Canada holiday advice - summer with teens

Fly to Calgary drive to Canmore, explore BC from there after a few days relaxing and enjoying the town. It's like Banff but not as touristy, loads to do there.

Quebec City - Citadel, old town tourism, nice family country stuff nearby like Ile d'Orleans. Bosk = best bike shop in the world. 

Then you have a bunch of amazing riding within an hour - Mt St Anne, Empire 47, Sentiers du Moulin... Also great gravel rides.

Is there really that much difference in travel time, when factoring in door-to-door times, particularly if you are stopping in Iceland?

For sure, a multi-hour layover in Toronto is grim but it's only about 2.5 hrs extra to fly to Calgary vs Halifax which isn't that much when taking door-to-door times into account...

(Halifax is the nearest airport to Iceland but Calgary gives you quick, easy access to the Rockies)

Vancouver was only something like 10 hours when I did it 20+ years ago.  Not sure on a trip like that I'd make a couple of extra flying hours a barrier.  I guess the Iceland stop might affect that but even so.  All that money and time, pick the best place for you (which may not be Vancouver of course). 

So, you're all saying to go to the Rockies 😀

I guess what I'm thinking is either to do a "East of Toronto" holiday, or something out of Calgary/Vancouver. 

Agree that the flight time to Calgary is 9.5-10 hours out of Heathrow (we're North West england, so there's going to be some faffing). Iceland is about 3h plus 6h to Toronto. 

Reason for Iceland is that I've always wanted to go and we had friends who did the Iceland layover thing and loved it. I've always wanted to see a volcano as well...

Calgary does look pretty wonderful. Or a city tour Toronto - Niagra - Quebec (with riding, rafting etc) - Nova Scotia...?

Great ideas thus far. Keep em coming folks!

Def fly to calgary then do the rockies. It is utterly stunning out there.  If you can then get across to whistler and van too, but there is tons to do in alberta alone (it is bloody huge)

Yeah I'd agree. For a potential once in a lifetime hit I'd find it a very hard to look past the rockies

We went back to the West coast 8 years ago having been there 10 years prior for our honeymoon. Van has really built up in the meantime, we spent less time there this time and even that felt a lot. We did go to Victoria on Van island though and I'd probably look at Van island if going back again, it's vast, largely unpopulated and beautiful. 

The Rockies are amazing, so depends on your teens as to how much they would enjoy this. 

Also, Iceland is worth spending time in, it's a bonkers place. From the runtour, to chocolate and licorice covered doughnuts, to geysers, the thingvelir, to its lack of trees. It's wild and beautiful too.

We did a 2 week fly-drive with three kids that age back in 2008. Flew into Calgary, then Kananaskis, jasper, Banff, Harrison's Hot Springs, Sun Peaks, ferry to Victoria, finishing in Vancouver. It was a package, everything was pre-booked - people carrier, accommodation, ferry. The schedule was pretty relaxed. Kids loved it, we had a great time with some really memorable hikes. 

Alternatively take trains to Chamonix or Bourg Saint Maurice then walk, bike and visit the historic sites. Give some sense to their school French lessons.

Posted by: vlad_the_invader

↑

For sure, a multi-hour layover in Toronto is grim

Jaysus, that's a bit harsh. Sure it's not the Rockies - and there isn't a legit mountain within 6 hours' drive, but bloody hell there's a bunch of stuff to do there! 

You haven't mentioned what type of holiday you want to do but... a few options:

Fly to Calgary, rent a car, drive up to Jasper, Banff, Icefields Parkway; round towards BC etc. Amazing scenery, a lot of tourists but easy enough to get away from the worst of the buses. 

Vancouver and drive (or train) - the epitome of Rockies scenery, epic stuff. 

Fly to Montreal, couple of nights there, drive to Quebec City, couple of nights there, then drive on to New Brunswick, PEI and Nova Scotia. There's some amazing stuff to see - there's a reason Canadians wax lyrical about going to PEI, Peggy's Cove in NS is iconic, and you get real variety. Plus you can go whale watching in the St Lawrence, plus there (used to be) some provincial parks around Quebec City with bear spotting etc. 

My folks did Rocky Mountaineer a couple of decades ago and she said "if you've seen one mountain you've seen em all". Besides, I've seen Under Siege 2 😁

Currently a toss up between a Calgary based road trip or something like Halifax to Toronto road/rail.

Personally I think a Nova Scotia and PEI thing would be amazing.

What worked well for us in Oz was to have a few key things we wanted to do/go to, then arrange the rest of the holiday around those points. We had a fair bit of flexibility built in, which was ace as we could take advantage of opportunities.

Keep em coming folks.

Also, do you camp?

If you're NW England, then West Jet flies out of Edinburgh direct to Calgary from Easter. You're then about 1.5hr drive to Banff, or as @kilo suggested. Stay in Canmore, as it has a great vibe and less packed than Banff. 

Posted by: nicko74

↑

Also, do you camp?

Negative. I'm of the opinion/rule that god invented Premier Inn for a reason 😁

Posted by: vlad_the_invader

↑

Posted by: vlad_the_invader

↑

 

For sure, a multi-hour layover in Toronto is grim

 

Jaysus, that's a bit harsh.

The province is known as Onterrible for a reason...😄

(I was actually just referring to YYZ, as I've spent several flights in that hell-hole. But I've also worked in Toronto a couple of times and once the CN Tower is ticked off, there's nothing else interesting.

It's also bloody hot & humid in summer and bitterly cold in the winter, which is why downtown Toronto is a rabbit warren - so locals don't have to venture outside.)

If you go to Vancouver, take the float plane trip out to Victoria and go on a fast rib boat safari.

Did the Vancouver to Jasper on the Rocky Mountaineer - Mrs DB wanted to do it for her 40th, we probably halved the age average.

We then drove from Jasper to Calgary via Icefields Parkway - it was early May, quiet roads few RVs. Hired a 4x4 and drove up to Moraine Lake which was frozen - did lots of donuts in the empty, snowy car park.

Lake Louise is very picturesque but was very busy with sightseeing tourists which kind of spoilt it.

Canmore nicer than Banff.

Calgary bit of a disappointment - just another North American city