Boston to Montreal
 

I am plannning a trip to Boston and Montreal. My plan is spending 3 days in each city and a couple of days in the trip between both cities. For this trip (by car), what places do you recommend me to go? What kind of scenenry is over there? If I would have to spend one night in between, where would you spend it? Tks!!!

The route between Boston and Montreal takes you through Hanover, NH and then up thru Vermont, thru Burlington. Nice area - thru some mountains but on decent roads. Depending on season - hiking, skiing, scenery. Burlington used to be a sleepy college town (University of Vermont) but when I drove thru a couple of years ago I was amazed how much it had grown. Beautiful areas

But if you prefer to spend your time in just the 2 cities it is an easy 1-day drive between Boston and Montreal - just allow enough time at the border between US and Canada - it took us an annoyingly long time a couple of years ago when we made the same trip (we live in Boston area)

You pretty much would stop at towns along the route. Hanover and Burlington are both nice. They are college towns with a lot of eclectic shops and eateries. Hopefully you're not going in the winter. Once the trees and flowers bloom, the area is beautiful.

What do you like to do?

Baker: stop at King Arthur Flour in Norwich VT

Glass Blowing: Simon Pearce in Quechee VT

Food Tours: Ben and Jerrys, Cabot Cheese in VT

Beer: tons of breweries around...just google it

Hiking: Camel's Hump near Burlington VT

Museums: Currier Museum in Manchester NH

Kids: Montshire Museum in Norwich VT

VT has a cheese tour and brewery tour...just google them.

NH has wine and chocolate tours...again google.

I haven't been to Ben and Jerry's but reviews say it's in the middle of nowhere - just check if it will take too much time from your itinerary.

You will find antique shops along the way. There are many wood working artists in Vermont.

You'll be coming up Route 93 North in New Hampshire. If it's a nice weather day, stop for a few hours at the Canterbury Shaker Village. Worth the time. The biggest and most well preserved Shaker Village in the country.

This trip makes a nice loop.

You can drive up via I-89, Dartmouth, Burlington, and so forth and then back by taking the 10 freeway from Montreal to Magog, and then down I 93 via St Johnsbury and the White Mountains of NH back to Boston.

The interstate highways pass through beautiful mountainous country. The real beauty spots and attractions are, however, on the smaller roads off the interstates.

The 10 expressway in Quebec is not in my memory scenic, though the areas around lake Memphremagog, south of Magog, are scenic.

If you are driving a rental car, you will need special papers to take it across the border, in both directions. If you are driving your own car, you will need to obtain a "Canada card" from your company to show that you are insured for driving in Canada. Your US mobile phone may be very expensive to use in Canada, and you will certainly want to turn off any data service. I think Verizon allows you to have special Canadian voice service at reasonable prices, but coverage near the border is spotty, so you need to turn it on early.

Border crossings can be quite long.

I like Akislander's suggestion of a loop but I would reverse it by going up I93 first through NH's White Mountains. Once you get north of Salem NH, just over the MA line, I93 becomes quite wooded. I like the I93/I293/I93 section (the original hwy) because it goes by Manchester NH's mills and along the Merrimack River. By the time you get up to Concord you're starting to see mountains in the distance and you keep getting closer. I93 cuts right thru. Wonderful scenery.

VT is beautiful so a trip thru Burlington would be nice. Rizzo posted a nice list of options. Ben & Jerry's is ok. I wouldn't call it in the middle of nowhere because Cold Hollow Cider is on the same road as well as quite a few gift shops. I89 will connect with I93 just south of Concord NH so the route south will be the same from that point back to Boston. Unless you wanted to do a detour over to Portsmouth NH and then I95 to Boston. Portsmouth is on the seacoast. Nice city to walk around and some very good restaurants.