We purchased a combo ticket that included the Insectarium de Montreal, Jardin Botanique de Montreal, the Biodome de Montreal, and the Olympic Tower. By purchasing the combo ticket (C$27 for an adult ticket), we saved ourselves a great deal of money. For an additional fee, you can rent audio-guide headphones—this is your own personal tour guide. This is an option I did without, and I was very happy with my decision. The audio-guide is a long process, and I just wanted to enjoy the Biodome on my own. The Biodome is open every day from 9am to 5pm (6pm in the summer).

When you walk into the Biodome, your first room will be the Tropical Forest. Unbelievable!! You can feel the humidity of a real rainforest as you enter. At any moment, you can see animals walking around in this amazing habitat: capybaras, sloths, birds, amphibians, crocodiles, and everyone’s favorite, the golden lion tamarin (a small monkey). This little fellow was swinging around on the trees and checking everyone one out as they entered the habitat. In a separate area, you can also see hundreds of bats flying around and other interesting rain forest creatures.

Now head over to the Laurentian Forest, where you will find a beaver in his own natural environment. You will also see ducks, otters, and porcupines in the forest. However, the main attraction in the Laurentian Forest is the lynx. The lynx are maintained in a large habitat with a lot of room to roam. We snapped a couple of photos of these beautiful creatures as they paced back and forth.

The next room is very cool. The St. Lawrence Marine Ecosystem is alive indoors, with birds flying overhead and amazing habitats for living marine animals. When you walk in, you can feel the whoosh of cold air against your face, but watch out—you don’t feel the warmth of seagulls’ waste on your head as they fly above.

The Biodome saves the best ecosystem for last, the Polar World. In this habitat, you will be entertained by curious penguins and tens of puffins. This is actually two ecosystems in one, with the Arctic and Antarctic on either side of the path. It’s truly a unique experience.

Overall, the Biodome de Montreal is a can’t-miss place when you visit this beautiful city. On my next time back to Montreal, this will be one of the first places I visit.

You enter into a huge reception space leading to the ticket counter. We settled on one of the combination tickets for the Biodome, the Botanic Gardens, and the Insectarium. There is another ticket available that includes all of these attractions plus the Olympic Stadium.

The Biodome is divided into four main sections. We went through the sections in the following order, covering a circular route, but you're free to start with any section you desire.

Tropical Forest
The forest is accessed on raised wooden platforms that separate you from the animals. The birds are the most apparent of all the creatures, flying around above your head and making lots of noise! Clearings in the forest also make it easier for you to spot various mammals and reptiles on the ground. Between parts of the forest are also tunnels that are lined on the inside with fish tanks full of various tropical fish - like piranhas! Information about the various animals is posted on information boards along the route.

Laurentian Forest
This forest was mostly what interested me. The Laurentian forest was an indoor version of what was available outside Montreal in the Quebec and Ontario region. As I would not be able to view the real forest, I was going to have to settle for an indoor approximation! Again, wooden platforms lead you around the area. The beavers were my favourite, with their own dam in the back. We wandered into one closed-off area and the general comment was that it smelled of cat pee. Well, it would - it housed a lynx!

St Lawrence Marine Ecosystem
The highlight of this area is the large seaside-like area where numerous seaside birds (seagulls, terns) are flying overhead. If not for the roof, it would feel like a real pier! All I can say is, close your mouth if you're looking overhead! A large aquarium also holds a number of fish found in the local waters.

Polar World
This was the smallest region but one that seemed to be the most popular, judging by the length of time in which people lingered! A number of large glass enclosures housed various polar dwelling birds. Puffins (oh, they are adorable!), and many types of penguins are mostly what I remember. The enclosures were built such that their ground level was our eye level so it was possible to see them swim as the water was flush against the glass.

The Biodome is obviously very popular with children (there was a school group there during my visit), but adults curious about the fauna in the areas surrounding Montreal, will find it interesting. Expect a huge zoo and you'll be disappointed.

Go in the morning. On separate visits - years apart - by noon on a weekday there were horrendous lines at the ticket windows. Given the layout, it's hard to imagine that anyone would have a pleasant experience once they got in. There's a walkway 6 or 8 feet wide with viewing areas that winds through the building. In each sector birds and other animals either move about the space freely or are confined to a smaller area by creatively designed, often perfectly camouflaged barriers. People walk along, pausing to look into the leaves and trees to see if there's anything hiding there. Many times there is, but you'll need a sharp-eyed kid to find it for you! The first space is devoted to the Tropics, the next to the Laurentian forest. There's a wonderful change in humidity and temperature passing from one to the other! In all spaces, the Biodome seeks to mimic seasonal temperatures somewhat so the jump from the Tropics to the Canadian forest becomes more extreme in the winter. After the forest comes space devoted to the Saint Lawrence/Atlantic Ocean ecosystem. See the saltwater marine life from the underwater viewing room, then go above - but watch out for gulls and ducks flying overhead! The last area, representing the Polar Regions, is much smaller. Penguins, puffins and other birds of the arctic and antarctic hop around on rocks, dive into the water and swim around like small jet propelled torpedoes. Unfortunately, all this takes place behind thick glass, so visitors never get to feel the cold air.

Kids particularly enjoy searching for animals and relish pointing them out to their less observant parents or adult escorts. Without crowd congestion, plan to spend 60 to 75 minutes here. Price is $10 CDN for adults, $7 CDN for children. Showing an AAA card qualifies for a discount and discount coupons are available. I used coupons from the POM (a local bakery) Passport, a handout you can find free around town.

For my family this is highly recommended - we were here two years ago and had to come back. But you know your own children. Depending on their interests this could range anywhere from a big hit to a ho-hum.

Visitors are able to walk through four different ecosystems; the tropical forest, Laurentian forest, St Lawrence marine ecosystem and polar world. If you are fascinated by animals then this is the place for you. I would recommend roughly half a day to walk around. When you first walk into the Biodome you may not spot all the animals that you are told to expect, and you may think, well it is nothing special. It is only when you stand and look more closely that you realise that the place is teeming with animals. I was mesmerised by the Golden Lion Tamarin monkeys and the cayman alligators. The cliffside in the St Lawrence section will have you reaching for your umbrella when the seagulls take off - you have been warned!

Children will love the biodome as there is so much they can see and do. They can also ask the rangers (the people in those hats!) that wonder around the dome about the creatures. I guess your experience of the dome will depend on your love of animals and how busy it is.

My ticket cost $24 but that included entrance to the Olympic Tower, botantical garden, insectarium and the dome.

Interactive areas are available in the lower foyer for the children to explore on their own what they know and learned in the exhibit. Many people miss this area. A cafeteria is available on-site. While you're there, take the elevator ride to the top of the Olympic Stadium for a spectacular view of Montreal.

The student admission (including college) was $7, and we entered to find bunches of children everywhere. The whole experience was kind of like a 'Where's Waldo?' book. I don't know about you, but Waldo always frustrated me. There were animals in each separate climate, but you had to search for them among the grass, trees, water, etc. Pictures were allowed, but flash was not, so my pictures did not turn out well (sorry). We did see some beautiful animals - but the Biodome probably doesn't have any more animals than your local zoo does. And you only experience a couple of the climates. The arctic climate is safely boxed in, so visitors do not experience the cold (we were actually looking forward to experiencing it!). And they had penguins but no polar bears, which was also disappointing. Some features were fun, like all of the windows where you could see animals above and below the water line.

Overall, the Biodome brought out the kid in me, but left me a bit disappointed. I can imagine it would be PACKED with people in the summer, since it was crowded in mid-November.