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from Toronto to P.E.I. by train and car.

Hi, We're planning to go in august to Prince Edward Island with our 2 kids. We arrive in Toronto by plane and we then have about 8 days to go to P.E.I. and back. Who can advice us which is the best (not to costly) way to go about it. Groetjes uit Holland, D. Willebrand

First, see if your airline can fly you to Halifax or Moncton easily, and for a reasonable price. Sometimes these extra portions of flights can be a bargain. Otherwise, it is probably least expensive, most convenient, and most interesting to just rent a car in Toronto, and drive. You could try to get from the Toronto airport to the downtown railway station, load your baggage onto the train, and go to Montreal, and then take another train from Montreal to Moncton. Get off in Moncton and rent a car. But, assuming you do not mind driving considerable distances each day, the drive from Toromnto is beautiful, educational, and interesting. Go in a circle. Toronto to Niagara Falls (stop to see the falls) to New York State Thruway to Albany and then into New England states, to Maine, up the coast making sure you go to Boothbay Harbor and Bar HArbor, then into New Brunswick and up to PEI. Coming home, take the long bridge back to New Brunswick and then up the coast to Quebec province and along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River to Quebec City, and you shoudl visit for at least a couple of hours, and Montreal, and then drive to Toronto. This is a long way for 8 days. Flying to Halifax or Moncton will give you a lot more time in PEI. BAK

Hi, I grew up on P.E.I. but have lived in Toronto for over 20 years now. My husband and I go back to visit family every summer and we generally drive. This is a two day trip in one direction, staying overnight half way! If you have only 8 days please fly to either Moncton or Halifax as flying into Charlottetown itself is extremely over priced. Then rent a car and drive. 31/2 hours and you're over the bridge on P.E.I.
On a side note, the beaches are best in July; there's an old line about P.E.I. having two seasons - July and winter. I've never found the tourists at this time over whelming at all though I do avoid Cavendish and area as tacky and touristy. I hope you have a great trip.

Well, if you're dead-set on doing it by train, I can tell you I recently took the train from Montreal to Halifax; it's a 15 1/2 hour ride to Moncton, New Brunswick from Montreal. For about 8 of these hours with luck, you should be asleep; I'd definitely recommend the sleeper (the berths are not THAT expensive) as it gives you access to "the dome car". I would definitely recommend it for someone who enjoys train travel and really wants to SEE Canada, as some of the vistas are quite lovely. However, if you just want to get to PEI, I suggest following the other's advice.

The express trains (not cheap!) from Toronto to Montreal take 4 hours; generally a pleasant enough experience. Some of that ride passes by Lake Ontario and is quite lovely. The local trains are less expensive and take about 5 1/2 hours.

Hi,D! Listen to Lucyp. Fly from Toronto to Moncton or Halifax (or try Charlottetown if the fare is not outrageous.)

Fly! Especially with only 8 days.

My family and I drove to PEI from just outside of Toronto and logged the time pretty carefully for curiosity..... 23 hours straight driving time - ie not counting stops! We had kids with us also, and therefore broke it up into 3 days each way - and they still had too much time in the car. Even with 3 drivers taking turns it was a LONG journey.

You can fly to Moncton or Fredericton from Toronto and rent a car from the airport for a pretty reasonable price (we did that in Sept 2001). Note remember the airport departure fees (30 dollars per person or so) for departing from Moncton at least, and presumably all the others also.

If you want to drive up the Bay of Fundy, flying to St. John(s? - I always forget which is NB and which is NFLD -sorry) is also a nice option. You can do a day drive through Fundy National Park, stop at Hopewell Rocks (largest tide rise/fall in the world - very impressive) and go up the NB coast to the bridge and cross to PEI.

Have a great trip!

Oops I forgot to mention to book the car in advance - they are comparatively small airports and may have limited unbooked vehicle availability.