Toronto to Victoria drive.
Apr 18th, 2010, 12:20 PM
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Toronto to Victoria drive.
Hi everyone,
My boyfriend and I are driving from Victoria to Toronto, (in shortest time possible), where we are meeting my friends from the UK. We are going to see Niagara Falls, drive to Quebec City and then make our way back to Victoria. We will visit Banff and Whistler. Any advice for either trip - quick one across to Toronto, scenic one back. Any 'must see's' along the way? Any advice for cheap, but clean, motels?
Thankyou in advance.
My boyfriend and I are driving from Victoria to Toronto, (in shortest time possible), where we are meeting my friends from the UK. We are going to see Niagara Falls, drive to Quebec City and then make our way back to Victoria. We will visit Banff and Whistler. Any advice for either trip - quick one across to Toronto, scenic one back. Any 'must see's' along the way? Any advice for cheap, but clean, motels?
Thankyou in advance.
Apr 18th, 2010, 04:09 PM
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This is for winter driving but it might have some useful tips: http://bing.search.sympatico.ca/?q=R...&setLang=en-CA
I think Discover Vancouver forum has something on driving from BC to here but I found it and then couldn't find it again...maybe you'll be luckier.
I think Discover Vancouver forum has something on driving from BC to here but I found it and then couldn't find it again...maybe you'll be luckier.
Apr 18th, 2010, 04:43 PM
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kimrackliff - Enjoy the drive. I have driven that route each of the past two summers and many times prior to that. If you are truly interested in the shortest travel time and lower costs (fuel and accommodations), you will have to consider travelling through the U.S. If you truly want to see Canada, then trek through the mountains, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg and the beautiful Canadian Shield in northern Ontario. The shorter route (going through the U.S.) takes you past Chicago (whichever route you choose is fine). The interstate highway system in the U.S. is excellent. I would examine what mapquest has to offer for route choices and distances.
It takes about 4 days of solid driving (14 - 16 hours of driving per day) to travel the distance from Victoria to Toronto.
The driving time from Toronto to QC is about 11 hours.
I would suggest you do the slower route through Canada on the first leg, then barrel through the U.S. towards Seattle (then north to Van) on the way home.
Why the U.S.? Accommodations, fuel, food are all less expensive than in Canada.
Good luck with your planning.
As far as good, cheap motels/hotels - when you get real travel dates and an expected itinerary, check Priceline for the best values in hotels in those cities.
tC
It takes about 4 days of solid driving (14 - 16 hours of driving per day) to travel the distance from Victoria to Toronto.
The driving time from Toronto to QC is about 11 hours.
I would suggest you do the slower route through Canada on the first leg, then barrel through the U.S. towards Seattle (then north to Van) on the way home.
Why the U.S.? Accommodations, fuel, food are all less expensive than in Canada.
Good luck with your planning.
As far as good, cheap motels/hotels - when you get real travel dates and an expected itinerary, check Priceline for the best values in hotels in those cities.
tC
Apr 19th, 2010, 06:00 AM
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I've driven all that Canadian route, but in chunks.
Several hints:
Saskatchewan is better than you might think. The terrain does not go up -- no mountains -- but it does go down -- vry interesting valleys.
US route is a little quicker.
Whistler is not on the route; that's a side trip.
Make sure you take the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls.
You can skip Montreal traffic by crossing to the south shore of the St. Lawrence over the Champlain bridge in Montreal's east end.
But make sure you spend some time in Montreal on your way back.
Consider Calgary to Banff. up the highway to Jasper, turn left and go back down south-west to Vancouver.
In the summer, the sun does not set until late in the evening once you get to Manitoba.
Tim Hortons has clean washrooms and good food, but try to stay away from constant donuts. There's other food to choose from, too.
Decision to make: are you happier stopping driving in the late afternoon, and enjoying the evening in some city, or are you happy spending some time in a city duiring the afternoon, and then driving another hundred miles or so after dinner.
My father and I travelled a lot together, and I travelled a lot by car by myself, and we found that evenings often ended up having a decent dinner and the just watching tv in the hotel room because everything interesting was closed.
So we'd put in some miles, and free up afternoon time to see a museum, etc.
About clean, cheap motels. Harder to find than you might think.
I've travelled a lot on other people's money. Sometimes, no worries about prices, and sometimes restraint was needed. And on my own money, I lean towards the lower priced.
I carried a Choice Hotels (Comfort Inns and lots of other brands) directory and a Best Western directory. These hotels / motels are always clean, and always good value, though not the cheapest. The big advantage was you can make a reservation in the morning at one you slept in overnight, for the one you want the next night, and then drive into the evening knowing you don't need to try to find a vacancy sign in some city you are not familiar with. That reassurance is worth twenty bucks.
Food value: In fancy, famous, restaurants,. lunch prices are often a lot lower than dinner, so you get to enjoy fine food at a reasonable price, and then dinner can be more relaxed and lower priced.
One of my regrets after decades of travel is too many steaks in too many hotel dining rooms, and not enough searching out little gems of restaurants in the cities I was visiting. You can set yourself some destination restaurants well in advance.
What kinds of preferences do you have? I'm sure people here will offer advice an things like crepes or smoked meat in Montreal, steak in Calgary, Chinese in Toronto, and so on. The best dinner rolls in Canada are at the Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina.
Can someone in Alberta provide an update on Bumpers? I always thought it was great food, nice atmosphere, excellent beef.
Several hints:
Saskatchewan is better than you might think. The terrain does not go up -- no mountains -- but it does go down -- vry interesting valleys.
US route is a little quicker.
Whistler is not on the route; that's a side trip.
Make sure you take the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls.
You can skip Montreal traffic by crossing to the south shore of the St. Lawrence over the Champlain bridge in Montreal's east end.
But make sure you spend some time in Montreal on your way back.
Consider Calgary to Banff. up the highway to Jasper, turn left and go back down south-west to Vancouver.
In the summer, the sun does not set until late in the evening once you get to Manitoba.
Tim Hortons has clean washrooms and good food, but try to stay away from constant donuts. There's other food to choose from, too.
Decision to make: are you happier stopping driving in the late afternoon, and enjoying the evening in some city, or are you happy spending some time in a city duiring the afternoon, and then driving another hundred miles or so after dinner.
My father and I travelled a lot together, and I travelled a lot by car by myself, and we found that evenings often ended up having a decent dinner and the just watching tv in the hotel room because everything interesting was closed.
So we'd put in some miles, and free up afternoon time to see a museum, etc.
About clean, cheap motels. Harder to find than you might think.
I've travelled a lot on other people's money. Sometimes, no worries about prices, and sometimes restraint was needed. And on my own money, I lean towards the lower priced.
I carried a Choice Hotels (Comfort Inns and lots of other brands) directory and a Best Western directory. These hotels / motels are always clean, and always good value, though not the cheapest. The big advantage was you can make a reservation in the morning at one you slept in overnight, for the one you want the next night, and then drive into the evening knowing you don't need to try to find a vacancy sign in some city you are not familiar with. That reassurance is worth twenty bucks.
Food value: In fancy, famous, restaurants,. lunch prices are often a lot lower than dinner, so you get to enjoy fine food at a reasonable price, and then dinner can be more relaxed and lower priced.
One of my regrets after decades of travel is too many steaks in too many hotel dining rooms, and not enough searching out little gems of restaurants in the cities I was visiting. You can set yourself some destination restaurants well in advance.
What kinds of preferences do you have? I'm sure people here will offer advice an things like crepes or smoked meat in Montreal, steak in Calgary, Chinese in Toronto, and so on. The best dinner rolls in Canada are at the Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina.
Can someone in Alberta provide an update on Bumpers? I always thought it was great food, nice atmosphere, excellent beef.
Apr 19th, 2010, 08:11 AM
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I have driven that route about 30 times. The most important thing is to slow down and be constantly aware of moose on the road in No. Ontario. The numbers of serious accidents & deaths due to moose coming thru the windshield would astonish anybody. But, it is really not hard to avoid them if you slow down and pay attention. 2nd, the drive thru the U.S. is really dull compared with the Cdn version. The highways in Cda are now really upgraded cf. years ago and there are lots of services & sights.
