Montreal, Quebec City and...?
 

I'm planning a late July trip with our older teens (and possibly grandparents). We;ll have about 8 nights and would like to spend at 2/3 nights in each city, but have a 2/3 night detour someplace with more natural beauty (to hike, kayak, etc) but perhaps with a small village or something that would entertain the more sedentary members of the party.

Would love any suggestions.

Thanks,

On your drive from Montreal to Quebec City, you will come to :http://www.orford.com/summer_en/the_...ing_trails.php
National park with hiking options and lodging. Magog is not far and offers lots of dining/hotel options.http://www.tourisme-memphremagog.com/en/

Thanks!

Would you choose this (Eastern Townships) over a detour from Quebec City to the Charlevoix area? Is it worth the additional 5 hour drive time? I'm reading lots but still am trying to wrap my head around this area. Thanks,

I have never been to Charlevoix so cannot comment. It has always been marketed in Canada as a wilderness hunting/fishing type of place and if that's what you are looking for, its there. The Eastern Townships is a lttle more civilized with a mix of towns, villages, parks, farms, specialty food producers etc. Depends what you are looking for in this trip.

I have been to both Eastern Townships and Charlevoix - they are quite different.
Eastern Townships is a mix of vast farmlands, ski mountains, vinyards, apple orchards and lakes. Magog is a pleasant little lake resort with a wide lakeside prominade, cafes, swimming beach, and great bicyling. This area is about 1-1.5 hours from Montreal, about 2 hours from Quebec city.
Charlevoix is more rugged outdoors, with lots of hiking, impressive scenery, vast forests, whale watching. It is about 2 hours above Quebec city.
Both areas are wonderful, but it depends on what you want.

Thanks for clarifying. The Eastern Townships sound like what we're looking for. Getting more excited! I'll start exploring lodging and food tours in Magog or that general area. Looking for something moderately priced and lodging that offers things within walking distance. Any suggesting are welcome. :)

With 4 or 6 people going, you may actually want a cottage or condo if available. The townships are a very popular summer escape place, according to my Quebec friends and the whole" cabin in the woods " thing abounds, especially for city apartment dwellers. Have fun on the journey. We drive through the townships each year to get to Vermont.

There will actually be 7 of us now. So, that's a good idea. Thanks.

I'm actually now thinking of flying into Burlington. Do you think two nights Montreal, three nights Eastern Townships and three Nights Quebec makes sense? It would be a hike to get back to Burlington though. Is there a smarter way to do it?

Resort towns like Magog, Bromont & Sutton have lots of condo and 'spa' type accomodations. There are also several b&b's in downtown Magog. In the more rural towns in the Eastern Townships, motels are few and far between. I'm not sure about cabins. The landscape is flat with lots of farms and vinyards just east of Montreal, and it get more mountainous as you head towards Magog. As far as number of nights, it depends on what you want. If you want a lot of city excitement, 2 nights in Montreal might not be enough - there's lots to see and do in this great city. I don't know if you enjoy bicyling, but Montreal is one of the best bicycling areas in the world (as are all the Eastern townships), with rental kiosks evry few blocks. Quebec City, which is extremely beautiful, is much smaller than Montreal, and can be explored in a few days. Three nights in the Eastern townships will allow you to relax on the beach, visit some wineries, visit the St. Benedict abby (very impressive), bike, hike, etc.
As for driving time, Montreal is an easy drive from Burlington, about 80-90 minutes. The drive from Quebec City back to Burlington is about 3 hours, again quite easy.

Thanks for your response. I'm also exploring PEI and NS now.

I'd stick with Montreal and Quebec City, especially if you want to fly into a US airport. Much more driving to get from, say, Bangor, ME, to PEI/NS.

I think QC/MTL will have more to offer your diverse group as well.

Because the ET are the closest to Burlington, it would involve less backtracking to start or end with them rather than doing them as a detour in the middle. But if you do want them in the middle, I would start with QC, then ET, then MTL.

Cranachin,

Why would you start with QC? Or, if you started with ET, how would you work out the rest?

Thanks,

I'd start with CQ (or do it next after ET) because it is the farthest from Burlington. That way you are in less of a bind time-wise getting back to Burlington for your departure.

Oops. Sorry. I didn't see this until I asked on my unwittingly parallel posts.

I agree with Cranachin. The Eastern Townships are about an hour or so to Burlington, and will be a good spot for relaxation after being in the cities. Another thing to consider: there is some English spoken in Montreal and QC, but very little in the Eastern Townships. If you not fluent in French, at least bring a good French English translator or dictionary. Going to one of the cities first will allow you to feel more comfortable in French speaking Quebec.