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Need Advise -Boston to Quebec City


Jojo27
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Booked to a Boston to Quebec City Cruise for this coming October. We are from the West Coast and have not been to this part of the US/Canada before so we want to make the most of our time.

 

Plan is to go to Boston a few days early to see the city and then at the end of the cruise, rent a car in Quebec City and drive back down to Boston. The cruise ends on a Friday and as of now, plan is to fly back out of Boston on the following Tuesday, so we will have Friday thru 1/2 day Tuesday to see/do as much as we can. Appears there are a couple of routes to head back down; through Maine or through Vermont/New Hampshire. Looking for feedback from anyone who may have done this before or lives in New England on:

 

Route idea

Must see landmarks

Great Inns or B and B's along the way.

Great town for shopping/antiques

any other fun info to share

 

Thanks and look forward to any comments.

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Check the price of a one way car rental before you make plans

 

Can you fly from YQB back to your home town rather than driving back to Boston ?

 

Car rental with a one way drop off is about $350 US dollars and we could fly home via Quebec City, but we want to spend time exploring that part of the country.

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Car rental with a one way drop off is about $350 US dollars and we could fly home via Quebec City, but we want to spend time exploring that part of the country.

 

Fair enough

It is a nice area to explore but with limited time how much will you really see

 

Enjoy

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I live in Quebec City and travel to Boston often (was there a couple of weeks ago). I've travelled both routes you referenced, and my favourite by far is the most direct - Vermont and New Hampshire, driving through the White Mountains. There's actually a couple of other variations by highway you can take - either going further down through Vermont and bypassing the White Mountains, or driving to Montreal and crossing just north of Burlington, depending on what you want to see. The road through Maine isn't as good (2 lanes most of the way) and I find that part of Maine a bit too 'rural' for my taste...;)

 

I usually am just driving through to Boston, and admit I haven't stopped a lot along the way, but I do remember stopping years ago for the night at Littleton - stayed at the Thayers Inn, which was quite charming.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I would spend a day (or more) in QC then take bus/train to Montreal & spend a couple of days there rather than drive to Boston. We plan to do that before our Montreal-Boston cruise. You could fly to west coast from Montreal or back to Boston. Check price of open jaw ticket.

 

Just another option. Depends on what you want to see charming old cities or countryside.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My Daughter and her family live in Boston.

 

 

Driving in Mass. is a royal pain. The drivers there are rude and very aggressive. Also, driving in Boston is a challenge if you are at all near rush hour.

 

 

Mass and NE are great places to visit. The Freedom Trail in Boston is a great way to see the historical sights. Those sights include the USS Constitution. Salem, Mass. can be reached from Boston by rail. New Hampshire and Maine are not far away and could be visited, although your cruise probably stops in Maine.

 

Newport, RI is another great place, southeast of Boston for a day trip.

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What are your exact dates for Boston? Have you checked hotel prices? I have researched a few dates for folksiness the Dawn in Oct and have found the prices to be very high. Post back on the East Coast Departures board for Boston hotel advice.

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With time, and if you don't mind two lane highways, I'd do the route down into Vermont, then I-91 to St. Johnsbury, I-93 to Lincoln, then 112 (the Kancamangus highway) through the White Mountains to Conway. From Conway, take US 302 through the Sebago Lake region, to Portland, then Route 1 from Portland to Boston (alternatively I-95). This gets the scenic beauty of the White Mountains in the fall (usually great color on Kancamangus), and the Sebago Lake region, then Portland's food life and history (Portland Head Light, Longfellow Museum), places like Ogunquit for shopping/antiques along Route 1, and then the history of Northern Mass. (Salem, Lexington, Concord if you swing west on I-95), and finish up in historic Boston.

 

While google routes are 6-7 hours, this route is more like 10-12, but will have lots of B&B's along the way for stops.

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  • 2 months later...

I agree the Kancamaugus highway (Rt. 112) is very scenic - just know that time of year it will be busy with other leaf peepers. Coming down through Maine is far less developed, but will take longer as essentially no highways till you work your way to Rt. 95. Portland is a great city to visit, and Portsmouth NH too on your way back to Boston. If you have a few days in Mass before and after Quebec I have a few suggestions. If you luck out with some warm weather I might drive down to Cape Cod. It's off season so no one is there. If you are staying in Boston, yes it is tough to drive around, park or find hotels that are not expensive. You can stay at a suburban hotel for less and use the subway (buy a 'Charlie Card') if you want to save a few bucks. There is a hotel near the terminus of the Green Line, but must be others too. I find the Green Line and Red line most convenient. Go to Park St station - major hub where green and red lines intersect. Get off and see the oldest Town Green in the country - Boston Common. You can walk some of the Freedom Trail there. That is a long walking path through the city to see lots of historically significant locations. Naturally, as a native, I've never done it . LOL. But close by is Park St church, Old South Meeting House , site of the Boston Massacre, Old Burial Grounds where Paul Revere is buried and most of all make sure you walk up Beacon a Hill towards the State House and see my favorite monument in the city honoring the Massachusetts 54th all-black regiment in the civil war - made famous in the movie Glory. If you walk over the other side of the hill towards Government Center and Fanueil Hall you can eat at the oldest restaurant in the country - Durgin Park. The North End is nearby and has great Italian Food and desserts - Mike's Pastry is tough to beat. You can see Paul Revere's house and the Old North Church ( one if by land, two if by sea) in the North End too. Hope this helps

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