Self-Drive Eastern Canada Explorer

Day 1-2

Toronto, ON
Welcome to Toronto, Canada’s largest city, with a population of 4 million. This financial, industrial and cultural center offers a diverse variety of attractions. Museums, theaters and art centers provide a cultural climate unmatched by any other Canadian city. Modern in style, Toronto’s glass walled skyscrapers rise cleanly from geometric plazas. The Sky Dome is North America’s only domed stadium with a retractable roof. The Eaton Center is a soaring glass and concrete shopping complex spanning four city blocks. Toronto’s upscale shopping area is Bloor/Yorkville. Go to the top of the CN Tower, the tallest freestanding structure in the world. At the Royal Ontario Museum, you’ll find the largest collection of Chinese art in the western world while the Art Gallery of Ontario counters with fine painting and sculpture.

Day 3-4

To Huntsville/Algonquin Park Region, ON (143 mi/ 240 km)
Today’s journey takes you to Algonquin Park. Algonquin was established in 1893 to establish a wildlife sanctuary, and to protect the headwaters wildlife sanctuary, and to protect the headwaters of the five major rivers which flow from the Park. Over the years the Park has earned unconditional devotion and worldwide fame. Hundreds of studies done on its protected flora and fauna have established Algonquin as the most important place in Canada for biological and environmental research. Visit Muskoka Heritage Place -the home of Muskoka Pioneer Village and the Huntsville & Lake of Bays Railway. Ride the beautifully restored steam train along the Muskoka River to Fairy Lake.

Day 5-6

To Ottawa, ON (214 mi/351 km)
Today’s journey brings you to Ottawa, Canada’s federal capital. Ottawa’s magnificent public gardens, stately parliament buildings, museums and galleries offer something for everyone. Take a cruise on the Rideau Canal. Just across the river is Gatineau, Québec, with its’ wonderful Museum of Civilization and Casino.

Day 7

To Québec, PQ (278 mi/463 km)
Today, welcome to the most European city on this continent! Québec City was the first settlement in Canada. The old city, a tumble of slate-roofed granite houses clustered around the dominating Château Frontenac, is as romantic as any on the continent. Because of its history, beauty, and unique stature as the only walled city north of Mexico, the historic district of Québec was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985.

Day 8

Quebec PQ
Take a walking tour of the Upper city. Don’t miss Place d”Armes, once a military parade ground. Stop at Basilque-Cathedrale Notre Dame and the Seminaire de Quebec. A must see is the Chapelle/Musee des Ursulines. Enjoy the views from La Citadelle. While strolling through the streets of Old-Québec, you will be unable to resist handicraft kiosks, renowned clothing designers’ boutiques, art galleries and gourmet groceries… You will find real treasures!

Day 9-10

To Montréal, PQ (156 mi/260 km)
Montréal welcomes you today. “Discovered” in 1535 by Jacques Cartier, and founded more than a century later, in 1642, Montréal today numbers 3.4 million people and is the largest French-speaking city in North America. Twice Montreal has hosted huge international events: the world fair in 1967 and the Summer Olympics in 1976. And the unique pavilions built for Expo as well as the Olympic Stadium are testaments to the pur creativity and welcoming spirit that drive this city.

Day 11

To Kingston/1,000 Islands (179 mi/298 km)
Travel today to Kingston, gateway to the spectacular Thousand Islands Region. See Fort Henry, a majestic 19th Century British Military Fortress. Discover Canada’s nautical heritage at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes. Board a riverboat for a scenic tour or dinner cruise tonight.

Day 12-13

To Niagara Falls, ON (190 mi/330 km)
End your holiday in spectacular fashion in Niagara Falls. There is something about this place that appeals to the lover, daredevil and poet in everyone. At the falls, its sudden drop creates one of the most spectacular waterfalls on the continent. While here, you may want to visit Niagara on the Lake, a beautifully preserved early 19th century village.

Day 14

To Toronto, ON (109 mi/174 km)
Return to Toronto today to drop off your car and catch a flight home.