mark

Hello fodorites

I require some help for the following if any of you could be so kind as to oblige ;

I am travelling from france to New York , staying a few days & then setting off to see my brother who lives in ottowa.
I need info on how i would get from new york to ottowa , train , plane or hiring a car - what would u suggest ?

Any suggestions for websites where i can book etc would be most welcome .

thanks

mark

sharkdiver49

Flying is 60 minutes in the air. Train could be 10 hours or more and hiring a driver could cost as much as flying or train and could take 8 hours.

BAK

Looking at a map can be very misleading. The trip from New York to Ottawa is a lot longer than you might think.

Renting a car in New York and driving to Ottawa probably requires you to return the car to the United States, which may or may not be a problem for you.

Assume a 10 hour drive.

The train is awkward. New York to Toeronto, and change toOttawa or New York to Montreal, and change for Ottawa.

Flying really is the best method.

BAK

saltymuffin

The train New York - Montreal - Ottawa isn't that bad, and can sometimes be done cheaply with sales and discounts.

mark

thanks to everyone for the comments

If , & its a big if , we drive from New York are we looking at mountain roads & snow or straight motorways or both ?
Sorry for the ignorance .
The drive does seem like a long time but im guessing that the scenery should be good ?

thanks

mark

nospam

Hi there!
I have gone between Ottawa and NYC by car before with my brother. The scenery is really very nice, especially in the NY state mountain areas. In Canada, you will be on major highways (416, 401), and in the US, you will be on interstate highways the whole way. However:
1. It is a really, really long drive that gets tiring quickly, and
2. Trying to negotiate your way into NYC is a complete NIGHTMARE, and parking while in NYC is extremely expensive.
My personal info is to take the plane. I doubt that I would take this trip by car again.
Have fun!

rkkwan

The shortest route between NYC and Ottawa is to head out of I-80 through NJ into Pennsylvania, then I-380 to I-81 all the up to the Thousand Island crossing.

Or head north first, then NY17 (which may have been renumbered as I-86), to rejoin I-81.

Both these routes have some hills to climb. But they are mostly freeway.

If they're forecasing snow and you must go, then consider the longer route via the NY Thruway to Syracuse before joining I-81 North. You have to pay toll, but it's the "water-level route" with no hills to climb, and the Thruway is very well plowed and salted. Also lots of traffic, so when I-81 is all snow-covered, the Thruway may still be just wet.

BAK

Leave New York City byheading north on the New York State thruway, heading towards Albany. where it curves west, and proceed to Syracuse.

This is an exta-wide toll highway that is more or less flat.

Near Syracuse, switch to Interstate 81, which takes you to past Waterdown and to the Candian border and the Ivy Lee Bridge. 81 is flat and boring, and may or may not have snow on it. But if there's not a storm at the time you are there, it will be well loughed and safe.

Cross the bridge into Canada, and you'll have several options to get to Ottawa, all of which will be plouged and safe and generally flat, unless there's a storm during your actual travel.

I've gone from Kingston to Ottawa in the winter dozens of times, and it is nothing to worry about, except on rare occasions.

This route takes you "behind" the Adirondack Mountains.

Scenery... if the weather is decent, there are other routes with a lot better scenery, but they will also slow you down by several hours.

The route I outlined is mostly past relatively flat farm land, although once you get to Canda it improves a lot, taking you either along the side of the St. lawrence River for a while (Thousand Islands Parkway) and/or through cottage country where you'll see small towns and lots of lakes.

BAK

rkkwan

I noticed that BAK posted just after I did. Anyways, just give you some specific about distance.

From New York City to Syracuse via the Thruway (toll ~$10) is about 295 miles. Via I-80/380/81 is about 246 miles. So, there's a significant difference.