David

I am looking to plan a four-day weekend at the end of January, beginning of February. I live near Detroit and would like a place that will not take more than a few hours to get to. Someone recommended Old Quebec City, and I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions or any travel tales of Quebec. I want something that will be charming, quiet and where we will have plenty of things to do even if we don't do winter sports: resturants, places to sit and read, landscapes, etc. If anyone knows of anything please let me know. Thanks.

Daniel Williams

David: <BR> <BR>I think Quebec City may be what you're looking for. It will be quite cold at this time of year, so be prepared! <BR> <BR>There is le Carnaval de Québec in the winter...I don't know if it will have started by the time you arrive. Worth looking into! <BR> <BR>Vieux Québec is very charming and historical and the view from the river is gorgeous from the Plains of Abraham. Mind you, I've only visited in the spring/summertime, so the landscapes may not be quite so pretty in winter. <BR> <BR>However, the city certainly is charming, with a feel of Europe. You should have no trouble finding things to do. <BR> <BR>As for travel time, from Detroit, consider that Quebec City is approximately 7 hours from Toronto by train (I'm not sure how many hours it is from Detroit to Toronto). Total flight time of course should be within an hour or so. <BR> <BR>Montreal, although a large city, is quite charming and also worth considering for your 4-day weekend. You'll certainly find no lack of things to do there (restaurants, places to sit and read, shopping). <BR> <BR>Dan <BR> <BR>

elizabeth

Hi David - I agree with the previous poster that Quebec City is very romantic but involves quite a bit of travel time from Detroit (even if you flew I think you'd have to do Windsor - Toronto, then Toronto - Quebec City). An alternative recommendation is Langdon Hall - a lovely inn just outside of Cambridge on 200 acres. (probably about a 3 hour drive from Detroit - maybe a little longer). The inn is beautifully renovated with an outstanding dining room - they have groomed cross country ski trails and there are several interesting day trips (art galleries, interesting small towns etc). They also have spa facilities. It's not cheap but they are Canadian Dollar rates! You can view the property at the following web site: <BR> <BR>http://www.countryinns.org/langdonhall.html <BR> <BR>The least expensive room is listed as a "Cloister Room" at $229 CDN including breakfast - we've stayed in these rooms and they're lovely - with huge four poster beds and wood burning fireplaces (at least I think they all have fireplaces - our room did). <BR> <BR>Hope you have a lovely trip.

Donna

Because it's likely to be very cold (we're used to cold in New Hampshire, but freeze when we visit Canada in the winter), my recommendation would be Montreal. Find a hotel you don't have to leave, unless you want to. One with two or more restaurants, a nice cocktail lounge, and access to the underground nearby. The Queen Elizabeth is very popular. We've never stayed there, but it's connected directly to the underground, where there's excellent shopping, more restuarants, movies... Also nice are the Hotel Vogue (jacuzzi in every room) and Hotel de la Montagne, both on rue Montagne. Excellent nightlife one block over on Crescent Street, huge (four floors and a Starbucks cafe) Chapters bookstore around the corner, with lots of comfy seating areas. The restaurants (every cuisine imaginable) are outstanding in Montreal, and you can do some serious fine dining at very reasonable prices with the exchange rate. If it's not too cold, a walk around Vieux Montreal (or a horse and carriage ride) or up rue St. Dennis would be great fun. The museums are fabulous (especially Fine Arts), and there's always something interesting at Place des Arts (they have a website).

Matt

From Detroit, your best choice is Toronto. It is simply, the most sophisticated city on the continent, save New York. Your best bet is to stay in Yorkville, in the cntre of the city. Here, you have a combination of some excellent restaurants, unbelievable shopping, and lovely parks. However, you may want toput off you trip til the summer. There is about a foot of snow on the ground (very unusual for TO), and its COLD!

Kittie

David, <BR>If I'm not too late to assist in your planning, I would like to suggest looking into Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines from Detroit to Quebec. I have not personally looked at either web page for Quebec, but I do know that they fly from Detroit to Montreal (we will be flying to Montreal via Detroit in May). <BR>Kittie