Travel advice & practical information for travelogue:

'Fly & drive Quebec, Ontario, Canada'

Usefull addresses

New York

Consulate General of Canada
1251 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020-1175
Tel: (212) 596-1628
Fax: (212) 596-1790

London

Consular and Passport Enquiries
Canada House
Trafalgar Square
London, SW1Y 5BJ
Tel: 020 7258 6600
Office hours: 09.00-15.00

Paris

Ambassade du Canada 35, avenue Montaigne 75008 Paris Tel: 44.43.29.00

The Canadian Tourism Commission has almost every kind of information you need for a trip to Canada.

The national parks have their own website, Parks Canada Agency

General

In Algonquin Park there is ample opportunity for canoeing. Camping is allowed on the shores of the lakes, or you can rent a fisher's cabin. It is a great park for walking or touring by car. In May the moose go to the roads to lick up the salt. In that time you have the best chances to see moose.

The black bear can be dangerous when it visits camping sites at night. Follow the rules: no food at all in tents, find high places like trees to hang up bags with food, so the bears can't reach it.

Accomodation

Hotel prices vary from around 30 to over 100 dollar for a double room per night. Many hotels can be booked through the internet. On last-minute bookings one often gets discount. If you're traveling with a small child, think about the space you need: not only for an extra bed, but also for the child to move around.

Around the Queen's birthday (May 22) it's advisable to book beforehand. It's a national holiday and that weekend many Canadians take a short vacation.

Traveling with small children

When we visited East Canada, Emma was ten months. Canada is a child-friendly destination. Everything you need is for sale: nappies, wet cleaning cloths, baby food. It is possible that your child has to get used to the taste of this new food. The fruit jars have a lot of jelly-like liquid in them.

It's wise to bring a travel cot, a folding baby chair which can be attached to a regular chair and a back carrier. Allow the child to get used to the travel cot before you leave, or they may not want to sleep in it during the vacation.

Touring is very well possible with a child. Don't plan your trip too rigidly and don't travel long distances. When your baby sleeps, keep driving, when he or she wakes up, take time to stop or go hiking.

If your child can't sit still for a long time, eating out in a restaurant is not fun. Do yourself a favor and don't go to restaurants for every meal, but prepare food in your hotelroom for breakfast and/or lunch.

If you want to visit the US as well, keep in mind that there are strict rules at the moment. A child must have its own passport and visa. This also goes if you fly via the US.

Money

If you know which places you are going to visit, you can find out online if and where there are ATM's that you can use with MasterCard and Cirrus or Visa

Best time to travel

May isn't as busy as summer. There are also relatively few mosquitos and black flies (during the summer it's really bad). In the daytime the temperature is pleasant, at night it's rather cool. If you want to go canoeing, it's better to go in July or August, because in May the water is still very cold.

Plan your trip to Canada online

Through online reservation systems like À la Carte Vacations you can book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars and holiday houses. You can build a fly-drive itinerary with maximum flexibility, book a flight plus a hotel hotel for a night or weekend. Without the limitations of package deals from travel organisations and most times for a much better price.