Driving from Boston to Montreal

[jkrislc]

I'm considering flying to Boston for our Montreal to Boston cruise as the airfare is considerable less than flying into Montreal and then home from Boston. Even with one-way car rental expense and gave, we'd still be saving $450. Any pros or cons to this plan other than the time and possible wait at the border. We'd be going in a few days earlier, so delays won't be a problem.

[DanJ]

The first pro that jumps out to me is that if you have a few days, you'd probably want to rent a car, so it's like that expense would have happened anyway (other than the gas for the Boston-Montreal drive). Not sure you'd want to get off a cross country flight with a 3 hour time change, and then hop in a car for another 7-8 hour drive, but if you have the time, a night in Boston would be nice first.

[138east]

What are your exact dates? There are a ton of graduations in Boston in May and hotel rooms can be expensive if not unavailable. Have you considered the bus from Boston to Montreal? Advance purchase is $64/pp and takes 7-7 1/2 hours.

 

If you're renting a car, just be sure about the details of taking a car from the US and dropping it off in Canada.

[KirkNC]

What are your exact dates? There are a ton of graduations in Boston in May and hotel rooms can be expensive if not unavailable. Have you considered the bus from Boston to Montreal? Advance purchase is $64/pp and takes 7-7 1/2 hours.

 

If you're renting a car, just be sure about the details of taking a car from the US and dropping it off in Canada.

 

 

Interesting idea, sit back and enjoy the scenery.

[138east]

Personally, I'd take the bus before I'd rent a car. These buses only make 4-6 stops - mostly in NH and VT. No need to explore greater Boston (pop 7.5+ million) or greater Montreal (pop 4 million) to pick up and drop off a car. The Boston bus station is in downtown Boston by the South Station train station and I'm sure the Montreal bus station is centrally located as well.

 

I see you're from CA and are probably used to driving everywhere, but sometimes driving just doesn't make sense on the east coast when you're going between the very large cities.

[jkrislc]

Thanks for the information. The cruise is 5/26-6/2. We'd arrive midweek before the cruise and drive to Montreal and then a couple of days after the cruise in Boston.

[138east]

I looked at one way car rentals Boston to Montreal and they are actually very reasonable. If that's what you want to do, I'd rent a car as soon as you arrive in Boston and drive north on I93 to the Concord NH area to get a hotel in the $100 range. If you stay in Boston overnight, you will pay top $$$ for a hotel that is really not much more than an expensive pit stop and you will have to take a cab from the airport to the hotel and another cab back to the closest rental car location, which is probably the airport anyway. Even if you stay at a "airport hotel" with a shuttle, it will be pricey and probably in a more fringe area like Saugus, Revere, or Chelsea several miles from the airport. Getting to Concord NH should be 1-1 1/2 hours, but..... it may be longer if you do this between 4 and 7 pm. Post back with more details if this option appeals - there are definitely places to stay along I93 that are closer to Boston than Concord NH.

 

For staying in Boston June 2-4 or 2-5 I'd use Hotwire. Our favorite 4* Waterfront area hotel is out there for $168 - this is highly likely to be the Westin Convention Center, which is close to the pier and 1 block from the "T". We recommend this hotel to cruisers all the time and they have been very satisfied. You could possibly get the Seaport or the Renaissance, which would be great as well. This is still the tail end of graduation time so I would make a decision soon.

[jkrislc]

Thanks for the info, 138East.

 

I did check the Greyhound fares and it is still cheaper to drive than to take the bus since there are three of us. In addition, driving will give us more flexibility. I also agree with your logic of making a stop for the night on the way. We won't be in a hurry and will have the car for a 24 hour rental anyways.

[138east]

I didn't know you had three people - of course it's cheaper to drive. Seriously, I'd grab a car at Logan and get out of Boston. By the time you fuss with cabs or hotel shuttles, you can be well on your way out of the city.

[Twickenham]

Consider also the possibility of flying into Burlington, Vermont (BTV). It's only 1 1/2 hours from Montreal (I believe there's a bus from BTV to Mtl), and can be considerably cheaper to fly into than YUL.

[jkrislc]

Consider also the possibility of flying into Burlington, Vermont (BTV). It's only 1 1/2 hours from Montreal (I believe there's a bus from BTV to Mtl), and can be considerably cheaper to fly into than YUL.

 

About $400 more expensive and then we'd have to get there from Boston, but thanks for the suggestion as I wouldn't have know to check otherwise.