15

If you can, check out flying into Toronto and out of Montreal or v.v. to save time backtracking - often this may be the same price.

If you have 3 weeks and 1 week is in Toronto, then you could probably spend something like this:

1. One week in Toronto (the main tourist sites can be done in 2-3 days, CN tower, a couple museums, the Toronto Island etc.), the interesting thing about Toronto are the districts, which are often uniquely different - PM me if you'd like suggestions.

2. Try to go to Niagara during the week - not weekend - it will be busy enough, but less so that Sat/Sun. While its tacky, the town is "OK" for a first time, but the falls are very impressive. If you do spend a night, then it'd be good to have a car, as the next day drive down to Niagara-on-the-lake, the village is quite cute, and nice area for vineyards. You can take a tour, drive (watch your drinking!), or bike..

3. If you fancy hiking or camping, a 2 - 2.5 hour drive up north is Algonquin Park - google it, it may be of interest to you.

4. Ottawa is worth 2 nights, Montreal 3-5 nights, and Quebec 2-3.

I'd steer clear of the West UNLESS you go via Vancouver and can get a stopover, and would like a taste of it for next time.

Have fun.

16

on second thought if you can visit the states then new york is only 55$ by mega bus from toronto return so one week would cover washington and new york as well hostles are reasonable compared to hotel my kids got a hotel room in new york near central park for $90 a night for 2 adults and 4 children had a great time. shopping macys etc.i relise your visiting CANADA but to be so close to new york and not pop over seems a shame. and washington is quite worthwhile i found mega bus makes the difference since its a bargain.

17

To clarify this mistaken statement:
"Niagara Falls" is in both the US and Canada. Niagara Falls is made up of three falls--American Falls (fully in the US), Bridal Veil Falls (fully in the US), and Horseshoe Falls (split by the border, but mostly in Canada).

Whether you say "are" or "is" is dependent on the style of English you speak. The former is British, the latter is American.

OP, if you rent a car for a trip between Toronto and Montreal, the Thousand Islands region would be worth looking into.

18

When one speaks of going to Niagara Falls, 99 times out of 100 they are speaking of the tacky Canadian town to view the 'mostly' Canadian Horseshoe Falls, not the sleazy US one.

Singular is singular & plural is plural whether in Britain or the US or Canada, if one is referring to the Horseshoe Falls only as the poster BB was then the proper form would be "is in Canada". If referring to all 3 falls on the river then one would say "there are 3 falls on the Niagara River".

19

Ah, but there are also collective nouns to consider. American English generally uses the singular form for these (there is only one group of falls), British English generally uses the plural (there are many falls within the group).

Either way, Niagara Falls is/are in both countries.

20

Outside the main large cities, there are also a lot of small cities and towns with their local attractions and points of local historical interest, and natural landscapes of interest. I am from the southern Ontario area originally, so I am biased in liking it of course. Nevertheless, when I returned to visit after moving away, I found that there was much to discover that I hadn't explored when I used to live there. So my advice is to check websites for Ontario tourism and Quebec tourism that boost the different regions outside of the main cities, for ideas on what to see. A rental car would be absolutely necessary.

Just a couple of illustrative examples would be 1) the Ontario wine route and the picturesque village of Niagara-on-the-Lake—combine it with a visit to Niagara Falls; 2) the Bell family home (childhood home of Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone)—when we visited, we were the only ones there, so we got a private tour. There are dozens—hundreds more of things to see outside the cities.

21

Rent a car in Toronto and drive north to Muskoka (about 3 hours).

Stay at one of the many beautiful lakeside lodges and have dinner watching the sun set.

Next day head north to Parry Sound and board the Island Queen for a tour of the spectacular 30,000 Islands -- there's an Arts Festival on that is not to be missed.

Wander back through Haliburton and the Kawartha Lakes.

I guarantee you there's nothing in Aus to compare to this trip.

22

Thanks for the suggestions, maybe we should look into hiring a car.

Nothing particular in London we wanted to see, we just thought maybe since we were so close that we should do it since if we visit Canada again we will be more likely to visit the West. But, if you think there's not much there then maybe we will give it a miss.

We have been lucky enough to visit the states including New York late in 2010 so we aren't bothered about doing that again. We have found out that most of our other friends coming from Aus for the wedding will be staying in Toronto for a week so we want to do that and go sight seeing all together. We are also visiting Canadas Wonderland - those rides look insane!!

When we visited New York we didn't get a chance to do Niagra Falls, so that is why we would like to see it from the Canada side (not sure if it has a different name, forgive me if it does - I haven't had much of a chance to look into this bit yet).

23

No, it doesn't. See #18.

24

Hello!

Lots of great suggestions! Ontario is a huge and beautiful province and worth traveling while you are here. Save Western Canada for your next trip (and definitely make that trip)!

As suggested, you could see Toronto, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake (rent a bike and visit wineries), Stratford, Algonquin park for wilderness, Ottawa and not suggested already, you could also check out some of the hiking up into the Bruce Peninsula. There are many beautiful trails and camping along the Bruce Trail http://brucetrail.org/. I really enjoyed exploring all around Georgian Bay.

I also love Quebec, so visit there if you have time! Montreal and Quebec City are lovely cities with interesting histories and only 2 hours from Ottawa to Montreal.

If you want to travel further north, the shores of Lake Superior are amazing, but a little out of the way. The drive to Thunder Bay is fantastic. http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/panc.html, http://www.lakesuperiorpark.ca/, http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/on/pukaskwa/index.aspx

Enjoy your time in Canada. All of the suggested places are good ones!