Coming to Quebec City from St John

uk
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Coming to Quebec City from St John
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Hi all,

Hoping to pick your brains. Have booked a cheap flight into Halifax Int. with the aim of driving to digby then ferry across to Saint Johns. From here we plan to dive to Quebec City and head south to Niagara.

Looking on the map the most direct route from Saint Johns to QC is through Maine. Can this be done or is it not worth the visa hassle and better of driving through New Brunswick? If so, can anyone give me an idea of driving times of both routes as would much rather be out of the car than sat in it?

West Grey, Canada
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1. Re: Coming to Quebec City from St John
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Hi cathersm;

IMHO, it is NOT worth the hassle to cross the border into the US, and then have to re-enter Canada. The process of obtaining the visa waiver alone takes approx. ½ hour.

There are some car rental companies that will not permit their cars across the border, or have different pricing if the rental car goes out of the province or out of the country.

You don’t say when you are planning to visit Canada, or how long you will be here to complete this trip.

Here are the distances of each leg of your trip, as you have described it.

Halifax to Digby is approx. 142 miles / 228 km.

St John to Quebec City is approx. 424 miles / 682 km.

Quebec City to Niagara Falls is quite a drive, approx. 577 miles / 927 km.

Just going to these cities is approx. 1143 miles / 1837 km

Where are you flying home from ? Halifax ? If so, you will need to double the distance that you will be traveling !

I hope that helps.

Best Regards

West Grey, Canada
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99 reviews
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2. Re: Coming to Quebec City from St John
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Hi cathersm;

Sorry…I forgot to mention that Quebec City is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year.

If you’re planning to visit this summer, and haven’t already made hotel reservations, I STONGLY suggest making your reservations NOW !

Some people have already reported having difficulty getting the dates / places they want for this summer.

Best Regards

Atlantic Canada
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3. Re: Coming to Quebec City from St John
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I've done both itineraries between southern New Brunswick and the province of Quebec, and the Transcanada is much more quicker and convenient.

If you travel on a budget, you might want to know that even with the rising price of fuel, it is less expensive to drive your car to southern New Brunswick from Halifax than taking the ferry.

How much time do you have? You have a lot on your plate :)

Surrey, Canada
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4. Re: Coming to Quebec City from St John
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Just so you know: Québec City > Niagara represents a 10 hour drive minimum, stopping exclusively to fill up. It's doable, just need to leave early and factor in the rush hour periods in Montréal (AM) and Toronto (end of working day) - you do not want to be caught in one or the other.

Ontario, Canada
Destination Expert
for Toronto, Quebec City
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5. Re: Coming to Quebec City from St John
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eirelover makes a great point. Choose your travel time wisely as you could easily lose a couple of hours in traffic, between traffic tie ups in Montreal and the Ontario leg of your trip. If you land in either during rush hour you will not be a happy camper. If you can do it, the earlier you depart in the morning the better (even 5:00 a.m.)

uk
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6. Re: Coming to Quebec City from St John
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Thanks all, sounds like it is through New Brunswick then! Not completely mad - I have 3 weeks holiday to get from Halifax to Niagra, flying into Halifax, out of Toronto in late September / early October.

Will drive form Saint John to QC through New Bruswick now - is it a pretty drive, hoping to do it in a day, to see mre of QC. Any good break / lunch stops?

( Thank you all - v helpful people!)

7. Re: Coming to Quebec City from St John

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