My husband and I are planning a winter vacation for our family. In the winter our girls will be 8 and 1. We are from Florida so we are tired of the beach/summer vacation. With our first child we always held back on going to very far away places for vacation and now that she is older and does well on trips, WE HAVE ANOTHER YOUNGSTER! So we decided we are not waiting any longer (I think).

I visited Quebec and Montreal when I was young in the summer and remember it fondly. Now we want to go in the winter. So please tell me if this is a good idea? I can tell you that my 8 year old as long as she is in a hotel she is happy. My little one has done well on trips to the Keys and to Orlando and stuff like that. Does great at restaurants and even church.

We are thinking 3 nights in Montreal and 2 in Quebec. Or should we just do one city? I thought of traveling on train from one to another city.

I am sorry if I am being indecisive right now but my thoughts are all over the place.
Any moms out there that have done this sort of trip?

To me, the only concern would be the cost of winter clothing, for potentially minus 20 to minus 30 degrees celsius, especially for the kids who would probably never wear them again. And I would go to Quebec City, especially if you are going at Carnaval time.

Hi - just a personal opinion (and everyone will have different ones) - but to me a "winter" trip means one that involves enjoying some kind of winter-oriented outdoor activity - e.g. downhill skiing (Laurentians or Rockies), crosscountry skiing or snowshoeing (maybe somewhere like Algonquin in Ontario or a variety of other spots), ice skating (Rideau Canal in Ottawa). Now, I have never visited Quebec City during Winter Carnival and that might be a lot of fun (although I tend to think of Quebec City as a "getaway" destination for, say 3 days, rather than a longer "vacation". Ottawa's Winterlude is another option. So, for myself, a winter vacation in Canada would have to be centered around some specific winter activities or special event. Otherwise, bundling up against the elements and being forced to focus on indoor activities is something that might be OK for a maybe 2 or 3 days (and which I've done as quick "getaways" to break the winter monotony). By the way - I think both the Ottawa and Quebec City festivals are on around the same time in early/mid February - They are about a 4 to 5 hour drive apart.

Born and bred in Mtl says that a visit to carnival in quebec is great, and highly suggest a trip to the laurentians to either St. Sauveur or Mont tremblant, Montreal in the winter can be a little grey but Old Montreal and Park Mont Royal (Beaver Lake fo skating is fun) also Ottawa is about an hour drive from Mtl and you could visit the capital and skate on the ridau canal. Canadiens in general do "Activities" in the winter, skiing, ski doo as the last poster mentionned. Of course it can get cold but generally as long as it is warmer than -12c you and the kids s/be fine.

I apologize in advance for the stereotype, but a lot of Americans enjoy the fairmont hotel at Mont Tremblant, you can ski and the kids will be thrilled running in and out of the outdoor hot tubs at -10c. Generally speaking quebecers because of their european influence prefer more genuine outings like St. Sauveur Village or Morin Heights (In the eastern Townships)

Unless you want to go skiing or other outdoor sports, I suggest waiting for more tolerable weather, maybe visiting in April instead. It will still be cold then, but at least somewhat bearable.

I once visited Montreal in winter, on a business trip. Even though I was there a week, I never got to see the city, because it was always too cold to go outside. I had to take a taxi to go just a few blocks, because it was impossible to walk even a few steps outside the hotel entrance. Having lived in northern USA cities all my life, I am accustomed to cold weather, but the cold in Montreal was of an entirely different order of magnitude.

Montreal and QC are wonderful destinations. However, both cities can be brutally cold in the winter, like -15f at night with roaring winds. I don't know how well children raised in Florida could tolerate this. Why not try someplace like Washington DC, which can be cold, but at a different level than Montreal.
On the other hand, you could hit a mild spell in Montreal or QC (in the 20's) and have a great time

agree with PP. Our winter weather can be brutal ( for weeks). You and your children , especially coming from a worm climate, could have a miserable time.

I am of the opinion that anyone from Florida who travels someplace and sees snow... has had a "winter" vacation. (even if the trip was to Antarctica, and it was July)

With that in mind, I agree with the person who gave the wise advice about winter clothing unlikely to be used again.

I visited Quebec City in March a few years back and there were piles of snow more than twice as high as cars (resulting from plowed streets). Any kid who came back from "spring break" in Quebec would likely have seen plenty of "winter" to suit him or her.

Putting it off until at least mid-March or April keeps you out of the frigid temps that mere mortals from the south shouldn't dare. On about March 24 it was below 10 degrees farenheit late at night in QC. Your youngsters don't need anything more wintery than that. You'd still beat tourist season and see some spectacular scenery around the area. If it is a light snow year (ha-ha, what are the chances of that?) then you need only travel farther north from Mtl or QC to find plenty of snow with which to initiate your kids.

Hope you figure it all out (even though this is weeks after the original post)