Brahmama

Still trying to get to Canada. Had to cancel our last trip because of illness.
I have a milestone birthday coming up in December. To ease the pain, my DH has told me to plan a trip. I want to be where there is SNOW!
This will be from the 1st until the 19th December. Is snow a possibility?
Carol

kodi

There is always the possibility, but I'd say not likely enough to plan a trip expecting it. OUr winters in Toronto are getting warmer and warmer , and although we may have a storm or two in Dec, the snow does not usually last. The roads are cleared and it becomes quite dirty ane messy.

I'm not sure about Montreal, but Ottawa would have a greater chance, but even then you'd be taking a chance in Dec.

You'd have to go further north.

laverendrye

You can get detailed historical data for all three cities from Weather Underground.

http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/71628.html

As a long time resident of Ottawa and former resident of Montreal, I'd say that the odds are good that you will see snow in either city before 19 December.

Brahmama

lavendrye - What a great site. Thanks for the link. It did show an average of 11 to 25 F for December - and had a CHART for snowfall, but it was blank. Darn.
Maybe our first week should be in Ottowa and the 2nd in Toronto.
kodi - when you say farther north, where do you mean? I need to go somewhere that the trains go, by the way.

BAK

Re>had a CHART for snowfall, but it was blank. Darn.<

Blank? Nope. It was filled with snow so you could not see anything else.

I measure snow by days my son can go tobogganing.

Last winter, there were a couple of days in Toronto, just after Christmas.

You stand a much greater chance of seeing snow in Montreal and Ottawa, rather than Toronto, and as you probbly know already, trains run from / between Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa.

If the 19th is your last day, I think that snow is stiill unlikely in Toronto.

So my theory is, forget about snow in Toronto, start in Toronto, and end up in Ottawa or Montreal, where first of all there's more chance of snow, and second of all, by going there near the end of your trip, you increase the odds even better.

BAK

Brahmama

BAK,
You're exactly right. The later we get up north, the better the chance for snow.
So I think something like this will work:
Fly to Toronto - Stay 3-4 nights
Use 10 day Corridor Pass to:
Train to Montreal or Quebec City 3 nights
Train to the other city (Montreal or QC) 3 nights
Train to Ottawa 3 nights
Train to Toronto Overnight at Airport Hotel
Fly Home

I need to check ViaRail now to see which cities are going to work best. I would like to go to all 4 cities. We have internet friends in Ottawa and a travel friend close to Toronto so those are for sure. I hadn't thought of going to Montreal or Quebec City, but sounding better all the time to get further north.

Thanks,
Carol

kodi

Yes, I think Quebec City would be an even better choice.
Good luck.

Brahmama

I thought I'd update this thread - as I have got a kind of a schedule now. I do appreciate all the help and suggestions from you all.

Fly from DFW to Toronto
4 nights in Toronto at the Strathacona
(a day trip to Niagara will fit in here)
Train from Toronto to Ottawa
2 or 3 nights (no place yet to stay)
Train to Montreal
4 nights here at the Bonaparte (our splurge)
Fly from Montreal to DFW

Of course I'm still hoping for snow and although I don't have a departing date set in stone, I imagine it will be about the 8th of December - returning either the 18th or 19th.

I need suggestions for Ottawa - downtown in the midst of things. About a 3 star hotel or hopefully a B&B or Inn is our budget limit.

Looking forward to your response,

Carol

SallyCanuck

A friend and I stayed at the Embassy Suites in Ottawa - it's walkable to most things you'd want to see. We had a large one-bedroom apartment with a fully equipped kitchen. The hotel has a restaurant and bar and there are restaurants nearby along with public transit should you want to use it. www.embassyhotelottawa.com

wow

What happened to Quebec City??? That's where you are most likely to have snow!
How about this:

Fly to To(3 nights To, day trip out to Niagara)

Train from To to Ottawa(2 nights Ottawa)

Train from Ottawa to Montreal(2 nights Montreal)

Train from Montreal to Quebec City(3 nights Quebec City)Everything will be decorated for Christmas in Quebec City....it will be magical....especially if you get some snow! Very romantic!

Fly from Quebec City to DFW w/ visions of sugar plums dancing in your head!

Brahmama

Thanks, Sally, for the suggestion. I am familiar with Embassy Suites in the US, but hoping for more of an old Inn type or B&B in Ottawa.

Wow:
This is so hard! And you're right, Quebec City is just dancing around in my head - how can we miss it?

But, we are going to Quebec city next October, so that was my reasoning. But now I am looking at airfare and seeing if there are good connections flying into Toronto and out of Quebec. See what you've done to me, Wow?

And now I'll need to start searching for a B&B in Quebec. And the French does give me pause. I have a smattering of Spanish, German, and Italian, but my French is mostly food-talk.

Indecision. The problem is that I want to do it all. Kid in the candy store syndrone...

wow

Brahmama, Bon jour! Don't worry about your French! You will be fine. All you need is : le vin....blanc ou rouge? Now, relaaax ....you have lots of time.

SallyCanuck

Here's a list of B&Bs - http://www.bedsandbreakfasts.ca/ottawa.htm

laverendrye

I can't comment in detail on Ottawa accommodations, as I live here. However, I can offer some information on locations.

First, the Embassy is not part of the Embassy Suites chain, but is a local all-suites hotel. It's centrally located in a nice area. It's been around for many years, but I'm sure that the rooms have been regularly renovated.

The B&Bs listed in the website cited by Sally Canuck are all fairly centrally located in good areas. I think that you could make your choice based on price and facilities.

Most downtown B&Bs are either in Centretown (roughly the area bounded by Elgin, Bronson, Laurier and the Queensway), the so-called "Golden Triangle" (between Elgin, Laurier and the Canal), and Sandy Hill, an historic neighbourhood east of the Canal, where the University of Ottawa is located. There a few in the Glebe (south of Centretown) which is a very nice neighbourhood, but perhaps a bit far to walk to downtown in January. You might also find a few B&Bs in the Byward Market area, which has lots of great shops, restaurants and bars, but it also has a couple of dodgy areas late at night.

On balance, I think that anything in Centretown, the Golden Triangle or Sandy Hill would meet your needs.

There was a thread a couple of years ago which might be useful:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34539518

Brahmama

laverendrye,
This is a great link - and is indeed very useful.

I did find McGee's Inn that is in the Sandy Hill Area that looks nice, and have many more to check out now. I would love to be in the Byward Mkt. area, but hesitant as I don't really know which areas to avoid.

Thanks,

Carol

laverendrye

If you are interested in staying in the Byward Market area, I think that the locations of both L'Auberge du Marché and the Allure are fine.

Brahmama

Laverendrye,
The Allure will be closed December and January. Erin responded with an email recommending the Avalon B&B. Are you familiar with that location?

Another question about length of time in Ottawa. Would you recommend 4 nights or will 3 nights be enough? We can't decide if it is better to spend 4 nights here or in Montreal? It seems that govenment venues are closed in Ottawa in December.

Jojonana

Better to stay more nights in Montreal...

laverendrye

Brahmama: The Avalon is located in the eastern part of Sandy Hill, not far from the Rideau River. It's a nice area, but perhaps a bit further from downtown and the market than others in Sandy Hill. It's certainly convenient to public transit (buses on Rideau), but it could be brisk walking in December. If the price and facilities are right for you, then it's an OK location.

It's hard to say how you should split your time between Ottawa and Montreal as it all depends on what you want to do and see. However, 3 nights in Ottawa and four in Montreal would be fine.

As to closures, all the major museums and galleries will be closed in the afternoon of Christmas Eve and all of Christmas Day. Otherwise they will be open except for their normal winer closing on Mondays (the National Gallery on Tuesdays in winter as well). The Parliament Buildings are open for tours every day except Christmas. So you don't need to worry about attractions being closed.

gemelli

I have the <b>Carmichael Inn &lt;b/&gt;bookmarked for an Ottawa holiday in October. Perhaps another poster is familar with the property and can comment.
http://www.ontariosfinestinns.com/inn_carmichael.html</b>