Hi All,
I am a complete newbie to this site and i have never been to Canada before.
I have 5 days and planning to spend 2 days in toronto, 1 day for kingston and 1000 islands and 2 days in montreal.
I am flying into Toronto in last week of August.
Day 1 (Thu) : visit Niagara falls & nearby locations
Day 2 : Toronto bus guided tour or something to see other attractions.
Overnight bus journey to Montreal
Day 3: Visit Old Montreal city ,downtown
Day 4: visit Kingston, 1000 islands
Day 5: visit Quebec city
Overnight bus back to toronto.
Morning flight back.
I am looking to utilize my 5 days to the fullest.. so not sure if above itinerary is good.
Also i am looking for some suggestions regarding places to visit on Day 1 & Day 2 in Toronto as i think i will have lot of time at my hand. Same with Montreal.
I would greatly appreciate any guidance, tips or suggestions.
Newbie travelling to Canada for the first time..
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I believe that you really need to rethink this itinerary, it's much too ambitious.
Niagara Falls is a 2 hour bus ride from Toronto and requires at least a full day to see some of the attractions.
Toronto needs much more than a day.
Montreal requires much more than a day is a 6 hour bus ride from Toronto .
Kingston is 3 hours from Montreal, back towards Toronto.
Quebec City requires more than a day is a 9 hour bus ride from Kingston (through Montreal).
Quebec City to Toronto is a 13 hour trip.
So you have over 30 hours of bus travel in 5 days - basically losing 2 of the 5 days on a bus. I would stick to either Toronto/Niagara Falls or Montreal/Quebec City.
Yes, Kingston is in between Toronto and Montreal and Quebec City is beyond Montreal. Your itinerary is extremely ambitious for 5 days. What kind of "guidance" are you looking for? There won't be much time for in-depth exploration or spending much time at many specific attractions. Usually I recommend activities and attractions that would require at least a few hours each. What in particular interests you about each of these destinations?
Thanks for the insights and inputs. I have modified the plan a bit & removed kingston from the journey :
7/29 evening : Fly into Buffalo,NY - watch niagara fall at night.
7/30 morning : Start early morning to Niagara Falls, Ontario - spend whole day there. Drive to Toronto at night.
7/31 morning : CN tower, Casa Loma, Royal Ontario Museum & St. Lawrence Market
8/1 morning : drive from Toronto to Montreal, visit 1000 islands on the way. Reach montreal in the evening.
8/2 morning : visit Quebec city whole day
8/3 morning : old montreal city
8/3 evening : drive back to Buffalo
8/4 morning : fly back
Since this is my first visit, i want to see more place instead of spending more time at one place - kind of visiting all main attractions..
Does this look bit better? how can i improve more?
Appreciate all the help.
I'm the type who really likes to settle in and explore a place whenever possible, so this plan looks nightmareish to me. I understand others want to "hit" more places, crossing destinations off a list, but I think even for this type of traveller your plan is not good at present.
Comments:
1) It doesn't look like you're even seeing Montreal! You arrive 8/1 late, exhausted after a long drive. Quebec City is a 3 hour drive one way from Montreal; if you get back on 8/2 to Montreal, it'll be late. 8/3 You'll need most of the day to drive to Buffalo from Montreal.
2) I fear you'll see Quebec City but won't actually get to enjoy much about it! If you're thinking of driving from Montreal to Quebec City and back on 8/2, that's 6 hours of driving in one day... Sounds tiring and crankiness-inducing.
3)The only days that seem vaguely OK to me are 7/30 and 7/31.
4) Doesn't seem to me you're doing much more than waving to the 1000 Islands.
My advice:
I love Quebec, I live in Quebec, but with your 5 days, it's too much. I'd recommend sticking to Ontario (or at very least drop Quebec City)! Even for the ambitious checklist traveller type, I think hitting Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Toronto, maybe Kingston or Prince Edward County will keep you plenty busy!