bardo1

Our family is planning to go to Quebec City and surrounds for a week for our family summer vacation.

Flying DC to Portland non-stop is about $1200 less (total) than flying to Quebec City (with a layover in Montreal or Toronto).

The savings are significant enough that I am considering going the Portland route - including staying in Portland the first night to be fresh for the 5-1/2 hours drive.

I am getting push-back, however, from DW who feels that the drive would be SO boring and desolate that it justifys both the increased budget and the layovers going and returning.

We have no first hand knowledge of what lies between these two cities and need first hand knowledge. The input of "strangers", we agreed, will be the decinding factor.

What can we expect along this route???

http://tinyurl.com/2vv8bx

LJ

I don't think this is boring at all esp. if you have never been to either to the State of Maine or the Province of Quebec before. You will drive through some beautiful wild woodlands (may even see deer or moose) and you get to go through Skowhegan which is an attractive small town.You may want to pick up a picnic lunch before leaving Portland in the morning. My DH and I would consider this drive a great one: we are bikers and this is paradise for a day ride.

aucho53

Hi bardo,

Go for it!! I go to Maine almost every summer and I always enjoy the drive ( I live in Montreal, QC ) You pass some great scenery and as LJ mentioned "might" even get to see some wildlife. You'll also get a few extra hours to see a bit of Portland which is a cute, quaint town in a lovely location on the water.

I would totally do it so long as it works out to a significant price difference.

Layla

stouffvillemama

We did the drive from Montreal to Portland with 9 of us in 2 vehicles a few years back. It's a very nice drive. My only problem was that although it was autumn and the colours were beautiful, there were mooose everywhere! I saw 3 on the trip (i'm from northern ontario and it's unusual to see more than one on a trip up there). As fun as they are to see, it can be very dangerous to hit them. Be cautious during dusk. There were skid marks all over the road where people obviously had near misses.

bardo1

I shared this (and the same question on the US forum) with DW - it looks good after all. We had no idea what to expect and she was imagining ALL forests with no places to stop for coffee, etc. We will going via Portland. Thanks to all

Vttraveler

You might also check air fare for flying into Burlington VT. The drive between Burlington and Quebec is obviously quite different, but there is plenty to see.