jacobguo

As the title suggests. Trying to do a little bit of trip planning to escape from studying for the finals

The purpose of the trip is more on experiencing the big cities than enjoying the natural wonders.

Will probably bring my own car from PHL because I love driving. SO will fly in from LAX.

Anyways here's the preliminary itinerary.

Day 1 (Fri)

Depart PHL AM for BUF. (6h w/o traffic)
Arrive in BUF PM.
Stay in BUF.

Day 2 (Sat)

Pick up SO from BUF early AM.
Visit Niagara Falls and everything. (Not really on the top of our list so ok with skipping this and get to Toronto on day 1.)
Get to Toronto preferably before 10pm.
Stay in Toronto.

Day 3 (Sun)

Toronto (day 1)
Stay in Toronto.

Day 4 (Mon)

Toronto (day 2)
Stay in Toronto.

Day 5 (Tue)

Toronto (day 3, half-day)
Leave for Ottawa early PM.
Stay in Ottawa.

Day 6 (Wed)

Ottawa (day 1)
Stay in Ottawa.

Day 7 (Thur)

Ottawa (day 2, half day)
Depart for Montreal (time flexible).
Stay in Montreal.

​​​​​​​Day 8 (Fri)

​​​​​​​Montreal (day 1)
Stay in Montreal.

​​​​​​​Day 9 (Sat)

​​​​​​​Montreal (day 2)
​​​​​​​Stay in Montreal.

​​​​​​​Day 10 (Sun)

​​​​​​​Montreal (day 3)
Drop SO off at YUL in the evening.
​​​​​​​Stay in Montreal.

​​​​​​​Day 11 (Mon)

​​​​​​​Depart Montreal for PHL.

​​​​​​​Summary

Buffalo/Niagara Falls: 1 day/1 night
​​​​​​​Toronto: 2.5-3 days/3 nights
Ottawa: 1-2 days/2 nights
Montreal: 3-3.5 days/4 nights

Questions

1. Any suggestions?
2. Should we skip Ottawa and just split the time between Toronto and Montreal?
2b. Any chance for Quebec City if we skip Ottawa?
2c. If you can only pick one, Quebec City or Ottawa?
3. Anything of interest between Toronto and Montreal? Could be a historical monument, etc.

​​​​​​​Thanks in advance!

Antonio8069

Your itin seems reasonable. I have several comments:
- Feb 19 is the Family Day holiday in ON..........many places will be closed!
- do not skip YOW. That time of the year you can skate on the Rideau Canal, visit Parliament, and visit the outdoor ice rink!
- if you want to skip a place, pass on YUL and go straight to YQB. Also, take VIA Rail & check out ice canoeing on St. Lawrence (https://www.canotaglacequebec.com/le-canot-a-glace). Quintessentially Canadian!
- plan for winter. Its cold & snowy then, short days & long nights!

Low Roller

I'd definitely recommend Quebec City for a day or two. Unless you're interested in Canadian politics, there isn't much in Ottawa. And, as mentioned, plan some flexibility into your schedule because the winter weather may interfere with your driving plans.

jc94

You should definitely stop off at Niagara, both sides are worth doing though the US side is only worth 30 mins and the Canadian side better (though in winter the gardens won’t be amazing. There is a variety of things if you like them to do them but for me and the 3 or so trips I’ve taken recenetly people just want to see the Falls.

The border can take a while. US and Canadian passport holders are generally waved through unless their vehicle or anything flags up. There are three main crossings, the one about 30 miles out(?), Lewiston possibly(?) is apparently quieter. I’ve only done the Rainbow bridge. Neither side was very friendly to be honest!

As mentioned YOW is a must, especially for Parliment which is free but you must get there early for tickets. Again though in winter I don’t expect the queues you get May through October.

Quebec City is much better than Montreal, in my opinion. Prettier, friendlier and cleaner.

Badenoch

If you are intending to drive that route in February-March my suggestion would be to have an AWD vehicle with snow tires, a cell phone and survival equipment in your vehicle. The weather even into early April can range from pleasant spring conditions to an eye-popping blizzard.

Niagara Falls is worth a short stop if you've never seen it before. See it from the Canadian side, better view and, er, better neighbourhood. It shouldn't add more than two or three hours along the way if all you want to do is see the falls.

Ottawa isn't a favourite place because I lived there briefly, have done lots of business there and can't stand the place. Nevertheless, for a visitor it's worth going for the history, Parliament Buildings, museums, etc. I would grudgingly recommend it over Quebec City. If you have to choose one city in Quebec however it should be Montreal but it might be worth squeezing in a little time for Quebec City if possible.

jacobguo

Thanks everyone! Totally forgot it snows in March up north:facepalm:

Badenoch

gspurr

Personally I would choose Quebec City over Ottawa, although that does involve a fair bit more driving (or train). Ottawa doesn't have much nightlife to speak of. If you want to see museums and Parliament then do Ottawa, but if you prefer more romantic old-world city go to Quebec City.

B407

I agree, if you want to experience the big cities, Ottawa isn't really one. Outside of Parliament and the canal and some of the more touristy parts, Ottawa has a very rural/suburban feel and there is not much for a visitor. Although Quebec City is not a big city by any means, it has a very European feel and has way better restaurants and culture and the pictures you take there will be much cooler!

DanJ

Also keep in mind the March school breaks in Ontario March 10-18 and Quebec March 3-11. Attractions will be busy and accommodations pricier those 2 weeks.

YZF_Elite

Assuming you have snow tires or you're willing to hunker down a day if the weather is poor, I don't think you'll have any trouble driving any of these areas where there are well-maintained major routes. I live in Ottawa and would say this is a fine trip as long as you're willing to accept the possibility you may face frigid temperatures and snow storms, even though that time of year is usually the best part of winter and it can also be very enjoyable. I would say that for this time of year, Toronto is probably the least desirable city to visit, even though it can be the warmest. If you're looking for skating/skiing/ice sculptures, etc, then Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City are far better choices. If you haven't been to Niagara Falls before it is worth a visit year-round. I would say you can visit both Niagara Falls and Ottawa in a day each depending on what you want to do.

I'll be heading south, but good luck!

Low Roller

I agree with the last post that driving is usually ok this time of year (especially on the major highways) unless there is a storm. Just book refundable hotel rates in case a storm forces you to skip one of the cities and spend more time where you are. Toronto doesn't generally get much snow but Quebec City does. If there is alot of snow and ice, it may be better to park your car at the hotel and use taxis or uber to get around town.

Badenoch

He's driving from Philadelphia. The greatest potential weather risk along the way isn't in Canada but driving through Buffalo.

smc333

I live in Cheektowaga, where BUF airport is located. I'm actually just about 2 miles from BUF.

I would keep an eye on the weather. We've got a good network of highways here so if there's snow to the east you can usually get in from the south and vice versa.

If you're not doing anything in Buffalo I'd stay by the airport. There's a few hotels there. Genesee St. and Dick/Cayuga Rd. (same road but the name changes as it goes over Genesee St) have a few. The airport is right on Genesee.

Mr. Bills on Cleveland has good food and is really close to the airport, just off Cayuga. Good fish fry on Friday and Wednesday, and their wings are nearly as good as Anchor Bar and Duff's.

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