Canada Bound
Mar 13th, 2016, 08:25 PM
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Canada Bound
Traveling to Montreal in June for a wedding. Have 5-6 days to explore other areas before heading back to Detroit. Thinking about centering in Quebec City and adding some day trips to surrounding areas. We love quaint towns, unique shopping and beautiful sites. We'll have a car. Any suggestions on how to spend our limited time in this interesting part of the world? Many thanks for all input.
Mar 14th, 2016, 03:08 PM
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I cannot endorse enough your making the trek to Q.C.
I simply loved the slow path between Montreal and Q.C. along the St Lawrence, but off of the big highway.
Highway #138 went through a handful of quaint towns, each with impressively elaborate churches (even though I am not religious).
Anytime you get tired of that pace, you can easily go north a few meters to get to the main highway.
Don't know how much shopping I could have found in between Montreal and Q.C. but I did drive around Trois Rivieres a bit, but I remember nothing aside from how challenging it was to find a path from the lower part of Trois Rivieres up to the bluff/hill above it to the north.
The shopping areas IN Q.C. are intriguing... the area inside the walled-city... is very touristy and filled with souvenirs and such.
While down below, there are neat areas to shop on narrow, cobblestone streets in an area which warranted more exploration than I afforded it.
Montreal affords you a look at lots of French signage, but in Q.C. you could immerse yourself in an area where its possible that you really might need to communicate with someone who doesn't speak much English. (yet you're still 'safe', knowing that you're not very far from someone who does - even IF you can't immediately identify just which person that will be
I can see doing a couple of day trips from there, but don't do too much at the expense of thriving IN Q.C. for a few days.
I simply loved the slow path between Montreal and Q.C. along the St Lawrence, but off of the big highway.
Highway #138 went through a handful of quaint towns, each with impressively elaborate churches (even though I am not religious).
Anytime you get tired of that pace, you can easily go north a few meters to get to the main highway.
Don't know how much shopping I could have found in between Montreal and Q.C. but I did drive around Trois Rivieres a bit, but I remember nothing aside from how challenging it was to find a path from the lower part of Trois Rivieres up to the bluff/hill above it to the north.
The shopping areas IN Q.C. are intriguing... the area inside the walled-city... is very touristy and filled with souvenirs and such.
While down below, there are neat areas to shop on narrow, cobblestone streets in an area which warranted more exploration than I afforded it.
Montreal affords you a look at lots of French signage, but in Q.C. you could immerse yourself in an area where its possible that you really might need to communicate with someone who doesn't speak much English. (yet you're still 'safe', knowing that you're not very far from someone who does - even IF you can't immediately identify just which person that will be
I can see doing a couple of day trips from there, but don't do too much at the expense of thriving IN Q.C. for a few days.
Mar 14th, 2016, 03:08 PM
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I cannot endorse enough your making the trek to Q.C.
I simply loved the slow path between Montreal and Q.C. along the St Lawrence, but off of the big highway.
Highway #138 went through a handful of quaint towns, each with impressively elaborate churches (even though I am not religious).
Anytime you get tired of that pace, you can easily go north a few meters to get to the main highway.
Don't know how much shopping I could have found in between Montreal and Q.C. but I did drive around Trois Rivieres a bit, but I remember nothing aside from how challenging it was to find a path from the lower part of Trois Rivieres up to the bluff/hill above it to the north.
The shopping areas IN Q.C. are intriguing... the area inside the walled-city... is very touristy and filled with souvenirs and such.
While down below, there are neat areas to shop on narrow, cobblestone streets in an area which warranted more exploration than I afforded it.
Montreal affords you a look at lots of French signage, but in Q.C. you could immerse yourself in an area where its possible that you really might need to communicate with someone who doesn't speak much English. (yet you're still 'safe', knowing that you're not very far from someone who does - even IF you can't immediately identify just which person that will be
I can see doing a couple of day trips from there, but don't do too much at the expense of thriving IN Q.C. for a few days.
I simply loved the slow path between Montreal and Q.C. along the St Lawrence, but off of the big highway.
Highway #138 went through a handful of quaint towns, each with impressively elaborate churches (even though I am not religious).
Anytime you get tired of that pace, you can easily go north a few meters to get to the main highway.
Don't know how much shopping I could have found in between Montreal and Q.C. but I did drive around Trois Rivieres a bit, but I remember nothing aside from how challenging it was to find a path from the lower part of Trois Rivieres up to the bluff/hill above it to the north.
The shopping areas IN Q.C. are intriguing... the area inside the walled-city... is very touristy and filled with souvenirs and such.
While down below, there are neat areas to shop on narrow, cobblestone streets in an area which warranted more exploration than I afforded it.
Montreal affords you a look at lots of French signage, but in Q.C. you could immerse yourself in an area where its possible that you really might need to communicate with someone who doesn't speak much English. (yet you're still 'safe', knowing that you're not very far from someone who does - even IF you can't immediately identify just which person that will be
I can see doing a couple of day trips from there, but don't do too much at the expense of thriving IN Q.C. for a few days.
Mar 14th, 2016, 05:39 PM
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Here's the opposite advice: Quebec City and the trek are fine, good enough to leave to the next trip when you have enough time. Concentrate on Montreal; leave wonderful Quebec City to the next trip. Lots to see; lots to do in Montreal on your short stay. Having a car, you could (for instance) drive out to the "national" park at Oka, with dense forests and kilometres-long sand beach along the delta of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers.(National means Quebec; let's not get into that...)
You could stop at the Oka cheese factory, which is flourishing although no longer run by monks. This is just one quick example.
I guess you will be driving the 401 to the Quebec border and then into Montreal. Plan on 10 hours from the border at least, longer with traffic jams at Toronto and Montreal. The western access highways are snarled so prepare yourself with close attention to Google's maps. And there is no way around parking being a challenge in the centre of Montreal.
You could stop at the Oka cheese factory, which is flourishing although no longer run by monks. This is just one quick example.
I guess you will be driving the 401 to the Quebec border and then into Montreal. Plan on 10 hours from the border at least, longer with traffic jams at Toronto and Montreal. The western access highways are snarled so prepare yourself with close attention to Google's maps. And there is no way around parking being a challenge in the centre of Montreal.
Mar 15th, 2016, 07:12 AM
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With 5-6 days you can certainly enjoy both cities, and some of the beautiful countryside around them. Plan on at least 2 nights in each city, and some time in the countryside. Besides the back roads between the cities, you might also explore the Eastern Townships with it's dozens of wineries ,cideries, lakes and world class bike trails. Northeast of Quebec City is the beautiful Charlevoix district.
Mar 19th, 2016, 12:29 PM
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Thanks all for your input. To clarify, our Montreal portion of the trip is well set. It is the time following Montreal where we will have access to a car and plan to drive along the St Lawrence to QC. Can we spend 5-6 days in QC and visit the other areas mentioned as mini day trips? Also, can you tell me a little more about the Charlevoix area?
Mar 20th, 2016, 08:32 AM
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The old road from Montréal to Québec along the North Shore (Hwy 138 or Le Chemin du Roy) is interesting enough, but with the time available I would take one of the Autoroutes (40 or 20) both to and from Québec City--about a 3 hour drive. Spend your time in the city and around. The Charlevoix Region is beautiful, with rugged hills, picturesque villages and high cliffs overlooking the St. Lawrence River. I would plan an overnight stay in Baie-Saint-Paul which has been a centre for artists for a century or more. Leaving Québec City, visit the Ile d'Orléans, and then continue on to Baie-Saint-Paul. The next day, continue to La Malbaie by way of Hwy 362, with spectacular views of the river. Return to Québec via Hwy 138, stopping at Montmorency Falls on the way.
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