Hi

Looking for some advice ... we're flying in to Boston early August and planning on spending 3 weeks exploring Boston/New England and Quebec/Montreal/etc.

Can anyone help with an itinerary? We hear that New England is beautiful, but don't know where to start? We also heard that Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto, Niagra (falls), Cape Code (U.S.) were all places to visit too ... but not sure if we're over extending ourselves.

We're flying into and out of Boston, but the rest of the time we'll be driving (which we're looking forward to!).

Finally, staying in Boston, when we get there (and maybe when we leave), where are the best places?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Martin

Wow - there's a lot to see in 3 weeks, but it's doable. The one leg I would drop is the Toronto/Niagara Falls trip. That is a LOT of extra driving. Here is a rough outline of what you might do:
2-3 days in Boston, then 2-3 days on the Cape. Yes the Cape will be crowded in August, but it truly is beautiful and worth seeing. Plan your driving there mid week so you won't hit too much traffic. from there, you could do 3 days on the NH/Maine coast - seeing Portsmouth NH, Ogunquit, Kennebunkport. You could then either head further on up the coast to see Boothbay, Camden, etc, then cut across rte 2 to the White Mountains (long drive), or just head up I-93 from the Portsmouth area. Spend at least 2-3 days in the White mountains which are very rugged and scenic. Then catch I-91 up into Canada, and spend 2-3 nights in Quebec City, which is truly amazing. From there, head over to Montreal. If you enjoy cities, Montreal is one of the world's most fun to be in. Do at least 3 days here. From there, head on back to Burlington Vt. This is a beautiful small city, and you could spend a night here. Next spend several days exploring Vermont. Stay in a b&b somewhere in or near Stowe, Woodstock, or any of the dozens of small villages scattered throughout the Green Mountains. A farm b&b would be relaxing after being in Montreal. From here, you would head down I-89 and could spend a day or two in the Hanover-Sunapee area of New Hampshire. Then back to Boston before your trip back.
Some must sees:
Boston, Cape Cod National Seashore, Marginal Way in Ogunquit Maine, Canterbury Shaker village in NH, Mt. Washington Auto Road (if the weather is good), Billings Farm Museum in Woodstock Vt, Quebec City, Montmorency Falls outside Quebec City, Montreal, and perhaps the most scenic of all, the back roads of Vt and NH.

While in Vermont there is a lovely little town called Manchester near Stratton Mt. (Stratton also has lots of things to offer) Manchester has plenty of outlet shopping,lots of restaurants and the Northshire book store is a must.

Also the area around Stratton is beautiful to drive thru and around.

Hi guys

Many thanks for taking the time to repsond ... most helpful (especially the tip about driving mid-week).

Are there any UK travel agents you would recommend for booking this sort of itinerary or is it better to do it ourselves in bits?

How about car hire? Is it ok to hire a car in Boston, drive it around Boston/NH and Canada for 3 weeks? Any good, but not expensive, hire car places you know of in Boston?

Thanks again.

M