Central Canada Road Trip: 7 Major Canadian Cities in 7 Days plus Niagara Falls

Date of Visit: 14-21 Sep 2019

Canada

Canada has a total area of approximately 9,984,670 sq km.  Being the second-largest country in the world after Russia and having a population of around 38m, Canada, like Australia, is a country with a very low population density.   

Canada is so gigantic that it spans six time zones and stretches from the Pacific Ocean on its western coast to the Atlantic Ocean on its east.

Over 80% of Canada’s land is uninhabited.   Most Canadians live in the southern part of the country close to the U.S. border. 

Canada is blessed with huge masses of freshwater lakes which together constitute about 9.8% of its area.  The source of drinking water is the least of Canada’s problems.  Additionally, many of these freshwater lakes provide a source of hydropower.  According to the Government of Canada website, Canada is the second-largest producer of hydroelectricity in the world and hydroelectric stations in Canada generated 60% of Canada’s total electricity generation. 

Central Canada

Canada is composed of ten provinces and three territories.  Central Canada includes the provinces of Quebec and Ontario.  Combined, the 2 provinces have approximately 23 million residents which represent more than 60% of Canada’s total population. 

In Central Canada, Toronto, Ottawa, Gatineau, Montreal, and Quebec City are major cities where a high number of Canadians live. 

Toronto is on the coast of Lake Ontario.  Montreal and Quebec City are on the bank of the St Lawrence River which flows from Lake Ontario in the north-eastern direction to the Atlantic Ocean.  Ottawa and its adjacent city Gatineau are both on the bank of the Ottawa River which flows in the eastern direction to join the St Lawrence River near Montreal.

St Lawrence River starts from Lake Ontario, which receives water from Lake Erie via Niagara River where Niagara Falls are located.  St Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, Niagara River, and Niagara Falls can all be traced back to Lake Erie as the source.

A 1-Week Central Canada Road Trip

If you have a week, you have to make a difficult choice about where to visit so you can optimise your travel experiences without spending too much time on the roads. 

A 1-week road trip itinerary in Central Canada may include Niagara Falls and major cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City, as well as other cities Gatineau, Hamilton, Kingston on the road trip route without too much detour. 

That was how I planned my Central Canada road trip itinerary.  After visiting New York for the 2019 US Tennis Open and then a brief visit to Boston, I flew from Boston to Toronto to start my Central Canada road trip.  I ended my Central Canada road trip in Toronto and flew out of Canada from Toronto.  

Itinerary: 7 Canadian cities with a population of more than 100,000 in 7 days + Niagara Falls

I had 3 overnight stays in Toronto and visited many major sights in and around this Canada’s biggest city including a day trip to the locals’ favourite Toronto Islands and a day trip to Niagara Falls.  Niagara Falls is a 1.5-hour drive from Toronto. 

Read more about the visit to Toronto, Toronto Islands, and Niagara Falls. 

On the way back from Niagara Falls I had a brief stop at Hamilton – the city of waterfalls. 

Read more about the road trip to Hamilton.

From Toronto, I drove to Kingston, Jones Falls Lock Stations on Rideau Canal, Ottawa, and Gatineau.  I had 1 overnight stay in Gatineau.

Read more about the road trip to Kingston, Jones Falls Lock Stations on Rideau Canal, Ottawa, and Gatineau.

From Ottawa and Gatineau, I drove to Montreal and then to Quebec City.  Quebec City is a 3-hour drive from Montreal.  I had 2 overnight stays in Montreal while travelling in Montreal and Quebec City. 

Read more about the road trip to Montreal and Quebec City.

I had 1 overnight stay in Toronto when I returned from Montreal to Toronto where I flew out of Canada.

I must say this 1-Week Central Canada itinerary is a very compact one and involved a fair amount of driving, but it still allowed enough time to visit major sights in 7 major cities in Central Canada that have populations of more than 100,000 – Toronto, Hamilton, Kingston, Ottawa, Gatineau, Montreal, and Quebec City, as well as Niagara Falls. 

It was a road trip with good value for money – 7 major Canadian cities in 7 days plus Niagara Falls.

Check out “Travel and Destinations Blogs” for more travel blogs on a wide range of destinations from popular, exotic, unique to obscure.