toronto to new york to montreal
Nov 21st, 2005, 12:42 PM
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toronto to new york to montreal
Hello everyone,
Coming from Oxford, England to Toronto in first 2 weeks of April - flying back from Montreal. Family of 5 (girls 17 and 15 boy 13). Vague plan is to hire car and drive via Niagara to New York then up through Adirondacks. I always try and do too much (last time Vancouver to LA and back in 3 weeks) but trying to resist a couple of days in Boston. Budget conscious I'm afraid (less dollars to the pound than couple of years ago!) - any recommendations for for family of our size (2 rooms really though occasionally shared one large bedroom) in Manhattan -willing to forgo luxuries but clean and central (wife draws line at shared bathrooms though).I like driving in America -not bumping into the coast after 200 miles in any direction like here but New York may have to be ruled out on account of cost of parking if nothing else. Can anyone advise on a suitable spot to leave a car outside the city for a few days and catch a train in? - finding the car in one piece on return would be a bonus obviously. For some reason from a very small scale map I've decided Tarrytown is the place.Or guidance on cost of parking would be welcome.
Can anyone help on good route Toronto to NY - I thought we might stop a night half way e.g Ithica. Again only guessing.
Any help on any aspect of above very welcome.Please let me know if there are serious flaws in this plan
Thank you.
Coming from Oxford, England to Toronto in first 2 weeks of April - flying back from Montreal. Family of 5 (girls 17 and 15 boy 13). Vague plan is to hire car and drive via Niagara to New York then up through Adirondacks. I always try and do too much (last time Vancouver to LA and back in 3 weeks) but trying to resist a couple of days in Boston. Budget conscious I'm afraid (less dollars to the pound than couple of years ago!) - any recommendations for for family of our size (2 rooms really though occasionally shared one large bedroom) in Manhattan -willing to forgo luxuries but clean and central (wife draws line at shared bathrooms though).I like driving in America -not bumping into the coast after 200 miles in any direction like here but New York may have to be ruled out on account of cost of parking if nothing else. Can anyone advise on a suitable spot to leave a car outside the city for a few days and catch a train in? - finding the car in one piece on return would be a bonus obviously. For some reason from a very small scale map I've decided Tarrytown is the place.Or guidance on cost of parking would be welcome.
Can anyone help on good route Toronto to NY - I thought we might stop a night half way e.g Ithica. Again only guessing.
Any help on any aspect of above very welcome.Please let me know if there are serious flaws in this plan
Thank you.
Nov 21st, 2005, 02:01 PM
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I suppose there's logic to your route? However, seems like a long time in the car with 3 kids. Why aren't you going in a more efficient route like into Toronto, then Montreal, then NY, then fly home from NY?
Nov 21st, 2005, 02:18 PM
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With 5 people travelling, I suggest you just park the car in Manhattan. Depending on the location of your hotel, you may find nearby garage (24-hour, attended type) for about $30 a day. More convenient, and you need to worry about the car or mess with the trains.
Ithaca is a good choice to stay overnight. Or nearby Watkins Glen. Beautiful region.
Ithaca is a good choice to stay overnight. Or nearby Watkins Glen. Beautiful region.
Nov 21st, 2005, 02:38 PM
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I'm with buongiorno. I've driven from NY to Toronto (LONG and boring) and NY to Montreal. I'm not sure I can figure out what you should do if you've already bought your tickets from the UK BUT here's info I think would be helpful.
>Jet Blue is a low cost (but excellent) airline with flights b/w Buffalo NY (near the Canadian border) and JFK. It would normally be the way I'd suggest getting from NY to Niagara Falls.
>Tarrytown is a perfectly nice bedroom community with a few decent hotels but I don't think they have decent parking for non residents.
>The Travel Inn is a decent budget hotel in Manhattan that has free parking which may be your best option.
>There are some ferries that go b/w New Jersey and Manhattan that have parking. Port Imperial in Weehawken, NJ has a ferry ($5/person each way) that puts you right at 44 st. in midtown and they allow overnight parking but that could prove expensive.
I think you need to figure out an itinerary. I'm almost tempted to tell you to skip NYC. You might be better doing Toronto, Niagara Falls, Boston and Montreal. YOu may also run into some issues/extra expenses taking a rental car from Canada to the US and back.
>Jet Blue is a low cost (but excellent) airline with flights b/w Buffalo NY (near the Canadian border) and JFK. It would normally be the way I'd suggest getting from NY to Niagara Falls.
>Tarrytown is a perfectly nice bedroom community with a few decent hotels but I don't think they have decent parking for non residents.
>The Travel Inn is a decent budget hotel in Manhattan that has free parking which may be your best option.
>There are some ferries that go b/w New Jersey and Manhattan that have parking. Port Imperial in Weehawken, NJ has a ferry ($5/person each way) that puts you right at 44 st. in midtown and they allow overnight parking but that could prove expensive.
I think you need to figure out an itinerary. I'm almost tempted to tell you to skip NYC. You might be better doing Toronto, Niagara Falls, Boston and Montreal. YOu may also run into some issues/extra expenses taking a rental car from Canada to the US and back.
Nov 21st, 2005, 04:25 PM
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You can cut off some driving (and have some fun) by taking the CAT Ferry from Toronto to Rochester NY enroute to NYC. http://www.catfastferry.com/ The ferry is on shaky ground financially, but it is running...It's brand new and very nice.
You should know that northern New York State in early April will be fairly winter-like. There will be few, if any, leaves on the trees (depending on the weather). A snow storm can not be ruled out. The Adirondacks will certainly still have snow and most of the lakes will likely be iced in. (By the way, the Adirondacks are not on your way from Toronto to NYC - save them for another time is my suggestion.)
Boston is quite a ways off your route. While a great city to visit (better than Toronto in my opinion), you better check distances and decide how much time you want to spend in the car. The drive from, say, Buffalo to Boston is at least 7 hours of non-stop VERY boring truck-infested highway. (By the way I notice MSN maps puts that drive at 5 hours - it is wrong.)
In NYC you might look into the Doubletree Hotel in Times Square. Nice suite set up that is right smack in the middle of things (some people like that, some don't). You will get a bedroom and a living room with its own TV (living room has pull out couch and room for a cot or two) and a minimal kitchenette. It is a very nice hotel. (Watch out for the porn on the bedroom TV though...)
Good luck on your planning. Your kids will have a blast. NYC is fabulous.
You should know that northern New York State in early April will be fairly winter-like. There will be few, if any, leaves on the trees (depending on the weather). A snow storm can not be ruled out. The Adirondacks will certainly still have snow and most of the lakes will likely be iced in. (By the way, the Adirondacks are not on your way from Toronto to NYC - save them for another time is my suggestion.)
Boston is quite a ways off your route. While a great city to visit (better than Toronto in my opinion), you better check distances and decide how much time you want to spend in the car. The drive from, say, Buffalo to Boston is at least 7 hours of non-stop VERY boring truck-infested highway. (By the way I notice MSN maps puts that drive at 5 hours - it is wrong.)
In NYC you might look into the Doubletree Hotel in Times Square. Nice suite set up that is right smack in the middle of things (some people like that, some don't). You will get a bedroom and a living room with its own TV (living room has pull out couch and room for a cot or two) and a minimal kitchenette. It is a very nice hotel. (Watch out for the porn on the bedroom TV though...)
Good luck on your planning. Your kids will have a blast. NYC is fabulous.
Nov 21st, 2005, 05:07 PM
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Adirondacks will be on they way back from NYC to Montreal. [But not if they include Boston.] And the Toronto-Rochester ferry will not make sense if they want to see the Niagara Falls. It's not going to save time either.
With 2 weeks, it's okay to include Boston, in my opinion. Two easy days of driving Toronto-NYC. NYC-Boston is 4 hours. Boston-Montreal is 5. Montreal-Toronto is 5.5. Plenty of driving, but doable.
With 2 weeks, it's okay to include Boston, in my opinion. Two easy days of driving Toronto-NYC. NYC-Boston is 4 hours. Boston-Montreal is 5. Montreal-Toronto is 5.5. Plenty of driving, but doable.
Nov 22nd, 2005, 06:48 AM
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More tips: Niagra to NYC is a long days drive and there is no good food along the way. Drive right through it as fast as you can.
Ithaca is a nice town, but it is kind of out of your way IMO -- off the maIN highway on small roads. Another small touristy town on the north end of the Finger Lakes might be more convenient. Or maybe try to get to Lake Placid, Lake George, Saratoga, which are all nice towns. They are not at their most beautiful in April.
Commuter trains to Manhattan are reasonably frequent from Albany; you could leave the car in Albany and make a trip into NYC, or from anywhere in between, like Poughkeepsie. But, yes, with 5 people you might just be better off parking the car in Manhattan, especially if you find a hotel with free parking.
The trip north to Montreal is nice. You could choose to go either to the east or west of Lake Champlain -- east side has more quaint and pretty towns, west side has more remote Adirondack-y beauty.
There are hotels in New Haven CT that will let you park in their gated lot for free, and give free shuttles to the train station (if you stay overnight in the hotel). (Can't remember which, but they were major chains like Marriott).
I just booked a room at the Union Theological Seminary in Manhattan-- they run a `clean but spartan' hotel, my friends tell me. It was just $120/night. It is north, near Columbia University, not a central location.
Nov 22nd, 2005, 07:12 AM
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Stopping at Ithaca or Watkins Glen really isn't too far out of the way. From the Thruway to Ithaca is about 40 miles, and Ithaca to I-81 about 20.
From Toronto, it's only about 270 miles to Ithaca. Even with a stop at Niagara Falls, it can be done easily. And the next day, Ithaca to NYC is under 250 miles. Maybe 5 hours.
Plenty of nice places to eat -including lots of vineyards with restaurants - in the Finger Lakes region.
The fastest and shortest route Buffalo-NYC doesn't go through Albany.
From Toronto, it's only about 270 miles to Ithaca. Even with a stop at Niagara Falls, it can be done easily. And the next day, Ithaca to NYC is under 250 miles. Maybe 5 hours.
Plenty of nice places to eat -including lots of vineyards with restaurants - in the Finger Lakes region.
The fastest and shortest route Buffalo-NYC doesn't go through Albany.
Nov 22nd, 2005, 08:03 AM
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Hi graham,
The drive from Toronto to NYC can be done in about 9 hrs. Since I'm assuming you will probably stay a day or two in Niagara Falls to see the sights, that will decrease your drive somewhat already, so I wouldn't stop on the way to New York but just drive directly from Niagara Falls. approx. 7hrs.
We drove to NYC with our 2 teens (from near Toronto) and stayed at the Belvedere in midtown Manhattan in 2 rooms. They don't have adjoining rooms if that's an issue--ours were across the hall. We booked from the hotel website and got a fairly good rate with breakfast. Very central, close to Times Square with nearby parking for very little. Much easier to drive into the city than you'd think.
As far as driving, April will be less than pleasant the farther north you go. But if you are already booked out of Montreal, then I too would suggest stopping in Saratoga Springs or the Finger Lakes on the way back if driving directly from NYC.
We've also done the drive between Boston and Toronto with kids and if you are that close, and have 2 weeks, I would recommend seeing Boston too. It's a great city. We stayed at the Doubletree on Soldiers Field Rd. across from Harvard. They have a shuttle so we didn't have to drive at all in Boston which was a bonus.
So maybe you could do something like:
Toronto 3 nights Drive to Niagara 1.5 hrs
Niagara 2 nights Drive to NYC ~7hrs
NYC 5 nights Drive to Boston ~4hrs
Boston 2 nights Drive to Montreal ~ 5 hrs
Montreal 2 nights fly home
If there are cities you would rather spend more time, then leave out Boston....or if possible, change the flights as suggested.
Good luck with the planning.
The drive from Toronto to NYC can be done in about 9 hrs. Since I'm assuming you will probably stay a day or two in Niagara Falls to see the sights, that will decrease your drive somewhat already, so I wouldn't stop on the way to New York but just drive directly from Niagara Falls. approx. 7hrs.
We drove to NYC with our 2 teens (from near Toronto) and stayed at the Belvedere in midtown Manhattan in 2 rooms. They don't have adjoining rooms if that's an issue--ours were across the hall. We booked from the hotel website and got a fairly good rate with breakfast. Very central, close to Times Square with nearby parking for very little. Much easier to drive into the city than you'd think.
As far as driving, April will be less than pleasant the farther north you go. But if you are already booked out of Montreal, then I too would suggest stopping in Saratoga Springs or the Finger Lakes on the way back if driving directly from NYC.
We've also done the drive between Boston and Toronto with kids and if you are that close, and have 2 weeks, I would recommend seeing Boston too. It's a great city. We stayed at the Doubletree on Soldiers Field Rd. across from Harvard. They have a shuttle so we didn't have to drive at all in Boston which was a bonus.
So maybe you could do something like:
Toronto 3 nights Drive to Niagara 1.5 hrs
Niagara 2 nights Drive to NYC ~7hrs
NYC 5 nights Drive to Boston ~4hrs
Boston 2 nights Drive to Montreal ~ 5 hrs
Montreal 2 nights fly home
If there are cities you would rather spend more time, then leave out Boston....or if possible, change the flights as suggested.
Good luck with the planning.
Nov 22nd, 2005, 10:11 AM
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Don't know if you've checked out Niagara Falls to see what's open in the the beginning of April. If you're not familiar with this are of the northeast in early April - this is not spring - this season is considered "mud" and trees will not be in leaf and only very early flowers in bloom.
If you can I would do the trip later for more pleasant weather - and less chance of a late snow.
If you can I would do the trip later for more pleasant weather - and less chance of a late snow.
