Canada isn’t notorious for its short travel distances. From Montreal, it’s just as expensive and far to get to Paris than to get to Vancouver. True story!
But Eastern Canada is a bit luckier than its Western equivalent in terms of day trips and weekend getaways. From Montreal, you can as easily reach the Quebec capital, the US or a remote cabin in the forest in just a few hours. Let’s have a closer look.
Ottawa
Ottawa: 2 hours
While most Canadians have been to the capital on a field trip as a kid, you probably know it wasn’t my case. I only visited Ottawa for a few hours two years ago! But from what I’ve gathered, the city made huge efforts to evolve past its boring dormant-office-city status into a vibrant capital with a strong focus on green travel, architecture and food. Ottawa doesn’t disappoint!
Quebec City © fenyob
Quebec City: 3 hours
Probably the most popular daytrip from Montreal and the vicinity! Everyone I know has been to Quebec City with his/her family as a kid, either in the summer or the winter. Regardless of how many times you visited in the past, Quebec City always has something new to explore. If you travel by car, you can even add a day trip (yes, a day trip within a day trip – inception, much?) to Ile d’Orléans or Chutes Montmorency for good measure!
Boston
Boston: 6 hours
Boston itself is a very interesting city, but when you add in a potential trip to Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Boston would be one of the most popular day trips from Montreal. Put on your boat shoes and striped shirt, it’s a nautical holiday in Massachusetts – indulge in local specialties like Sam Adams beer, lobsters and chowder!
New York City
New York City: 6 hours
Ahhh, the Big Apple. The city that never sleeps! The most iconic and glamorous day trip from Montreal! New York City is all about shopping, eating, drinking and living large, and offers thousands of options in doing so. There’s no such thing as a shortage of activities there! The hustle of Times Square, the musicals of Broadway, the original restaurants of Greenwich, the upscale properties of the Upper East Side… there’s something for everyone. You can choose to spill one of the city’s most lavish hotels or load up your credit card at Barney’s, but whatever your choice, NYC definitely lives up to its reputation.
Toronto © tomms
Toronto: 8 hours
Canada’s biggest city has nothing to envy to NYC or London. Far from dull, Toronto is vibrant, lively, artsy and simply gorgeous. You can opt for Kensington’s markets, the greenery of the Isles or the heights of the CN Tower. Toronto benefits from a lovely location on the banks of the Lake Ontario, and very close to the iconic Niagara Falls (the Canadian ones of course!).
Laurentides or Eastern Townships?
Laurentides / Eastern Townships: 2 hours
Montreal being an island, it’s quite easy to get away from it all and get to the countryside in just under two hours. There are basically two options: the Laurentides or the Eastern Townships, in opposite directions. The former will guarantee a true Canadian vacation, log-cabin style, in the woods, while the latter will offer a relaxing holiday by a lake. Both options are appealing and are located near several attractions like spas, historical villages and shopping centers.
Which trip sounds most interesting to you? Have you been to any of these places from Montreal?
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Awww, this makes me miss Canada and miss it a lot! I’ve been to all of these spots and of course, I want to re-visit them again sometime in my life. For now, my heart belongs in Europe.
I understand. Me too. I do miss Montreal every once in a while but I feel right being in Europe right now.
Good timing on the post. I have visions of hitting up Montreal next summer (wish it could be sooner). I was wondering what else I could access in the area. Would love to see a Part 2 of this post focusing only on more Canadian destinations.
Ohh blog post idea. Will work on that in time for your trip next summer ;)
lol. You better! ;) Thanks. Look forward to it.
You are definitely right about Ottawa being a foodie destination. I was there last year and discovered some amazing restaurants, my favourite one being the “Zen Kitchen”.
Good to know, I’ll keep that in mind.
Dear I love you but Montreal is not 8 hours from Toronto :) Even by train it’s 5 at most.
It always took me a solid 7 hours straight to get there by car. Train is really quick, but with the traffic on 401 it’s at least 8 hours.
new york cant be 6 hours for the very same reasons above…getting into the island is a nightmare!
Great post- I’d love to visit Montreal and a day trip would be fun too!
Definitely – so many options nearby!
I never really thought about it, but one of the downsides of having such a large country is that you can’t travel out as easily! Oh, to be a small country in Europe. ;)
Man, I knew Canada was big but I had no idea it was that big!
Montreal is pretty well connected. The only problem is you have to have your own car to get to most of these places in the allotted time. Taking the bus takes FAR longer. But – STILL within reasonable distance in North American terms! Horrah!
It seems like a perfect place to spend a bit of time and base yourself for some great side trips. Although 6 hours to New York might be pushing it. Does immigration take long when you go over a land border?
Not the Lacolle border, no. It’s quite quick. But if you go by bus it can take a bit longer depending on the other travelers.
[...] is one of the most appreciated getaways from Montreal, with reason – just under a 6 hour drive (a very short time in North American standards), [...]