We travelled from Toronto to Ottowa, Quebec and Montreal using Via Rail trains, as at the time of booking, we were unsure of what the weather would be like for driving in. Train travel was easy, although it is rather like flying regarding checking in etc. You have to have a seat (no standing like in the UK!) and you arrive about 30 minutes before boarding to check in and have your baggage weighed – depending on the journey, train, amount of people etc it may require your larger bags to be stored in the baggage carriage and then you collect them at the station you disembark from. We spent 3 days in each city to give us time to explore – this is probably enough to see the key highlights, especially if you do not have a car and at this time of year. The autumn is possibly a better time as the weather would still be warm but you’d have the added bonus of the colours of the trees – now it is a little grey as spring is only just arriving this year.
Ottawa was chilly and cloudy when we arrived, but then the sun came out, and the temperature soared to 29 degrees yet there was still snow on the ground! From being a quiet empty place on our first day, it was suddenly busy, with people sunbathing and cafes and restaurants having their summer patios built on the streets so that you can enjoy the weather – Ottawa came alive!
It is a compact city, easy to walk around and has some beautiful old architecture, from the Parliament buildings to the Royal Mint, the Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel and the stunning silver topped Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica. There are lots of information boards to help with the history of each area so you can easily tour on your own. We had an interesting visit to the Royal Mint and were both millionaires for a couple of seconds – holding the 1.2 million CAD gold bar – sadly we couldn’t keep it! We also visited the Canadian War Museum (until the fire alarm went off and we had to leave!). We stayed at the Byward Blue Inn, just off the Byward Market, which is a vibrant food area. And of course, the highlight of Ottawa was getting the chance to meet up with old friends we have not seen for about 10 years – very special.
I had to dust off my school girl french in Quebec but we managed to get by and if you try folk quickly flip to english to help out! We had lovely blue skies on our first day so we set off up the hill to the Old City (its otherwise known as Uptown as its on a cliff – Cap Diamant) Some lovely old buildings here dating from the 1700s as the French settled here until the British won the Battle of Quebec (on the Plains of Abraham) in 1759. We walked around the Citadel (reminiscent of the one in Plymouth, UK but bigger), promenaded on the Governors promenade and the Dufferin Terrace (sadly the toboggan run had closed for the season), alongside the famous Chateau Frontenac – a 610 bedroom hotel opened in 1893 and which has hosted many famous people and events including 2 during World War 2 with Roosevelt & Churchill attending. You can pay to go on a tour of the public areas if you wish. We visited the Notre Dame Basilica Cathedral and learnt about Saint Francois de Laval and just generally wandered soaking up the atmosphere. We returned Down Town and ate at La Korrigane (a microbrewery) just up from our hotel.
Next day was grey and a bitterly cold wind was blowing but it didn’t stop us exploring Down Town, the Place Royal and the Petit Chaplain quarter at the base of the Cap Diamant cliff – it has been renovated and now houses boutiques with quirky signs, antique shops and restaurants etc. It was a lovely area to walk around but must get very crowded on cruise ship days and in the summer. We heading back Uptown (stairs not the funicular) and found the most amazing shop Epiceree Europpeenne – the staff were lovely, the range of goods amazing – downstairs they have 211 different herbs and spices in a cupboard with tiny drawers, loads of different teas and coffee beans too.
We found an excellent bistro Ninkasi (serving great beer and the poutine went down well too, just what was needed on such a cold day – really good gravy).
2 days in Quebec is probably enough to explore the Old City but if you’re here for longer there are the Montmorency waterfalls and the Isle d’orleans to explore a bit further afield. We chilled out on our 3rd day but did have a yummy dinner at Noctem, a microbrewery (of which there are many in Canada!!) serving food.
The Best Western plus hotel was great, the staff at reception and the bar were particularly friendly and very helpful. Then it was back on the train for 5 hours to Montreal.
Whilst Montreal hasn’t been our favourite place so far, we did walk our feet off exploring. The old town and port are so reminiscent of Paris – old, tall buildings in French styles, muddled among huge glass skyscrapers.
We stayed in our first hostel, which was great (after a shaky start – a freezing cold night until we sorted out the heating). Lots of people of all ages from 3 months to 60 plus, all very friendly and eager to know each others stories. Breakfast was good too!! Montreal has over 20 miles of underground walkways linking metros with shopping complexes, restaurants and even the Opera House, which is probably good in the winter months but not for a claustrophobic like me. Montreal is actually an island with lots of waterway trails, but it is a big place to try and cover in the short time we had. The street we were on was nearly 20miles long!!!!!
Then, finally, we got back on the train to return to Toronto for a couple of days before crossing Canada to Vancouver. It was surprising to see how green everything had become in just the 2 weeks we were away.