Canada for 3 weeks

[diggingintheribs]

We are planning on spending 3 weeks in Canada next summer. We need to visit friends in Vancouver and Toronto and hope to squeeze a train journey in too. Kids will be 5 and 2.

Any suggestions for things to do between the two cities? I'd like to see some of the central part - where would be best for that?

I was thinking of starting in Vancouver for a week, then a week hopping across to Toronto then a few days there and then on to Montreal or Quebec

What should I skip and what is a must see?

erm how do you plan to 'hop' over to Toronto from Vancouver? It's quite a distance and personally I think plane is the only realistic option.

Vancouver was nice, couldn't imagine spending a week just there although there is Vancouver island near by

I did a trip to Vancouver (well conference with a stay afterwards) and went to the Rockies which took about 8 days (a few days driving, few days there and return) although we stopped off for things along the way. I loved it personally, ended up in Jasper, Banff and saw some stunning landscapes along the way.

Never made it other cities so can't help there I'm afraid. Hopeful bump for you regardless

well i was hoping for some help on the hopping - is there somewhere nice half way to spend time?

Banff is a good idea. i think we'd definitely like to do a trip into the rockies rather than spend the whole time in vancouver itself

i was wondering about taking the train some of the way and then flying. We have to go to Toronto to visit friends but I really want to go to Vancouver and the Rockies

Is Calgary any good?

There's an enormous shopping centre with built in water park at Edmonton that I haven't been to myself but DP was impressed with...

Canada's huge remember, with an awful lot of nothing in between places, so I'd fly if possible, with just a (rather expensive) train trip up from Vancouver into the mountains

Oh I see SGM already mentioned the mall..

Calgary is supposed to be lovely, but I've always heard about it from 30 somethings reminiscing about shot girls and the stampede, so I don't know if it's got much for sightseeing/children...

ok. well maybe we'll just spend a couple of weeks in Vancouver and the surrounding. DH suggested a trip to the Seattle area too.

And then just a short stop in Toronto and then on to Quebec.

Or maybe we'll do the longhaul to Toronto and then we can visit the friends on the way through

Toronto is dull
Actually we found Seattle a bit dull as well , ok for a day trip..

I thought you could get a train across canada . I did it as a teen..but that was yrs ago and it did take farkin ages and ages and boring. Def best to fly. The prairies in between are nice to see but there really is nowt to do other than a lake holiday.

Go to Quebec city and/or Thousand Island tour.

Well looks like Toronto will be for visiting friends only!

Dinosaur Provincial Park sounds interesting - will look it up

I'd advise flying into Toronto to visit your friends, then a few days later flying from there to Calgary and hiring a car there to maybe visit Drumheller if your desperately into dinosaurs (otherwise skip it - we "only" had to drive 8 hrs from our home (nr. Mt Robson) to get there last Summer and I wasn't overly impressed - LOL!)

Then drive leisurely to Vancouver, via the usual tourist traps (Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, Mt. Robson, etc) for your flight home...but do leave at least 3 or 4 days for Vancouver.

I would say you should avoid any train trips - especially on such a tight schedule. They are sooooooo slow here that it's unbelievably frustrating. Any train journey will take you at least double the time it would take to drive, without rushing at all.

If you wanted not to be driving yourselves for the most scenic bit (The Icefields Parkway) then there are bus tour companies that will take you between Banff and Jasper (maybe even Calgary and Jasper) such as Brewsters, and then you can relax and enjoy the most spectacular drive without having to keep your eyes on the road.

Check out the douglas fir resort in Banff. Stayed there for a week a few years ago and the kids loved it. Spend the time going up Sulphur mountain, hired canoes for the day, Banff springs and then Lake Lousie. There is also a great glacier a few hours drive away thats worth a look.(icelands parkway).

We have friends and family in TO and have holidayed there often and we love it so horses for courses I guess. It is a big city so excellent theatre, shopping restaurants etc but if you don't like a city holiday it may not be to your taste. Had three weeks there this summer in town for a bit and also up on a lake in cottage country.

FWIW i think you are probably trying to pack two much in to a long haul trip so I would ditch either the east or western extension, assuming you want to do TO as that is where the friends are. Checkout the flight prices and timings it is expensive to fly internally and a long flight from one side to the other.

Hello -thanks for all the advice

We have decide to do West coast as I really need to catch up with my friend in Vancouver. Will look into Banff