Summer Quebec (province) trip vs. Maine+NB/NS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I've gone down a rabbit hole lol. I could EASILY plan a 3 week trip with a mix of camping and other lodging but alas, my husband only has about 12 days but could *possibly* add 2 days onto the beginning of the trip for a full 2 weeks. I have 6 straight weeks off this summer and starting next summer will have 8 but we don't have unlimited funds.

My 9-year-old is interested in a mix of city life and the outdoors (30/70 mix) and my 6-year-old will be super happy to be on a boat, play on beaches, short, hikes, biking, and food. (I think about 4-5 flat miles in cooler weather is all he can do right now until he learns how to not stop-go and conserve energy).

Here's one rough itinerary I've got.
1 night Lake George or Burlington, VT
3 nights QC
2 nights baie-st-paul
2 night Tadoussac
1 night Rimouski or National Park du Bic
2 nights gaspespie
2 night Perce
1 nights somewhere return

I'm not sure about the Gaspe region part....

After reading more about the Zodiak tours, my kids are not ready so we have to stick with a regular tour, preferably late afternoon. We also want to do hiking, beach play (yes it will be cold), eat seafood, maybe some kayaking, and I'd love to go into Gaspesie National Park to look for Caribou.

If we do this, we may try to make our way back down through Maine with at least 1 overnight (in Maine), maybe 2.

My sis did a similar camping road trip with her kids so I'll def check with her too but if anyone has done something like this, I'd love suggestions. I also considered just going to National Park du Bic for 2 nights and turning around but at that point...you might as well keep going and see some other spectacular sites lol.

Can you please share links for what you read that made you determine that the zodiac isn't ideal for this age group? It'll help in my decision-making as we figure out if we should try it with our 7 and 10 year old boys.

[Anonymous]

Are you all driving from DC area to QC? flying looks so much easier/faster but I suppose you want a car for exploring Charlevoix?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you all driving from DC area to QC? flying looks so much easier/faster but I suppose you want a car for exploring Charlevoix?

I'm one of the PPs who is doing a version of this trip (stopping in Burlington on the way up). We're driving from the NY metro area so it's not as long as from DC. We did consider flying into QC and renting a car but it ends up being more of a headache for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you all driving from DC area to QC? flying looks so much easier/faster but I suppose you want a car for exploring Charlevoix?

I'm the other pp. We drove last year and will do the same this year. We left DC around 6pm on a Friday and drove to Troy NY where we spent the night. The next day we could have driven the 6 hours straight to QC, however our airbnb wasn't available until Sunday. Instead, we drove 3 hours to Trois-Rivieres and spent the night there and went to watch the horse races the next day before taking the scenic route (as opposed to the highway) from there to QC. This year we will drive straight from Troy to QC. Troy has a really cute downtown/waterfront area with little shops, Farners market, etc. So it's a nice place to stop.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone stayed at the Fairmont in QC recently? (Like past 2-3 years.) I’m reading a ton of complaints that it’s really gone downhill recently— like about poor service, being overcrowded, some ridiculous fees like an “experience” fee but they have no space when you actually try to sign up for excursions, etc.

I don’t mind paying for a great experience but I’m not loving the stories I’m seeing for that price point! But can’t tell if people are more likely to review it if they have something to complain about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I've gone down a rabbit hole lol. I could EASILY plan a 3 week trip with a mix of camping and other lodging but alas, my husband only has about 12 days but could *possibly* add 2 days onto the beginning of the trip for a full 2 weeks. I have 6 straight weeks off this summer and starting next summer will have 8 but we don't have unlimited funds.

My 9-year-old is interested in a mix of city life and the outdoors (30/70 mix) and my 6-year-old will be super happy to be on a boat, play on beaches, short, hikes, biking, and food. (I think about 4-5 flat miles in cooler weather is all he can do right now until he learns how to not stop-go and conserve energy).

Here's one rough itinerary I've got.
1 night Lake George or Burlington, VT
3 nights QC
2 nights baie-st-paul
2 night Tadoussac
1 night Rimouski or National Park du Bic
2 nights gaspespie
2 night Perce
1 nights somewhere return

I'm not sure about the Gaspe region part....

After reading more about the Zodiak tours, my kids are not ready so we have to stick with a regular tour, preferably late afternoon. We also want to do hiking, beach play (yes it will be cold), eat seafood, maybe some kayaking, and I'd love to go into Gaspesie National Park to look for Caribou.

If we do this, we may try to make our way back down through Maine with at least 1 overnight (in Maine), maybe 2.

My sis did a similar camping road trip with her kids so I'll def check with her too but if anyone has done something like this, I'd love suggestions. I also considered just going to National Park du Bic for 2 nights and turning around but at that point...you might as well keep going and see some other spectacular sites lol.

Can you please share links for what you read that made you determine that the zodiac isn't ideal for this age group? It'll help in my decision-making as we figure out if we should try it with our 7 and 10 year old boys.

Your kids are slightly older and may be able to handle it. My youngest JUST turned 6 and is TINY (37 lbs). Everyone is wearing the waterproof gear and icy cold water splashes on you frequently. I don't think my kids are ready. https://www.croisieresaml.com/en/our-cruises/tadoussac/zodiac-whale-watching-2-hour-tour

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I've gone down a rabbit hole lol. I could EASILY plan a 3 week trip with a mix of camping and other lodging but alas, my husband only has about 12 days but could *possibly* add 2 days onto the beginning of the trip for a full 2 weeks. I have 6 straight weeks off this summer and starting next summer will have 8 but we don't have unlimited funds.

My 9-year-old is interested in a mix of city life and the outdoors (30/70 mix) and my 6-year-old will be super happy to be on a boat, play on beaches, short, hikes, biking, and food. (I think about 4-5 flat miles in cooler weather is all he can do right now until he learns how to not stop-go and conserve energy).

Here's one rough itinerary I've got.
1 night Lake George or Burlington, VT
3 nights QC
2 nights baie-st-paul
2 night Tadoussac
1 night Rimouski or National Park du Bic
2 nights gaspespie
2 night Perce
1 nights somewhere return

I'm not sure about the Gaspe region part....

After reading more about the Zodiak tours, my kids are not ready so we have to stick with a regular tour, preferably late afternoon. We also want to do hiking, beach play (yes it will be cold), eat seafood, maybe some kayaking, and I'd love to go into Gaspesie National Park to look for Caribou.

If we do this, we may try to make our way back down through Maine with at least 1 overnight (in Maine), maybe 2.

My sis did a similar camping road trip with her kids so I'll def check with her too but if anyone has done something like this, I'd love suggestions. I also considered just going to National Park du Bic for 2 nights and turning around but at that point...you might as well keep going and see some other spectacular sites lol.

Can you please share links for what you read that made you determine that the zodiac isn't ideal for this age group? It'll help in my decision-making as we figure out if we should try it with our 7 and 10 year old boys.

Your kids are slightly older and may be able to handle it. My youngest JUST turned 6 and is TINY (37 lbs). Everyone is wearing the waterproof gear and icy cold water splashes on you frequently. I don't think my kids are ready. https://www.croisieresaml.com/en/our-cruises/tadoussac/zodiac-whale-watching-2-hour-tour

Hi, pp - have you been yet? I can't recall when you were traveling to the area. We head up to QC and then Baie-St-Paul and Tadoussac a week later in August. I wanted to share with you a local zodiac company that leaves out of Tadoussac that has a covered boat. It looks like it might be just what we both are looking for. I went ahead and booked it for our family: https://www.tadoussacautrement.com/

It was around $300 or so for the 4 of us. Now my kidd are a bit older than your kids (7 and 10) but I thought this might be worth you looking into before you dismiss the zodiac experience all together.

[Anonymous]

We go to Vermont and Montreal a lot since our daughter goes to college in Montreal. We love Montreal which has a European feel and great food and an opportunity to practice your French if you have it. The Bio Dome is a great destination for kids, there's also a great botanical garden nearby. It's an easy drive between Burlington and Montreal.

Stowe has a bunch of summer activities like an elevated ropes course, and The Von Trapp Family Lodge (the "Sound of Music" family) is near by which is fun for a night or two.

We went to Quebec City on one trip, it was interesting, but felt a combination of artificial/glitzy and run down, like we had to walk through a homeless encampment to get to the touristy main strip. We won't go back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We go to Vermont and Montreal a lot since our daughter goes to college in Montreal. We love Montreal which has a European feel and great food and an opportunity to practice your French if you have it. The Bio Dome is a great destination for kids, there's also a great botanical garden nearby. It's an easy drive between Burlington and Montreal.

Stowe has a bunch of summer activities like an elevated ropes course, and The Von Trapp Family Lodge (the "Sound of Music" family) is near by which is fun for a night or two.

We went to Quebec City on one trip, it was interesting, but felt a combination of artificial/glitzy and run down, like we had to walk through a homeless encampment to get to the touristy main strip. We won't go back.

NP. I agree about QC but I will go back (but I also live near Burlington, not DC). There are some great restaurants and the Museum of Civilization is very good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I've gone down a rabbit hole lol. I could EASILY plan a 3 week trip with a mix of camping and other lodging but alas, my husband only has about 12 days but could *possibly* add 2 days onto the beginning of the trip for a full 2 weeks. I have 6 straight weeks off this summer and starting next summer will have 8 but we don't have unlimited funds.

My 9-year-old is interested in a mix of city life and the outdoors (30/70 mix) and my 6-year-old will be super happy to be on a boat, play on beaches, short, hikes, biking, and food. (I think about 4-5 flat miles in cooler weather is all he can do right now until he learns how to not stop-go and conserve energy).

Here's one rough itinerary I've got.
1 night Lake George or Burlington, VT
3 nights QC
2 nights baie-st-paul
2 night Tadoussac
1 night Rimouski or National Park du Bic
2 nights gaspespie
2 night Perce
1 nights somewhere return

I'm not sure about the Gaspe region part....

After reading more about the Zodiak tours, my kids are not ready so we have to stick with a regular tour, preferably late afternoon. We also want to do hiking, beach play (yes it will be cold), eat seafood, maybe some kayaking, and I'd love to go into Gaspesie National Park to look for Caribou.

If we do this, we may try to make our way back down through Maine with at least 1 overnight (in Maine), maybe 2.

My sis did a similar camping road trip with her kids so I'll def check with her too but if anyone has done something like this, I'd love suggestions. I also considered just going to National Park du Bic for 2 nights and turning around but at that point...you might as well keep going and see some other spectacular sites lol.

Can you please share links for what you read that made you determine that the zodiac isn't ideal for this age group? It'll help in my decision-making as we figure out if we should try it with our 7 and 10 year old boys.

Your kids are slightly older and may be able to handle it. My youngest JUST turned 6 and is TINY (37 lbs). Everyone is wearing the waterproof gear and icy cold water splashes on you frequently. I don't think my kids are ready. https://www.croisieresaml.com/en/our-cruises/tadoussac/zodiac-whale-watching-2-hour-tour

Hi, pp - have you been yet? I can't recall when you were traveling to the area. We head up to QC and then Baie-St-Paul and Tadoussac a week later in August. I wanted to share with you a local zodiac company that leaves out of Tadoussac that has a covered boat. It looks like it might be just what we both are looking for. I went ahead and booked it for our family: https://www.tadoussacautrement.com/

It was around $300 or so for the 4 of us. Now my kidd are a bit older than your kids (7 and 10) but I thought this might be worth you looking into before you dismiss the zodiac experience all together.

OP here- no, we haven’t gone yet.

I had planned an itinerary:

-Dc-lake George 1 night
-Lake George-QC 3 nights
-Baie-st-Paul 2 nights with stop at the montmorency falls+Ile d’Orleans on the way
-Tadoussac 2 nights
-Rimouski 1 night
-2 nights Forillon national park
-1 night Perce (and take boat tour to bonaventure island)

BUT the ferry from Les Escoumins-Trois Pistoles has NO availability the the day we plan to go from tadoussac or the following 2 days. The only availability is the day before at 6:30pm which means only 1 night Tadoussac and a late arrival to Rimouski :/ I’ve also heard it’s not super reliable.

Debating on switching it up again. My kids really want QC, charlevoix region with visiting isle-aux-Coudres and also want beachy vibes (maine or probably gaspe) or just modifying that one part of my trip and spend longer in Rimouski, Perce, or possibly breaking up the trip more on the way home (2 nights in Maine from Perce vs 1 night). I’m soo indecisive and I want it all lol but this is really a solid 2-2.5 week trip, not 13 nights

[Anonymous]

OP here again- yes, I also looked again into the the zodiac tour and there is one connected to our campground -camping Tadoussac which is MUCH cheaper and has great reviews sooo we may end up doing it lol

[Anonymous]

I see you’ve decided to go with Quebec (great choice!) but my family did a road trip around the Bay of Fundy when I was about 10 and it was one of my favorite vacations ever. The drive up the coast of Maine is beautiful, and we stopped a lot once we got to the Canadian side, checking out all the tidal weirdnesses — reversing falls in St John, tidal bore in a small town I forget the name of, flower pots before we crossed into NS. In Nova Scotia we camped on a beach with mica chips in the sand which was a amazing (and us kids loved swimming) and ended up spending two whole days at the Louisburg historical site. So if anyone reading this thread is interested — those would be my recs for that option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I've gone down a rabbit hole lol. I could EASILY plan a 3 week trip with a mix of camping and other lodging but alas, my husband only has about 12 days but could *possibly* add 2 days onto the beginning of the trip for a full 2 weeks. I have 6 straight weeks off this summer and starting next summer will have 8 but we don't have unlimited funds.

My 9-year-old is interested in a mix of city life and the outdoors (30/70 mix) and my 6-year-old will be super happy to be on a boat, play on beaches, short, hikes, biking, and food. (I think about 4-5 flat miles in cooler weather is all he can do right now until he learns how to not stop-go and conserve energy).

Here's one rough itinerary I've got.
1 night Lake George or Burlington, VT
3 nights QC
2 nights baie-st-paul
2 night Tadoussac
1 night Rimouski or National Park du Bic
2 nights gaspespie
2 night Perce
1 nights somewhere return

I'm not sure about the Gaspe region part....

After reading more about the Zodiak tours, my kids are not ready so we have to stick with a regular tour, preferably late afternoon. We also want to do hiking, beach play (yes it will be cold), eat seafood, maybe some kayaking, and I'd love to go into Gaspesie National Park to look for Caribou.

If we do this, we may try to make our way back down through Maine with at least 1 overnight (in Maine), maybe 2.

My sis did a similar camping road trip with her kids so I'll def check with her too but if anyone has done something like this, I'd love suggestions. I also considered just going to National Park du Bic for 2 nights and turning around but at that point...you might as well keep going and see some other spectacular sites lol.

Can you please share links for what you read that made you determine that the zodiac isn't ideal for this age group? It'll help in my decision-making as we figure out if we should try it with our 7 and 10 year old boys.

Your kids are slightly older and may be able to handle it. My youngest JUST turned 6 and is TINY (37 lbs). Everyone is wearing the waterproof gear and icy cold water splashes on you frequently. I don't think my kids are ready. https://www.croisieresaml.com/en/our-cruises/tadoussac/zodiac-whale-watching-2-hour-tour

Hi, pp - have you been yet? I can't recall when you were traveling to the area. We head up to QC and then Baie-St-Paul and Tadoussac a week later in August. I wanted to share with you a local zodiac company that leaves out of Tadoussac that has a covered boat. It looks like it might be just what we both are looking for. I went ahead and booked it for our family: https://www.tadoussacautrement.com/

It was around $300 or so for the 4 of us. Now my kidd are a bit older than your kids (7 and 10) but I thought this might be worth you looking into before you dismiss the zodiac experience all together.

OP here- no, we haven’t gone yet.

I had planned an itinerary:

-Dc-lake George 1 night
-Lake George-QC 3 nights
-Baie-st-Paul 2 nights with stop at the montmorency falls+Ile d’Orleans on the way
-Tadoussac 2 nights
-Rimouski 1 night
-2 nights Forillon national park
-1 night Perce (and take boat tour to bonaventure island)

BUT the ferry from Les Escoumins-Trois Pistoles has NO availability the the day we plan to go from tadoussac or the following 2 days. The only availability is the day before at 6:30pm which means only 1 night Tadoussac and a late arrival to Rimouski :/ I’ve also heard it’s not super reliable.

Debating on switching it up again. My kids really want QC, charlevoix region with visiting isle-aux-Coudres and also want beachy vibes (maine or probably gaspe) or just modifying that one part of my trip and spend longer in Rimouski, Perce, or possibly breaking up the trip more on the way home (2 nights in Maine from Perce vs 1 night). I’m soo indecisive and I want it all lol but this is really a solid 2-2.5 week trip, not 13 nights

Wait, you have to reserve the ferry in advance, including the one to Tadoussac? I haven't looked in to that all yet. In my naivete I thought you'd just got in line and rolled on up. Now I have some homework to do today!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I've gone down a rabbit hole lol. I could EASILY plan a 3 week trip with a mix of camping and other lodging but alas, my husband only has about 12 days but could *possibly* add 2 days onto the beginning of the trip for a full 2 weeks. I have 6 straight weeks off this summer and starting next summer will have 8 but we don't have unlimited funds.

My 9-year-old is interested in a mix of city life and the outdoors (30/70 mix) and my 6-year-old will be super happy to be on a boat, play on beaches, short, hikes, biking, and food. (I think about 4-5 flat miles in cooler weather is all he can do right now until he learns how to not stop-go and conserve energy).

Here's one rough itinerary I've got.
1 night Lake George or Burlington, VT
3 nights QC
2 nights baie-st-paul
2 night Tadoussac
1 night Rimouski or National Park du Bic
2 nights gaspespie
2 night Perce
1 nights somewhere return

I'm not sure about the Gaspe region part....

After reading more about the Zodiak tours, my kids are not ready so we have to stick with a regular tour, preferably late afternoon. We also want to do hiking, beach play (yes it will be cold), eat seafood, maybe some kayaking, and I'd love to go into Gaspesie National Park to look for Caribou.

If we do this, we may try to make our way back down through Maine with at least 1 overnight (in Maine), maybe 2.

My sis did a similar camping road trip with her kids so I'll def check with her too but if anyone has done something like this, I'd love suggestions. I also considered just going to National Park du Bic for 2 nights and turning around but at that point...you might as well keep going and see some other spectacular sites lol.

Can you please share links for what you read that made you determine that the zodiac isn't ideal for this age group? It'll help in my decision-making as we figure out if we should try it with our 7 and 10 year old boys.

Your kids are slightly older and may be able to handle it. My youngest JUST turned 6 and is TINY (37 lbs). Everyone is wearing the waterproof gear and icy cold water splashes on you frequently. I don't think my kids are ready. https://www.croisieresaml.com/en/our-cruises/tadoussac/zodiac-whale-watching-2-hour-tour

Hi, pp - have you been yet? I can't recall when you were traveling to the area. We head up to QC and then Baie-St-Paul and Tadoussac a week later in August. I wanted to share with you a local zodiac company that leaves out of Tadoussac that has a covered boat. It looks like it might be just what we both are looking for. I went ahead and booked it for our family: https://www.tadoussacautrement.com/

It was around $300 or so for the 4 of us. Now my kidd are a bit older than your kids (7 and 10) but I thought this might be worth you looking into before you dismiss the zodiac experience all together.

OP here- no, we haven’t gone yet.

I had planned an itinerary:

-Dc-lake George 1 night
-Lake George-QC 3 nights
-Baie-st-Paul 2 nights with stop at the montmorency falls+Ile d’Orleans on the way
-Tadoussac 2 nights
-Rimouski 1 night
-2 nights Forillon national park
-1 night Perce (and take boat tour to bonaventure island)

BUT the ferry from Les Escoumins-Trois Pistoles has NO availability the the day we plan to go from tadoussac or the following 2 days. The only availability is the day before at 6:30pm which means only 1 night Tadoussac and a late arrival to Rimouski :/ I’ve also heard it’s not super reliable.

Debating on switching it up again. My kids really want QC, charlevoix region with visiting isle-aux-Coudres and also want beachy vibes (maine or probably gaspe) or just modifying that one part of my trip and spend longer in Rimouski, Perce, or possibly breaking up the trip more on the way home (2 nights in Maine from Perce vs 1 night). I’m soo indecisive and I want it all lol but this is really a solid 2-2.5 week trip, not 13 nights

Wait, you have to reserve the ferry in advance, including the one to Tadoussac? I haven't looked in to that all yet. In my naivete I thought you'd just got in line and rolled on up. Now I have some homework to do today!

No, I don’t think the ferry to tadoussac, the ferry from Les escoumins (near Tadoussac) to Trois-pistoles