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limited time biking - Eastern Canada
We have identified three 6 day self-guided biking trips in eastern Canada - Prince Edward Island, Picton to Morrisburg and Montmagny to Riviere-du-Loup. Having limited time in Canada - we will only be able to visit one area. Can anyone recommend which would be the most scenic bike ride? We will also only have time to visit one city - so Quebec or Montreal - not both. Any suggestions?
Many thanks |
I can't answer your Eastern Canada questions, but if you want to continue biking in a city, then I recommend Montreal. There are miles of designated bike paths in and around the city. My favorite is the bike path that follows the Canal de Lachine past the Atwater market (great stop for lunch) and out to Parc Rene Levesque. There are many others. Have fun.
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I am a cyclist. Picton/Prince Edward County is a beautiful area to bike in, though I would probably stay in the area rather than cycle to Morrisburg. And I say that never having done that route.
PEI is very pretty, surprisingly hilly (nothing huge) and can be windy. I have not done your third option. Personally I would choose PEI but you need to integrate your cycling with the rest of your trip. I was born in Montreal and my family is from the Quebec City area. I would choose Quebec City for a few days. But that would be because QC feels different from most places in Canada. It feels smaller than Montreal (and it is) with a more distinct personality (IMO). |
If you are interested in Prince Edward County, check out Bloomfield Bicycle shop. It is a fun, funky place and they have great maps of various bicycle routes. I recently did a couple of day rides in the area and wished I had more time to explore. Lots of wineries in the area.
I would recommend Quebec city over Montreal for most tourists, but as noted by takeaway, Montreal is very bike friendly. |
Maybe these selected pics of Quebec City, PEI and NS will give you some ideas. I took a solo Holland America trip with plenty of options. I had recently lost my oldest daughter and needed a therapeutic, quiet trip. Good selection. Having been several times to both MTL and QC, my vote is for QC any time.
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I've done the first two trips several times and rode a little in PEI. I read your other thread where you mention doing 50 miles (80km) a day. Those first two trips are only 200km so they would be over in 3 days.
PEI is beautiful. I rode a bit once and know it much less. It's quite hilly and most roads don't have shoulders. The Confederation trail is inland and not that interesting. My choice would be the Montmagny to Rivière-du-Loup. Actually, I'd go from Quebec City to Mont-Joli (~200miles or 300km) and return overnight by train (viarail.ca, Search for Mont-Joli to Ste-Foy). Most of the Route Verte #1 is on highway 132, which is quiet since highway 20 takes the high speed traffic. The part where there's no freeway, the bike route goes on quiet roads and bike paths. Some of those roads are dirt with a few good hills. You can always stay on highway 132 which has higher traffic but wide shoulders. One bit I wouldn't miss is from St-Simon-sur-Mer going east. There's a paved bike path with really steep hills but incredible views that no driving can see. Just remembered I have a little clip of QC - Mont-Joli: https://youtu.be/H4F8qyO6OeY Why Mont-Joli instead of, say, Rimouski? The ride between Rimouski and Mont-Joli is gorgeous, the train comes in earlier (around midnight instead of 1am) and you can wait in the pub across the street while there's no good place to wait in Rimouski. If you want to cut that trip a little shorter, start in Montmagny instead of cutting on the eastern part. I know they rent bikes in a bike shop in Quebec's old port but have no experience with them. Since you stay indoors, I think you'd just need small panniers for spare clothes. A mid-size saddlebag (like Carradice) would be enough. |
Thank you all for your advice and photos. We'll sit down again with our maps and look at all of your suggestions!
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