Work trip to Toronto and Fredericton - recommended sightseeing?

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filtercore

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I'll be travelling for work to New York > Fredericton (Canada) > Toronto. Have around 5-7 days up my sleeve in Canada for extra sightseeing. Any recommendations, especially for seeing some of Canada's beautiful nature?

I'll be flying home via LAX so it's no issue to fly to the West Coast of Canada.

I've already visited Vancouver Island and loved it, in fact I wouldn't be opposed to going back there for a second visit... but maybe it's time for somewhere new.

Bonus points if I can see bears somehow. Bears rule.
 
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Sounds like a nice trip. The bears, I can't help you with. However I will offer up a few things about Fredericton & Toronto.

Fredericton - very small, apparently around 100K population, but pretty city. We only spent 1 night there but did notice that there were lots of nice restaurants in town. The city is on a lovely site on the Saint John River with nice riverside walks. If you are history buff there are some nice old "colonial" buildings in the centre of town - around Officers Square. Also, visit the "Old Burial Ground", which is only about 5 minutes walk from the centre of town, and contains the graves of "Empire Loyalists" who supported the British side in the US War of Independence and then fled to British Canada Plus numerous British soldiers and dignitaries from 1787 until the late 19th Century. We visited there on a dark, rainy day which made it suitably eerie.

The area around it seems to be the "covered bridge" district of Canada. The worlds longest one, 391 metres, is just up the road (about 70 minutes drive) at Hartland Bridge. There are others scattered around.

It is about a 2.5 hour drive to the Hopewell Rocks in the Bay of Fundy to see the "Flowerpot Rocks" and the world's highest tides.

Toronto - of course it is a huge city with lots to offer. We enjoyed walking around the various districts which seem to be quite well defined areas.

Kensington Market is the "alternative lifestyle" area with lots of strange and interesting foods (and people). We had an Italian/Jamaican meal there and there was also German/Thai etc on offer. Plus a cannabis dispensary. There is also a large Chinatown next door to Kensington Market and a nice Greektown and other ethnic areas.

The Distillery District is "the largest collection of Victorian-era industrial architecture in North America". It covers the site of what is claimed to have once been the worlds largest distillery. The area is very trendy and is filled with cafes, restaurants, showrooms etc. All of these areas are easy to get to by trams or the underground - and you can buy combined day passes for the buses, trams & underground.

An obvious day trip is to Niagara Falls - either by bus tour, train or hire car. We took a bus tour and it was pretty well done - we were on one of the smaller ones with only about 18 people.

In Toronto you could, depending on the time of year, go see a Blue Jays baseball game or a Maple Leafs Hockey game. Or visit the "Ice Hockey Hall of Fame". A pleasant day out is to catch the ferry to the "Toronto Islands" - about a 15 minute trip out onto Lake Ontario. It gives you great views of Toronto and there are huge park & beach areas to walk or bike around.

Obviously, there is more to do but these are just a few hints.





 
What time of year? (I know bears and Canada pretty well :) ) Do you have 5-7 days completely clear of work commitments in Frederickton & Trana and can travel out of those areas? And I think you meant west rather than east in the second para?

<Starts preparing lists>
 
@OzDuck, thank you! That's a wonderfully thoughtful reply. I seem to be turning into a history buff over the last few years, so this is wonderful. Niagra Falls and Toronto Island in particular sound fantastic.

What time of year? (I know bears and Canada pretty well :) ) Do you have 5-7 days completely clear of work commitments in Frederickton & Trana and can travel out of those areas? And I think you meant west rather than east in the second para?

<Starts preparing lists>

You legend! It's timed for late June/early July. Basically I've got half a day of work commitments in Frederickton at the start of my Canadian visit, and I need to slot in a day of work in Toronto somewhere. Other than that, I can plan around things as I wish so it's 5-7 days completely clear. Can absolutely travel out of those areas, and oops - yes, I meant west :) Edited. Thank you so much in advance.
 
Middle of Summer - things are going to be crowded, especially on the roads, and a bit pricey. You should get booking as soon as possible.

Canada is huge, and diverse as Australia so it will be best to choose an experience type and confine yourself to one, maybe 2 areas.

The 'Maritimes' - New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island (PEI), Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia - are very pretty, quaint and scenic; sort of a New Zealand or Tasmania vibe. Nova Scotia would be the pick of the bunch, in my experience for 2-3 days. Great place to see moose and the occasional bear. You could even venture into coastal Maine. If you like crayfish (lobster) this is the place for you. just ask drron and mrs.dr.ron (see their trip reports).

Churchill in Northern Manitoba is the place to see polar bears, but summer isn't the best time. there's at least one Trip Report on AFF about the bears at Churchill. I don't think summer would be a good use of your time.

Undoubtedly the best part of Canada in summer is the Rocky Mountains. For an almost first timer, this would be my choice and 5-7 days is a good period of time. the 'classic' itinerary is to take the Rocky Mountaineer train from Vancouver to Jasper, then drive down the Icefields Parkway to Banff and Lake Louise, and then to Calgary and fly out. I would definitely recommend looking at adding, from Banff, to drive down Highway 93 to radium Hot Springs (very scenic, very high chance of seeing bears on the road side), then up H95 to Golden, then head back east on Highway 1. That might be a bit too much driving, though, especially with the crowded roads in summer.

Another alternative would be, at Banff, take Highway 1 all the way back to Vancouver. Bears are less common along Highway 1 and the opportunities to pull over and observe them are limited.

The Icefields Parkway and Highway 1 in the Rockies are amazing, with many walks and scenic points.

if you really wanted to see bears, Alaska is the place! I went to Brooks Falls for just 2 days (see trip report in the footer) but there are heaps of other places. See here for example. Obviously research this carefully, with respect to timing. if you go too early, and the salmon are late, the bears won't be active or numerous (but you will still see them). It'll cost ya.

Happy to fill in more detail on particular areas.
 
Niagara falls is close to Toronto.... nice day trip
Baseball game - Blue jays
 
The 'Maritimes' - New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island (PEI), Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia - are very pretty, quaint and scenic; sort of a New Zealand or Tasmania vibe.

I was investigating this, and it really is very pretty; although perhaps not at the top of my Canada list. As you say, it's got a very similar vibe to something I can find closer to home.

Undoubtedly the best part of Canada in summer is the Rocky Mountains. For an almost first timer, this would be my choice and 5-7 days is a good period of time.

Now this looks wonderful! The Rocky Mountaineer looks a bit out of my price range, so I'm wondering if I can more or less drive this whole route. As much as I love mountains, I hate driving around winding sheer drops, so I'd need to get over that fear :) How challenging would you rate the roads? Regardless, looks like this is the top of my list.

Given that the Yukon looks really pretty too, I'm wondering if I'm better served saving the whole Rocky Mountain/Yukon/Alaska trip for a more extended, dedicated holiday? My partner will be coming along on this trip and he's never been to Canada, so Vancouver Island would be a new experience for him, at least.
 
@OzDuck, thank you! That's a wonderfully thoughtful reply. I seem to be turning into a history buff over the last few years, so this is wonderful. Niagra Falls and Toronto Island in particular sound fantastic.

Thanks filtercore -as an appetiser a couple of photos of Fredericton (Burial Ground & Officers' Square) & Toronto (from The Islands).

DSCN1203.jpg
P1060388.jpgP1060372.jpg
 
<snip>
Now this looks wonderful! The Rocky Mountaineer looks a bit out of my price range, so I'm wondering if I can more or less drive this whole route. As much as I love mountains, I hate driving around winding sheer drops, so I'd need to get over that fear :) How challenging would you rate the roads? Regardless, looks like this is the top of my list.

Given that the Yukon looks really pretty too, I'm wondering if I'm better served saving the whole Rocky Mountain/Yukon/Alaska trip for a more extended, dedicated holiday? My partner will be coming along on this trip and he's never been to Canada, so Vancouver Island would be a new experience for him, at least.

You can definitely drive the Rocky Mountains. In fact when the issue has come up before, I've always suggested driving, not train, but most people appear to prefer the train. The leg from Vancouver to Jasper isn't the best part, either.

In this case the trip becomes (you can do it from either end):

Vancouver / Kelowna (Highway 97) OR Kamloops (Highway 1) - choose Kelowna if you are a wine drinker / Revelstoke /Golden / Lake Louise / detour up the Icefields parkway Highway 93 and either stay an night in Jasper or only go as far as the Columbia Ice fields and make it a day trip / back to Banff / Calgary

Those aren't suggested stops, but could be. Revelstoke to Golden is only a few hours, but its all mountains!

I used to live in Toronto ("Trana") and its a nice city, but I wouldn't waste sight-seeing time there. Maybe a day trip to Niagara (and Niagara-on-the-Lake).

Roads are excellent. I've driven them so much I can't recall the 'winding sheer drops' being an issue, but its Highway 1 in Canada, so well engineered! Don't 'save up' the Rockies for the wider Yukon etc trip. About a week is perfect for this part of Canada and Yukon and Alaska will take all the other time you can give them.

And if OZDUCK is plugging for Trana and Frederickton, all I can say is ... cop this :) (Peyto Lake, Icefields Parkway - from the car park!)

Peyto Lake 1.jpg
 
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And if OZDUCK is plugging for Trana and Frederickton, all I can say is ... cop this :) (Peyto Lake, Icefields Parkway - from the car park!)

View attachment 90055[/QUOTE]

Absolutely beautiful - but where is the human story?:)

(Seriously a fabulous photo - and just from the car park! There is just so much to see in Canada and so little time and money!)
 
Ah wonderful, thank you both! I really appreciate the thoughtful, personalised, friendly advice here. Rocky Mountains it is! Off to find those bears...
 
Good choice. Do not underestimate the traffic issue though, nor accommodation availability without forward reservations. Making an early start every day will help a lot. Most travellers have (young) families, so they seem to all hit the road about 10am. 90km/hr speed limit within Canadian national parks, and the parks have their own speed cops. I usually sit on 100, except for either side of Banff & Lake Louise turn-offs where the cops are always about ;) .

This site will be your friend in planning (go to 'Plan Route') and during the drive (for traffic jams, works etc): Drive BC

My own suggestions for overnighting would be Kelowna, Salmon Arm and/or Revelstoke, Golden (the town proper, not the highway strip of motels and take-aways!), Lake Louise and/or Banff (side trip up and down the Icefields Parkway). Each segment not long drive-time, so plenty of opportunity for stopping and sightseeing.

Bear tip. The easiest way to see a bear off the side of the road is to see where a bunch of cars have pulled over, about a mile in front of you! Although I have had a bear simply amble across Highway 1 in front of me.

Coffee tip. Wild Four Café in downtown Banff.

When you drive across the Blaeberry River bridge, about 10km NW of Golden, you'll see a big blue building. Toot your horn and I'll give you a wave if I'm there :)

Blaeberry.jpg
 
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