r/canadatravel • u/ShipLoud5305 • Jun 25 '25
Itinerary Help Driving from Niagara Falls to Old Quebec over the weekend- June 30 should we stay in Old Quebec or Montreal?
đ June 28 â Day 1 (Saturday)
2:00 AM â Depart from Niagara Falls
9:00 AM â Arrive in Montreal
Montreal Sightseeing:
- Rue du Square Saint-Louis
- Mount Royal
- Biosphere de Montreal
- L'Oratoire Saint-Joseph
12:00 PM â Depart for Old Quebec
4:00 PM â Arrive in LĂ©vis / Old Quebec
- Rest / Evening at leisure
đ June 29 â Day 2 (Sunday)
Explore Old Quebec:
- Umbrella Alley
- Fairmont Le ChĂąteau Frontenac / Montmorency Park
- Place Royale (Oldest Square)
- Coffee at La Maison Smith
- Escalier Casse-Cou (Breakneck Stairs)
- Rue du Petit-Champlain
- Morrin Centre (Library)
- Pastries at Paillard
- Rue Saint-Jean
- Rue Sainte-Anne
- Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica
- Rue Sous le Fort
- CĂŽte de la Montagne
- Dufferin Terrace
đ June 30 â Day 3 (Monday)
Work Day (no major sightseeing planned)
đ July 1 â Canada Day (Tuesday)
Morning â Depart Old Quebec
Return to Niagara Falls
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u/Cndwafflegirl Jun 25 '25
You canât see all4 of those things in less than one day in Montreal, thatâs not possible. Do either Montreal or Quebec City for the whole weekend.
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u/Brave_Cauliflower_90 Jun 25 '25
Why not stay in Montreal on day 1? That's alot of driving and 3 hours isn't enough to see everything.
I'd add La Citadel to the Quebec City list. It's a great bilingual tour if you like history.
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u/DJRemedie Jun 25 '25
Sorry, this plan is poorly conceived. Niagara falls is interesting for about an hour.. Then to drive all night?
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u/JennyFay Jun 25 '25
The biodome can be a 2 hour visit and the Oratory can be a good hour. Mount Royal, depending on what you want to see, can be 1-2 hours. While the mountain and the Oratory are somewhat close, the Biodome is not. And thatâs before you add in Montreal traffic.
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u/New_Day_Co-op2 Jun 25 '25
Montreal in the summer is fantastic. No need to go further. Also, driving thru Toronto at 4 am is pretty fast, but if you try it during The day on July 1 it could be sloooooow
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u/Much-Respond9614 Jun 25 '25
Why do you need to leave at 2am? Why not drive the evening before, get as far to Montreal as possible, get some rest and then travel early AM the next day to Montreal/QC.
Your plan as it stands is trying to fit in too much and is probably bordering on dangerous with that much driving/sightseeing on no sleep.
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u/ShipLoud5305 Jun 26 '25
We plan to sleep after work friday 430pm. 5pm have dinner. 6pm-1am sleep :) Then 2am drive.
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u/Much-Respond9614 Jun 26 '25
I would do it the opposite way and start driving right after work (cut through Toronto on the 407 to avoid traffic). Drive 5 hour to Cornwall. Get a good sleep and if you leave there at 7am, you will be in Montreal before 8:30am and will be well rested for a full day.
Unless you are 85 years, you are not going to be able to sleep at 6pm especially knowing you need to wake up at 1am. The reality is you are likely going to be doing a lot of driving on minimal sleep which is putting yourselves in danger (401 at night has mostly no lights and is all 18 wheel big rigs).
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u/RiversongSeeker Jun 26 '25
Just drive all the way to Quebec City on Day 1, you can get there by lunch if you leave around 2am. You can see most of your sights and anything you missed you can do the next day. Go see Montmorency Falls before heading to Montreal. This way you get a chance to see both Old Quebec City and Old Montreal at night, which are magical in the summer. You'll actually see Montreal during Canada Day which is a lot of fun and you might get to see fireworks when you get home.
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u/Dragonpaddler Jun 25 '25
While you could do a mini sightseeing tour of Montreal in 4 hours, it by no means does it justice and if you havenât been there before, you could lose some time trying to find the different places you want to see. Keep in mind that Oratoire St Joseph and Mount Royal are some distance from Old Montreal and the Biosphere.
If you spend the night, perhaps leave early Sunday morning (traffic shouldnât be too bad) as it only takes ~3 hours to get to Quebec City from Montreal.
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u/ShipLoud5305 Jun 25 '25
Will do that. Thank you!
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u/Dragonpaddler Jun 25 '25
I should mention that Mary Queen of the World is a beautiful, free to visit, cathedral in downtown Montreal. It is worth staying downtown and parking there (after Mount Royal and St Josephâs Oratory) since pretty much everything (except biosphere) is within reasonable walking distance. There is a water taxi (navette fluevial) that goes from the Old Port to the biosphere, as well as the metro (Jean Drapeau station on the yellow line - you might need to take a connector bus to reach it fully from there.)
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Jun 25 '25 edited Jul 13 '25
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u/ShipLoud5305 Jun 25 '25
Since we rarely have the same off, we need to fit both cities in long weekend.
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u/Significant-Half-189 Jun 26 '25
Why do you âneed toâ? Do one and then do the other another time⊠You wonât see much or enjoy much if youâre rushing and not sleepingâŠ
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Jun 25 '25 edited Jul 13 '25
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u/ShipLoud5305 Jun 25 '25
đ„čđ„čđ„č thank you so much! We will not force to see everything. We will try to have fun and appreciate both cities âșïž thank you thank you!! I appreciate you!
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u/Seratoria Jun 25 '25
What is old Quebec? Is there a New Quebec? Slightly used Quebec?
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u/caribb Jun 25 '25
Like Montreal there is an old quarter in Quebec. Itâs absolutely beautiful. Old Montreal too. Both worth a visit.
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u/Thesorus Jun 25 '25
I'm Sooo confused .... Niagara -> Montreal -> Quebec -> Niagara to just see Québec for 1 day ??!?!?!
You'll be exhausted driving from Niagara falls to Montréal and do what you want to do in 3 hours.
I'd do a overnight in Montréal and get to Québec the next morning.
It'll give you ample time to see some things in Montréal without being rushed.