zinders

Hi there -

I'm planning a late-Sept. road trip from Burlington, Vt to Quebec City, and barely know where to start. I'm thinking at least one night in Burlington, probably one in Stowe. I'm also interested in the Northeast Kingdom area. Any suggestions? We'll have 8 nights.

colbeck

Are you looking for suggestions for places to stay? If so, what sort of place do you prefer, and what price range? There are a lot of choices!

zinders

We like smaller independent places, in the $100-$150 range. I realize that we're going at the beginning of foilage season, however, so we're willing to be flexible.

Basically, I'm looking for the best scenic driving route between Burlington and Quebec City. We are starting and ending in Burlington, so we could do a loop - maybe go up I-89 and come back I-91. I'm sure there are back roads that are much better, however, so I'm all ears.

colbeck

For a route to Quebec City from Burlington I would suggest I89 to Waterbury, then Rt. 100 to Stowe, then north through the Northeast Kingdom to Newport, cross the border at Derby Line, and wind your way through the Eastern Townships of Quebec.

Two of my favorite inns, Manoir Hovey and Ripple Cove, are just over the border on Lake Massawippi. Unfortunately they are a bit pricey, especially with the weak American dollar. However, the village of North Hatley, Quebec, is charming, and there should be some more reasonable B&B's there.

On the return route from Quebec, perhaps take I91 south at the border, then Rt. 2 in St Johnsbury back to I 89, or to Rt. 15, all the way back to Burlington. The interstate highways in Vermont are scenic, but it's fun to travel the back roads.

Quebec City is wonderful, especially the Old City. I hope you are planning at least a couple of nights there.

Burlington is also a nice city - a college town on Lake Champlain, and there are lots of things to do. You should visit www.vermont.org for ideas on activities and accomodations. I would be happy to suggest some restaurants if you like.

Stowe is also fun. Take a look at www.gostowe.com for all sorts of information.

Late September is a great time to visit. It is the start of the foliage season, but could still be busy with "leaf peepers", especially in the Kingdom, where it peaks first. Once you have established your itinerary, it would be wise to make reservations.

Have a wonderful trip, and let me know if I can be of further help!

bratsandbeer

Hotel Le Clos St-Louis
We stayed 3 nights at this hotel. It was fantastic - right in the old town. You can walk everywhere from there. They have parking in the back of the hotel. We did not move the car the entire 3 days.

If you go to Quebec City try to find lodging in the old town - when you get tired you are close to your hotel.

We tok the tour of the Frontenac hotel and it was well worth our time and money. Very interesting and fun tour guide.

Ackislander

The back roads in this area are in fact beautiful, though the hilly and mountainous country of northern Vermont soon becomes the flat plains of Quebec.

What surprised us is that in many of the small towns in what is called the Eastern Townships, English is not widely spoken, despite the English names of the towns themselves. No doubt everyone learns it in school, but they didn'/wouldn't use it in gas stations or fast food restaurants. This is a bug or a feature, depending on your mood.

zinders

Is it worth driving up through the Lake Champlain isles? Any towns that are great for a stay, or is it simply a scenic drive? I'm thinking we'll go from here up to the Chemin du Roy into Quebec City, then back down through Eastern Township (Magog) and into Northeast Kingdom.

dfnh

We thought the drive thru the Champlain islands was lovely. Very little commercial. We left from Fairfax north of Burlington and started from the north ending in Burlington for lunch. It was like turning back the clock. Very quiet but it was early summer. Might be more traffic during foliage season. Although late Sept might be a little bit before color starts so much less traffic.

colbeck

Driving through the Champlain Islands is a great idea! It really is pretty, and low key. The North Hero House is a nice place to stay, with a good restaurant. The Blue Paddle Bistro in So. Hero is also reccomended. A fun lunch stop is Hero's Welcome, a combination country store and deli.

Lots of information available at www.champlainislands.com

mysecretvermont

In the Northeast Kingdom, Craftsbury is a beautiful little town. You can take Rt. 14 up to Orleans and catch I-91 to the border. By the way, a funky murder mystery set in Vt is "Stranger in the Kingdom" by Howard Frank Mosher. You'd go right through Irasburg, the town where the novel is set. Find out more about Vermont at my web site www.mysecretvermont.com

zinders

Ok, I think I've worked out the details of our roadtrip and am looking for suggestions of places to stop along the way. If anyone has feedback on the hotels - esp those in Eastern Township - let me know (I had trouble finding info on them).

Day 1 - Fly into Burlington. Stay at North Hero House on Lake Champlain.

Day 2 - Drive to Quebec, visit wineries in Eastern Township. Stay at Le Nid de Poule, Dunham.

Day 3 & 4 - Quebec City. Stay at Chateau Frontenac

Day 5 - Ille de Orleans. Stay at Vignoble Isle de Bacchus

Day 6 - Drive down to Magog. Stay at Au Manoir de la Merry

Day 7 - Drive back into Vermont through Northeast Kingdom. Stay at Estrabrook House in St. Johnsbury

Day 8 - Drive to Stowe. Stay at Ten Acres Lodge.

Day 9 - back to Burlington and fly home.

Vttraveler

Vermont has a foliage hot line in the fall so once you have arrived you can get updates on the best places to see peak color

on your itinerary, the stops in Dunham day 2 and Magog Day 6 are close together. I'd press on to Quebec on Day 2 rather than doing the eastern detour, then add the extra time on the eastern Township wine route when you have headed back south (Really i would probably stop overnight day 2 in Montreal but you don't seem to want to do that)

the Abbey St-Benoît-du-Lac overlooking the western shore of Lake Memphremagog near the village of Austin is very beautiful. They have an apple orchard.

I'm not sure of the exact dates of your trip but the end might coincide with part of the Northeast Kingdom fall foliage festival. It is held
Monday, September 29, 2008- Sunday, October 5, 2008. It features
local crafts, hymn sings, band concerts, church suppers, historical tours and, of course, the foliage. It is held in seven towns over seven different days.

AttyWSW

This may be late for your trip but I went to QC and it was beautiful. Stayed in a small hotel with a terrace overlooking the river.

I found the people there (especially waitresses) to be very rude or unfriendly to Americans. If you don't speak French this don't like you!