Roadtrip beginning and ending in Toronto (Can)

[jessie88]

Hi All,

We, a couple from Holland really need your help. End of August we are going on a roadtrip for 16 days starting end ending in Toronto. We would like to see Toronto offcourse, then the falls, Pittsburg, Washington, Amish country, Philadelphia, NYC and Boston. Are there people who already experienced such thing? Or Americans who can help with setting up a good road plan ; )?

Plan so far:

22 august - Day 1 | Toronto
23 august - Day 2 | Toronto
24 august - Day 3 | Falls
24 august - Day 3 | Pittsburgh
25 august - Day 4 | Washington
26 august - Day 5 | Washington (including Amish Lancaster)
27 august - Day 6 | Philadelphia
28 august - Day 7 | NYC
29 august - Day 8 | NYC
30 august - Day 9 | NYC
31 august - Day 10 | Boston
1 september - Day 11 | Boston (including White Mountain Forest)
1 september - Day 11 | Montreal
2 september - Day 12 | Montreal
3 september - Day 13 | Kingston
4 september - Day 14 | Toronto
5 september - Day 15 | Toronto

What do you guys think of this? We maybe wanted to see a bit more nature, so we we're thinking of skipping Kingston, Montreal or both (day 12, 13) to visit Algonguin Provincial Park. Is this plan reasonable? Holland is a very small country so it takes some time to getting used to the big distances ; )

Thanks in advance.

[landmariner]

Greetings Jessie,

Whenever I see New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., grouped together for a automobile roadtrip I begin to shiver and quake. My guess is that most of the places you would want to visit in those three cities are best accessed via mass transit (subway/underground or buses) for intracity and trains intercity. I can't comment on Boston, but it is part of the highly articulated intercity train network of Boston-NYC-Philadelphia-DC. Amish Country is best accessed by renting a car for a day or two from Philadelphia. Traffic between the cities, toll roads, and parking fees all argue against renting a car for visiting those cities. My two cents!

Toronto, Niagara Falls and Montreal make for a great loop trip via automobile (Toronto - Niagara Falls - Albany, NY - Adirondacks and/or White Mountains - Montreal - Toronto).

[Lifemagician]

Hi Jessie, and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

Considering you already have four days in Toronto, you may want to allow a little more time at the Falls, especially if you would like to do a trip on the Maid of the Mist, from either side, or the walk behind the falls from the Canadian side. There is also an IMAX theatre on the Canadian side, which has a fascinating movie on the history of the falls. Well worth seeing.

To do a loop trip, as you have planned is probably the most economical way to do a road trip, as it avoids the one way fee, and often gets you a better deal.

However..... there are cities which are not car friendly. If you know what parking is like in Amsterdam, especially as you get closer to 'het centrum', then you will be able to relate to parking in some of the cities on the east coast. Here's how I suggest you handle them.

In Boston, be sure to get accommodation with free parking, and close to a railway station. Boston has good public transport, with which you can see all the sites, and experience Boston in a great way.

NYC - I have found that parking in one of the parking garages in New Jersey, near a railway station. works well Some railway stations have long term parking for up to three days, at a very affordable price. You will not want to take your car into NYC where parking is scarce and expensive.

Washington, is much the same as Boston. Get accommodation with free parking, and take public transport to go see the sites. Again, parking is hard to find near the national monuments and main sites, and expensive when you do find it. Public transport is efficient.

Although I have not spent a great deal of time in either Philadelphia or Pittsburg, I have never found parking there a huge problem. It is like most cities where you will find a spot if you look. Neither am I familiar with their public transport systems.

There is quite a lot of nature and scenic routes along your travels. Check out the Finger Lakes, The Catskill Mtns, the Adirondack Mtns. and the east coast north of Boston. There are also many scenic routes, including interstate highways I-88 and I-86.

It is true that the coastal cities are well served with the train, both Amtrak and commuter. You will have to do some research to see if taking the train part of the way, and car part of the way, which is cheaper, taking into account extras such as the one way drop fee. As well, you have the extra issue that a car picked up in Canada cannot be left in the USA - and when you find a company which will allow it, it is at a huge cost.

Lifey