darrahughes

Two ladies thinking of renting a car in Toronto and driving to Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec in late November, is it too much driving in 10 days ? is there usually lots of snow this time of year ?
or would it be better to travel by train and cut out the traffic in the city's.
Any suggestions very much appreciated.

tomfuller

Use ViaRail even if it is not snowing. http://www.viarail.ca/en?gclid=CJ39w...Feo9Qgod1wgANQ
They often have a companion fare at 50% off.

chefguy

Hey, definitely not too much driving depending on what you are thinking in terms of time in each city. Ottawa to Toronto is about 4 hours from right downtown to like the Parliament buildings. I live in Ottawa and while it is a great city, a few days would be more than enough. Montreal for at least 2-3 days (only a 1 and a half hour drive) and then just a drive up to Quebec City. If you plan ahead (like now) you can usually find cheap deals on Via as Tom stated and it gives you a lot more flexibility - a lot of places in Montreal don't offer parking and it is nice to be able to not have to worry about driving. The 401 is boring anyways!

zootsi

All three cities are great. However late november May be the worst time of year to visit. The weather can quickly turn from rain to ice to snow, one of the trickiest seasons to drive.

darrahughes

Thank you for the information very much appreciated. we have decided to fly up to Quebec and get the train back to Montreal and Toronto.

laverendrye

Are you now planning to skip Ottawa? I think that its worth two days out of your ten day trip.

Many of the Montreal-Toronto trains are routed through Ottawa.

Pamlover

Hi Laverendrye
I'm reading your contribution that I consider very useful and I want to ask to you or any friends who can help us. My wife (64) and I(72) will make the journey not yet know whether by train or bus New York-Montreal-Quebec-Toronto and back to New York.We had already decided to skip Ottawa and Thousand Isles because it makes us very difficult many trips with the suitcases( we are not so young)but when you commented it was worth going for two days to Ottawa we want to ask you this question: is there any way to go to Thousand Isles from Ottawa or Toronto and back the same day but not a traumatic experience?
Thanks so we can advise.
Pamlover

laverendrye

Pamlover

Most Thousand Islands cruises leave from the town of Gananoque, but there are also some from Kingston which would be more convenient for you.

My suggestion would be to take an early train from Toronto to Kingston, leave your bags at the station and take a taxi to the harbour. From there take your Thousand Islands cruise, and then return to the station and continue by train to Ottawa.

You can find the train schedules and buy tickets on the ViaRail website: http://www.viarail.ca/en

For cruises from Kingston, check this site: http://www.1000islandscruises.ca

Micheline

I live in Ottawa and I think it's a wonderful city with lots of attactions in summer and fall but I would not advise tourists to visit in November.

laverendrye

I can't imagine why one would not be advised to visit Ottawa in November. Certainly the weather is not as pleasant as in summer or early autumn, but one could say the same for Montreal, Quebec City and Toronto.

There is plenty to do and see indoors in Ottawa, and with the exception of the outdoor summer festivals all the summer and fall attractions are still here. It's not as though one would be facing the kind of freezing weather and blizzards that are common, say, in January and February.