catz4ever45

Hello we will be taking a road trip from Toronto out to New Brunswick with a stop in Quebec City on the last week of July, for 10 days. We will stay in Quebec City the first night and the last night of our trip. We should get to Quebec early afternoon,we would like to see old Quebec in the first part and St Anne Basilica on the way back. The places in New Brunswick we are intersted in are:
Grand Falls
Hartland (covered bridge)
Fredericton (not sure what we want to see but its the capital)
St Andrewss (whale watching)
St Johns (another big city but not sure yet what to see)
Fundy National Park/ Fundy Parkway/Hopewell Rocks and Cape Enrage (sleeping in Alma)
Moncton (magnetic hill and not sure what else)
Shediac (Lobster fishing/Big Lobster/Parlee Beach)
Bouctouche (Le Pays de la Segouine)
Kouchibouguac National Park
Miramichi
Miscou Island
P.E.I one night?
What can't we miss in these areas? Any restaurant recommendations? Is this doable? Were ok driving up to 2 hours a day and are not big hikers. If we stay in some of the little towns will we be bored since we're in our late twenties mid 30s? How would you say we divide up our days? (We would to go in this order)

Southam

Google Maps estimates the drive from Toronto to Quebec City at 7 1/2 hours, which is pretty optimistic. You have to go through Montreal which has traffic jams as bad as Toronto at rush hours. I have yet to find an alternative route around the city, so local traffic could easily add an hour to your drive. Quebec City access, pinched by the terrain, can also be snarled. I'd suggest staying in the motel area on the western edge of the city to ease your getaway the next morning. But that would mean driving downtown, where parking is a huge challenge. A cab would be easier but not cheap. To sum up: You will have minimum time to explore the centre of the city on an overnight stay.

mat54

We travel frequently to the Maritimes and usually overnight at least one way in QC, Plus have made many separate trips to QC. There is a very new bypass missing Montreal by crossing over to the south shore of the St. Lawrence before you reach Montreal. Newer maps will show it (I think it's Hwy 30 "before" you cross the Ottawa River, to Hwy 20 and stay on this highway taking the South Shore Route to Quebec City where you cross back over the St. Lawrence). We took this last August. This certainly helps avoid the worst of the Montreal traffic, although it's still a good long drive.

The main attraction in Quebec City is the Old Historic District "Vieux Quebec" so you might want to stay in or very near it (it's a walkable district of narrow streets, bistros, inns, specialty shops, etc.).

One of the most famous attractions in New Brunswick is the dramatic spectacular Fundy Tides. It's a good idea to spend a couple of days in one spot in order to view both the high and low tide to really appreciate the spectacle. If impossible, go for low tide viewing (tide schedules available online). I like viewing them at Alma/Fundy National Park and/or Hopewell Rocks.

Saint Andrews is a quaint little town. We stayed there last summer (our third visit over a number of years). You can easily daytrip to Saint John from there which offers a quite small walkable downtown with a nice market, a few restaurants, and boat rides on the River.

We've stayed in Miramichi but just as a travel night. Pleasant enough, but not an attraction in itself although you could use it as a base to day trip to Kouchibouguac. I've lunched and picked up supplies in Fredericton on route, but have not, and do not know anyone who has included it as a vacation destination.

I'm a little concerned about you not being hikers and being "bored" in the little towns as you mentioned. So you might want to consider:

Halifax: nice with a vibrant waterfront district, lots of pubs, restaurants, museums, etc. Charlottetown is much smaller but also quite vibrant, if you go to PEI you may want to stay there for a night. Cape Breton is spectacular, but we're talking small towns and hiking/scenery as the main attractions there.