Canada Itinerary Proposition

[MischiefManaged]

Hi, I previously had a thread about Canada, looking for advice, After many people have replied I have come up with a mock itinerary and just want to know what everyone things so two weeks in Canada:

so beginning 4th sept for 2 weeks

3/4 nights in Ontario Toronto
1 night at Niagara falls
2/3 night in Ottawa
This will be 1 WEEK
Then second week seven nights in BANFF - However, what are people views on this?
I have seen many people stay in Canmore, I may stay the last night in Calgary though to be close to the airport on returning?

[HobosMum]

We split our second week into three nights in Banff & four nights in Jasper. Stayed at a lovely little log cabin in Banff which I can highly recommend.

[grant_w]

Split between Banff and Jasper is a good plan.
We had 3 days in each and there was plenty do there and the surrounding area.

[Melbatb]

My one concern is the travelling from Toronto going one way to Niagara and then having to go back through Toronto to get to Ottawa - which Google maps says is a 6h drive - so that is a day lost! Then another day lost travelling from Ottawa to Calgary and driving to Banff (a 2 hour drive if I remember correctly).

Now I am planning on possibly visiting Ottawa this summer (just booked my flights to Montreal this evening) so this may be a bit strange to say - but I wouldn't put Ottawa high on my list of places to visit in Canada (we have places booked on that side of Quebec/Ontario for most of the time so may just have a day or so there - but may not!) DH reckons it is not as nice as Toronto, Montreal or Quebec City! I would add a day to Toronto and have longer in Alberta. Or stay in the East!

I am a firm Quebec fan - highly underated! There is a lot of fantastic scenery and wlderness and lakes (over 2000!) And generally cheaper than Ontario and the west coast! Banff is very lovely though!

[metaldud]

Originally Posted by Melbatb

My one concern is the travelling from Toronto going one way to Niagara and then having to go back through Toronto to get to Ottawa - which Google maps says is a 6h drive - so that is a day lost! Then another day lost travelling from Ottawa to Calgary and driving to Banff (a 2 hour drive if I remember correctly).

Now I am planning on possibly visiting Ottawa this summer (just booked my flights to Montreal this evening) so this may be a bit strange to say - but I wouldn't put Ottawa high on my list of places to visit in Canada (we have places booked on that side of Quebec/Ontario for most of the time so may just have a day or so there - but may not!) DH reckons it is not as nice as Toronto, Montreal or Quebec City! I would add a day to Toronto and have longer in Alberta. Or stay in the East!

I am a firm Quebec fan - highly underated! There is a lot of fantastic scenery and wlderness and lakes (over 2000!) And generally cheaper than Ontario and the west coast! Banff is very lovely though!

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Me and my wife absolutely loved Ottawa so many beautiful stops to make and with it being Canada's 150th birthday year they have many events going on in the capital with a massive show come July 1st.

[Melbatb]

Originally Posted by metaldud

Me and my wife absolutely loved Ottawa so many beautiful stops to make and with it being Canada's 150th birthday year they have many events going on in the capital with a massive show come July 1st.

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I may well eat my words! I know Tony liked it too.

[tonymc]

Originally Posted by Melbatb

I may well eat my words! I know Tony liked it too.

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Ketchup with those words?

TBH, we enjoyed all of the locations we stayed at because they were quite different.

Ottawa I would say was more relaxed than Toronto, and our three days there was probably just the right amount of time for the city as it is quite small and compact.

When we visited Niagara, we originally had a night booked there, but we eventually extended our Toronto stay an additional night, then simply drove to and from Niagara in the day, then onwards to Picton the following day.

Another option for the OP could be to drive to Toronto Airport then get a flight to Ottawa. Checking the ITA site, there look to be at least two flights/hour between the two airports operated by WestJet, Air Canada or Porter Airlines. Flight time is just over an hour.

There are also direct flights from Ottawa to Calgary, but as we found when flying Ottawa-Vancouver, the direct flights tend to leave early morning (around 06:00) or late afternoon (16:00 onwards). We ended up with a connecting flight through Toronto, which still got us to Vancouver around lunchtime.

[MischiefManaged]

I should have said we would be flying from Toronto to Calgary to go to Banff - I'm so new to planning this haha...

I am not too keen on getting a car, so is Ottawa too far to go to then for not driving? Should I stay closer to Toronto/Niagara etc somewhere where I can catch a train.. we both can drive but I am not too keen on driving there at all really..

[Lulu-Belle]

I lived in Banff for a year and it is a beautiful place. Canmore is lovely too and may be cheaper to stay. You will defiantly want to visit Lake Louise and if you can stretch to a trip to Jasper.

In Banff, you have the natural sulpher springs that are great and the cable car up Sulpher mountain.

Sounds like you have an amazing trip booked.

[grant_w]

It snowed when we went up Sulphur mountain - in June