Québec

Getting there & around

Québec is easily accessible by air, bus, car and train. It shares borders with the US states of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Bus & tram

Bus

Greyhound Canada, Coach Canada, Acadian Lines and other bus companies connect the province with Ontario and Atlantic Canada in a seamless network. From the USA, Greyhound operates three daily bus services between Montréal and New York City. The province is well served by bus lines, including:

Autobus Maheux (888-797-0011; www.autobus maheux.qc.ca) Covers the northwest regions.

Autobus Viens (877-348-5599)

Galland (450-687-8666; www.galland-bus.com)

Intercar (888-861-4592; www.intercar.qc.ca)

Limocar (866-700-8899; www.limocar.ca)

Orléans Express (888-999-3977; www.orleansexpress.com)

Voyageur (800-661-8747; www.greyhound.ca)

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Air

Québec’s main airport is in Montréal, although Québec City is also busy. Carriers serving the province include Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, Air France and bargain airlines Air Transat, WestJet and Zoom. For flights in the Far North there is First Air, Air Inuit and Air Creebec. Air Canada Jazz covers the North Shore and Îles de la Madeleine from Québec City and Montréal.

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Car & motorcycle

Continental US highways link directly with their Canadian counterparts at numerous border crossings. These roads connect to the Trans-Canada Hwy (Hwy 40 within Québec), which runs directly through Montréal and Québec City.

Highways throughout the province are good. In the far eastern and northern sections, however, slow, winding, even non-paved sections are typical and services may be few. For road conditions, a serious factor in winter, call 877-393-2363. Note that turning right at red lights is not permitted anywhere on the island of Montréal, in Québec City or anywhere else where signs indicate not to do so.

The ride-share agency Allô Stop (www.allostop.com) offers an inexpensive way to travel within Québec by linking up drivers and paying passengers headed in the same direction. Passengers pay $6 for a one-year membership, plus a portion of the ride cost to the agency; the rest goes to the driver. There are offices in Montréal, Québec City, Sherbrooke, Saguenay and Rimouski. See the Getting There & Away sections of those destinations for details.

Regional driving distances:

Montréal to Québec City: 260km

Montréal to Mont-Tremblant: 130km

Montréal to Trois-Rivières: 134km

Montréal to Toronto: 540km

Montréal to New York City: 600km

Québec City to La Malbaie: 140km

Québec City to Tadoussac: 240km

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Boat

There are numerous ferry services across the St Lawrence River, as well as to islands in the Gulf, such as the Îles de la Madeleine, and along the remote Lower North Shore toward Labrador.

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Train

VIA Rail has fast and frequent services along the Québec City–Windsor corridor, via Montréal, and services the South Shore and Gaspésie. From the USA, Amtraktrains run once daily between Montréal and New York City.

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