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I'm heading to central Canada this summer for a two week vacation - about half in Ontario and the other half in Quebec.

I've been able to figure out what to see and do in Toronto and Ottawa, but I'm wondering about Montreal and Quebec City.

Should we spend the bulk of our days in Montreal, or split them evenly between Montreal and Quebec City? Other than Old Quebec, is there much to see in Quebec City?

I'm leaning heavily to spending the bulk of our time in Montreal, with Quebec being a side trip (2 days, 1 night). Is that enough time - or should we spend more time in Quebec City?

On another tangent, is Buffalo NY worth seeing? We're going to Niagara Falls, and it's only 30 minutes away. Or should we spend the whole day in tacky tourist hell on our side of the border? We're going with little kids, so wine country tours are out, as is Fort George (saw it in 2007 anyways).

   

Depends what you want to do, Boots. I prefer Québec City to Montreal but maybe that's just me. I posted some pics a while back...

art-graphics-f53/my-walking-tour-of-old-quebec-city-t90817.html?hilit=Qu%C3%A9bec

You can also go see... Montmorency Falls, Jacques Cartier River Park, Ste-Anne Mountain and the Sainte-Anne Canyon.

   

A walking tour with little kids... ya, sure



Buffalo is a dump, it's the new Detroit.

If it was me, I would skip Quebec City and head for the Gaspe.

   

My wife's siter and brother-in-law from Victoria are coming east in May and we'll be spending about 5 days in Quebec City and Ile d'Orléans investigating family roots.

My wife and I have been in Quebec City twice but many years ago. We've also been in Montreal a number of times.

I'd say that a memorable vacation would go light on Montreal and heavy on Quebec City.

When you say "little kids" do you mean stroller age? The old city in Quebec would be stroller-friendly with its boardwalks and with its pedestrian-friendly streets.

Don't bother with Buffalo. Been there a couple of times and not much to see. Take your kids to Marineland, Niagara Falls. Pretty good place.

When you say you know what to do in Toronto and Ottawa, what kind of places are you keying in on?

   

Don't know how much walking a four year old and a 1 year old can do - and since I'm flying out there, I can't bring along all the car sets and strollers we use here.

I'd heard about Montmorency Falls, but not the other two - will check them out, thanks!

   

Too much driving in too short a vacation.

Originally we wanted to hit the Maritimes too, but would have had to add on another week, week and a half to see even part of it.

   

My daughters are 4 years and 1 year old respectively and since we're flying out there, I don't plan on carrying strollers, car seats and everything else that we use on a daily basis here. Any 'walking trip' needs to be fairly short, as anything longer than an hour will result in me having to carry one or both of them.

I'm not sure Marineland is worth it at their age, but thanks for the suggestion (that's kind of what I'm looking for here).

Right now, we're thinking about four days in the Toronto area (one in Niagara), three in Ottawa and that leaves 5-6 for Montreal and Quebec (last two are basically travel days). In TO, we'll see the HHOF, St. Lawrence Market, the Islands, and a few other touristy things, as well as Niagara. In Ottawa, we're planning on seeing Parliament Hill and a couple of museums.

   

Here you go, then... The Québec City aquarium.

http://www.sepaq.com/ct/paq/index.dot?language_id=1

   

http://www.quebecregion.com/en/what-to- ... ttractions

http://www.quebecregion.com/en/what-to- ... y-kids-0-5

More Quebec city than Montreal for sure ! Especially with kids . People are a lot more friendly and relaxed.

If you can smuggle a few bottles of Niagara red wine for me, my wife and I will babysit your kids so you can go to the :

http://www.infofestival.com/?lang=en-CA

   

It's a challenge travelling and sightseeing with kids that age. Kudos to you.

You've maybe already considered it, but there are strollers that are light and foldable that could be checked in as luggage when on a flight. Folded, they end up no bigger than one of those foldable fabric-and-metal camp chairs. If you could find one with a nylon sleeve and a carry strap, that might be a good solution.

A stroller for when the 4 yr old gets tired, and a back or belly pack for the 1 yr old? I think that's what I'd try to do. If you can make the kids comfortable then you and your wife can enjoy the holiday a lot more.

   

I gotta agree with a few other posters, Quebec City over Montreal. Hell, I'd skip Montreal entirely if you're with kids and stick to Quebec City alone. Your kids are too young to truly enjoy La Ronde as well, and way too young for Montreal's nightlife.

There are a few nice museums in Montreal, admittedly, plus Olympic Stadium/the remnants of Expo 67, but Quebec City all the way. More child friendly too, although they'll probably be too young to appreciate the historical value of Quebec City.

   

Oh, we have 2 umbrella strollers (though I haven't seen one with shoulder straps) and the airline will let us bring them on as a carry-on for free - but it's still something to carry (my kids can't carry them) and I'm not an octopus or Arnold Schwarznegger. With our carry-ons, and backpacks for the kids - which I usually wind up carrying after the novelty wears off, it's just too much stuff.

I also have a backpack thingy for the little one, but it takes up a fair bit of space in our checked luggage - which we have to pay for nowadays. We might bring it anyways, but I won't know until we've packed.

I'm sure the trip will be a challenge, but we all need a vacation, and I've seen just about everything western Canada has to offer (some of it lots of times).

Any other ideas for must-sees? Or favourite restaurants in any of those cities?

   

The war museum in Ottawa is a must see. We spent the whole day there and only left cause they kicked us out. Parliament was well worth the time as well.

   

Another vote for more time in Quebec city, especially as a family.

For places to eat in Ottawa depending on where your staying of course.

If you're right downtown. There's the Market; tons of restaurants, vendors, buskers, retail outlets. In the Market you can find La Bottega, an Italian food store. In the back of the shop they make thee best sandwiches for a great price.

Lone Star is a Tex-Mex place also located in the Market, also very good. Beef fajitas are awesome, their ribs aren't bad either. Free salsa and chips to boot as soon as you sit down.

Bangkok Thai Garden Restaurant on Dalhousie St. in the Market serves decent Thai food.

If you take a cab up to Somerset St. from DT(15$) you can go to Mekong the best Cantonese, Szechwan, Vietnamese and Thai Food in Ottawa. Try their dumplings. Make a reservation, it's always busy.

If you want a good burger take a cab to The Works on Bank St from DT (15$). They specialize in burgers, haven't ate one yet that I didn't like.

   

While you haven't mentioned how you will get from TO to Ottawa, if you have a rental car and the weather is nice, a side trip off the 401 to the Peterborough Lift Lock is worth the small detour. It is a true marvel of engineering from 1904.



And Fort Henry in Kingston may be worth a visit especially if they have the same deal as last year. Pay at Fort Henry and get in free at Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg just south of Ottawa.

http://www.uppercanadavillage.com/index.cfm/en/home/

I don't do Montreal anymore as the traffic and roads are simply horrible. Perhaps knock off a Montreal day to explore the sights I mentioned.

And I think you may find Quebec City much more enjoyable as it is more laid back than Montreal.

   

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