We're thinking of getting an open jaw ticket --flying into Montreal and flying out of JFK. We want to do scenic drive down from Montreal and see the Adirondacks, Catskill, etc. and fly out of JFK.

Questions:
1) Do you recommend renting a car from Montreal and return it to JFK? How expensive?
2) Or we should take some train (which?) down to the border of NY and rent a car and drop it off at JFK?

Also, please recommend things to see and do, esp. in upstate NY.

Thanks much!

Drop off fees between different cities are invariably huge; and my gut feeling is that you won't be able to rent in Canada and drop off in the U.S. So I don't recommend that unless you find a bargain.

Better idea is to take the train (or bus) south from Montreal, pick one city on the Hudson to base yourself out of, rent the car (both pick up and return) near the station in that city, and then continue on train (or bus) into New York City.

You'll have to do a bit of searching to find the best deal on a rental car in a specific city, but I'm sure you'll save a ton of money by avoiding drop-off fees.

Or is it any better to do this in reverse? Fly into JFK and fly out of Montreal? Any easier for car rental and airport check-in, etc?

Thanks.

I don't think you will be able to pick up a car in the US and drop it off in Canada - or, vice versa.

Amtrak.com has the Adirondack line linking to the 2 cities that's supposed to have great scenery, but if you intended stopping along the way, that won't work. Looking at the Amtrak route map, if you were to take the train just to get over the border, it looks like Plattsburgh, NY is the first place you'd be able to get out. I found this page which suggests there are some national car rental agencies located there, but I'm not sure it's accurate or up to date.
http://visitadirondacks.com/gettinghere/directions.cfm
I do see Plattasburgh airport listed as a location for Hertz. You'd have to see how far the Amtrak station is from the airport.

What time of year are you planning to do this?

Another possibility is a bus from Burlington VT to or from Montreal. Burlington has a good-sized airport where you could rent a car one way to NYC and drive the length of Vermont as well as the Hudson. There is little [no?] scenery between Montreal and the US border above Burlington, so you would not miss much not being able to stop along the way.

Note: if you take this trip in reverse (NYC-Montreal) allow MUCH time for border crossing, whatever your route.

Thanks, all, for your responses.

Why does it take much longer to cross the border into Canada? I thought it's harder to get into the U.S.?

How long is the typical wait time at the border for whatever direction you've experienced?

Maybe it's not a good idea to do an open jaw ticket afterall. Just go to one place and do a roundtrip to montreal by car, etc. Thanks.

I don't think it does take longer to get across the border going into Canada than from canada into the US. Usually it is a longer wait for us going back to the US. IT can be up to several hours at the major border crossings in I-87 or I-89 on the weekends. We usually try to take one of the smaller crossings in Vt or NY on weekends especially if there has been a concert or sports event in Montreal.
There are several threads on this topic on the Canadian forum.

If you take the bus between Burlington and Montreal all passengers have to get off the bus at the border. the customs agents come onto the train if you travel that way. This can also take time depending on who is on the bus/train with you.

I don't think it takes longer to cross from Canada to the USA, either. Unless you're doing it on a Sunday, when everyone seems to check out of their hotel at the same time and head home. But, there are alternate nearby crossings if you have no need to stop at a duty-free.

If scenery is what you have in mind, there is plenty in Canada comparable to the Adirondacks and Catskills.

The Laurentian mountains are beautiful, sprinkled with charming villages and towns. http://www.quebecweb.com/tourisme/la.../introang.html

Quebec City is a wonderful destination.

The Lake Memphremagog region is stunning.

http://magogquebec.homestead.com/files/home_english.htm

I, personally, would not choose to fly into Montreal and out of JFK.