Montreal <-> Ottawa options
 

Ok, since LH is "stupid" I booked my flights to Montreal - but actual
destination is Ottawa.
The no-brainer option is booking YUL-YOW with AC on a seperate ticket. But maybe (with time to spare) there might be more touristish options?

I was looking at viarail - which looks a nice product in "Business" itself, but the track is just thru kinds of nowhere-land (gmaps/satellite)?

Car rental and route whatever? I am a bit "car mad", possible to rent a Musclecar? :D

Bus, car, train, plane, all work well. I've taken the train and you don't see much. That said, unless you get off the highway or take a long route, there's not much to see driving either. If you want low-cost, a craigslist rideshare can be had for very cheap.

Air: Simplest.
Rail: comfortable. Train station is a short shuttle-bus ride from YUL. It will save you 15-20 mins compared to driving.
Car: Relative easy, mostly highway drive from YUL to Ottawa. Check prices as there may be a one-way drop-off charge. Careful about fatigue after coming off a transatlantic flight. The highway is mostly boring and you wouldn't want to fall asleep, or miss the right turn to Ottawa and end up 5 hrs later in Toronto.
--
13F

Montreal to Ottawa is super boring. flying takes 30-40 minutes, driving takes 2 hours, train takes around 1.25 hours.

The only touristy thing along the way is Herbs. http://www.herbstravelplaza.ca/index.php/en/home/

The right turn is so true. That fork in the road after the turtle island bridge is deceiving.

The train is quick and easy. It has a stop at Dorval, near the airport, and arrives close to downtown Ottawa. The airport is a lot farther and the cab fare is substantial. There is a transit bus that's actually faster than the cab in Ottawa. The thing to consider is that the train is not affected by weather in Montreal or from wherever you flight is coming from. Scenery from trains is what you think it is - the countryside has terrain that is not the same as other places - if that is interesting.

Flying in in four weeks, so I guess/hope the current floods aren't an issue by then.
Sleepiness after TATL is a valid point; I think it'll be the train after all.

Thanks for the input.

The train is really worth it ( airlines sometimes rebook people this way during irops). A 4 minute shuttle ride or healthy 10 minute walk ( I live in the area and walk from the airport to the adjacent commuter rail station sometimes ). Also, if booked in business on Via you will have access to a small lounge that makes the wait easier.

Sounds well connected, but I've to stay overnight. Planned T/D is at 18:40 and last train in the day is 18:50. Could be a biiiiit tight :-)
Better with outbound, train arriving 13:40, plane leaving 17:45.

You'll never make the last train. You could also look at Greyhound. They do have some direct buses from the terminal that leave about 50 meters from the customs hall, don't know if it leaves that late. The bus does stop in downtown Ottawa.

I'm fine with a night in Montral - that was the plan anyway, will see "enough" from Ottawa the following days.

Leads to: which Hotel. Would "prefer" anything along IHG; but if there's some must-see, I'd go for that, too (just maybe not above $200 or so).

Edit: seems that should rather go $300 or so :rolleyes:

I enjoyed the http://montreal.gouverneur.com/. It's in a part of the city where there is a lot of nightlife of various types in a francophone area. It is convenient and shows up in Hotwire and Priceline deals. It's not as fancy as the Omni but more interesting.

If you want an IHG property I've stayed a few times at the Holiday Inn Montreal Centreville Downtown - it's the one with the pagoda style rooftop. It's at the entrance to Chinatown, and 5 minutes walk from the Old Port and 5 minutes walk from Place des Arts but you won't be there at either Jazz or Comedy festival time. While the Holiday Inn is a mid-range hotel, it's location and price make it ideal for a base. However since you are only there for a night, perhaps an airport hotel might be simpler.

As far as Ottawa I took a cab from Ottawa airport to the Via Rail station last October, cost was C$35.

Bear in mind that the ViaRail station is on the East of the city, not downtown by any stretch of the imagination, although it does have a bus connection to downtown.

Lastly Canada is celebrating 150 years of 'being Canadian' this year and many large events are planned for the downtown core in Ottawa. That makes hotels full, traffic slow, and crowds large.

VIA Rail one way only
 

Outbound = VIA Rail. You could do VIA 1, but why bother? Its the same seat and you are on board 1.5 hours............barely enough time to eat, let alone enjoy the wine! Also, VIA Rail has comp wifi. There is also a comp shuttle to the terminal. Look for the phone outside the station.

Inbound, I agree the cnx. is way too tight. You could do the Greyhound (8:30 pm as I recall). If not, why not stay near the airport? Do you need the IHG stay for status? If not, I recommend the Sheraton Montreal Airport & a free shuttle. Save $$ on cabs and upgrade for lounge access.

I like the Intercontinental in Montreal, especially the upper floor club rooms. The club there has a nice selection of food and drinks. It's in a quiet location, a pleasant walk into the old town for restaurants etc. No idea what costs would be for your chosen night tho.