Laurie

My husband and I are planning to stay in Quebec City and Montreal for one week each in June 2013. We have rented apartments but we will not have a car. We will take the train from Quebec City to Montreal.

Is a week in each of these cities too much? Are there day trips we could take from either Quebec City or Montreal using public transportation that would be interesting?

We do enjoy riding bikes, so information on interesting bike trails would be appreciated.

Thank you, Laurie

Daniel_Williams

I would say a week in Montreal and Quebec City is NOT too much if you have fun cycling trips planned! You'll get to know both cities much better than your average tourist whizzing through.

Here are sites to get you started for Velo Quebec and Route Verte; click on English in the upper right corner if you don't wish to practice in the language of Moliere.

http://www.routeverte.com/routeverte_carte/index.php
http://www.velo.qc.ca/fr/accueil

I'm more experienced cycling in Montreal, so here are some suggestions.

My favorite cycling trips (Starting point: corner of Berri & de Maisonneuve by Berri-UQAM metro, you'll see the bike paths, go north or south). Most everything I describe is via bike path. #2 and #3 are tricky but can be so worth it!

1. South to Old Montreal, then just keep going west along the Lachine Canal bike paths to Old Lachine (along the bike path, stop at Atwater Market with the big clock tower or stop for a beer at McAuslan Brewery). Old Lachine has terrific views of the water.

2. From Old Montreal west, take a left at Atwater Market, south then along rue d'Argencon (small stretch on roads here), left on Henri Duhamel (where you'll see bike lanes), take that until you hit a *green area*, turn right on bike path, cycle along the Saint Lawrence River (gorgeous) until you reach the Lachine Rapids, there's an island bird sanctuary that's very worthwhile.

3. From *green area*, turn left, you'll cross a bridge and end up on Ile des Soeurs (Nun's Island). Some lovely water views to be had on the island and if you can find the Estacade here, you can cross the Saint Lawrence River.

4. From your starting point, go north, turn right on rue Cherrier, left at Parc Lafontaine (worth a stop on a nice day), just follow the path as it goes north to the northern point of the island, turn east until you get to Parc Nature Ile de la Visitation. Fantastic island for bird watchers.

I really could go on; we're a great city for cycling.

Day trips I've enjoyed using public transport from Montreal:
Ottawa via train or bus.
Trois Rivieres via Orleans Express bus.
Sainte Anne de Bellevue on the AMT commuter train.
Magog via Limocar bus.

Have a great trip! Daniel

zootsi

A week in Montreal is great, especially if you are bicyclists. There is plenty to do and see in this interesting, multi-cultural city. Lots of interesting neighborhoods, outdoor cafes and restaurants (many byob) museums, festivals, shopping, etc. A week in Quebec City however might be a bit much. Quebec City's old city is very scenic and fun for a few days, but it's quite small. Outside the old city walls is a medium sized city that might be worth a day or two. I don't know anything about public transportation, but there are lots of places to visit outside Quebec City like Il'le D'Orleans, Montmorency Falls, St Anne de Beupre, etc.
As for bicycling - Montreal is perhaps the best city in North America for bicycling. There are literally hundreds of miles of well maintained, safe bike trails in and near the city. The free tourist city map shows most of the in city trails. Some of our favorite routes include the Parc Lafontaine down to the waterfront and out along the Lachine Canal, Parc LaFontaine out to Maisonneuve Parc, and Parc LaFontaine up to Jean Talon market. I'm not too familiar with what's available in Quebec City, but the Provence of Quebec is considered to have the best network of bicycling trails in the world. A serious biker can actually bike from Montreal to Quebec City!
Have you been to the bonjourquebec.com website?

cdnyul

What kind of bike do you have and what distance can you cover in a day?

Mark

Laurie

Thank you very much for that wealth of information, Daniel and zootsi!
Daniel, that sounds like a fun and interesting bike route! We will give it a try.

Mark, We are amateur bike riders and will need to rent bikes since we are flying in. We can probably go 30-40 miles in a day, though.

Thanks again for your advice. Laurie

cdnyul

http://www.velomontreal.com/toursEng.php

At certain times you are allowed to take bikes on the metro and commuter trains. From the western tip of the island to downtown is about 30 to 40 miles.

Mark

Laurie

Thank you for the information about the bike tours and rental, Mark.