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Are you guys tight on vacation days, or do you have the day to spend traveling? If vacation days aren't a problem, I'd definitely go car or train. Will having a car be a good thing or a pain once you get to Montreal? If you'll want a car when you're there, I'd drive. If having a car will be a pain (and cost money to park), I'd take a train. I think traveling by train would be more fun than driving - neither of you will have to pay attention to the road :)
I say..trains seem cool...and they are for short 1-2 hour rides..but 16 hrs....not cool anymore. That's my personal opinion..(I took a few hour train ride in Italy..and although it was within hrs after my 8 hour flight there...it was ridiculously painful) Driving 12 hours isn't sooo bad...plus it'll just be you two..vs a train full of stinky people :). Although...sometimes just forking over the cash is completely worth the time you would have lost traveling. Regardless, whatever you choose will be what you make it!! So I'm sure it'll be an amazing time!! :)
Drive. If you take a train or a plane, you then have to factor in if you will need a rental car or not to get around. Plus, if you drive you'll have plenty of time for "pit stops". ;) I went to France as a teenager and we took a bullet train from Paris to Cassis on the Med. Coast. The novelty wore off after about an hour. It's not something I would want to do for 16 hours.
The train ride sounds awesome to me!! If you don't choose that, I would drive. There would more than likely be some cool stuff to see along the way.
I used to take the train back and forth from school (I grew up in Philly and went to McGill for college) and the ride is really quite lovely and comfortable. If you have the vacation days to spare, it could be a nice money-saving option that is not as exhausting as driving.
The train sounds nice, but I might choose driving as you could have fun little stops along the way and a bit more flexibility on sights you see and not have to rent a car or pay for transport once you get there. Unless parking will be crazy. How is parking up in Montreal and the cost there?
That's a good point about parking. If you are just going to leave your car in a hotel garage, that could another $20-30 per day if parking's not included. Depending on how long you're staying, that could really add up!
How long is your honeymoon? Will the time spent driving really cut into your time?
I would avoid the train. I've only heard horror stories about trips longer than a couple hours on Amtrak. The trains get stranded for hours, toilets overflow, they run out of food, etc.
@ hotchildinthecity, That sounds terrible!! I had originally voted for train, but if that is the case...no thanks! Thanks for the info!!
If you're on a tight budget I'd drive. That is as long as you can get the time off of work and it won't cost you money that way!
I would totally drive - making a road trip out of your honeymoon sounds like such a fun idea! You'll have a chance to talk all about the wedding when you first start the drive and as you get through states, you'll have fun things you can stop and take pictures of, etc. and as you get closer to Montreal, you can start to really delve into those tourist books and look for fun things to do. I think saving the money and using it on fab dinners/activities sounds like a great idea!
Another option could be to look into the cost of renting a car to drive one way and then take a one way flight back? You'll spend more than the drive/train option but less than the flight alone option and you can have the best of both worlds. :)
FI has a few family members who travel exclusively by train, and they really can be decent. I last took a long train in the US in the mid 90s (DC to Savannah), and it was fun. Is this the price for a sleeper? Recliner?
Couple other thoughts. What's the price of train up there, then flight back? I think the train will be fine, you can sleep and relax and reminisce right after the wedding. But you'll probably be antsy taking it back from the honeymoon.
Second, with the car, where are you going to park it? I kind of doubt parking will be free. Don't forget that cost. I assume you will take public transport once there? Also, if you leave right after, will you have enough juice to drive that far? Remember safety. Though roadtrips can be super fun if you allow yourself to pull over to see the world's biggest ball of twine.
Finally, that's where my parents went for their honeymoon! And they will reach 30 amazingly happy years this October.
6 and 6 driving really isn't that bad. You can stop somewhere fun on the way and maybe spend a night somewhere?
So, it seems like trains and driving are the favorite options.
I was completely sold on driving until I saw the direct flights from DC vs. having a layover and it taking 5-6 hours. This post has gotten me back on team Drive or Train. From the looks of it, many of the hotels we are considering provide parking, but I would have to call and check that it is free (they have prices listed for valet and then they also list that they have secure parking, which could mean any number of things.)
Montreal, from everything I have heard, has amazing public transportation (has anyone been there to confirm this?) and is a very walkable, so having a car there would not be a must (so if we took the train we would not have to rent one). If parking is going to be crazy/expensive, I think a train might win out.
Sadly the Amtrak prices are not for sleeper trains, just for a coach seat (which look like they recline). We would take the train from DC to New York and then from New York to Montreal, so we would at least get to break it up a little if we went that route. I've given all of these options to the FI, waiting to see what he thinks. Thanks for all the feedback!
Many hotels in Montreal do provide parking, as do most places you would visit as a tourist! I completely vote on Driving!!! Then you could even spend a day outside Montreal up in the mountains, which are beautiful!!
Montreal driving is not bad at all, and streets are usually very well marked and easy to get around! The public transit system is also very good, and would definately be a great alternative. I lived in Montreal for university, and LOVE the city, but it is truew that Amtrak can have a lot of delays. I would vote for driving, then you have more control over where you stop, what you do etc.
@MsTerrapin: I used to ride Amtrak upstate all the time to visit my parents. Now I take Megabus bc they offer that route now.
My two cents: You will be MISERABLE in a coach seat for 16 hours. I can barely stand it for three hours up to my parents' house. The food is terrible and extremely expensive. The bathrooms are gross. The seats recline about as far as an airline seat. You would be switching at Penn Station in New York, which is literally one of the worst places ever (this is coming from a New Yorker)
I second my vote for driving. Also, once you get past Albany, New York, the scenery is absolutely gorgeous in the Adirondacks. You could stop in Saratoga or Lake George for lunch or dinner.
OK, so it sounds like trains are not nearly as fun and romantic as the movies make them out to be (which, I guess S&TC taught us as well). Who knew that there was something less fun than standing in the security line at the airport? Well, overflowing toilets and no food certainly sounds that way!
Also, if we did choose to fly to Canada, would we have to go through Customs? Because that sounds very not fun.
Omg, this is a no brainer to me, I'd drive! First of all, on any other money saving mode of transpo, you're stuck in that vehicle until the driver/conductor stops it. So if you want to get some fresh air, take a walk, go back to stop at a restaurant or store you just passed- that's not happening. I think the car is much more leisurely. And, when you're there, you can just hop in the car and go wherever you want. So you're not waiting for a pulic transportation.
@MsTerrapin: What's funny is that I'm not a driver (I haven't driven a car in 5 years) and I take public transportation every day. But 16 hours on Amtrak just sounds like bad news.
If you drive in, you do need a passport now I think, and they'll stop/question you at the border. I actually drove to Montreal 6-7 years ago. It is a beautiful drive.
I like the idea of driving, but maybe having a set pit stop on your way up? How long is the honeymoon? Also, I know you might be dead set on Montreal, but what about Toronto? There are probably cheaper flights to Detroit and you could take the boat (I don't know what it's actually called) across?
Driving seems more fun than the train, and cheaper than driving. Plus, you will have your car at your destination, which will potentially make transportation cheaper while you're in Montreal.
I second all of hotchild's points about trains! Like I said, I took one across France and all that happened. No food, overflowing toilets, uncomfy seats, too close to tons of dirty people. I think my ride was only 4 hours and it was MISERABLE.
Wedding Bee has successfully turned me off of ever taking a train anywhere longer than 3 hours.
I think driving is sounding like the winner thus far, though my FI is much more into the idea of flying. We have flight notifications set up now so if the rates go lower, we would buy a cheap flight. Right now we are planning on a week for the honeymoon, so taking some time to drive up wouldn't be too bad, I don't think.
And I wasn't too set on Montreal until my travel guide came in the mail today and I started reading it. Now I am so FREAKING excited!!
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So, my Fi and I are going to Montreal for our Honeymoon (we live in DC). We have a VERY tight honeymoon budget, so saving money is important to me, but I am having a hard time figuring out how we should get to Montreal-- the options:
-Fly-- can fly direct from dulles airport to Montreal in 2 hours for about $500 per person
- Drive-- it would cost about $150 for gas and tolls to get there, and it would take about 12 hours
-Train-- A train is about $150 per person and takes about 15 hours
What do you guys think? Is it worth it to travel so much longer to save $700? That's $700 we could spend on fabulous dinners or spa treatments, or whatever else we'll be doing in Montreal.