{"id":2321,"date":"2017-02-09T00:15:34","date_gmt":"2017-02-09T05:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventurousretirement.com\/blog\/?p=2321"},"modified":"2018-12-06T10:39:41","modified_gmt":"2018-12-06T15:39:41","slug":"canadian-bus-trip-vacation-value-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventurousretirement.com\/blog\/canadian-bus-trip-vacation-value-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian Bus Trip Vacation – Value & Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Canadian<\/a>In deciding what to do for summer vacation\u00a0last year, friends Mark, Karen and their daughter, decided on a Canadian Bus Trip where they could relax, and let\u00a0Starr<\/a>,\u00a0a local bus tour company, do the planning and driving. This post is a\u00a0result of an interview with them that discusses the 6-day trip, and its pros and cons.<\/p>\n

Selecting the Canadian Bus Trip – Quebec City and Montreal<\/h2>\n

M\"Overlook<\/a>ark’s friend had recently used Starr, and Mark liked the idea of having someone else do the driving (sounds good to me!). \u00a0Mark hadn’t been to Montreal and Quebec City so it sounded like a good choice. The Canadian Bus Trip description sounded inviting – “Explore the rich culture and
\nheritage of the historic architecture, ancient churches, beautiful parklands, and picturesque villages on this vacation that brings together the new world with old world charm.” \u00a0On the surface, it sounds like a nice combination of city and country, and you don’t need to think – just enjoy the ride. Mark and Karen decided solely on this information.<\/p>\n

This is quite different from the way Tom and I travel. I would have called the company and asked for a very specific itinerary to know the route, what sights were planned, and where I might have free time.<\/p>\n

Mark assumed they could ditch the bus for some of the tours to visit the sights they preferred. \u00a0The only way to do that is to ditch the bus for the whole day, and miss everything on the itinerary, which they did not want to miss. \u00a0They stuck with the itinerary for the whole trip.<\/p>\n

Sites, Stops and Highlights on The\u00a0Canadian Bus Trip<\/h2>\n

\"Notre-Dame<\/a>The bus travels north from the Philadelphia to overnight in Montreal on the first night. \u00a0A sightseeing tour of\u00a0Christ Church, the underground Mall, a\u00a0Protestant Church,\u00a0Mount Royal –\u00a0a mountain in the city of Montreal, Old City Montreal,\u00a0and a visit to the Notre-Dame Basilica ensued. \u00a0<\/strong>“<\/strong>The interior of the Basilica Notre Dame is gorgeous in every direction you looked, with art carvings throughout, and murals that including both religious scenes and local industrial scenes of mining and forestry.” The guide spoke of the religious and community history of the Catholic Church and its meaning to the citizens of Montreal.<\/p>\n

\"Christ<\/a>They visited the\u00a0Christ Church Cathedral,\u00a0<\/a>an Anglican Gothic Revival cathedral, and it is considered a historical monument, and Canadian National Historic Site. \u00a0What seems unique in Canada is the cultural openness; notice the rainbow flag bunting, celebrating gay parishioners.<\/p>\n

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There was some free time after the tours, but not much. \u00a0This\u00a0is\u00a0gre\"Underground<\/a>at time to visit Montreal’s famous underground mall, dug under the 100+ year old Christ Church. It is a 3-story mall built with the ceiling skylight in the Church courtyard. It is an interesting construction feat to view. Shopping in another country when the dollar strong is always a nice bonus, too.<\/p>\n

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\"Casino-de-Montreal<\/a>On the second night in Montreal, the bus took everyone to the\u00a0Casino de Montreal<\/a>.\u00a0 While the casino is a modern structure and pleasant in design, it is not as extravagant as a Las Vega casino, but certainly much nicer than the New Jersey casinos. Mark says the only things to do there is gamble or eat, as they found no shows or musical entertainment that fit between the bus drop off and pickup times.<\/p>\n

\"Old<\/a>Day 4 – Off to Quebec City, which is\u00a0filled with quaint shopping in local boutiques. \u00a0You can buy things from maple everything, jewelry, crystal, food, and more. \u00a0The tour provided a little free time to shop and walk the city. \u00a0Quebec, the French Capitol City, was created as a fortified area for fur trading, so the city started out as a fur trading post.<\/p>\n

Two days in Quebec City included several sightseeing tours in and outside of the City. \u00a0Visits included:<\/p>\n

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