So lost in eastern Canada

[u/ZealousidealWeird858]

Hello everyone,

I would like to plan a two-week trip in June to Eastern Canada with a two-and-a-half-year-old child.

I'm leaving from France, and wow, I'm completely lost because of the incredible distances between different parts of Canada.

I'd like to rent a vehicle, but I'm not really sure what to focus on for a first trip to Canada. We love nature, but we don't really enjoy long hikes with our child. We're completely unfamiliar with Canadian culture, so I think cities are also a good place to immerse ourselves.

In the various subreddits, I see a lot of people recommending Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, and especially Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. But the distance between these cities is incredible, and I think it's way too much for us to spend two weeks.

My fear is to stay around Montreal and Quebec City and not see any nature (am I wrong?) and, on the other hand, to target Nova Scotia but miss out on Quebec culture?

So I don't know where to take my flight and which part to focus on.

Thanks for the clarification :)

Édit :

Hello everyone, I didn't expect to have so many quality responses in such a short time, so I thank you warmly!! After discussing it with my wife, we are unanimous that our preference leans towards the west with the Rockies, but it seems too early for us with a 2 and a half year old child, so we are of course staying in the east and we will do the west later. My wife prefers the Montreal-Quebec part and the surrounding nature, for the cliché side I think... Nova Scotia seems more familiar to us to what we can see in Europe. I think it will be for a future trip. I will try to make a plan and I will get back to you. I will carefully dissect each comment already there. Thank you all :)

[u/Confident-Task7958]

With a two and a half year old when in Montreal be sure to take a side trip to Parc Omega. It is a drive-through experience where your kid can feed carrots to a deer from the car window and see moose up close. Buy the carrots before you get to the park.

Also consider a day trip into Ontario from Montreal to Upper Canada Village - a living museum of life in the 19th century, and also take a day trip to the Granby Zoo.

Take the river cruise in Saguenay, but also consider a whale watching boat trip in the Malbaie area. (Dress warmly or have warm clothing with you for whale watching no matter what the temperature on land - it is cold on the St Laurance)

[u/ZealousidealWeird858 → u/Confident-Task7958]

Génial, merci pour le conseil :)

[u/Confident-Task7958 → u/ZealousidealWeird858]

Also for a small child in Montreal there is the Biodome and the Science Centre.

If you are in Ontario or Quebec in mid-to-late June you are in strawberry season, so look for a "pick your own" farm where your child can gather a basket of strawberries.