Side trip to Montreal from Quebec CIty

[kruzin']

:) we plan on spending 2 days post cruise in Quebec City..My question is considering the travel time, train ride etc..would you suggest 2nites also in Montreal or 3 or 4 days in Quebec City..everything I read about these 2 great cities has me leaning more to skipping Montreal before going home. thanks in advance for all replies

[eh2zed]

Quebec City is certainly a priority and in 2 days you can certainly see the highlights. Taking the train to Montreal is quite easy. The Queen Elizabeth Hotel is connected to the train station although you could take a cab to another hotel. Lots to see in Montreal and well worth the extra 2 days. Lots more flight options from Montreal if you are flying.

[koiv870]

Do you fly back home from Québec City?

 

You can visit both cities in 2 days each but you'll either be in a rush or you'll have to sacrifice some sightseeings. 2 days is short if you want to take it cool and relax, especially Montréal. On the other hand, 4 days in Québec City might be long if you don't expect to visit museums or get out of the city and see the surrondings, for example the Montmorency falls.

 

For the ride between the two cities, it's about 2 1/2 to 3 hours of drive, by bus or car. For the train, it's about 3 1/2 hours from downtown. You have way more bus rides though (about 1 per hour against about 3) and your ticket is valid for one year, so you can take any bus at any time.

 

In the end, i'll suggest you to maybe stay 4 days in Québec City but take a 1 day excursion to Montréal. Take the bus in the morning and come back in the evening. You won't see everything in Montréal but you'll get a fell of it. You can skip old Montréal since it's pretty much like Old Québec City.

[Ephraim]

....

In the end, i'll suggest you to maybe stay 4 days in Québec City but take a 1 day excursion to Montréal. Take the bus in the morning and come back in the evening. You won't see everything in Montréal but you'll get a fell of it. You can skip old Montréal since it's pretty much like Old Québec City....

 

I called the mayor.. you are no longer welcome in Montreal! A day in Montreal? And Old Montreal is like Old Quebec City?

 

The two cities are very different.... there are similarities, but there are major differences. From the attitude to the joie de vivre. Maybe I see it more because I'm from Montreal, but it is clear to me that Quebec city is a capital, with all it's government employees.

 

If you were to say that Montreal and Quebec City are cousins then one cousin would be a womanizing drunk and the other a lawyer in a three piece suit (and if you add Toronto, an accountant.)

 

Personally, I would suggest two days in Quebec city and two in Montreal. Both will give you a taste of the city but certainly not a full picture. And certainly not a full picture of the province and it's regions. Quebec city is beautiful and quaint. Montreal is vibrant and colourful. They are certainly similar in some ways and very different in others.

[koiv870]

I called the mayor.. you are no longer welcome in Montreal! A day in Montreal? And Old Montreal is like Old Quebec City?

 

The two cities are very different.... there are similarities, but there are major differences. From the attitude to the joie de vivre. Maybe I see it more because I'm from Montreal, but it is clear to me that Quebec city is a capital, with all it's government employees.

 

If you were to say that Montreal and Quebec City are cousins then one cousin would be a womanizing drunk and the other a lawyer in a three piece suit (and if you add Toronto, an accountant.)

 

Personally, I would suggest two days in Quebec city and two in Montreal. Both will give you a taste of the city but certainly not a full picture. And certainly not a full picture of the province and it's regions. Quebec city is beautiful and quaint. Montreal is vibrant and colourful. They are certainly similar in some ways and very different in others.

 

i think you misinterpreted my point. When i say that old Québec City and old Montréal are the same, it's in the sense that they both look similar. I mean both rue Saint-Paul or Place Royale are similar in terms of architecture. There's nothing new in one or the other. I was not talking about downtown Montréal, which is very different from Québec City like you said and i think that what tourists are specifically looking for in Montréal or Québec City is the old town and not the downtown.

 

I would also personnaly recommend 2 days in each cities if he prefers to see 2 cities in a rush rather than 1 relaxing. ANd from what he said he was leaning towards skipping Montréal so that's why i suggest him the 4 days in Québec City with a 1 day excursion to Montréal.

[Ephraim]

While the architecture and periods are the same, the feel of the city and the use of those spaces are different. For example, the old port in Montreal has a rollerblade/bicycle path. The Science museum is at King Edward Pier. Not to mention the architecture museum and at the moment, Cirque du Soleil.

 

If I were to compare them, I would say that Old Quebec is more of a museum itself, where Old Montreal is more vibrant in that people go there to play, relax and see. On a Sunday you are more likely to see people with a picnic basket, guys on roller blades and bicyclists going to and fro. Not just the quaint sale of art and horse drawn carriage rides. Again, this is related to the way that the two cities differ culturally.

[Twickenham]

For example, the old port in Montreal has a rollerblade/bicycle path. The Science museum is at King Edward Pier.

 

Er, so does the Port of Quebec.

 

The Science museum is at King Edward Pier.

 

And we have the Museum of Civilization.

 

But I do get your point about different vibes of the city. Old Québec is much more part of the fabric of the city, while when I think of Montreal, it's not in terms of Old Montreal, but rather the modern, '60/'70 architecture and bustle of downtown. Although, if you're talking economic development, QC is probably outperforming Mtl per capita at the moment - lots of growth, lots of construction. But I digress... :D

[Ephraim]

...Although, if you're talking economic development, QC is probably outperforming Mtl per capita at the moment - lots of growth, lots of construction. But I digress... :D

 

It might be... the taxes from here always seem to end up there. We need roads and bridges and instead we get photo radar. Funny how not one of the experimental photo radar stations are in Quebec City.

 

Last year when I was in Quebec city I couldn't believe the price in some of the prepared food stores. In Montreal... they would be bankrupt.

[Norwaylin]

Is Cap Santé accessible by bus in Quebec City? I have distant relatives who live there, but have never met them. My father's cousin has been there and met the family. I am hoping to do a cruise in the next year or two.

[koiv870]

Is Cap Santé accessible by bus in Quebec City? I have distant relatives who live there, but have never met them. My father's cousin has been there and met the family. I am hoping to do a cruise in the next year or two.

 

not from what i know. You better rent a car. It's easy to go as you only have to drive about 45 mins from the port always forward and then take the right exit.