Road trip from NYC to Canada
 

I'm from California and planning a vacation in both NYC (Niagra falls) and Canada. First timers for our group (older parents and 3 small kids + 1 teen boy). What do you suggest in terms of itinerary, places to explore, we like history as well as popular attractions. Places to stay.
thinking summer this year or Fall. We don't have a budget yet and we have 7 days total including traveling from/to CA.

I see you've tagged British Columbia, Newfoundland, Ontario, and Quebec in your post. You've also listed NYC (presume you mean New York City) and Niagra Falls. That's some huge total territory; given that you only have 7 days including travel to/from California, you're going to do well just to visit NYC and Niagra Falls. So, travel to/from CA = 2 days; travel from NYC to Niagra Falls, maybe 7-8 hours. B.C. is of course completely out of the equation. How much time in NYC? Or, if you just want the Canada side, maybe fly into Buffalo or Toronto?

It's Niagara Falls, which is not in New York City.
Where exactly are you planning to travel? If NYC and NF are musts, you have no time for anyplace else.

Mainly Niagara Falls, been to New York in the past (2 times) and have done some of the tourist attractions (timesquare, central park, statue of liberty, etc.) already, so this time, we would like to see Niagara Falls (thought it was on New York's side?). Since Canada is close by, we want to make a trip out of it too. We want to see visit Toronto and Quebec but recently found out that they are about 5 hours apart (driving), so not sure now. Never been to either place, so don't care which one to visit first, but definitely, want to make a convenient trip so that we don't lose time driving.
Would you recommend flying to NYC or fly directly to Canada? If Niagara Falls is so big that we can see it on the Canada side too, then perhaps we should fly to Canada and spend time there instead?

New York STATE is huge. NYC is New York City and is not at all close to Niagara Falls, which is on the USA/CANADA border. You need to decide what you actually want to see in Canada, and consult a map.

There is Niagara Falls, New York and Niagara Falls, Ontario. The Canadian side has the better views, most of the attractions and 14,000 hotel rooms to choose from.
Niagara Falls is 7-8 hours drive from New York City and 2 hours from Toronto. The closest airport to NF is Buffalo,NY, about 45 minutes away.
Everyone 16 and older requires a passport to cross the border. Those younger require birth certificates.

From Toronto to the province of Quebec border is about a 5 hour drive, Toronto to Quebec CITY is about a 10 hour drive, both times assume no stops.

Second the suggestion to consult a map.

Would you suggest flying to Quebec City from Toronto to save time? What are there to do in Quebec and Toronto in terms of the major attractions and must do's?

See if this works for you: Fly to Buffalo NY. Get a tour from Buffalo to Niagara Falls. After you have seen the falls from both sides, take the Amtrak Maple Leaf to Toronto.
Near the train station is the CN tower and the stadium where the Blue Jays play. The hockey Hall of Fame is also worth seeing.
Leave Toronto on a ViaRail train for Ottawa, Quebec City or Montreal.
There is an Amtrak train that goes from Montreal south to New York City through Albany and down the Hudson River.
I always advise against taking a rental car either way across the border.

You need 2-3 days in Niagara Falls (both sides) and the same in Toronto. Not nearly enough time to go anywhere else.
Fly into Buffalo and out of Toronto. Lots of bus and train options between NF and Toronto.

I don't think you really need 2 to 3 days in Niagara Falls. It could be done pretty thoroughly in one full day. On the American side, I suggest walking to Goat Island for the best views. Also, Maid of the Mist and the Cave of the Winds. That being said, with seven days, I might limit myself to the Western NY and Southern Ontario area. With your limited time, I would fly into Buffalo and rent a car. I think a Niagara Falls/Niagara on the Lake/Toronto trip would work with the time you have.

Any city can be done in a day if you only want to do one days worth of things. There are the 2 major attractions on the U.S. side of Niagara Falls, and dozens on the Canadian side, many of which will be very attractive to the children and teen. One day would skim the surface.

What do you consider major attractions? I can't think of "dozens" of major attractions on the Canadian side. But I guess if they are traveling with kids, the carnival that is Clifton Hill might be enjoyable.

Can we get real here? There is exactly ONE major attraction in Niagara Falls and all the things/views like the gorge, etc., directly associated with them and everybody knows that. I am sorry but the Waffle House, that "observation tower" and those hotels with martini glass-shaped bathtubs are NOT "major" attractions.

There’s a wax museum.

Fully agree, one main attraction - the falls.You nan find museums, etc anywhere.
If you like history, drive to Boston and have a Tea Party. Plenty of history in and around Boston.

So only natural phenomenons can be major attractions. I guess Toronto, NYC and even Boston have nothing to offer then.

Yes and I think tis is too bad that there are so many attractions at the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls. There is this beautiful nature spectacle and then there is kind of an amusement park.
But I agree to the other posts, look at a map and check the distances. For 7 days it's way too much in my opinion!

And the Mystic Maze of Mirrors.

And "believe it or not".... a Ripley's

and House of Frankenstein

Hopefully Dukey will look into one of those mirrors and ask himself some hard questions. Not all of us can fly off to South America and Rome for a holiday. Some of us are simple people who can only afford a trip to Niagara Falls. My wife still says that the wax museum was the highlight of our honeymoon.

[QUOTE=xcountry;16714762My wife still says that the wax museum was the highlight of our honeymoon.[/QUOTE]

Better than the bubble bath in the champagne glass tub?

Yup, there are Ripley's and Guinness and wax museums and arcades and all that stuff.
There is also:
Hornblower Cruise
Maid of the Mist
Journey Behind the Falls
Cave of the Winds
Nightly Falls Illumination
Fireworks Over the Falls every night in the summer
White Water Walk
Helicopter tours
Whirlpool Aerocar
Mistrider Zipline
Whirlpool Jetboats
Skylon Tower
Marineland
Butterfly Conservatory (largest in North America)
Bird Kingdom
Skywheel
Safari Niagara
Botanical Gardens
Welland Canal
35 golf courses
Fallsview Casino, Casino Niagara and Seneca Casino
125 wineries, breweries and distilleries
Fort George, Fort Niagara and Fort Erie
Shaw Festival theatres
Artpark

to be fair, you initially said "you need 2 to 3 days in Niagara Falls." You didn't say in the Southern Ontario region or the surrounding area. Your definition of "in Niagara Falls" is awfully broad. I would also question whether some of the things on your list qualify as "major attractions." That being said, I think my recommendation that the OP use his week in the Niagara region and Toronto is consistent with what you are advocating.

I don’t know. I wasn’t there for that. I do remember the Ripleys place. There was a very large faucet suspended by wires. And water was pouring out of the faucet into a small pool. The question on the sign read “Where is the water coming from?” I couldn’t figure it out as there was nothing above the faucet.

In fact the water was was being pumped up a tube in the middle of the water coming down. D’oh. I remember my wife saying “geez I sure didn’t marry you for your looks. If you can’t figure this out why did I marry you?” Too late honey.

tom42,
That's true. A few of the things I listed are within the Niagara Region, and are a 15-20 minute drive from the actual Falls. But considering,for instance, some of Toronto's major attractions like the Zoo, Science Centre or Canada's Wonderland are at least twice that far from downtown Toronto, I'll stick with it..

[QUOTE=xcountry;16714810I remember my wife saying “geez I sure didn’t marry you for your looks. If you can’t figure this out why did I marry you?” Too late honey.[/QUOTE]

Your large endowment?

You know what they say Tom. The falls are the bride’s second biggest disappointment.

As well as consulting a map, you need to get a firmer grasp on what is available in Canada. Start with the Destinations section on this website. Other travel sites can help, as can provincial and city tourist authorities. Sorry to be rude, but your questions are hard to answer because you lack the context to make them cogent, or to help you understand the answers. Being your own tourist agent is DIY -- you have to do it yourself as well as ask others.

I'm planning on getting this train - the Adirondack - in September after a few days in Montreal but I'll be getting off at Lake Champlain and getting a ferry across the lake.

There is only one train a day leaving Montreal at 10.20am, arriving in NYC just before 9pm.

Montreal looks like a great place to spend a few days and very different from most other cities in N. America due to its french heritage.

For seven days, pick one province and see two cities. If you are including travel time from California, either fly or drive up the coast to Vancouver. It's a far bigger country than your question suggests.

If you want to see both Toronto and Quebec City, then flying is your best bet, and you'd arrange your return direct from the airport in Quebec City; if you need a car, you'd rent at each end (for 1 or 2 days to see Niagara Falls and for another day if you want to take a trip outside Quebec City). If you want to see Toronto, Niagara Falls, and Montreal only, then driving might not be the worst idea. You fly into Toronto (better in my opinion than Buffalo because then you don't have to worry about the issue of bringing a rental car over the Canadian border), then see the city for a day or two, drive to and stay on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls (walking over to the US side if you want to see that part), and then drive a half-day to Montreal, seeing some of Quebec along the way; you'd rent a car from the day you plan on leaving Toronto (because you won't want or need a car there) until you arrive in Montreal. See if you can fly back to California from Montreal. Or alternatively, do a bit circle grip and end back up at Toronto for your return flight.

Either way, you'd do all of your traveling in Canada. The only caveat is that everyone would need a passport to fly to Canada; if driving over from Buffalo, you could get by with a passport, passport card, or government-issued picture ID + original birth certificate with raised seal.

Although a government issued ID and birth certificate will get you into Canada, returning to the US will be a difficult and drawn out procedure... you will likely be pulled into Border Patrol for additional questioning...

the standards of proof are different for each country and it's best to have a passport, or enhanced id that contains an information chip that can be scanned at the border....

Thanks all for your suggestions! I truly appreciate your time Answering my questions

Long Island, Ny to Vancouver, Canada
 

My sister and I are visiting my son in Vancouver, Canada. We will be leaving from Long Isand, NY this August. Any ideas on how to save money on airfare from NYC area to Vancouver? I was wondering if flying to Seattle then driving to Vancouver might be a good option.
Thanks.

You will need to do some online research to find out costs for the various flight/rental car options for your dates. Easily done.

Be aware that it can be very tricky to find cross-border car rentals. I believe that Seattle-Vancouver is one of the few routes where it is sometimes possible, albeit you're are likely to encounter an expensive one-way fee and the contract may well become pay-per-km once you enter Canada. For that route, taking the train or bus is often a better option.

Your bigger issue is that you are planning very last minute for a popular destination. There are plenty of flights between the three major NYC area airports and Vancouver - one of the most popular US-CAN routes. However, summer is peak tourist time for Vancouver/BC, so the cheaper tickets have likely long since been scooped up with the more expensive options left.

So, "saving" money is going to be relative. No special tricks - you just have to sit down at the keyboard with your dates in hand, and see what your options are in terms of flights and car rentals. Google or other search engines can show you all the possible options. The more flexible you are with dates, the more likely you are to find something a bit cheaper. Also, if at all possible, avoid August 3-6, which is a holiday weekend in Canada.

Have you tried Google Flights? Middle of August on Cathay Pacific non-stop from JFK to Vancouver for $374 US. That’s the first one I saw.

If you do see favorable fares into Seattle, consider taking Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver. There are 2 trains and 4 bus departures daily, costing around $45, it's a 4-hour trip. We've taken the train from Vancouver to Seattle several times, finding it very scenic in many spots. The bus goes up I-5, which is not what I consider a scenic drive, but that is how you would get there by car anyway.

https://www.amtrak.com/home.html

Tennisfirst: this thread's topic has no relevance to your trip really. Look at Gardyloo's response on your own thread . . .