johnjan2009

Hi, My family (spouise and 7yr old kid with brother/sister in law) will be flying to Winnipeg this Christmas to visit relatives. Since we are in a trip for 2 weeks, we thought of exploring some more tourist spots around Winnipeg and perhaps go somewhere to Toronto and Niagara Falls. I would love to go to Vancouver but we may ran out of time but at least would like to experience east coast(toronto/montreal). Not sure if 2 weeks is enough time to do it but I would love to hear from anyone for any suggestions where to go during those 2 weeks trip. Which one better, riding a train or just rent-a-car when we are in Winnipeg to head to toronto/niagara falls area? We need to go back to Winnipeg airport at the end to fly back home to US. Any other places to visit to interest us and my 7yr old kid? We are young couple in early 30s and my in laws are in mid 20s. thanks in advance..

laverendrye

Unless you want to fly, I think that you had better plan to stay in Winnipeg for the two weeks.

Winnipeg to Toronto is 1300 miles (Canadian route) or 1400 through the US. In the summer, that's a 2 1/2 to 3 day trip and I wouldn't want to attempt it in the winter. The train will take a day and a half. To fly over the Christmas period can also be a hassle, and the fares at that time will be high.

Unfortunately, most of the tourist attractions (eg Lake Winnipeg, Lake of the Woods) outside of Winnipeg are best visited in the summer.

However, there are lots of big city things to do in Winnipeg--galleries, museums, theatre, sports. Get your relatives working on it and check this website.

http://www.visitwinnipegnow.com/home

johnjan2009

thanks for the tip... I really appreciate it..we thought of flying from Winnipeg to Toronto for 5 nights then spend rest of the trip at Winnipeg..I think we should be able to see some good spot at Winnipeg on rest of trip... BTW, do you think we need rental car at Toronto? We will be landing at International Airport- YYZ..any insights on this? thanks in advance..

krp329

Hopefully Winnipeg will NOT get the kind of winter weather it is famous for (bitterly cold) while you are there.

Perhaps I am a bit jaded but both DH and I grew up in Winnipeg, and still have family and friends there... and it's almost the last place on earth we want to visit, especially in the winter. We are quite choked that we have to use one precious week of our holidays there next summer, due to a significant family celebration. (We're happy about the celebration, just wish it was anywhere else but Winnipeg.)

If you google "Winnipeg tourism", their website will no doubt have lists of things you can see and do - museums etc. You could also google the Manitoba Theatre Centre, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra to see if they have any performances that might interest you during your stay. Years ago when our kids were small, there was a fun children's museum there - I'm not sure if it is still there but you could try googling.

As to other destinations... Neither Toronto or Montreal are on the east coast of Canada. If you want to visit the east coast, pick Halifax, Moncton, Saint John or Charlottetown (or St. John's, Newfoundland).

I'm not sure where you are coming from, but airfares within Canada are very expensive, especially when booked at the last minute. Christmas is also a peak travel time, so you may find flights are already pretty booked up. The two airlines that have national routes are www.aircanada.com and www.westjet.com .

Train service is on VIA Rail - www.viarail.ca - there is a train ("The Canadian") from Winnipeg to Toronto three days per week, departing at 2330 on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and arriving in Toronto a day and a half later at 930 in the morning - Thursday, Saturday and Tuesday.... two nights on the train. It is also quite expensive, especially if you want sleeping accommodations (which I would recommend for a two night trip).

Toronto, one of Canada's biggest cities, has a good transit system, especially if you are in the downtown area or somewhere along the subway line.

However, rather than Toronto, what I would recommend is to fly to Calgary and visit Banff National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.... beautiful mountain scenery all around, and a lovely resort town. Calgary is a short flight from Winnipeg (not sure of the exact time, but about 1.5 or 2 hours) and Banff is 1.5 hours away from Calgary by shuttle bus. You could enjoy the town of Banff without a car, and take a tour to Lake Louise. Or you could go downhill skiing or snowboarding. There are hot springs and a gondola accessible by public transit, museums etc. You might also want to spend a day or two in Calgary. However, Christmas/New Year's is a very busy time in Banff, so if you want to go there, I would recommend making accommodation reservations asap.

laverendrye

If you plan to visit Niagara Falls, then a rental car would be useful. Otherwise, plan to stay downtown and use the subway/transit system or cabs. For 5 days you will find plenty to see and do without a car--in fact it would be more of a hindrance.

Patrick_Sirianni

Hi there!.......Winnipeg is a great place to visit, and so are Toronto and Niagara Falls. I rode a train from Toronto to Winnipeg a few years ago and it took forever!! Almost two days to get there, and the train stopped everywhere!. Drove once from Winnipeg to Niagara Falls as well, Never realized how big Ontario was until I attempted this. It was summer time. I wouldnt recommend driving from there to Niagara during the winter, espically this year......lots of snow in parts of Ontario, more than usual. However if you fly to Toronto and rent a car and come to my home town, there are sites to see other than the falls itself. Currently the festival of lights in the Park is operating till the end of January and the illumination is fabulous. There are currently three casinos in the area as well two on the canadian side and one on the american. We have two observation towers, The Skylon and Minolta tower. The parks commission has outdoor ice skating near the brink of the horseshoe falls, the green house plant consevitory

Patrick_Sirianni

(continued) the green house plant conservatory is open daily and so is the butterfly conservatory on the niagara parkway. Lots of interesting history here as well, The pyramid place near the skylon tower has an Imax theatre with actual barrels that were used by daredevils to go over the falls with. And then there is clifton hill with a host of museums, restsurants, accomodations etc. certainly lots to do.......all the best

BAK

TORONTO PORTION

I live in Toronto, and have had, over the years, three 7 year old kids.

Best bet for your anticpated five days in Toronto is to land at YYZ and take a limo to yourhotel. Stay car-less for sevral days, seeing things in central Toronto. Thereès lots to do of interest to adults and a 7 year old.

Then rent a car for the last day or two, and go to Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls is an easy day trip from Toronto, so you can keep your Toronto hotel room, but it might be more fun to check out of the Toronto hotel and spend a night in Niagara Falls, and then return the car to an airport rental office.

Checkout GratWolf.com

YYZ is a giant international airport with three terminals, flights to everywhere, etc.

A limo is close to the price of a taxi, but nicer. Three people on the airport bus adds up to fairly close in price to a limo, especially if you just buy one-way bus tickets because you will take the rental car back to the airport.

Pick a central hotel; Bloor Street to the north (or slightly above) and Front Street to the south (closer to the lake can be miserable in winter)and Jarvis Street to teh east and Bathurst to the west.

Where are you coming from.

BAK