid sizes and baby trailers available) and heading out along the canal path but try to avoid summer weekends, when it’s particularly crowded. For a canalside spin, you can hire bikes from Ça Roule Montréal in Old Montréal or My Bicyclette near the Atwater market. Kayaks and boats are also available at nearby H2O Adventures. For a leisurely boat ride where someone else does the work, take a ride with Le Petit Navire.