mdod

I'm contemplating a one-way cruise from Boston to Quebec City if I can figure out how to get back from QC. I can get a flight to Boston for $65 but getting back from Quebec is $336! American recently changed their FF program to allow one-way tickets and I can use my FF miles for a flight from Montreal, which appears to be about a 3 hour drive from Quebec.

I was thinking about picking up a rental car in Quebec on Fri and flying out of Montreal Monday. The 3 day car rental with drop-off charges is $453 Canadian but at least we'd have it to tour around the area. A Canadian friend, who knows our go-hard-all-day travel style suggested spending Fri in QC and then driving to Montreal via the south side of the river and stopping at towns along the way on Sat. But she also said we don't really need a car in Montreal or QC so we could just get a day rental for the drive to Montreal for ~150$C.

Another alternative is to take the train from downtown QC to downtown Montreal (via Drummondville). Any thoughts on the train route? Are they reliable? Obviously we'd have to give up stopping at towns along the river but we'd have more time in Montreal. If we don't really need a car, it would be nice to not have to mess with the whole pick-up, drop-off process. Are the train stations in convenient locations? We only take carry-on so we won't be hauling around a ton of luggage. Can we find reasonable hotels in QC and Montreal with easy access to the train stations? For us a hotel is strictly a place to bathe and sleep so we just need a safe, clean room.

TIA for any advice you can offer.

ron

I don't know who spreads the myth that there is any reason to stop on the journey between Quebec City and Montreal, except maybe to buy gas, take a pee or get a coffee. Your objective should be to get this part of the journey out of the way as quickly as possible, to maximize your enjoyment in those two great cities.

So, take the train or take the bus. The train company, Via Rail, runs a half dozen journeys a day. The bus company, Orleans Express, runs 18 a day, taking 3h 15m. The bus company is reliable. The train company is usually reliable, unless someone decides to park or stall his car on the track in front of a train. Doesn't happen often.

The answer about your hotels is yes, downtown Montreal and downtown Quebec have hotels in all price ranges.

April

We took the train both ways between Montreal and Quebec City this past May. Both were on time. It's like riding on a commercial airplane except they feed you.

I can't speak to the convenience of the station in Montreal because we didn't stay there, but in Quebec City it is in a very handy location near the market in the Old Port. You could probably roll your luggage to some lower town hotels, but a cab there or to the upper town won't be much. I think we paid less than $10 to get to the Frontenac and closer to $5 from the (fabulous) Auberge Saint-Antoine.

mdod

Thanks for the info Ron and April. Sounds like we have lots of options without renting a car. I had read somewhere that the bus ride was 7 1/2 hours! 3 1/2 sounds much better.

Now if my husband's company would only set the date for their annual meeting so I can commit before this option is gone. This cruise goes to Bar Harbor Maine, Saint John (Bay Of Fundy), Halifax, Sydney, La Baie (on the Saguenay River) and Quebec City. I've always wanted to see the Bay of Fundy and it seems like a cruise would be a great way to see these cities.

The other available cruise leaves Boston Oct 9 and arrives in Quebec Oct 16. I'm afraid that is getting late in the fall season. I'd rather hit fall color too early than miss it and I don't want to freeze. Also some people have mentioned seeing whales into Oct. I assume your odds decrease as you get farther into Oct. Any thoughts on the later cruise option?

laverendrye

In Montreal, Central Station (Gare Centrale) is underneath the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. You just take an escalator.

I generally agree with ron on driving between Quebec City and Montreal, either on Autoroute 40 or 20. However, for those who have time, the Chemin du Roy along the north shore (Rte 138)has interesting towns to stop and visit.