Time Management between Montreal and Quebec City
Jun 17th, 2013, 12:57 PM
#3
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,784
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Train: www.VIArail.ca Five trains daily; average about 2 hours 15 min.
Car: Google says the drive takes about 2 /12 hours. However both cities are congested and serious delays getting in and out should be anticipated. You have the choice of going down the St. Lawrence on either north or south banks; I think the south is a bit more scenic.
Bus: Roughly 3 hours on the frequent buses from Orleans Express http://www.orleansexpress.com/
Car: Google says the drive takes about 2 /12 hours. However both cities are congested and serious delays getting in and out should be anticipated. You have the choice of going down the St. Lawrence on either north or south banks; I think the south is a bit more scenic.
Bus: Roughly 3 hours on the frequent buses from Orleans Express http://www.orleansexpress.com/
Jun 19th, 2013, 11:27 AM
#6
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,773
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
gwynshea:
I don't know how much TIME you will afford yourself on the QC end, but QC is a reasonable spot to get a lot covered in a day. You don't have to drive/go clear to h*ll and back to see most of the better offerings of QC.
Having a car for such a trip would afford you much greater mobility and freedom upon reaching QC.
The path to and fro is nice whether by car or train, and IF I were setting out from Montreal, on a trip to QC, knowing what (still, relatively little) I know now, I would drive, and I would make a point of getting off the main freeway for part of the trip, and taking a path nearer to the St. Lawrence, on the smaller highway that passes through the local towns.
For being aware that time was critical, I would not do that as much as I did when I went from Trois Rivieres all the way to QC on the smaller road.
Upon arrival in QC, I'd go quickly to the "Old Quebec", and visit the highly touristy walled-in area. Then I'd go to the Chateau Frontenac, just because you have to do it.
Somewhere up there, in that same neighborhood, I'd pick a (random-to-me) place for a first local meal. Then I'd go down to (another) old area of the city with narrow, cobblestone streets where I would walk around and look at various shops while trying to gain a sense for the less-touristy way of life in QC.
Darn, was just looking through online maps, tryyyyyyyying to recall just how to describe the neighborhood I saw.
The French names are making it double tough for me to pinpoint the exact area. I know it was very much in the "downtown" region, bordered on one end by what was an underground shopping mall/area, with a metro/bus ('facility', lets call it) included.
<I>I perceive</I> it to have been just <I>north/northwest</I> of AutoRoute 440, or <I>Boulevard Charest</I> on very <I>flat</I> land (as opposed to the hill upon which touristy Old Quebec, and Le Chateau Frontenac both sit).
Anyway, while Montreal is interesting for its French signage and <b>easy-to-interface</b> introduction, <I>Quebec City</I> lets you better immerse yourself in more authentic French culture. You still won't have any <I><b>real causes for concern</b></I> if you don't speak French. Communicating with shopkeepers can be done even if you don't speak the same language, and you wouldn't have to go too far to find someone who spoke English if really needed.
So I do think it would be worth it for a day trip from Montreal, depending in part on how many days you have in Montreal. Maybe, if one were staying in Montreal for 5 days, one could be utilized for such a day trip, to really enhance the visit. If you got a car for a day, you could also maybe visit some spot IN the Montreal area which wasn't convenient otherwise (Maybe "Mount Royal" ??).
Hope this helps.
I don't know how much TIME you will afford yourself on the QC end, but QC is a reasonable spot to get a lot covered in a day. You don't have to drive/go clear to h*ll and back to see most of the better offerings of QC.
Having a car for such a trip would afford you much greater mobility and freedom upon reaching QC.
The path to and fro is nice whether by car or train, and IF I were setting out from Montreal, on a trip to QC, knowing what (still, relatively little) I know now, I would drive, and I would make a point of getting off the main freeway for part of the trip, and taking a path nearer to the St. Lawrence, on the smaller highway that passes through the local towns.
For being aware that time was critical, I would not do that as much as I did when I went from Trois Rivieres all the way to QC on the smaller road.
Upon arrival in QC, I'd go quickly to the "Old Quebec", and visit the highly touristy walled-in area. Then I'd go to the Chateau Frontenac, just because you have to do it.
Somewhere up there, in that same neighborhood, I'd pick a (random-to-me) place for a first local meal. Then I'd go down to (another) old area of the city with narrow, cobblestone streets where I would walk around and look at various shops while trying to gain a sense for the less-touristy way of life in QC.
Darn, was just looking through online maps, tryyyyyyyying to recall just how to describe the neighborhood I saw.
The French names are making it double tough for me to pinpoint the exact area. I know it was very much in the "downtown" region, bordered on one end by what was an underground shopping mall/area, with a metro/bus ('facility', lets call it) included.
<I>I perceive</I> it to have been just <I>north/northwest</I> of AutoRoute 440, or <I>Boulevard Charest</I> on very <I>flat</I> land (as opposed to the hill upon which touristy Old Quebec, and Le Chateau Frontenac both sit).
Anyway, while Montreal is interesting for its French signage and <b>easy-to-interface</b> introduction, <I>Quebec City</I> lets you better immerse yourself in more authentic French culture. You still won't have any <I><b>real causes for concern</b></I> if you don't speak French. Communicating with shopkeepers can be done even if you don't speak the same language, and you wouldn't have to go too far to find someone who spoke English if really needed.
So I do think it would be worth it for a day trip from Montreal, depending in part on how many days you have in Montreal. Maybe, if one were staying in Montreal for 5 days, one could be utilized for such a day trip, to really enhance the visit. If you got a car for a day, you could also maybe visit some spot IN the Montreal area which wasn't convenient otherwise (Maybe "Mount Royal" ??).
Hope this helps.
