If you’ve visited Canada, tell me your thoughts on Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver BC

[Anonymous]

I have been to all. I'd say QC perhaps less options for a family with teens. But QC also seems the most French/foreign to Americans. All have great food options. Honestly I don't think you can go wrong with any of these.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve only been to Vancouver. It has awesome options for a foodie. I had a lot of fun as a shopper — enjoying both Canadian and British stores and brands. Friends with kids absolutely loved Stanley Park. I think it would be a great travel option for most people. History buffs might want to also visit Victoria.

Can you point out the Canadian and British stores and brands to be on the lookout for? thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you want to fly or drive? I think it would be fun to drive from here to Montreal it's only 9 hours and you go through beautiful, rural New England. Fun in the summer I should add

You don't drive through New England to get to Montreal. I mean you could, but its not the direct route.

i stand corrected. you could drive voa Vermont or via upstate NY. It will take longer than 9 hours though.

Google Maps is showing 9 hours and 8 minutes from DC to Montreal at this moment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you want to fly or drive? I think it would be fun to drive from here to Montreal it's only 9 hours and you go through beautiful, rural New England. Fun in the summer I should add

You don't drive through New England to get to Montreal. I mean you could, but its not the direct route.

i stand corrected. you could drive voa Vermont or via upstate NY. It will take longer than 9 hours though.

Google Maps is showing 9 hours and 8 minutes from DC to Montreal at this moment.

I see 9:43 right now, and that's going through upstate NY, not New England. No way can anyone do it in 9 hours, unless you're using a catheter.

[Anonymous]

love montreal for the food
old town is touristy but fun
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Montreal
quebec city for the history & markets
https://www.quebec-cite.com/en/businesses/le-grand-marche-de-quebec
https://www.historichotels.org/hotels-resorts/fairmont-le-chateau-frontenac

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quebec City is smaller and really french is a kind of backwater way. But beautiful and historic and walkable. Plus lots of nature-ish things to do outside of town - syrup farms, waterfalls, hiking etc - that are easy to get to because the city is so small.

Montreal is a moderate sized city, has it's own cultural scene that's very different than anywhere in NA but not similar to anything in europe. It straddles the line between a regular midsized city that has typical chain stores for shopping on busy streets, but also has a distinct grungy montreal vibe that is cool to some folks (me!) but could feel low rent and off putting to others. Just for example, lots of restaurants that are converted row houses that still feel kind of grimy inside but you're getting an awesome creative gourmet meal that's not expensive. It also has interesting historical stuff, the old port, hiking on the mountain, museums, etc. Montreal does have tons of good eating......

Toronto is a typical large north american city, and has tons of city stuff to do - good shopping, restaurants, museums, sports events, festivals, etc. It's my favorite of the four, but i like being in cities.

Vancouver is a moderate sized city (probably similar to montreal) and i think really disappointing if you're looking for a cool urban city. But outdoorsy people love it because it has a lot of nature right in the city. And tons of nature stuff to jump to pretty close to the city. So don't go to vancouver for shopping or dining or sports or other "city" stuff. Go for the outdoors vibe.

I've been to all four, and this is accurate (enough.) I enjoyed all of them, for the reasons described.

+1. I also agree with this assessment

Been to all four. Agree.

[Anonymous]

I’ve done Montreal, QC, and Vancouver with kids. I recommend all three, but would make a special plug for doing either Montreal alone or Montreal-QC (which is what we did.) A trip to the province of Quebec s like going to Europe without the jet lag. Lots of quaint cafes, shops, and restaurants. In Montreal, we stayed in the old town, which is quite charming. You can buy a 48-hour access pass that gives you access to tons of museums, a river boat ride, the bio dome, the insectarium (a big hit with our kids). It was a good deal and we didn’t manage to do all the options. QC was quaint and more French but a bit sleepy. I do recommend a trip to the nearby waterfall as well. You can take a train between Montreal and QC and they had decent rates for kids.

I also like Vancouver as well. It had more of a West Coast feel and felt like another Seattle. Had more beggars and much of the city was fragrant with marijuana. We took a day trip to a former mine. That was a big hit as well as the acquarium. The surrounding area is spectacularly beautiful. The city of Vancouver is just another city. Lots of high rises. Lots of Chinese wealth.

[Anonymous]

Did Vancouver combined with seattle. Did Montreal and Quebec on another trip. Both were really fun. Montreal/QC felt like a different country, we got to practice our French etc. Food and weather were amazing in Vancouver in the summer. I don’t think you can go wrong!

[Anonymous]

I thought Vancouver was okay. I wouldn't specifically go back. I would go back to Montreal and QC.

[Anonymous]

Really

[Richard67]

Hi there. How's it going? My family and I love travelling in Canada. I have 3 kids. Two boys 6 and 8 years old. And a 16 year old daughter. We live in New York and often go to Canada to ski. I know a lot of people from Ottawa. I like Canada as a country very much. https://www.livinimmigration.ca/ I'm thinking about immigrating. What about your question. Love architecture and history? Then the fact that Montreal is a UNESCO city of design might be of interest to you. Check out the beautiful architecture around the city - especially in Old Montreal and the Old Port.
I hope I helped you. I hope I helped you. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Toronto is like a mix of New Yorks diversity and pace with Chicago climate and architecture. I love it but it is a big city so you need time to get from a to b, unless you focus on downtown.

Montreal is a combination of old and new; the university and culture scenes dominate but there is plenty of industry and other stuff to keep the vibe grounded. Can be a bit grungy.

Vancouver is one of the most stunningly beautiful cities, has really incredible food and as others have pointed out, a lot of parks, bike paths, hiking trails.

What part of the year / season are you considering? Montreal gets bitterly cold in the winter.

-A Torontonian