Getting from Quebec City to Boston

[Kopy]

We are taking a cruise one way from Boston to Quebec City in May and would like go get some suggestions on the best way to get back to Boston

[rodndonna]

4 minutes ago, Kopy said:

We are taking a cruise one way from Boston to Quebec City in May and would like go get some suggestions on the best way to get back to Boston

 

Rome2Rio site is pretty useful for such things

 

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Boston/Quebec#trips

 

 

[1025cruise]

The best way would be to do a B2B and take the ship back to Boston.

Otherwise, fly.

[Fouremco]

Another vote for checking Rome2Rio. Here's the Quebec-to-Boston link:

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Quebec/Boston#trips

[P&PNH]

We did a Montreal to Boston cruise last year, and took the bus up to Montreal.  If you have the time and want to see the countryside that was good way.  Spent a few days in Montreal before the cruise and that was great.

 

[d9704011]

22 minutes ago, Kopy said:

We are taking a cruise one way from Boston to Quebec City in May and would like go get some suggestions on the best way to get back to Boston

Presumably you want to disembark and make your way to Boston as soon as possible?

[*Miss G*]

I second the suggestion to take a B2B as the best option. Another option is Porter Airlines. Although you will have to take a connection in Toronto, it will be at the Island Airport, right in the heart of the city. There are fantastic views to be had when landing and taking off.

 

Another option, if you prefer a nonstop, is to take the VIA Rail train to Montreal and fly from there.

[Host Kat]

10 hours ago, Kopy said:

We are taking a cruise one way from Boston to Quebec City in May and would like go get some suggestions on the best way to get back to Boston

 

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[Nitemare]

Rome2Rio is ok to get a general idea of options but ALWAYS double check to see if they still work.  I have yet to review a R2R suggestion without seeing something that hasn't been in place since Covid or whatever.  I find Google Maps is more uptoday on bus lines and air options and ferry choices than R2R is, but their lists also need to be double checked for accuracy

[Rubyfisch]

We've done this on Holland America. We took the cruise line offered bus for $54 a person to YUL (the Montreal airport) and flew home on Air Canada. The cruise line transfer was cheaper than the train, and, in my opinion, easier. It's about a three hour drive.

[princeton123211]

On 8/9/2024 at 7:20 AM, Fouremco said:

Another vote for checking Rome2Rio. Here's the Quebec-to-Boston link:

https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Quebec/Boston#trips

Not really great info on here-- or at least not very current. 

 

Amtrak Adirondack service is currently suspended due to track improvements and even if it were running there aren't great connections to Boston-- essentially you have to take it to New York Penn to then take a Regional or Acela up to Boston and it can take up to a day to do it this way. The train is a fun way to get to New York but a lousy one to get to Boston in this specific case. Service resumes in late September apparently. 

 

Flying Quebec to Boston is easy-- I agree that Porter is a fun option that has a layover at Billy Bishop Airport on Toronto Island. The problem with Rome2Rio here is that it lists that trip as taking over 6 hours when that Porter trip is about 5 hours and the Air Canada flights through Montreal Trudeau only take about 3 hours. 

 

Driving yourself can take 6-7 hours. Just make sure to check with the rental car that the one way drop and international fees don't make it cost prohibitive. 

 

For me the Air Canada flight through Montreal Trudeau at a little over 3 hours total travel time by far is the best option here. And its priced right-- I saw as low as $180 pp if booked in advance. 

 

Honestly I haven't spent much time looking at Rome2Rio but if this is emblematic of what info they offer I would double and triple check them every time. 

[Fouremco]

3 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

Not really great info on here-- or at least not very current. 

 

Amtrak Adirondack service is currently suspended due to track improvements and even if it were running there aren't great connections to Boston-- essentially you have to take it to New York Penn to then take a Regional or Acela up to Boston and it can take up to a day to do it this way. The train is a fun way to get to New York but a lousy one to get to Boston in this specific case. Service resumes in late September apparently. 

 

Flying Quebec to Boston is easy-- I agree that Porter is a fun option that has a layover at Billy Bishop Airport on Toronto Island. The problem with Rome2Rio here is that it lists that trip as taking over 6 hours when that Porter trip is about 5 hours and the Air Canada flights through Montreal Trudeau only take about 3 hours. 

 

Driving yourself can take 6-7 hours. Just make sure to check with the rental car that the one way drop and international fees don't make it cost prohibitive. 

 

For me the Air Canada flight through Montreal Trudeau at a little over 3 hours total travel time by far is the best option here. And its priced right-- I saw as low as $180 pp if booked in advance. 

 

Honestly I haven't spent much time looking at Rome2Rio but if this is emblematic of what info they offer I would double and triple check them every time. 

Consider the vast transportation options in any given country, and the frequency with which schedules change, flights are added or subtracted, routes are modified, prices increase, etc., etc., and then multiply these to include most countries in the world. IMO, it would be highly unreasonable to expect R2R to maintain a constantly up to date detailed listing of global transportation options.

 

3 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

The train is a fun way to get to New York but a lousy one to get to Boston in this specific case. Service resumes in late September apparently. 

As R2R allows you to input your travel dates, next May in the OP's case, the problems you mention with respect to the Amtrak Adirondack won't be an issue if service resumes a few weeks from now.

 

I view R2R as an excellent initial resource for researching options. Once I've determined my preferred option(s), I can then drill down to get detailed current information from the transportation providers' websites. In your case, you clearly have a good idea of what the options are and which you are likely to choose, so R2R is really not a necessary step. But if you were travelling in a country that you had never visit and knew little about, R2R would probably serve you very well as an initial starting place.

[princeton123211]

22 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

I view R2R as an excellent initial resource for researching options. Once I've determined my preferred option(s), I can then drill down to get detailed current information from the transportation providers' websites.

I think my umbrage with it is that it is a bit too AI and doesn't take into account the human factor. Can you take a VIA train from QC to St Lambert and transfer there as it suggests? Sure. Would it be vastly easier, less time consuming with passport control, and more enjoyable to make the transfer Gare Centrale in Montreal? Absolutely. 

 

It's like when GPS advises you to go weird route because it thinks it will save 30 seconds but you end up turned around because it was overly complicated. 

[Fouremco]

2 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

I think my umbrage with it is that it is a bit too AI and doesn't take into account the human factor. Can you take a VIA train from QC to St Lambert and transfer there as it suggests? Sure. Would it be vastly easier, less time consuming with passport control, and more enjoyable to make the transfer Gare Centrale in Montreal? Absolutely. 

 

It's like when GPS advises you to go weird route because it thinks it will save 30 seconds but you end up turned around because it was overly complicated. 

LOL. I'm a big proponent of both R2R and Google Maps, so I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree!

[princeton123211]

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

LOL. I'm a big proponent of both R2R and Google Maps, so I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree!

Best of luck-- triple check. 

[neeuqdrazil]

Porter Airlines are very civilized, but as a caution, those local flights are all on Dash-8s, so turbo-prop planes, which are quite loud, and quite small - bring your noise-cancelling headphones! The Toronto Island Airport (aka, Billy Bishop) is small, so you don't need to worry about finding your gate - all of the gates are from the same central area. 

 

VIA Rail does have a train that stops at Montreal airport (but I think you need to change at the Gare Centrale, and looking at the VIA site, the train is about 4.5 hours), or you can take a cruise transfer to Montreal, for a non-stop flight to Boston from Montreal - it looks like Air Canada will be your only option for that flight. 

[DanJ]

Unless things change by the time the OP travels, the biggest downside to using Porter through Billy Bishop is that you have to clear US immigration in Boston. If you use Montreal, you clear there and land in Boston domestically. I've heard they are trying to get US Preclearance at the island, but haven't heard if there is a timeline for it yet. I'd also want to compare the flight times to see whether it is worthwhile flying all the way to Toronto compared to sitting on a bus for 3 hours to Montreal for a shorter flight. And yes, the Q400, while a fine aircraft, might not be preferable to fly that much in (although neither is sitting on a bus that long either). 

 

I say just book the cruise back to Boston lol. 

[Nitemare]

They've been discussing pre-clearance there for at least 6-7 years.  FWIW, clearing Customs in Boston isn't hard if you are arriving in off hours.  We landed mid day from Toronto on Porter and were landside in under 20 minutes, without Global Entry

[princeton123211]

On 8/17/2024 at 9:53 AM, DanJ said:

Unless things change by the time the OP travels, the biggest downside to using Porter through Billy Bishop is that you have to clear US immigration in Boston.

I would say thats the second biggest downside. The biggest one here is having to fly to Toronto in the first place which is significantly out of the way. Taking Air Canada with a stopover in Montreal is much faster and more direct-- it cuts 2 hours total travel time off going through Montreal vs Porter to Billy Bishop. 

[DanJ]

46 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

I would say thats the second biggest downside. The biggest one here is having to fly to Toronto in the first place which is significantly out of the way. Taking Air Canada with a stopover in Montreal is much faster and more direct-- it cuts 2 hours total travel time off going through Montreal vs Porter to Billy Bishop. 

Depending on when the flights are. I'm not going to make a deep dive on when the flights leave YQB and how long the respective connections are in YUL, YTZ or YYZ. There is also United to Newark and American to Philadelphia to compare to as well.