Upstate New York Amtrak stations close to car rental
 

We'll be taking the Amtrak Adirondack train southbound out of Montreal, in early October. We would like to get off the train and rent a car to drive to NYC, once we have crossed the border back into the US. I know the Adirondack will go all the way into Manhattan, but we want to break it up into a couple of days to enjoy the scenery and avoid getting into NYC so late (or in the wee hours of the morning). We would really prefer to drive the whole way, but I'm not finding any options for a one-way car rental out of Canada and into the US.

Which Amtrak stop in upstate NY is most likely to have access to reliable car rental facilities? I assume we could expect this in Albany, but would prefer an earlier stop, further north. We're fine with taking a ride share from the train station to the car rental facility.

We're also open to other alternatives. Maybe there is a bus route that would give us more options?

For some more background, we'll be getting off a one-way cruise in Quebec, then traveling by train or bus to Montreal. From Montreal, we need to make our way to NYC where we will eventually fly home to the west coast.

If there is another way to phrase my subject line, or another forum that is more appropriate for this question, please educate me!

Your only option besides Albany is Plattsburgh. You'd need to get a ride from the train or bus station to a local car rental office by the Plattsburgh airport. Taxi, uber (don't know if there is service there), or maybe the rental car co does pick-ups.

At the Albany (Rensselaer) station there is an Enterprise, but nothing else, and it's quite a ways to ALB airport.
No rental car anywhere near any of the other stops north of Albany.

Trailways bus (departs 9am) is a much faster option than taking the train from Montreal to NY.

From Montreal to Plattsburgh
by car is 1hr (not including any backup at the border)
by bus is 2hrs
by train is over 3hrs.

Avis allows rental from Montreal to NY but it's expensive and they usually only open their availability a few weeks in advance so not much help to travel plans.

There is a morning bus from Montreal to Burlington VT. In Burlington you could rent a vehicle one-way to NYC. Alamo currently has good prices up for that trip if you return to one of the NYC airports. (returning to the in-city offices looks more expensive). If you have any interest in this plan, book the car now (cancellable and not pre-paid) so that you can lock in the low rate as early Oct tends to be $$$ time in Vermont.

Hi Jayceeto

Yes, I fully agree with J62 that it makes more sense to take the bus for what you want to do. I have taken the Adirondack train many times from Montreal to NY, a beautiful ride south of Plattsburgh, but the part from Montreal to Plattsburgh itself is time-consuming, mostly uninteresting and tedious. I put up with the tedium mainly because the rest of the ride is quite gorgeous. I have discovered that I am unusual in loving the train experience more than most— I notice many get grouchy on that ride.

Plattsburgh should work. I’ve arrived there by bus before on a few occasions; the bus “station” which is actually just a large-ish convenience store is well outside the center of town but the town’s taxi service is decent to get you to a car rental place. If you choose to continue to Albany, taxis are waiting in front of the bus (or train) station and Uber service has been quite good also in my experience.

Bon voyage

Daniel

Welcome to Fodors! If you have a lot of time, you could take a ViaRail train from Montreal to Toronto. Take the Amtrak Maple Leaf from Toronto to Buffalo or Rochester and rent a car at either. If you are going back to the west coast anyway, there are better places to fly from than New York City. If you go that way you would have the chance to see Niagara Falls.

A lot of time indeed....

The train from Montreal to Toronto takes 5 to 6 hours. The Amtrak Maple Leaf departs Toronto once per day at 8ish am, and takes 5 or so hours to get to Rochester. If you get off to see Niagara Falls, you'll need to wait until the next day to travel on to Rochester.

So figure on adding 2 to 3 days to your total travel to take that route...

Thanks so much for all your replies! Very helpful information. Definitely looks like the bus is a better option. Now it’s just a matter of figuring out whether we pick up the car in Plattsburgh or Burlington, or possibly Albany if we find a bus that gets us there earlier in the day than the train would have. I think I can do the research from here, but I’ll circle back if I have any more questions.

Thanks again for all your help!