4 Cities in 10 Days - from Ontario to Quebec - Staff visit by Sarah Jennings

The comfort of the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto and the polite and professional welcome was much appreciated after the flight. Toronto on a Sunday is quiet and thus was a nice way to ease into the holiday, exploring its towered streets and enjoyed a visit to the CN tower for the fantastic views across Lake Ontario all the way to Niagara. The harbour and St Lawrence street market were worth a stroll The food, as in all places we visited was excellent, especially The Armadillo restaurant on Front Street. After a very romantic proposal David & I concluded our Toronto visit with a visit to Niagara Falls with Toronto Tours who made the trip even more special.

We took the train to Kingston, enjoying the great views over the St Lawrence; Kingston was quiet but this added to the relaxed feeling of our trip. A bit of exploration revealed some good shopping, including the harbour front street market which offers food from around the world. The Radisson hotel housed the best restaurant in Kingston with excellent food and brilliant views over the river. We also visited the Kingston Brewing Company where we had to try their home-brewed beer!

A slightly longer train journey, but no less comfortable, took us up into the snow-clad countryside of Québec. Québec City was much busier than our previous two cities, but the Auberge St Pierre set in the heart of the old city provided somewhere quiet to rest. The staff were especially helpful advising us on must visit restaurants and what to see and do. The deep snow made the city enchanting and the old city in particular definitely feels more continental than Canadian. We visited the Citadel and other historical attractions in Québec, learning a bit about the colonial struggles that this part of Canada experienced.

Our final part of the holiday was spent in Montréal, which was a much more bustling city than Toronto. The choice of things to do was enormous, so we chose to visit the Biodôme first. This was an excellent opportunity to come close up against nature and even presented the chance to have a conversation with explorers at the South Pole. This whirlwind trip was a good introduction to what Eastern Canada has to offer and is perfect for deciding where to go next time round!