Eastern Canada

The classic Eastern Canada route linking Toronto, Niagara, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City along the St. Lawrence River, best known for its red maple foliage in autumn.

"Jiadong" (Eastern Canada) is the term Chinese-language travel circles use for the classic city route through southern Ontario and southern Quebec. It corresponds to what Canada officially calls the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor, which lies along the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River and holds the greatest concentration of people and historic cities. The classic route runs west to east: Toronto (the CN Tower, the Royal Ontario Museum) and Niagara Falls, a 1.5-hour drive away (the Maid of the Mist boat and the wine-country town of Niagara-on-the-Lake); a cruise in the Thousand Islands; the capital, Ottawa (Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal, where you can skate in winter); Montreal (the Old Town, Notre-Dame Basilica, Mount Royal); and Quebec City (the only walled old town in North America, with the Château Frontenac, a World Heritage Site) along with nearby Montmorency Falls and Île d'Orléans. In autumn you can add the Laurentians (Mont-Tremblant) or Algonquin Provincial Park for the foliage. The trip generally takes 7–10 days, and between cities you can take VIA Rail trains (Toronto–Montreal takes about 5 hours) or drive Highways 401 and 20. French is the main language in Quebec, and most road signs are in French. Hotels are tight in maple-leaf season and should be booked early. Winters are snowy and extremely cold, but cities still offer plenty of activities.

Destinations

Itineraries