A plan was set in motion to do an Eastern Canada road trip in Ontario and Quebec. Surely getting from British Columbia to Ontario would be easy?
Prelude to an Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec
One of the totally weird things about Canada is that it’s often cheaper to fly through the US to get to other Canadian cities. Like a LOT cheaper. That’s how I ended up on a flight to Detroit, via Denver, from Vancouver. To get to Windsor Ontario.
It was there that I would start my first Eastern Canada road trip in Ontario and Quebec.
Unscheduled Overnighter in Denver on the way to Eastern Canada
Unfortunately, we were ‘de-planed’ after sitting stationary at the gate for an hour at the Denver International airport.
The airline put us up in a hotel for the night and gave us a whole US$14 in food vouchers.
The next day included terrible airport food in between being on standby for several flights but not actually getting on a flight.
Then getting rerouted to Chicago and being made to check my tiny bag at the gate. Then having that bag not board the plane to Detroit with me.
Hanging in Detroit Waiting For a Bag on the way to an Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec
Luckily, with the help of a friendly customer service lady in Detroit, my bag got on a flight an hour later. That meant a 2 hour wait.
I made my friend from Windsor wait with me, because crossing the border to come back again would’ve been a waste of time, right? I suggested a drive to get some food.
My friend was scared of driving around big bad Detroit at night, but realised that it was better to swallow that fear than deal with hangry me.
Windsor – Canada’s Southernmost City on an Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec
I finally made it to Windsor at 1am on the third day after leaving Vancouver. Just in time to sleep.
Windsor is the only Canadian city that has US cities to it’s north.
That makes Windsor the southernmost city in Canada.
Windsor is known as the ‘automotive capital of Canada’ which makes sense as it’s just across the river from Motor City.
The views of Detroit from Windsor are pretty amazing.
Windsor is also home to several Casinos. According to my friend, Caesars on the water front near the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel apparently had a huge problem with US teenagers taking advantage of the lower drinking age in Canada.
Sounds like a great place to avoid.
There was plenty more to see along the waterfront anyway.
Like awesome sunsets.
Awesome enough to be included in our list of beautiful Sunsets Around the World.
There was also a lovely paved water front trail with some green areas and park benches.
And plenty of friendly runners.
Windsor to Toronto via London – Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec
After a bit of time to regroup in Windsor, we set off for the 3 and a half hour trip to Toronto.
About an hour and a half into the trip, we were feeling a bit hungry, so we popped over to London for lunch.
I thought it was cool that I was in London halfway across the world from ‘the’ London in the UK.
Yes, I am very easily impressed.
It’s just another Canadian town and nothing like London in the UK, by the way.
The City of Toronto on an Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec
Toronto is quite an impressive city but I found it rather quiet, considering that it’s the most populated Canadian city.
Perhaps everyone was hiding from the cold?
The temperature was hovering around zero degrees (celsius) in spring!
Luckily, I had brought gloves with me. I couldn’t feel my hands without them.
Distillery District in Toronto – Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec
I’d totally recommend visiting Toronto’s awesome Distillery District. It feels like a quaint old town, complete with old-timey clocks and street lamps.
The best part about the Distillery District is that it is car free. That makes it pleasant to walk around even when your hands feel like they’re freezing off.
Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec – Toronto to Ottawa via Perth
The cold was getting to me, so I needed to get back on the road.
This time from Canada’s most populated city to Canada’s capital city. With a stop in Perth.
Now this Perth was a little smaller than the other two Perths I’ve visited (in Australia and the UK).
But this one has enough people to make it’s own beer.
The Canadian Capital of Ottawa on an Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec
Up to this point, I had been finding things a little cold, but hadn’t seen any snow. Ottawa changed that.
It was snowing while I was driving, making it the first and only time in my life I had driven with snow actively falling.
What I found amazing is how the snow just disappeared once it made contact with the windscreen or the ground.
Obviously it was a very light snow. My Canadian friend thought I was a little crazy, but when you’ve only seen snow a few times in your life, these things seem amazing.
Ottawa to Montreal on an Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec
Ottawa borders the Gatineau area of Quebec.
That means a quick drive over the Ottawa River puts you in the Quebec province.
Then things start getting very French.
As soon as we crossed the border into Quebec, all English signs disappeared.
Surely my Canadian friend would have no problem with that, given that all Canadians learn French in school. Right?
Well, it turns out that most English speaking Canadians forget their nation’s second official language after they finish school. Whoops.
Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec – Montreal
This of course led to some interesting interactions.
French is definitely the main language in Montreal. The locals’ English was about as good as our French.
We had stopped a local walking along the pavement to ask about the parking sign we couldn’t understand. He knew what we were asking, but couldn’t express it in English.
He stopped another local walking along to ask for help. Between the four of us we managed to work out that the street parking we’d found wasn’t free for another hour.
We also found out that locals were friendly, even if they couldn’t speak English. When they could, they were insanely helpful.
Like the waiter at the restaurant we went to who translated the menu for us when he heard us struggling.
Ultra Crazy Drivers in Montreal
We figured we could drive around for a bit to have a look at the city and come back to park later.
After driving in British Columbia and Alberta I’d found Canadian drivers to be generally mild mannered.
Not in Montreal.
I swear they all thought they were in some kind of grand prix. Racing through city streets, half skidding around corners, running amber lights.
Driving in Montreal is not for the faint-hearted.
Montreal to New York State – Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec
We had a pretty quick border crossing at the Champlain – St Bernard de Lacolle border, not far from Montreal. I was driving at that point. The Immigration Officer was a little confused about a non-Canadian driving a Canadian car into the US.
The last time I’d confused a US Immigration officer that much was when I’d driven a hire car registered in the US from Canada into the US. I’m not sure why it’s an issue for them, but once we explained that it was my Canadian friend’s car we were waved through.
Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec – New York State to Niagara
Much of the drive through New York State happened at night. We had decided to sleep in the car because we couldn’t make a decision about which town to stop in.
Around 2am I had driven as far as humanly possible and we pulled into a road side rest stop.
This road side stop was freaking amazing. It was huge and far enough away from the road that traffic noise was only a mild hum.
It had facilities. There was a picnic and camping area, as well as bathrooms and a shop, which obviously wasn’t open at the time.
It was a lot more than I had expected from a road side stop.
Niagara Falls on an Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec
What road trip in Ontario would be complete without a visit to Niagara Falls?
Definitely not this one!
The interesting thing about Niagara Falls is that they straddle the US – Canada border.
That means you can view them from both sides of the border.
In the City of Niagara Falls Ontario or the City of Niagara Falls New York.
View From the New York Side of the Niagara Falls on an Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec
It’s always been a hot topic of debate; which side has the best views? The US side or the Canada side?
That really depends on the view that you want.
The US side has a huge park that follows the water line and allows for some great views and awesome photos.
It was also pretty easy to find free parking on the US side.
Although this side is great for photos, you don’t really get that close to the falls.
Photos are cool and all, but if you want a full sensory experience, head to the Canada side.
View From the Ontario Side of the Niagara Falls on an Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec
On the Canada side, you’re almost right on top of the falls. That means you get to hear the roar and feel the spray of the falls.
The problem with this side is that it’s a lot more crowded. Finding parking can be a nightmare and you need to be prepared to walk a lot.
My recommendation? Do both!
It’s an easy border crossing and well worth it.
You might even want to consider going back in different seasons. As you can see, the falls were half ice when I was there in spring. I thought that was a bonus as I’d never seen any photos of them like that.
I’d also love to see them in summer.
Coming soon: more adventures in Canada’s Eastern Provinces
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20 Replies to “Eastern Canada Road Trip in Ontario and Quebec”
We visited Montreal several years ago, and found it to be a very interesting city with excellent restaurants. I do not remember that people drove particularly aggressive, but maybe that is because I survived driving in Miami, LA and Central America and nothing can scare me easily anymore.
I found driving in Toronto much more daunting because of all the traffic jams during their extended rush hour.
As for Niagara Falls, I like the views from the US side, but think the views from the Canadian side are much more spectacular during the day and in the evening when they illuminate the falls.
I’ve driven on a turnpike in the US where people were speeding past me when I was already 10 miles over the limit. Montreal drivers are tame compared to that. But compared to other parts of Canada, they’re hardcore! :oP
My friend was driving in Toronto, but we only really encountered a bit of traffic on the way in. We did try to avoid traditional rush hour times though.
I love this part of Canada (we did a similar road trip when my friends got married in Quebec) Isn’t the countryside incredibly pretty!?
I have never been to the Amecian side of Niagara Falls…i LOVED the views on the Canadian side, but the food there was the worst I have had in the whole of Canada. Next time maybe I’ll cross the border to eat. ;)
p.s. OMG, that airline stole so many of your holidays days with those delays! In some ways it might be better to pay extra to fly through Canada to avoid that madness!?
Yeah, Eastern Canada is great!
I definitely liked the Canadian side better, but the town looked like a bit of a tourist trap so I avoided eating there.
My Canadian friend warned me not to fly United! Their flights always seem to be delayed or cancelled. I also had another flight through Denver cancelled and rerouted through Chicago on the way to Boston.
But at the end of the day I’m cheap and it’s all part of the travelling experience :oP
I’ve been to Quebec but not Toronto. This looks like an awesome place I will definitely need to check out sometime.
I’ve always wanted to visit Quebec and this road trip sounds awesome!
I love road trips but when I am not driving haha. This trip looks awesome. Would like to explore Canada by road. Your post reminds me of an Indian YouTuber who travelled all over Canada in his motorhome.
What a great trip and guide! Thank you for sharing. I need to get up there sometime soon. I live so close!
I’m always so jealous of people that live so close to beautiful locations like Canada!
What an entertaining read! I’ve never been to Canada or the US, but this makes me want to. That’s a useful hack on how to fly cheaper between Canadian destinations.
Both are beautiful countries with wide open spaces perfect for road trips :o)
This is a great road trip guide! I love the inclusion of so many smaller spots in Canada. Thanks for noting the Montreal drivers -tourists often get scared by them.
Canada is great for road trips!
My Canadian friend couldn’t handle driving in Montreal, haha.
Canada is ok the top 3 of my bucket list, such a beautiful country.
It is so beautiful!
These are all the kinds of road trips that I would love to do! Love it!
I haven’t been to Canada yet, but a road-trip is the way to go! Thank you for sharing!
Canada is made for road trips!
A good guide for someone planning to visit Canada. I have never visited Canada, but I will consider this, should I plan a visit. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks John :o)
Canada is a great country to visit. I hop e you can make it there one day!