Dear all,

Sorry to intrude into your sub-section but I thought you guys would be the best source of unbiased infos about Canada!

After long discussions with my girlfriend over our holiday destination we decided for New York and East Canada. We are pretty excited about it but haven't got a real travel plan and were wondering whether you guys could give us any valuable suggestion.

We are flying into New York, spending a week there and then travel somehow north to Canada where we plan to spend three weeks.

We have a return flight to Europe from Montreal, we'll be going to Toronto, maybe Quebec City and this is pretty much what we got at the moment.

We'd love to do a bit of nature, some rafting (any good place there?), maybe whale watching (again, is it worth it? is it the right season?), rent a car and travel around.

If you had three weeks to play with in Eastern Canada, where would you go?

I was also playing with the idea of travel Canada across either by train of car, but I have been told that the central part of the country is quite boring and then we would not probably have enough time to see something decent on both sides.

As you may have guessed we are a bit lost at the moment and would really appreciate a couple of tips on some cool places you know.

Thanks in advance!!!

We have a return flight to Europe from Montreal, we'll be going to Toronto, maybe Quebec City and this is pretty much what we got at the moment.

Ok well first of all, its not maybe Quebec City, its must Quebec City. If you're going to be in the area don't pass up on maybe the most beautiful and unique city in North America, so yeah Quebec City is a must, lol.

And I dont know much about Maritimes, but I have been to Nova Scotia and I'd highly recommend going around the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia.

This is the Cabot Trail
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v339/drjoe12/canada%20scenery/22465861.jpg

the whale watching thing is near Quebec city.

when exactly do you plan on coming?

Site about the National parks in Quebec. You'll find everything about wildlife and activities you can do outside in these parks.

http://www.sepaq.com/En/index.cfm

If you're thinking about travelling the country the best way to do it is by rail. What you can do is purchase a special pass from VIA rail that allows you to basically stop in a city for a couple days if you like and then board again for some other destination. I'm not sure about the cost but even I'd pay it considering what you get for it.

If rafting is your thing, then make sure you try the Ottawa River...damned good world class rafting to be had...and not far from Ottawa.





KGB

the whale watching thing is near Quebec city.

when exactly do you plan on coming?

We'll be in Canada from the 2nd of June, is that a good time for whale watching?

If rafting is your thing, then make sure you try the Ottawa River...damned good world class rafting to be had...and not far from Ottawa.





KGB

Good to hear! Did you raft there? Any operator to recommend/avoid at all costs?

If you have three weeks, you could feasibly do Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Quebec.

The best place for whale watching is Newfoundland. You can simply drive on any country road (they're all right by the sea) and you'll see plenty of whales. For free. Plus, at this time of year, there should be lots of iceburgs floating around too. You can't miss that sort of thing.

I would take a flight to St.Johns. Drive across Newfoundland to see Gros Morne National Park. Take the ferry across to Nova Scotia; drive across Cape Breton Island (the Cabot Trail pic that Dr Joe posted), thats one of the most scenic drives in the country. Check out Halifax. Drive across New Brunswick to Quebec. See the Charlevoix region, and the Gaspe if you have time. Make time for at least 2 nights in Quebec City, and 3 nights or more in Montreal.

It's alot of driving, but it's worth it. A warning though... Canada is a vast, vast country. Be prepared for long drives where theres nothing but trees and rock, especially across Newfoundland and New Brunswick. Really, what you would want to concentrate on in a trip like this is St. Johns, coastal villages of Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Halifax, the countryside along the St.Lawrence River, Quebec City and Montreal. Newfoundland seems like a long way to go, but's unlike any other province or state... very beautiful.

I think theres a ferry that goes from somewhere in Maine to St. Johns (if you can't get a flight), but I'm not sure. My parents and I did an east coast trip from Toronto to St.John's and back... it can be done. You likely won't be able to include Toronto in your trip. If you do have an idle day in Montreal though, Ottawa is just a few hours away, and is worth seeing.

good luck and enjoy!

I'll back up Dr.Joes sentiments. You can't miss Quebec City. You could easily spend 3 weeks in Quebec itself.

Riverrun (http://www.riverrunners.com/) is a good company that I can vouch for with regards to white water rafting down the Ottawa river.

You'll definately want to check out Montreal and Quebec City. It's as close to europe as you'll get in North America.

Are you more interested in scenary or cities?

If you're going to NYC, probably leave some time for Philadelphia and Boston.

Montreal, Quebec City is a must see.

Chicago may be a stretch, but nonetheless an exciting place to be.

Canada's most spectacular scenary is on the West Coast, but you can save that for a future California - Pacific NorthWest trip. Banff, BC & the Rockies are OMG beautiful..Vancouver, spectacular setting of a city. Calgary is great too.

If you want a city vacation, you might as well spend more time in NYC, do Boston, and skip Philadelphia. Boston's on your way out east anyways.

Don't forgo Montreal or Quebec City for any american cities.. they are unique to say the least.

^I agree. Skip Philly. I only go there cause I can get a $15 dollar return bus ride from NYC. I would go NYC, Boston, Montreal, with a day trip to Quebec City, and spend a couple of days staying at the ski mini townTremblant. Its amazing in the summers, it truely is the banff of the east. I would even say to skip Boston, you can do the Quincy Market type things but really, if your already going to NYC, and have limited time than whats the point?

Dear all,

Sorry to intrude into your sub-section but I thought you guys would be the best source of unbiased infos about Canada!
!!

I had to laugh when I read this.

Grand Prix Weekend in Montreal starting june 10. with lots to do during the days preceding. its just an orgie of parties.

Well before I can recommend anything what are you wanting to see in Canada. If its scenery or cities then things change. And I must also say no one mentioned our Capital CIty. Ottawa is often overlooked but its a great city and I would visit it if I were you.

Well before I can recommend anything what are you wanting to see in Canada. If its scenery or cities then things change. And I must also say no one mentioned our Capital CIty. Ottawa is often overlooked but its a great city and I would visit it if I were you.

Well, I want to see some of the cities but we are probably more interested in seeing the fantastic natural beauties of your countries. I really like cities but we are already spending a week in New York. We'll be for a couple of days in Toronto and we are flying back from Montreal.
Coming from Europe I am not sure it is really worth spending too much time in cities that are as close to Europe as you can get in North America. But then maybe I am wrong and I am going to love Quebec City.

We are not massive outdoor guys but we'd love to see some cool park, do some fun stuff and have a route that makes sense.

Would it be worth to rent a car?

If your visiting eastern Canada you wont find a spectacular natural setting, there are some good national parks in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, but if you want to be wowed you'll have to visit western Canada.

You have 3 weeks so that’s a lot of time. If I were you I would spend 2 weeks checking out all the sights in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. Then I would fly out to Vancouver and spend a few days on the west coast before taking a train threw the Rockies stopping in Banff and then fly back to Montreal from Calgary.

http://www.iic.cl/idiomas/ph-toronto.jpg http://www.arrakeen.ch/usaaug98/047%20%20Ottawa.JPG
http://www.nimbustier.net/photos/2001/09/2001-09-17-18.jpg

West Coast
http://freespace.virgin.net/david.long5/jc/jpg/00215.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/nighthawk07/Vanpic096.jpg
http://www.outdoorandphoto.com/Trips/Banff01/BestShot-Banff/Banff-PeytoLake.JPG

Camaway what are you looking for in terms of natural scenery. WHile its true that the most spectacular is out west, there is tonnes to see and do in Ontario and Quebec. With pure wilderness never too far.

One thing to consider is Algonquin provincial park in Ontario. As well as the laurentide in Quebec.

HI there, I'm born a raised in Quebec city...You can't miss that place if you up to eastern canada..oh and, if you dont speak french, well,,.not many people speak english in that city apart from me and 500 people in a city of 1 million pure francophones. anyways enjoy the trip..

HI there, I'm born a raised in Quebec city...You can't miss that place if you up to eastern canada..oh and, if you dont speak french, well,,.not many people speak english in that city apart from me and 500 people in a city of 1 million pure francophones. anyways enjoy the trip..

Come on now, don't embellish the facts:

http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo12a.htm

Quebec City's population is around 700,000, and it has nearly 10,000 people whose mother tongue is English. (1.4 %).

By the way, do you speak French too? ;)

Since you are wanting to do Eastern Canada, I would recommend Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland. Since I am the only forumer to take pictures of Newfoundland, here are a few:
St.John's
http://www.pbase.com/joecanada/image/35505287/large.jpg
Petty Harbor, near St.John's
http://www.pbase.com/joecanada/image/35835188/medium.jpg
St.Phillips, near St.John's
http://www.pbase.com/joecanada/image/36371430/medium.jpg
Northern Bonavista Bay
http://www.pbase.com/joecanada/image/36386386/medium.jpg
Cape Spear
http://www.pbase.com/joecanada/image/36576405/medium.jpg
In Western Newfoundland, you can find scenery like this; Western Brook Pond at Gros Morne:
http://www.sugarhillinn.nf.ca/images/westbk.jpg
This one From:http://www.sugarhillinn.nf.ca/western.htm

Since you are wanting to do Eastern Canada, I would recommend Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland. Since I am the only forumer to take pictures of Newfoundland, here are a few:

http://www.sugarhillinn.nf.ca/images/westbk.jpg
This one From:http://www.sugarhillinn.nf.ca/western.htm

Wow, this one has pretty much sold Newfoundland to me. How do I get there?

You can get there by flying or taking a car ferry. The car ferrys to Newfoundland leave from North Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and go to two seperate ports in Newfoundland, Port-Aux-Basques (Western part of Nfld.) and Argentia (Eastern part). See http://www.marine-atlantic.ca/ for information on fares and schedules. I would recommend taking the ferry because that way you also get to include Cape Breton in your trip. I'd reccomend the Cabot Trail. Picture California's Big Sur on the East Coast.

http://www.branimirphoto.ca/gallery/atlantic/cabot.jpg

http://thewingedb.homestead.com/files/MacKenzie_Mountain_1.jpg

http://richardmcguire.com/canada/atlantic/DSC_3966.jpg

http://www.atlantictours.com/photos/packs/Cabot2.gif

http://www.destination-ns.com/graphics/artgallery/images/air_064.jpg
http://www.destination-ns.com/graphics/artgallery/images/air_150.jpg

I didn't like the cabot trail it took alot of the day and was actually pretty dull there were some really nice views, but there were some nice views on other roads. The best drive is the sea to sky highway.

The best part of atlantic Canada is New Foundland but its so far away, my second favorite province is PEI its very unique.

^^^ I have to agree!

Truth is, I've never heard one bad thing from people who have toured Eastern Canada. Everybody says it's absolutely beautiful. But I haven't been any further east than Montreal myself so I can't speak from first-hand knowledge. Nevertheless, the Maritimes and Eastern Quebec are always considered scenic trips.

One thing that probably should be mentioned though is that they are considered very scenic by North American standards. That is to say that we consider them very scenic because to us , they make us think of Europe. I don't know, but maybe you've had enough of that sort of thing. Personally, if I were you, I'd head to TO and then go East from there passing through all the big cities along the way (Ottawa (a slight detour but nothing crazy), Montreal, Quebec City (I've heard it always battles it out with Victoria for most beautiful city in Canada), St. John NB, Halifax, and then a ferry to Newfoundland)

Well, that's what I'd do anyway in your shoes. :)

The Sea to Sky Highway may be more impressive, I would agree, but the Cabot Trail is a lot different. Anyway, this person is asking about Eastern Canada, and I would also recommend Quebec City and the Gaspe area. Parts of New Brunswick are nice too.

I don't think the Sea to Sky is that much more impressive. It is probably the better one though but i'd say they are pretty even. The Cabot Trail is definitely longer with more interesting places on the way.

Yes actually the nicest drive I have taken is the icefields parkway between Japer and Banff. THen from there to revelstoke and finally to Kamlooops and up to Japser again.

By the way if you have 3 weeks and want to see Canadian Wilderness, I would think the boys in Ontario and Quebec are better source. I think you might like a mix of cities and wilderness. So maybe Toronto, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ottawa, Montreal, the Laurentians, Mt Tremblat it nice. Then to Quebec City. I would not venture to Atlantic Canada even though Its a wonderful part of teh country. The reason not to visit is that its quite a drive. I believe it 14 hours from Quebec City to Halifax and well I am not sure you want to drive that much. However if you are willing to go that far, the for sure go to Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. Its beautiful, great for hikes etc. Again the most spectacular scenery in Canada is out west but this is still a great wilderness experience and cities/culture of Canada tour.

Check out PEI if you golf, and Montreal and Halifax for the nightlife. Also don't miss Quebec City, Cape Breton or Ottawa, and try to make it to Toronto and Newfoundland.

A lot of the whale watching/whitewater rafting can be done in Quebec and Nova Scotia, although Newfoundland would definitely be the best guarantee in terms of actually seeing whales.

We'd love to do a bit of nature, some rafting (any good place there?), maybe whale watching (again, is it worth it? is it the right season?), rent a car and travel around.

As KGB and someone else mentioned, the Ottawa River is the place to go. It has the best rapids east of the Colorado River, which means it's some pretty fierce stuff. I see someone mentioned "River Run". When I went two years ago, I went with Wilderness Tours:
http://www.wildernesstours.com/
I'm not sure about River Run, but they probably offer similar packages. The lodge and property of Wilderness Tours was awesome. There is much to do in the evening after your day of rafting. Either way, you have to check out the Ottawa River!

One of the rapids you hit, which is the last big rapid on the route, is called "Coliseum". It is the third largest commercially rafted rapid in North America- it's pretty intense!

As for things to see besides Toronto, MTL, Ottawa, QC... Eastern Canada is the place to be. It's 15 hours to drive from T.O to Saint John, NB. From Saint John, you can drive to Halifax in 4 hours, Cape Breton Island is no further, PEI is only 2 hours away, and ferries to New Foundland are all less than 4 hours away from Saint John. I would recommend going to Saint John, and then continuing to the areas mentioned above.

If your visiting eastern Canada you wont find a spectacular natural setting, there are some good national parks in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, but if you want to be wowed you'll have to visit western Canada.


^I've been to every province, and I can vouch that this is simply not true.

If you enjoy the outdoorsy-type activities then you must come to Ottawa ... especially for the rafting. Apparently some of the best rafting in the world is on the Ottawa river.

Besides, if you're doing the Quebec City - Toronto corridor, Ottawa is basically on the way. If I were you I'd start in the east, then do Quebec City - Montreal - Ottawa - Toronto. You'll cover a lot and see a lot with such a trip.

As KGB and someone else mentioned, the Ottawa River is the place to go. It has the best rapids east of the Colorado River, which means it's some pretty fierce stuff. I see someone mentioned "River Run". When I went two years ago, I went with Wilderness Tours:
http://www.wildernesstours.com/
I'm not sure about River Run, but they probably offer similar packages. The lodge and property of Wilderness Tours was awesome. There is much to do in the evening after your day of rafting. Either way, you have to check out the Ottawa River!

One of the rapids you hit, which is the last big rapid on the route, is called "Coliseum". It is the third largest commercially rafted rapid in North America- it's pretty intense!

As for things to see besides Toronto, MTL, Ottawa, QC... Eastern Canada is the place to be. It's 15 hours to drive from T.O to Saint John, NB. From Saint John, you can drive to Halifax in 4 hours, Cape Breton Island is no further, PEI is only 2 hours away, and ferries to New Foundland are all less than 4 hours away from Saint John. I would recommend going to Saint John, and then continuing to the areas mentioned above.

Thanks for the info.

Do you know how could it will be in NewFoundland in June? Has anybody been really up north (I am thinking Nunavut, or at least going towards the Churchil falls and up from there)?

Natural Quebec...

Gaspe Peninsula

http://www.bonjourquebec.com/photos/phototheque/480/gaspesie_022739i06_g.jpg
http://www.bonjourquebec.com/photos/phototheque/480/gaspesie_022633g04_g.jpg

Îles-de-la-Madeleine

http://www.bonjourquebec.com/photos/phototheque/480/ile_madeleine_tqa03300_g.jpg
http://www.bonjourquebec.com/photos/phototheque/480/ile_madeleine_000311.jpg
http://www.bonjourquebec.com/photos/phototheque/480/ile_madeleine_012670c09_g.jpg

Charlevoix

http://www.bonjourquebec.com/photos/phototheque/480/charlevoix_05039a16_g.jpg
http://www.bonjourquebec.com/photos/phototheque/480/charlevoix_903G05_g.jpg
http://www.bonjourquebec.com/photos/phototheque/480/charlevoix_105C03g.jpg
http://www.travelterrific.com/summer2000/images_sum00/037.jpg

I don't have time to post everything... go to www.bonjourquebec.com (http://www.bonjourquebec.com/anglais/phototheque/photos/index.html) for a ton of photos like these.

Don't bother with Toronto if you only have 3 weeks.... Toronto is an amazing city, and you'd need at least a week to take it and it's environs in. You're already going to NYC, and you want to see nature. Concentrate on Quebec, Quebec City, Montreal, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and you'll be happy. Squeeze Ottawa in if you have time. Trust me, if you rent a car and drive across Eastern Canada, you certainly won't have time for Toronto. You'll barely have time for Montreal and Quebec City.

Thanks for the info.

Do you know how could it will be in NewFoundland in June? Has anybody been really up north (I am thinking Nunavut, or at least going towards the Churchil falls and up from there)?

I'm %90 sure June is iceburg season in Newfoundland. It's something you won't see anywhere else. You'll be relaxing on some warm grassy precipice by the sea, next to a quaint fishing village clining to massive rocks... in front of you will be an ocean channel with barren, grassy islands. Through that channel, you'll see natural sculptures of frozen ice floating past. Throw in a few whales, and you see what I mean.

You can't get to Nunavut. It would cost you an arm and a leg... it's only accesible by chartered air flights (though, since it's a 1000 km away, being only accessible by air is a moot point indeed). If your asking about Nunavut, I would guess that you don't have a concrete idea of how big Canada is, and what certain parts of it are all about. Go to a bookstore and buy a road atlas... this is crucial. For example, driving from Toronto to Newfoundland would be comparable to driving from Berlin to Moscow... if it were a straight drive (which it certainly isn't).

**** I just re-read your post, and I missed your typo. How cold is it in Newfoundland in June? The average temperature in St. John's is 10.9 degress celcius. So bring a sweater and a rain repellent jacket.. but also be prepared for very hot weather. Temperatures across the Atlantic provinces and Quebec can range from 10-30 degrees. But you won't find any 'cold' weather by Canadian standards.

Thanks for the info.

Do you know how could it will be in NewFoundland in June? Has anybody been really up north (I am thinking Nunavut, or at least going towards the Churchil falls and up from there)?
Newfoundland is a ferry trip away from Nova Scotia so in June you certainly won't be dealing with winter in any way. I would image the climate is probably not much different from you're used to where you live.

As for the far north....well, I think it's a lot further north than you may realize. Iqaluit is the territorial capital of Nunavut and it's on Baffin Island. There are no roads of any kind going even remotely close to Baffin Island so driving is completely out of the question. There's maybe three or four thousand people there and it's a thousand kilometers to the closest decent sized settlement. And by decent sized, I'm talking about maybe a thousand people. I seriously doubt you'd be anything but bored out of your tree if you went to Nunavut. Not to mention that it probably costs quite a bit to get there to begin with.

I seriously doubt you'd be anything but bored out of your tree if you went to Nunavut.

LooseLog is right, but don't get the wrong idea... Nunavut, particularly Baffin Island, holds some of Canada's most spectacular mountain ranges. But they're remote... there aren't many places on the earth that are more remote.

You can't get to Nunavut. It would cost you an arm and a leg... it's only accesible by chartered air flights (though, since it's a 1000 km away, being only accessible by air is a moot point indeed). If your asking about Nunavut, I would guess that you don't have a concrete idea of how big Canada is, and what certain parts of it are all about. Go to a bookstore and buy a road atlas... this is crucial. For example, driving from Toronto to Newfoundland would be comparable to driving from Berlin to Moscow... if it were a straight drive (which it certainly isn't).


I guess you are right. I must confess I don't have much of a clue about distances and Canada geography. I have ordered a couple of books about it but they are still to arrive. So I guess Baffin Island is out of the question eh?

What about the Churchill Falls? Is the drive from St. John to there feasible? Is it worth it? Would it make sense to come back down to Quebec from there?

The iceberg season sounds absolutely amazing and I am won over by the idea.

Thank you for spotting my typo algonquin, I obviously meant "cold" :)

As for Toronto, you are probably right, with only three weeks to play with and passing already from NYC it is probably best to concentrate on the amazing nature Canada has to offer.

When you guys talk about travelling to Baffin costing "an arm and a leg", what kind of money are we talking about? No ferry to go there I guess...

BTW Thank you very much guys for being so helpful! All your information is really appreciated and your posts make the core of our dinner time planning!

What about the Churchill Falls? Is the drive from St. John to there feasible? Is it worth it? Would it make sense to come back down to Quebec from there?!

I have to admit, I had no idea what you meant by Churchill Falls, though the name sounded familiar. I googled it...

The map below illustrates how far Churchill Falls, and most of Labrador, is from St. John's. You can't drive there from Newfoundland, but you can take a ferry to Labrador, and then from there drive to Quebec. I am impressed that you want to go there; I would like to myself. By all means do it, but my advice is not to. The land is vast... vast, vast. Lot's of trees. Anything scenic would likely not be accessible by road. It's not exactly an area of Canada that get's tourists, or even Canadians, so expect it to be very underserviced (i.e. few gas stations, restauants, etc.) The ferry ride would be interesting, but you would need maybe 4-5 weeks if you were to include Labrador in your trip.

http://only-maps.com/newfoundland-map.jpg
http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/images/churchill_falls.jpg



When you guys talk about travelling to Baffin costing "an arm and a leg", what kind of money are we talking about? No ferry to go there I guess...!

I would guess close to a $1000 CAN. It's far, and there are only flights from Ottawa, Montreal, and Yellowknife, I think.


BTW Thank you very much guys for being so helpful! All your information is really appreciated and your posts make the core of our dinner time planning!

you're welcome :)

here are some pics of Nunavut.. keep in mind Nunavut covers an area roughly the size of continental Europe!

http://www.canada-art.com/cards/province/nunavut.jpg
http://www.travel-images.com/canada26.jpg
http://www.jovial.on.ca/vica/Arctic/Auyuittuq/MtThor.jpg
http://www.disa.unige.it/DOCS/PERS/morra/baffin.jpg
http://www.tinoxygentungsten.com/Mt%20Asgard%201.jpg

Yes Nunavut has spectacular scenery from what I hear. I would love to go one day. However since you going to drop Toronto (its a great city though) I would focus then on Atlantic Canada. I believe you said your flight is to New York and out of Montreal. If that is the case then follow then drive along the coast in the US until you get into ew Brunswick from Maine. From there I would spend some time in the Bay of Fundy area. Very nice part of NB. Then go into Nova Scotia which is beautiful. Again hit Cape Bretan National Park. From there I would go to NewFoundland via the ferry, However I did hear it was expensive so be forwarned. NewFoundland is great from all that I hear and really not to be missed if your looking for scenery and if you go make sure to hit Gros Morne National Park. Plus the other intresting tidbit is hitting France in Norht America. Not sure if your into that or not. I personally have never been, but you can take a ferry from Newfoundland to St Pierre & Miquelon which are 2 islands that are still French Territory. I personally would not go to PEI but its kinda hit or miss I guess. However PEI does have some great beaches. Lots of people love it but I didn't really care to spend much time there (granted Charlottetown was great as its place in Canadian History is prominant). Plus I would take time to go to the Gaspe which is beautiful and head down to Quebec City. Then to Montreal and while in Montreal go to Ottawa (which I personally would not miss). Go to Ottawa even if its for one day to see Parliament, and the core. Its a great city. By the way I might skip the NewFoundland part due to time if you want to spend time in some of the places (however I regret not going to Newfoundland myself) If you have the time then go but if not then don't. When I went I started in Montreal went to Ottawa, Algonquin, Toronto then back to Montreal then from there drove east to Quebec City, NB, NS and PEI. I decided to spend time in Boston and didn't go to Nfld which I am still really wanting to go some time. But since if you cut out Boston and Toronto it can be done. Oh and as I said don't cut out Ottawa its very underrated.

But since if you cut out Boston and Toronto it can be done. Oh and as I said don't cut out Ottawa its very underrated.

Only go to Ottawa if you have time. It's quaint and nice, but not really a thrill to see. I would rather make a detour to Toronto instead.

Only go to Ottawa if you have time. It's quaint and nice, but not really a thrill to see. I would rather make a detour to Toronto instead.
Nonsense. He mentioned wanting to see natural beauty and outdoorsy type stuff and for that you go to Ottawa, not Toronto.

Nonsense. He mentioned wanting to see natural beauty and outdoorsy type stuff and for that you go to Ottawa, not Toronto.

all this talk about Ottawa and nature, and no one has yet mentioned Gatineau Park...

all this talk about Ottawa and nature, and no one has yet mentioned Gatineau Park...Exactly, just one of the examples I had in mind ... not to mention that Algonquin Park isn't very far away either ...

Exactly I was begining to think I was the only person to remember Algonquin existed.If i remember correctly there are parts of Algonquin that have never been cut down by man in history. Thus you have areas of trees thousands of years old.

Camaway if you really want to see Canada! You should go to BC! That is where it is at! All else pails in comparison!

^Don't forget about Alberta & Banff. ;)

You bet RT! :)

Camaway if you find yourself running short on money just stop in Alberta on your way to BC spend a couple of weeks making some good$$

funny... I don't recall anyone asking about BC and Alberta here...

funny... I don't recall anyone asking about BC and Alberta here...

Just A little Friendly Competition for Camamay's tourist dollars, lol. ;)

Here's a few routes to consider for your journey:
#1
*NYC
*Bar Harbor, ME - ferry to Yarmouth, NS, Canada
*Lunenberg
*Halifax
*Peggy's Cove
*Cape Breton
*Caribou - ferry to Wood Islands, PEI
*PEI
*Acadien Coast of NB via the Confederation Bridge
*Gaspe Peninsula
*Quebec City
*Montreal

#2
*NYC
*St. Stephen, NB, Canada
*Grand Manan NB (the island has excellent whale/bird watching, sea kayaking and a 30 km hiking trail that runs the length of the undeveloped eastern side)
*Acadien Coast (Kouchibouguac National Park)
*Gaspe Peninsula
*Quebec/Charlevoix
*Montreal


If I only had three weeks......I'd probably opt for the second option. I did the NYC - Atlantic Canada - Montreal route last summer and Grand Manan stands out as the most unique place.

Grand Manan

Puffin
http://www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/NR/rdonlyres/8C70CE4B-2646-49EC-A349-DE303FEFA312/2488/PuffinsGrandMananCD6.jpg

Smoke Sheds at Low Tide
http://www.maggiesale.ca/Grand_MananNB/images/36%20Seal%20Cove%20Fog%202.jpg

North Head Lighthouse
http://www.coastaltransport.ca/GM5-2.jpg

Sunrise
http://www.maggiesale.ca/Grand_MananNB/images/11%20Sunrise%20%26%20Lighthouse.jpg

Grand Manan photo tour:
http://www.timpeters.com/GM.html

Kouchibouguac National Park
http://pages.videotron.com/milou/liens/kent.jpg

Edit: just noticed you're planning on visiting the first week of June - seems a bit early for whale watching.

Camaway, here are some pics of Saint John. Some were taken by me:

The Saint John City Market. Notice the construction of the roof.
http://img202.exs.cx/img202/6279/citymarket2jc.png

It's not N.Y or T.O, but it sure is Canada's first incorporated city.
http://img193.exs.cx/img193/6845/cityskyline4op.jpg

Some fall foilage.
http://img193.exs.cx/img193/4762/fallcolours4tf.jpg

Festival by the Sea.
http://img193.exs.cx/img193/3570/festivalbythesea4vp.png

Kayaker coming in to the Harbour.
http://img193.exs.cx/img193/9177/harbour6dc.png

From the Harbour.
http://img193.exs.cx/img193/1371/harbour14lv.png

Along the newly constructed Harbour Passage.
http://img193.exs.cx/img193/8312/harbourpassage3pq.png

Prince William Street (Downtown).
http://img193.exs.cx/img193/8484/princewilliamstreet6ab.png

The Red Rose Tea Mansion. Built by the founder of Red Rose Tea. I lived here for 5 years.
http://img193.exs.cx/img193/6995/redrosetea1cw.jpg

Main entrance. It's a 7000sq/ft mansion.
http://img193.exs.cx/img193/8998/rrtm9vr.png

Reversing Falls at night.
http://img193.exs.cx/img193/247/reversingfalls3xn.jpg

Day shot.
http://img193.exs.cx/img193/2968/reversingfalls16yu.png

For those of you weak on geography, here is a map:
http://img193.exs.cx/img193/4230/untitled6fl.png

The following are photos that I took:

Brunswick house.
http://img164.exs.cx/img164/5820/brunswickhouse5xh.png

God Bless Canada.
http://img164.exs.cx/img164/3/cdnflag3eh.png

Market Square.
http://img164.exs.cx/img164/1414/marketsquare4ni.png

Lest We Forget.
http://img164.exs.cx/img164/5002/poppy9on.png

Miserable November Day along with the "Red Commander."
http://img164.exs.cx/img164/9527/redcommander3va.png

A bit of symmetry and the Aliant Tower.
http://img164.exs.cx/img164/7155/scotiatower1hz.png

A nice sunset from our balcony.
http://img165.exs.cx/img165/3812/cruiseship3mg.jpg

A bit later- a bit darker.
http://img150.exs.cx/img150/6628/cruiseshipsunset2jg.jpg

Flying with my friends.
http://img217.exs.cx/img217/3186/dsc003959an.jpg

The Downtown Harbour- City Centre on the left side.
http://img217.exs.cx/img217/5886/dsc003989ki.jpg

My house is almost dead-centre in this pic. It's within a cluster of 4 townhomes along the second street up from the bottom of the picture.
http://img217.exs.cx/img217/2391/dsc004046hj.jpg

The big and mighty downtown.
http://img217.exs.cx/img217/9224/dsc004050cc.jpg

The airport.
http://img217.exs.cx/img217/3295/dsc003924nu.jpg

Seriously Eastern Canada has some real Gems! I think St Johns Newfoundland with its harbour and picturesque setting is not mentioned enough!
In New Brunswick Shediac is a beautiful little place! PEI is beautiful and very popular tourist destination with the asian market because of Anne of Green Gables!
Quebec city is awesome! Also Mont-Tremblant Provicial Park!
In Ontario the Muskoka region with all there lakes! Bracebridge Gravenhurst and Huntsville! Then of course Niagra falls! :)

Enjoy your Vacation!

Here is the parks Canada web site.

http://www.parkscanada.pch.gc.ca/index_e.asp

This should give you some ideas.

JARdan's post reminds me... the Saint John River valley is very beautiful. Check out the longest covered bridge in the world while your at it. If you're going by car between Quebec and the Marintimes, you'll likely drive up the valley.

^I've been to every province, and I can vouch that this is simply not true.

I agree, my family owns a cottage in Algoma in a little village called searchmont, (about half and hour of Salt St Marie) and althought the mountains are small they are mountains (over 1000 feet high) and the scenery is stunning. Yes we do have mountains in Ontario...most people wouldnt believe it, or dont know it. Nother nice area is the Quartzite Mountians which actually arnt mountains they are foothills but still very beautifull. Another BEAUTIFULL area is where i live, the bruce peninsula the escarpment is by far the nicest scenery in southern ontario!

I agree, my family owns a cottage in Algoma in a little village called searchmont, (about half and hour of Salt St Marie) and althought the mountains are small they are mountains (over 1000 feet high) and the scenery is stunning. Yes we do have mountains in Ontario...most people wouldnt believe it, or dont know it. Nother nice area is the Quartzite Mountians which actually arnt mountains they are foothills but still very beautifull. Another BEAUTIFULL area is where i live, the bruce peninsula the escarpment is by far the nicest scenery in southern ontario!

so true, so true

the Quartzite mountains... you mean the La Cloche range? I am still certain that there's nothing like the Killarney/Whitefish Falls area in the whole world. Quite unique and very beautiful.

Camaway if you find yourself running short on money just stop in Alberta on your way to BC spend a couple of weeks making some good$$


Enthralling thought.:)
How exactly would we be making some good $$ in Alberta?

Wow guys, thank you so much for all the infos. I should have canceled my travel guide order, no need for that.

Ok, one thing I should have mentioned is that our itinerary has a couple of fixed points: we are coming from NYC, we have to pass by London Ontario (I know) and Toronto to see friends. Our flight back is from Montreal.

From what I gathered the absolute musts of the East are:

- Quebec City
- St Johns and Newfoundland (icebergs and whales)
- Ottawa and Ottawa River for Rafting
- Algonquin national park
- Cape Breton
- Prince Edward Island
- Cabot Trail
- Niagara Falls

Did I miss something major?

Now the questions are:

1) Is it feasible to cover this in three weeks (including a day or two in Toronto and London)?

2) Which route should I take to minimize backtracking?

3) Which is the best way to go around? Shall we just rent a car? Are there other ways to go about?

Thanks again for all your help guys, it is really appreciated!!!

From what I gathered the absolute musts of the East are:

- Quebec City
- St Johns and Newfoundland (icebergs and whales)
- Ottawa and Ottawa River for Rafting
- Algonquin national park
- Cape Breton
- Prince Edward Island
- Cabot Trail
- Niagara Falls

Did I miss something major?

Now the questions are:

1) Is it feasible to cover this in three weeks (including a day or two in Toronto and London)?

2) Which route should I take to minimize backtracking?

3) Which is the best way to go around? Shall we just rent a car? Are there other ways to go about?

Thanks again for all your help guys, it is really appreciated!!!

1) not really. You could do it in 3 weeks if you weren't doing London and Toronto. You might have to skip Newfoundland. Like I mentioned before, I did it once all the way to Newfoundland and back, but I wasn't spending any time in London, Toronto, Montreal OR Quebec City.

2) through Quebec both ways. It's not straight, but then you're not screwing around in the States, getting a new state map everytime you cross into a new one, etc.

3) definately rent a car if you're interested in seeing nature. The greyhound or VIA rail will be a major pain in the ass.

and make sure to take pictures and post them here ;)

If it is camping and outdoors you want, take a drive around Lake Superior in Ontario. Parts of this drive is comparable to the Calbot Trail in Nova Scotia. There are good parks to check out, like 'Lake Superior Provincial Park' and 'Pukasqa National Park'. Although I agree Western Canada is beautiful, I wouldn't say that it is any more beautiful than Eastern or Central Canada.

Make sure you rent a car!! The best way to see our country and appriciate the size, is by car.

Yes go by care for sure. Its the only way to do it all and visit the natural places. However If you are going straight to Toronto from NYC you can go by train and then train to Ottawa or Montreal. However if you are going by train you will end up taking a car to go to the wilderness areas.

Wow guys, thank you so much for all the infos. I should have canceled my travel guide order, no need for that.

Ok, one thing I should have mentioned is that our itinerary has a couple of fixed points: we are coming from NYC, we have to pass by London Ontario (I know) and Toronto to see friends. Our flight back is from Montreal.

From what I gathered the absolute musts of the East are:

- Quebec City
- St Johns and Newfoundland (icebergs and whales)
- Ottawa and Ottawa River for Rafting
- Algonquin national park
- Cape Breton
- Prince Edward Island
- Cabot Trail
- Niagara Falls

Did I miss something major?

Now the questions are:

1) Is it feasible to cover this in three weeks (including a day or two in Toronto and London)?

2) Which route should I take to minimize backtracking?

3) Which is the best way to go around? Shall we just rent a car? Are there other ways to go about?

Thanks again for all your help guys, it is really appreciated!!!
That's quite the itinerary Camaway. As someone mentioned, it may be tight to cover in 3 weeks, but as for any trip you'll end up doing some juggling and on-the-fly decision-making. Nevertheless, you'll see a lot on this trip and you'll enjoy every minute of it.

If you need any information on Ottawa and the Region, by all means send me a PM or post a thread and I'll do whatever I can to help.

- Algonquin national park


Actually, it's Algonquin Provincial Park... it's a 2-4 hour detour West from Ottawa, and if you don't have the time, you can cut this out of your itinerary. Stay longer in Montreal instead, lol. You would have already seen so much spectacular natural scenary... so Algonquin isn't necessary. Many of Algonquin's gems are deep in the park, and are not accessible by car... so that could take up a lot of your time. If you are visiting Algonquin, you should definitely camp there for a couple of nights...

Many of Algonquin's gems are deep in the park, and are not accessible by car... so that could take up a lot of your time. If you are visiting Algonquin, you should definitely camp there for a couple of nights...

hee hee... I'll vouch for that. Algonquin has a subtle beauty that is best experienced within a few days... certainly best in a canoe, somewhere deep in the interior. There are many places in Ontario, Canada, and the rest of the world where you can go canoeing.. but there are few places like Algonquin that have limitless interior canoeing possibilities. You could go there every summer of your life, and it's likely you could do a new route each time (there are more than 2000 km of mapped canoe routes in the park!)

Camaway... check out the thread links in my signature for some Canadian scenery. You seemed pretty interested in Nunavut... and I've done Newfoundland as well. It'll take some time before I get to each province though.

Here's a small portion of the entire Algonquin Canoe Route Map I found on the web, to give you an idea. I know the whole thing is available on .pdf somewhere.. try googling it if your interested.

http://www.doe.carleton.ca/~ngt/algonquin/canoe/canoe_map.gif

So car it is.

Any recommendation on which car rental should we use or small writing we should be aware of?

So car it is.

Any recommendation on which car rental should we use or small writing we should be aware of?

small writing... I love it! You do mean 'fine print' I think... that's the proper saying.

Where are you from?

I'm not sure whcih company you should go with.... I rented a car from Budget awhile ago. They were pretty good, and they would have bumped my car up to a nice psorts car for free (it was crappy weather so I declined).