Montreal vs Quebec City for Canada Day
 

I had planned 3 nights each in Montreal and Quebec City. As things stand, I am due to check out on Canada Day from our accommodation in Montreal. I was initially hoping to drive through the Eastern Townships en route to Quebec but now am wondering if 1 July is a bad day to be in transit and miss the celebrations in both Montreal and Quebec. So, should I rejig my trip to spend 4 nigthts in Montreal and 2 in Quebec City or skip the Eastern Townships and head straight for QC? How do the celebrations play out in each locaiton, please? Will 2 nights do justice to QC? Thanks in advance.

This is a politically fraught question between Quebec and the rest of Canada, surely boring to outsiders. The "national" holiday in Quebec is St-Jean Baptiste day, June 24. The July 1 federal holiday will see some parades and flags too. There are July 1 celebrations and fireworks on Quebec City's Plains of Abraham, outside the ramparts of the famous citadel, sponsored by the Ottawa government. Meanwhile the old streets of both cities will be clogged with moving vans and rental trucks that day. Many apartment leases come due on July 1, so the date has become known informally as la fete de la demenagement, or Moving Day Festival. To see the biggest spectacles on July 1, go to Ottawa.

Thank you Southam. I hadn't appreciated about the different national days. We will be in Ottawa 24 June and probably Quebec 1 July so we got that wrong! The extra info about the fete du demenagement is really handy to know as we were wondering whether to travel by road or rail. I think the answer is now a no brainer as we will be staying in the old town. Thanks for your help.

Hi anjo,

I live in Montreal and I can tell you that Canada Day in Montreal (and I don't know first-hand but I would suspect Quebec City) is a lower-key affair. I went for Canada Day in Ottawa last year and frankly I was quite surprised at the sea of red and white that dominates the city that day. Even some Torontonians I spoke to in Ottawa were surprised at the magnitude of the celebration, so it's not just a Quebec thing. One nice thing is that some of Ottawa's great museums are FREE on Canada Day, there's usually some excellent free entertainment on Parliament Hill... public transport is free also; since you're considering Montreal for Canada Day, I would recommend hopping on a bus or Via Rail that day and making the two hour trip to Ottawa to see something out of the ordinary (I'd recommend even spending the night so you can see the free fireworks and enjoy the festivities to their fullest).

Fete du demenagement (moving day) on July 1st is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek jab at Canadian nationalism by Quebec comedians of a variety of political stripes; while more people do indeed move on Canada Day than on other days of the year (due to rental policies), it's only a smallish fraction that actually is moving. Assuming you're not looking for a U-Haul, I would not base any travel decisions out of worry for example that things might be a "madhouse", say.

Best wishes, Daniel

Hello Daniel
Thanks very much for the feedback. Still working out details and might rejig dates to be in Ottawa on 1st. Lots to discover either way.
Cheers.

That's a good plan anjo56. Ottawa is the p,ace to be on Canada Day.

Hi,

My two cents- I was in Ottawa last summer on Canada Day with a church youth group of high school youth. We had not realized it was Canada Day when we planned our itinerary, but it was a FANTASTIC time to be in Ottawa - we thoroughly enjoyed the crowds and the fun. We were staying in sleeping bags on church floors, but in the process of finding a place to stay I did realize how difficult it would be to find a regular place to stay - everything was filled!