Train from Quebec City to Montreal and where to stay in Montreal

Posted by JR (Gulf Coast, usa) on 09/05/24 06:18 PM

After 4 nights this October in Quebec, we will be heading to Montreal for one day/night before our flight at 8 am the next morning. We have heard that the train is a nice trip form Quebec City, but it does eat up 3 hrs. Is it worth it? Scenery? The other option is flying, but we will be doing that on the first leg of our trip after arriving in Montreal (1 hr. layover).

We have been doing some reading of downtown vs. Old Town. Would we be better off staying near the airport and Ubering in to the Old Town for the day/evening? Recommendations on hotels?

Posted by Bon voyage!

West Coast

09/05/24 07:11 PM

145 posts

I did this in reverse from your plans, taking the train from Montreal to QC. It was comfortable and relaxing, and certainly pretty along the way with farmlands but- just my opinion and also, I live on the US West Coast for being spoiled for scenery- for me, it wasn't spectacular views out the windows.
OTOH, you do lose insidious time for what seems like that hour flight, getting to the airport and etc. it's probably about the same, either way?
If there is luggage storage at the Montreal station you could just keep your bags there and then walk around the Old Town area and use the train or taxi to the airport after dinner?
Just a thought and hopefully you'll get more advice!

Posted by CJean

Ontario, Canada

09/05/24 08:02 PM

5320 posts

I don't think flying would be very efficient. The airport is at best a 30 min drive from central QC. And the Montreal airport is an hour drive from the center, if you're lucky, and traffic can be brutal. The Via rail train stations are well located within the center of both cities.

With such an early departure, unless there is something in Montreal you really want to see, you might want to just take a mid or late afternoon train and then stay at an airport hotel that night.

Posted by JR OP

Gulf Coast, usa

09/05/24 09:50 PM

1185 posts

Thank you for the responses. I think we will take your advice and either store luggage at the train station and do Old Town or just leave later in the day from QC, then head to an airport hotel.

We didn't realize the airport in QC is 30 minutes away. We arrive in Montreal at 5 pm and our flight to QC is at 6 pm and we are very nervous about making that connection. We figured if we could do an hours connection in Paris from the US to a flight to Nice, we could do this. I guess a lot depends on how the immigration is. If we miss that flight, the last train to Quebec City leaves at 6:25 pm. I am not sure how far the train station is from the airport, but guessing it's far. I heard there is a bus we could try and catch if that happens, but need to look in to that schedule and where you could get it at. We made a reservation in QC so we could wake up there our first night.

Should we book our return train ticket now? Do they sell out? We had trouble getting hotels in QC as everything is booked up. I think there is a marathon going on the days we are there.