Thinking of taking advantage of a VIA Rail promotion and visiting Halifax for a few days in March and then taking the train to either Ottawa or Quebec City (visited Toronto and Montreal on a similar trip last year). Any advice on which of the two cities will be most tourist-friendly in March? Any suggestions on what to do on a tight, student budget? Also, will Halifx be unbearably cold that time of year?

Any thoughts would be appreciated...

Well anywhere in Canada will be cold that time of year Halifax is a great place to visit...really nice people and lots of great food and partying...depending on what you are looking for of course...it's not a very big city so it is quite easy to get around and inexpensive....Ottawa is also a lot of fun...a little more expensive but definitly worth the visit...the people there are very friendly also....Quebec City is absolutely beautiful and worth the trip....the majority of people speak french so bring a dictionary...hope this helps a little bit

I went to Ottawa on a business trip a few years ago in late January/early February (I forget). I was able to check out the Parliament Buildings and the such. However, it seems like nearly every leaves the downtown core after work so it's kind of dead in the evenings. I wanted to skate the Rideau Canal but unfortunately it wasn't frozen over enought at the time. It looks to be frozen nicely this year.

I haven't been to QC but have heard very nice things about it also.

What - Rideau Canal closed in early February? You must have been very unlucky!

I've been in Ottawa every February for the last six years, and have always been able to skate - though there has been the odd temporary closure for the odd day or two. I was a bit unlucky this year - nice cold weather the week before I was there, nice cold weather now, but two temporary closures when I was there.

The guys from our Ottawa office said at the time they couldn't believe how warm it had been and that it was going to be one of the latest openings they could remember (I can't remember if I was there late January or the first few days in February). I had packed my hockey skates hoping it'd be open by the time I stopped in Ottawa but no luck.

Would that have been 2002? I remember now... The canal had still not opened when I left England for New York on 1 Feb. It was still closed when I checked out of my New York hotel on 3 Feb. I got a phone call from Ottawa as I was boarding my flight at LGA, to say that the canal was finally open.

Quebec City is so much better than Ottawa that it's painful.

There will be little or no snow in the streets of the old city or on Grande Allee, and it should be sufficiently cold to avoid slush. Maybe a little cold if you're not used to it, but not really really cold. Still, bring warm clothing as the humidity can be bone-chilling.

I don't know what you have in mind, but I expect there will be lots of winter activities still accessible, although many of these (skiing, snowshoeing, etc.) will be outside of city itself.

Language will not be a major issue: they want your $$ and they'll speak to you sitting on their head if they have to. A dictionary might be useful (especially in restaurants), but that takes some of the fun out of the trip. If you're by yourself, body language can work very well.

There are two train stations: one in Ste-Foy and Gare du Palais, near the harbour. The Ste-Foy station is close to the bridges and a short taxi ride to majors shopping centers and many hotels. La Gare du Palais is much closer to the old city and the tourist areas. I don't think there's public transit to the Ste-Foy station any more, so you'd have to take a cab from there. There is certainly public transit at Gare du Palais. Note that it was (back in my days) the same fare to both stations, and you can detrain at either.

If you plan to stay near the old city or not very far from the walls, it's not really worth getting a car, as parking will be inconvenient. Nevertheless, I believe (but I may well be wrong) that you can rent a car at Gare du Palais but not in Ste-Foy.

Small hotels and private accomodation near the old city or even within the wall can be cheap at this time of year, but you'll have to research it. Major hotel chains near the old city will be expensive. You can find a range of middle-range hotels in Ste-Foy, but you'll have to travel by public transit; if you stay in Ste-Foy, make sure you are close to the Metrobus lines (#800 and #801, I think): both lines have a common trunk, which means there is a bus roughly every 3-5 minutes at rush hour and every 8-15 minutes off-peak.

Enjoy...

... and yes I'm partial: after all, this is where I grew up.