I've longed dreamed of going to Quebec City as well as the Maritime Provinces but with only 11 nights I'm thinking it might be too much driving to pack both into one trip.

For those who have been to both places, would you prefer Quebec City and Acadia NP for 11 days or the Maritime Provinces? Why? Thanks.

First, what time of year?

Second, what are your interests?

It's hard to give help with little info.

Quebec city itself can be seen in 1 day, maybe 2 at most.

Hey Banff,

I am a native Montrealer who has travelled to both Quebec city and Maine (not Acadia, but the coast) however I have no experience with the Maritimes.

As smartcookie mentioned, Quebec City can be done fairly quickly. I would definitely give it more than one day, but with 3 days you can get a thorough feel for the city. You could spend 3-4 days there and the remainder in Maine which I think would be a LOVELY holiday. If you think that 6-7 days would be too much time in one spot for you you could always do 3 days Quebec City, 3 days Montreal and the balance of your time in Maine.

Whatever you decide I wish you a great trip! Maine is one of my favourite places on earth!!

Layla

Going next summer. I have boys (5 and 11). I want to enjoy culture, scenery,etc but I need to be mindful of two boys who would dread long hours in a car.

Quebec will be crowded -- if you alone with two young children, walking the busy sidewalks will be a challenge. Montreal, even though a larger city, has more attractions for children and an easy metro to get around. Check out the bio dome and Old Montreal waterfront attractions. Or skip Quebec and do Acadia down to Portland Me.

I did Montreal and Quebec City in 5 days in July. It was fun. With kids, I would recommend 5 days in Montreal and 3 days in Quebec City, plus a side trip to the countryside. Montreal and Quebec City are only 2 hours apart by car.

I think the QC/ANP will be more driving. If I recall correctly even driving within ANP took some time, also the shore line is quite rocky so you might have to watch your younger one more closely. If you go to ANP, be sure to get lobsters from Abel's Lobster Pound!

QC has an excellent Museum of Civilization and lots of interesting shops and cafes to wander thru - not sure if your kids enjoy that stuff. I think QC will have the most distinctive setting. If you'd like to expose your kids to French, QC is another bonus. I don't think I'd want to "do it in 1 day" but with 3 days, you can relax and enjoy yourself and really feel like you've been there rather than just toured the one big road in the Old City.

I think the Maritimes would allow for more time for your boys to be out and playing, with beaches in NB, PEI & NS if your family likes the beach.

Bay of Fundy tides at Hopewell Rocks in NB might be fun. PEI is quite small and I was surprised at how going from spot to spot only took 30 to 40 min. Lots of open space, cottages to rent, B&Bs on working farms, parks and red sand beaches to explore.

NS is pretty big so you may want to limit your visit to one base such as Cape Breton (lovely scenery, lots of places to stop and services, Louisburg Fortress might be fun for your kids) or South Shore. If you go to NS, and are in the vicinity of the Clam Harbour Sand Castle competition in August, it makes for a great day at the beach.

Can't recommend one or the other since I don't know your family, and the trips I've done were adult-only; one highlight of ANP was a private kayaking tour. At one point when the guide and DH were far out ahead of me, a seal popped out of the water very close to me and swam with my kayak as if to cheer me on - what a delight!

Enjoy-la!