Discover the best things to do and see on a Canada road trip from Niagara Falls to Quebec City.
If you love road trips and traveling abroad, but are too scared to drive around other countries (have you seen how they drive in Rome?!) going on a Canada road trip is ideal. When you cross the border, you’ll barely notice a difference – the highways and streets look pretty similar to the U.S. and the signage is easy to understand – but you’ll get to see another country, experience French-Canadian culture and take in some of Canada’s most gorgeous sights.
What You Need for a Canada Road Trip
Driving through Canada is super easy and a great way to experience another country with zero stress, especially if you go in summer and don’t have to worry about snow and icy roads.
Here are some essentials to make sure you pack for the trip:
- Passports, even for kids
- Warm layers for when it gets
chilly, even in the summer - Comfy walking shoes because
you can park the car and just walk at these stops - Swimsuit (for visiting a
Lake Ontario beach) - Umbrella or poncho in case
it rains - Snacks for the car ride
- Language translation app for
speaking French in Quebec (optional) - Itinerary of where to go and
what to see
Road Trip Starting Points
Our starting point was from our home in the Detroit metro area. This road trip is perfect for those who live within a few hours of the Canadian border like us, such as northern areas of New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
But you can also fly into Toronto or Quebec and pick up this road trip route from there. Note: It takes about two hours to drive from Toronto to Niagara Falls.
Stop #1: Niagara Falls
Like the most massive white noise machine ever, you’ll hear the constant roar of Niagara Falls long before you see it. Prepare for some “goshwows” when you see this natural wonder that straddles the U.S.-Canada border. It’s actually three mighty waterfalls that dump 6 million cubic feet of water per minute into the gorge below, making Niagara Falls the most powerful waterfall on the North American continent.
Here are the different ways you can experience the falls:
- Go over the edge, on a glass overhang on the U.S.
side of the falls at Niagara Falls State Park - Face the waterfall head-on, the classic “Maid of the Mist” boat ride takes you as close as possible
- Walk near whitewater rapids, on the boardwalk along the thunderous Niagara River (called
the White Water Walk). - Fly over the waterfalls, on a zipline
or in an aerial car - Go behind the falls, on a tunnel tour
Once you’ve had your fill of the falls, there are a lot of cheesy fun activities to do on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. The area known as Clifton Hill has everything from wax museums to go-karts to a butterfly exhibit. But don’t miss checking out Niagara Falls at night when lights turn the waterfall into a liquid rainbow.
Niagara-on-the-Lake
You can’t go all the way to Niagara Falls and not visit what’s often referred to as “Canada’s prettiest town.” Head north on Niagara Parkway along the river and past wineries for just 12 miles until you get to Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL), a postcard-perfect, waterside village perched where the Niagara River and Lake Ontario meet.
Most people come here to walk the 19th-century streets and pop into shops for lavender scones, or to take in a play during the seven-month-long Shaw Festival (highlighting playwright George Bernard Shaw). The secret they’re missing out on? Going to the castle-like Konzelmann Estate Winery for a junk food wine pairing.
You get to sample sweet, salty, sour and chocolatey bites with complimentary wine. Or, you can opt to taste their selection of ice wines and soak up the stunning views of Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline from Niagara’s only waterfront winery.
Stop #2: Picton, Lake Ontario
A Victorian town in the winery-studded countryside, Picton is full of beautiful old homes, B&Bs, little shops and eateries, and a gorgeous, Lake Ontario beach. It’s on the way to Quebec and the perfect place to stayover and break up the drive.
If the weather is warm, definitely head to Sandbanks Provincial Park. There you’ll find clear water, pristine beaches and sand dunes. It’s a super popular spot in the summer! If temps are chilly, you can see what’s playing at Regent Theatre (an old-timey theater that plays new releases) or pop into quirky stores like Frugal & Company for retro finds and The Local Store for goods made by local artists.
But definitely don’t miss stopping by Kinsip House of Fine Spirits for a taste of their outstanding pine gin, maple whiskey and whiskey barrel-aged maple syrup (imagine this on a stack of fluffy pancakes!). Their small-batch spirits are distilled on the historic farm (complete with silky chickens running around everywhere), which you can tour if you like. Or just kick back on the patio with a gin fizz or other drink from the cocktail bar and some BBQ from the food truck.
Stop #3: Quebec City
With its French culture and 17th-century cobblestone streets, Quebec has enough European charm and café au laits to make you feel like you’ve gone much further abroad. But don’t worry, everyone in the tourist areas speaks English (although you’ll be greeted in French).
Quebec covers the top and side of a hill overlooking the St. Lawrence River, so walking around the upper old town area – still surrounded by 400-year-old walls – is incredibly scenic. Take your time walking along Rue St. Jean, a street lined with souvenir shops and cafes, where you’ll probably stumble upon a street performer or two – we watched a mime and then a guy who juggled fiery torches. For the best view, head up the hill to Dufferin Terrace, a boardwalk in front of the stunning Chateau Frontenac Hotel. From there, you can ride the funicular (a glass cable car) down the hill or take the stairs to reach the lower old town area along the riverfront.
Exploring lower Old Town was our favorite experience in Quebec. Here flowers cover every window sill, street vendors make maple syrup taffy and there’s a cute little square with a church dating back to the 1600’s.
The shops are better in this area, too. Definitely pop into these three boutiques:
- Boutique Martino, for buttery soft leather moccasins and boots (35 1/2 rue du Petit-Champlain)
- Boutique Red Canoe, for jackets, hats and gear from the Royal Canadian Air Force (88 rue du Petit-Champlain)
- Boutique Metiers d’Art du Quebec, for handmade jewelry and decor by local artists (29 Notre-Dame Street)
Free summer fun in Quebec
There are a lot of fun things you can do in Quebec for free in the summer. For example:
Festival d’été de Québec
We timed our visit with Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ), which is Canada’s biggest music festival. It includes 250 performances over the span of 11 days in July. There are five stages (two are free!) and an eclectic lineup – from Imagine Dragons to little-known ska bands to Mariah Carey when we went. Concerts run from 6-11 p.m. so if you’re out walking at night, you’ll hear bands playing all over Quebec.
During FEQ, there’s a festival-like atmosphere around the DeTourney Fountain and along Grande Allee (the main boulevard) with food trucks, free performances and booths where you can play games or get free food samples.
I highly recommend timing your road trip with this festival because it’s so much fun. Passes are an incredible deal – about $80 U.S. and that includes access to ALL OF THE PERFORMANCES! – and while there were definitely lots of people roaming the streets and at the concerts, it wasn’t as crowded as you might imagine (perhaps because it’s spread out over so many days?).
Acrobatic Performance
During the summer, you can catch a free circus show in downtown Quebec. The FLIP Fabrique Acrobats put on an hour-long acrobatic-stunt show (think: a lite version of Cirque du Soleil) nearly every night of the week. Check the link above to see the exact location, dates and times.
Fireworks
Six different nights during the summer, you can catch a free fireworks show over the river. The Grand Feux Loto-Quebec blasts fireworks from a platform in the middle of the river. Nab a front-row seat along the riverfront at Port de Quebec or up on the hill in front of Chateau Frontenac Hotel.
Changing of the guard
La Citadelle (The Citadel) is an old fort dating back to 1820, when the English built it to ward off the Americans. But the cool thing about it is that it still houses a working regiment there (the only French speaking unit in the Canadian Forces’ infantry).
In addition to touring the fort and the attached museum, you can also catch the changing of the guards at 10 a.m. on summer days. Besides the pomp and circumstance, there’s a goat involved! If you miss the ceremony, you can still go to see the very serious guard stationed in front of the garrison.
Stop #4: Toronto
Toronto is a mega-city. It’s big, sprawling and completely overwhelming. The best plan? Pick one or two neighborhoods to explore. For our trip, we chose to check out the hippie village of Kensington Market as well as Chinatown. The two neighborhoods are close together and both looked fun.
Kensington Market neighborhood
The Kensington Market neighborhood is jam-packed with ethnic eateries and vintage clothing shops. If I hadn’t been with my kids and husband, I could have spent HOURS on Kensington Avenue sifting through all the one-of-a-kind finds (my favorite store was Courage My Love) and eating so many exotic snacks! But alas, my family wanted to eat in Chinatown.
Chinatown neighborhood
We wandered the busy streets of Chinatown trying to figure out which of the numerous Chinese restaurants would be best. It was a tough call, but we ended up at a tiny eatery where we could see the chef pulling dumplings out of a huge, steaming pot near the front window. I forgot to write down the name of the place (bad travel writer, bad!) but to be honest I wasn’t thrilled with the food, although it came out like 60 seconds after we ordered it. If I got a do-over, I’d pick one of the restaurants in this guide on how to spend a day in Kensington Market and Chinatown.
Toronto tourist spots
We also ended up walking over to the CN Tower, which every other blog post will tell you to visit in Toronto. Why? I’m not sure unless you like doing fear-of-heights stuff like going up 114 stories and then walking around on a glass platform or hanging off the edge of the building while wearing safety ropes. But, no thanks for me!
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is right next to the tower and might be worth doing if you want to entertain kids, but it was too pricy for us given the time we had left in the day.
If you do this road trip between October and June, it would be fun to go to a Maple Leafs hockey game at downtown’s Scotiabank Arena. Hockey is a way of life in Canada!
Go on this Canada Road Trip
This road trip looks like a blast, eh? You should totally do it! Want the full-blown travel plan with where to eat and stay and the activities you can fit in each day (plus kid-friendly stuff to do)? It’s in the works! Sign up to be notified as soon as it’s available.
Because why make things harder on yourself?
Happy travels,
P.S. If you’re like me and love a good road trip, be sure to check out my Epic Las Vegas to Zion National Park Road Trip. Or, learn about 10 Awesome Things to Do in Kentucky on a Road Trip.
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