Canada - best spots/ itinerary

[MerryMarigold]

Hoping for 3 weeks in Aug. Need to finish up in Toronto for a wedding - but apart from that I'm totally overwhelmed at the choice.

I've wanted to go since I was about 11 and now at 50 it looks like I finally will. What would you advise doing? We have 3 teenagers. Would love to do that luxury train through the Rockies but definitely not in budget! Any ideas?

I’ve been to Canada several times as I have family in the Toronto area. Montreal certainly has enough sites to fill several days if you are into that kind of thing. Also, from the Toronto area you can drive across the border into New York State; we went to Buffalo for a matinee theatre performance but, obviously there are other things you could do my cousin also went to an ice hockey game (my last visit was for Christmas a few years ago). Also near Toronto you’ve got Niagara Falls of course - you can take a boat trip - and some of the small towns around there are very attractive eg Niagara on the Lake. There are also wine producers around there who I think so tours.

Fly into Calgary. Hire car in to the mountains for a couple of days. Banff or Canmore and Lake Louise. If adventurous, the teens might like the Via Ferrata at Mt Norquay.

Drive back to Calgary. Fly to Vancouver. Consider going across to the island if time/budget permits.

Via Rail from Vancouver to Toronto.

I would fly into Vancouver, rent a car or work your way over to Banff and Calgary. Then fly to Toronto and see Toronto Montreal, Ottawa and maybe Quebec City.

In 3 weeks you can do both areas but you need to fly between them.

The thing to remember is the distances are huge, I would either do a 2 centre thing or stay just East Coast. What UK airport are you flying from? If you could fly direct to Calgary I would do that, a week and a half would get you round, whistle stop mind you, to Jasper and then get an internal flight Edmonton-Toronto. Around Toronto there is Niagara Falls, Algonquin NP around 3 hours up north (they do a wolf howl in the summer, where you go at night to hear the wolves with the rangers) and Cottage country which is great if you like boating. If your teenagers like the outdoors you could take them on a canoe trip through the wilderness (most of the Park is only accessible by canoe and portage) where you have a good chance of seeing moose, beavers and bears. Algonquin outfitters

If you stay East Coast, remember it's over 6 1/2 hours to Montreal and 8 hours drive Toronto to Quebec City. Via Rail is also quite expensive. You could fly into Quebec City and out of Toronto. Quebec is fabulous as is Taddousac where the whales are just sensational. Tremblant is worth seeing too in the summer, if your kids want to have a go at dirt biking.

Alternatively, you could fly into Montreal, head south to Vermont (ben and Gerry;s factory is there, as are the beautiful mountains) loop around through NY state and the finger lakes and up to Niagara and to Toronto?

A few years back I visited Toronto then took a flight to Quebec City. From here we took the train to Montreal & Ottawa and back to Toronto. Two weeks in total.

Toronto - CN Tower, Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto island (we hired bikes & cycled around), Casa Loma, Eaton Centre, Dundas Sq, trip to Niagara Falls

Quebec City - Mainly wandered round the old town, Chateau Frontenac, Citadelle, boat trip

Montreal - old town, notre dame church, Olympic stadium, Plateau Mount Royal

Ottawa - Parliament building, Rideau canal, Canadian Mint, visited a fab museum that had totem poles but the name escapes me!

If I went again I would hire a car & try to see some more of the nature & maybe go through Thousand Islands. Would also go visit the little town where Schitts Creek was filmed!!

Thanks so much. These are fantastic ideas. I'm going to have to do a lot of research and attempt to stick to a budget! Flying into Calgary is something I hadn't thought of.

Definitely visit or stay in Niagara-on-the Lake. It's beautiful!

I third the calgary option. The Rockies are like nowhere else on the planet. Our teen loved it! No idea what your family are into but Canmore is a fab place to stay with great food options, there is so much to do around there and banff. Other option is Vancouver with Squamish and whistler, again loads- white water rafting etc. you could fly into calgary, spend a couple of weeks driving to Vancouver via places like revelstoke, glacier National park, kamloops, whistler and Squamish- sea to sky gondola is fab there. Depending on how much time you have/ want to spend you could go over to Vancouver island too before flying to Toronto. Whatever you decide,you’ll have an amazing time!

Waves to @Holidayqueen1 from Canmore

Honestly, in August and with a limited budget, I 'd give the rockies a miss. Perhaps fly into Halifax for a few days before picking up a car and exploring Nova Scotia for a week. The weather will be perfect and far less busy than the Rockies. You can then drive up to Prince Edward Island and across to New Brunswick before stopping off at Montreal and onwards to Toronto. I would leave the car there and get the train to Niagara (not pretty!) and Niagara on the lake. (v pretty).

Funnily enough we had exactly this timeframe and ended at a wedding a few years ago. We flew to Quebec city and did a road trip out to PEI and back, gorgeous beaches and the place is idyllic. Quebec City is lush too. Saw cirque du soeil in Montreal. Then drove through cottage country to our friends place north of Toronto.

@SizzlestheSausageDog , I'll have a look at that option. I would love to go to PEI purely in homage to Anne but not sure the rest of family are that bothered. Having been researching, I really do want to see the Rockies but of course all the beautiful pics contain no people! And accommodation prices are high meaning we would need to stay in the lowliest places.

@Lordofmyflies , why not the Rockies? I need to consider the cons properly. I'm not sure we'll ever go to Canada again (since I haven't managed for 50 years!) so it may be my only chance to see those turquoise lakes.

If you aren't going to visit Canada again, then perhaps do consider the Rockies! They are just very busy in the summer - roads are lined with R.V's and accommodation is often booked out months in advance. Very different to the photos you see but still stunning.

Its just beautiful 😍

Whale trips & bear watching in Saguenay Bay, hiking & camping in Algonquin. Both absolutely worth it.

I can't find any Airbnb's there less than about 400.00 a night!

I stayed in holiday inn in actual Nigara falls. Some people slate it say it’s too commercial etc but I loved it and the kids did too. We went just before Christmas saw all the lights it was FREEZING !!We had a car and drove up to niagra on the lake for a day. The holiday in was about 80 dollars a room and it slept 4, was clean and comfortable. It’s a beautiful country, you won’t want to come home x