help with planning a trip - New York & Montreal

[b16a2_VTi]

Need a helping hand as I’m planning a to the US & Canada.

I’m planning on flying into New York end of May next year. The trip goes as follows,
5/6 nights in New York then driving to Montreal
4/5 night in Montreal (during the Canadian GP)
Drive back to New York and fly home.

Whilst over there can I hire a car out? I’m 29 years of age, also can I drive this car into Canada? Is this an extra cost? Also is there any paperwork required to cross the border when driving, I’m a British Citizen with a British Passport.

On a separate note im finding it very difficult to get Hotels in both locations with car parking at a reasonable price, if anyone has any recommendations please shoot.

Many thanks.

[belleair302]

Driving into Canada may be an issue....driving into Quebec will be an international event! You wont need a car in NYC....so forget that as an idea. Pick up a car on your way out. Montreal is a walking city with good subway connections so again a car is going to be hard to park...remember it is an older city and during the winter many residents rely upon the subway. In May it is beautiful. During the F1 the hotel rates will go up each day and many will require a full four nights stay! Any ideas about a budget ?

[K50 DEL]

Driving into Canada is most definately not an issue.

I rented a car from Budget in Manhattan and simply told them at the time of rental that I wanted to take the car into Canada, they gave me an extra sheet of paper to show at the border crossing (I never even needed it) and that was that. No charge, no problem.

Hiring a car at 29 will also not be an issue, unless you wanted to hire from the supercar bracket, most of those are 30+

You definately do not need a car when in NYC, so simply arrange the hire for the day that you want to leave and pick it up then. Return wise, can't speak for all the companies but Budget allow drop offs at JFK if you hire in Manhattan but there is a (small) surcharge.

If you want some ideas of what to do and see along the way then the trip report I wrote for my trip is here:

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/forum/showthread.ph...

[b16a2_VTi]

hi there,

Thanks both for the info.

Agree the car hire will really be needed when driving to Montreal, great to see it can be done.
What the car parking like in Montreal? Most hotels dont offer car parking, im thinking maybe staying outside of the city might not be a bad idea, that way i could save on hotel costs and get car parking?

Your thread looks amazing!!! will be having a close read on that.

Thanks

[K50 DEL]

b16a2_VTi said:

hi there,

Your thread looks amazing!!! will be having a close read on that.

Thanks

Thank you.... I do an extended road trip around various parts of the USA every couple of years (actually planning the 2014 trip now) and I always blog the full thing on that site.... you should be able to find the other threads by clicking on my username on there... they're not relevant to the area you're touring but you may enjoy them anyway.

[agxster]

You could rent a car just across the river in Hoboken New Jersey (20-30 min PATH train ride from NY) and drive to Canada from there. There is an Enterprise near the station, the W hotel isn't too bad either and also round the corner.

[b16a2_VTi]

cheers for the info guys.

I've decided to fly into New York spend 4 nights then off a road journey (with a night in between) via the Niagara Falls and on to Toronto for a few nights of stay with family relatives then off to Montreal for the F1 race. 4 nights stay then drive back to New York and fly Home. (might have another night in New York not decided yet).

Any recommendations on which Airport to fly into New York for best transport and cheaper cab rides?

Also anyone have specific names of Hotel in New York and Montreal? Not too concerned on my road trip as there is plenty of well priced Bnb to choose from.

Thanks

[belleair302]

None of the Ny airports are any good re facilities, atmosphere or location.....Newark is better than JFK, but that is like saying Luton beats Stanstead! Loads of good boutique places in NY, way better than the larger chains and in Montreal I like the Loewes Hotel Vogue.

[Captain Cadillac]

I like Newark much more than JFK as JFK can be a real zoo, also, even though it's in New Jersey, Newark is closer to Manhattan than JFK.

It goes without saying that you won't want to have a car while you're in NYC.

The drive to Toronto is long, longer than you may think. It's a hundred miles longer than London - Edinburgh. Get a car with SiriusXM in it, trust me.

The only sane way to go to Toronto is I-80 W from NY City through NJ and into Pennsylvania. Just after you cross into PA you'll catch I-380 North towards Scranton, PA. At Scranton merge onto I-81 North to Syracuse, NY and then catch I-90 W which will be signed as the NY State Thruway. At Buffalo I-190 goes right to Niagra Falls and the border and once in Canada the QEW is a straight shot to Toronto.

Do NOT take 17/I-86 and do NOT go through Albany. Trust me on this

If you want some suggestions while in NY City, let me know.

Other caveats... watch your speed, especially in NJ (particularly as you get close to PA) and on the NY State Thruway as these roads can be heavily patrolled. The speed limit is 65 generally and you're usually safe at an indicated 75.'

Make sure you have some cash for tolls, if you can rent a car with EZ-Pass, do it.

[b16a2_VTi]

Thanks for the tips folks. Trips booked decided due to time more than anything I'm going straight to Montreal next year for a week during the gp period.

Hotels booked including f1 tickets.

Any places or any must do things to do around Montreal, give me a shout?

[humblesabot]

Closer to the date maybe? Things keep changing, and it depends on your tastes. I keep finding new things, and i've lived here my whole life.
Montreal's a pretty fascinating place. It's like a New York who's influence has waned. Maybe a good analogy is our poet laureate, Leonard Cohen. Was a strong worldwide name back in the 60s, and now lives in his small hometown, as beautiful in mind and generous in spirit as ever, but those things don't make the newsreel.

[civic44]

Parking in Montreal is about 15-20$ per day in parking lots, so it does not matter if your downtown hotel does not have parking, as there will surely be a lot nearby. Parking at a meter is 3$ per hour. The subway system is quite efficient, so if you can find a hotel with free parking near a subway station, you can leave your car behind when you go downtown or to the GP. GP weekend is the best weekend of the year for a petrolhead in Montreal.

[b16a2_VTi]

Excellent, thanks for your response chaps.

[dkatwa]

Instead of flying back from NY, any chance of flying back from a city in Canada? Just a thought..gives you and extra day to explore rather than driving along the same route again

[chris7676]

dkatwa said:

Instead of flying back from NY, any chance of flying back from a city in Canada? Just a thought..gives you and extra day to explore rather than driving along the same route again

Of course, I'm doing a similar thing with NYC & Toronto (flying into one, flying out of another).

[HDM]

Don't rent a car anywhere in Manhattan, or at either airport, get a metro North Train from Grand Central up to Stamford, CT, and rent from there, car rental in Manhattan is ridiculously expensive.

[K50 DEL]

HDM said:

Don't rent a car anywhere in Manhattan, or at either airport, get a metro North Train from Grand Central up to Stamford, CT, and rent from there, car rental in Manhattan is ridiculously expensive.

That's not always the case, I hired an SUV from Budget's Midtown location for 11 days for just over $600, by the time you've wasted half a day messing about with all your luggage on subways, trains and cabs I figure it's worth just hiring locally!