Hi All! My husband (70's) and I (60's) will be in old Montreal for a wedding at the end of May. From there we plan to go to Woodstock, VT and then to Maine. We will fly home to FL from Portland, Maine. Originally, I thought we'd rent a car in Montreal, but I have now heard that a one-way international car rental is very expensive and not widely available by many car rental companies. Does anyone have experience with a similar itinerary and some suggestions for how best to get to the US side and rent a car or get to Woodstock VT and the balance of our trip from there? Thank you!
Posted by
Niagara, Ontario
1961 posts
Flying into Montreal?
A couple of daily Flix Buses from Montreal to Burlington VT, 3 hours or so but not expensive. Rentals available in Burlington, drop-off in Portland not huge per the Autoeurope website. Dollar at Burlington Airport appears to be open on Sundays.
Posted by
Freedonia
18724 posts
My suggestion is to take Amtrak's Adirondack train from Montreal to Plattsburgh, NY.
In Plattsburgh, you can rent a car either at the train station or at the airport. From there drive to Woodstock.
Posted by
OP
Florida
24 posts
Thank you both. It also looks like Greyhound bus has pretty good access, too. Has anyone used a private transport company? Just wondering how much more it would be to go via car/van to Burlington, VT from Montreal.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
13419 posts
Just wondering how much more it would be to go via car/van to Burlington, VT from Montreal.
I don't have an answer but a question that comes to mind is, if you are thinking of a private driver //car service, there could be issues with the driver needing a 'work visa'. I wonder how many private car services go through the hoops to have that. May mean the choices could be pretty slim. ( Or I could be wrong)
A quick look shows a one way fee of around $900CDN ( ~ $650US) from Montreal to Portland Maine
Only you can decide if the convenience is worth the cost
Posted by
OP
Florida
24 posts
Holy Toledo. I hadn't thought of it that way, but very good point!
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
16956 posts
In case you have an idea about renting in the US and making a round trip to Canada, I read this yesterday on the Trip Advisor Road Trips forum. The poster is reliable and well-informed and has made many road trips to the US. I always believe his information.
Summary: US car companies are no longer offering Collision Damage Waivers on cars rented in the US and taken to Canada.
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
11438 posts
In September we are going on an Alaskan cruise with friends who live in Portland, OR. The cruise departs from Vancouver, BC. The cost of flying from Portland to Vancouver for 4 people was ridiculous so our friends rented a car through Costco with Enterprise. Pickup is at the Portland airport (PDX) and drop off the next day is at a location in Vancouver that is unknown to me. The Intermediate SUV is $163, far less than 4 airfares. A couple of weeks ago we flew to Seattle and picked up a rental car at the airport, with a drop off 4 days later at a different location, also through Enterprise. Our car was from British Columbia. Maybe Portland, ME is too far from the Canadian border?