Face your fears in Montréal

Bumps in the night

Track down ghosts of yore at Exporail's Railway Ghosts event or go on Montréal Ghosts walks through the city. Explore ancient underground archaeological excavations at Pointe-à-Callière museum. And really get into the spirit with a walk through Mount Royal Cemetery and Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery. If spiders and insects give you the creepy crawlies, apply some tried-and-true psychological advice and immerse yourself in their world at the Insectarium – where sometimes they'll even offer insect edibles! On the other hand, the delights of a meal at O.Noir might just get you over a fear of the dark. And if you prefer to face your fears on screen, look no further than bevy of horror films at the Fantasia Film Festival.  

Brave new heights

If the idea of jumping out of a plane causes your heart to skip a beat, Montréal's got a few alternatives to beating acrophobia. Jump off a reasonably tall tower instead! Ropes and safety harnesses add a grounding element to the thrills of the MTL Zipline in the Old Port of Montréal while indoor flight simulator AviaSim allows you to feel like you're in the air, flying an airplane. iFly Montréal makes you soar like a bird in their 4.3m diameter, fast and cool wind tunnel. Climb as high or low as you like at indoor rock climbing gym Centre d’Escalade Horizon Roc, with top-rope climbing and rope-free bouldering, intro-to-climbing classes, an Acro Parc high-ropes obstacle course and 25-metre zip line. Or step into a fully enclosed, climate controlled gondola on La Grande Roue de Montréal observation wheel for an all-new perspective on the city from 60 metres above it.

Faster and faster

Conquer fears of speed (not to mention driving, flying, open water or rollercoasters) with more thrills a second than you can count. Grab the steering wheel of a Vortex Racing race car simulator with up to 2.5 Gs of force, or step into a Saute-mouton jet boat to ride the rapids of the Saint Lawrence River. Ride La Ronde amusement park's Le Monstre, the world’s tallest two-track wooden rollercoaster, Le Vampire, Le Démon and more heart-rate boosters – La Ronde ups the ante with its October-long Fright Fest of specially constructed haunted houses, Scare Zones and more.

Great escapes

Call it claustrophobia-lite: escape rooms are temporary, fairly roomy and take your mind off fears by giving you an intricate problem to solve. Work together to get out of tricky scenarios at A/Maze Montréal where reality-based tests—from a prison break to an alien maze, plus an interactive game with actors—challenge teams in a white-knuckle countdown. Less tense but just as fun, find your way through the Old Port's SOS Labyrinthe. 

Fight the good fight

Step into the ring with these games that tone down the violence and add a lot more fun to the mix. Throw an axe like a Viking pro at Rage Axe Throwing Centre or at TNT Axe Throwing. Or gather a team and book a game of Quidditch, cricket, soccer, archery-battle, nerf-battle and more at The Ministry of Cricket & other homeless sports.

Clowning around

And last but not least: clowns. Love them or hate them, clowns are a fact of life in Montréal, home base to Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Éloize, Les 7 doigts and more acclaimed circus troupes who perform year-round. See an acrobatic – possibly clown-filled – show at La TOHU circus centre or at the spectacular MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE, featuring indoor and outdoor performances in July. Conquering this particular fear in Montréal may just leave you with a newfound appreciation of the fine art of clowning.