Itinerary Canada

3 weeks Canada with the kids, the beginning of an adventure

First time overseas for the kids, first RV vacation... this was all very exciting and we didn't know what to expect, but it turned out even better than we could imagine, so it was the beginning for us of our adventure to explore the whole world with our children.

3 weeks Itinerary Canada

We fly with British Airways from Brussels to Toronto with a stop in London. In Toronto we stay in a hotel for three days. This way we can visit the city of Toronto and get used to the time difference. I fear that this would be difficult for the children, but in the end they turned out to be much more flexible than us.

Day 1-2-3-4: Toronto

Toronto is a bustling metropolis that is home to a diverse range of people, cultures, and industries. As the capital of Ontario, Toronto is the largest city in Canada and is one of the most important economic hubs in the country. With a population of over 6 million people, Toronto is a vibrant and dynamic city that offers an endless array of entertainment, cultural, and business opportunities.

What to do in Toronto with kids?

To be honest, this city charmed to us the least of all the places we visited during this trip. There was a public transport strike which made it difficult for us to move arround.

We visited the following places:

The CN Tower: the best view over the area, not a good idea if you are afraid of heights
The Royal Ontario Museum: beautiful building, interesting museum, even for small kids
St. Lawrence Market
Roy Thomson Hall
Take a walk or bike ride on the Martin Goodman Trail - a scenic path along Lake Ontario
... and we spent a lot of time wandering around and eating icecreams

Day 5: Toronto - renting an RV - first stop: Brighton

After three days we can pick up our RV that we rent from Cruise Canada. We just watch an introductory video, get some practical information and we are ready to go! We had chosen a 6 person RV, so that we would certainly have enough space and this turned out to be the right decision: RV's are wider than the European models, the children immediately feel at home in their new house!! A quick restock at the nearby wal-mart and we are on our way!

Getting out of Toronto seems to take hours, this city is huge!

We stay at a KOA campsite (Brighton KOA). These campsites have excellent facilities and you have plenty of space. After this good experience we stayed at a KOA campsite every night. We didn't book any of them in advance.

Along the road from Brighton to Kingston there are many nice picnic spots, playgrounds, ... perfect to enjoy some slow travel with the kids.

Day 6-7-8: Thousand Islands National Park

The Thousand Islands National Park is the first highlight along our route. Thousand Islands National Park is located on the St. Lawrence River. It encompasses a portion of the Thousand Islands archipelago and offers a variety of recreational activities, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing, and wildlife watching. The park is home to over 200 species of birds, as well as various mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. There are several picturesque islands within the park that are accessible by boat or kayak, including Boldt Castle on Heart Island, which is a popular tourist attraction. The park also features several hiking trails, including the popular Landon Bay Trail, which offers scenic views of the St. Lawrence River. Overall, Thousand Islands National Park is a beautiful natural area that offers visitors a chance to explore the stunning landscape and diverse wildlife of the region.

We choose to do a boat trip in the park with 'Rockport boat line'. Fun for the children, and an enthusiastic guide gives us a lot of information and nice anecdotes.

Along the Thousand islands Pkwy there are a lot of things to see and to do like a visitor centre and a watchtower, perfect for a great view over the whole area.

We stay here at the 1000islands/Ivy lea KOA camping site

Day 9: Montreal

After a few days in nature we return to civilization. Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec and the second largest city in Canada after Toronto. The official language in Montreal is French, and many of the city's residents insist on speaking French. The atmosphere of Montreal did remind us of Paris.

We stay at a KOA campground not far from Montreal. You can easily park outside the city and take the metro to the center. We have some bad luck with the weather here: cold and rainy...

10 things to do in Montreal:

Visit Old Montreal: Take a stroll through the historic neighborhood and admire the beautiful architecture, boutiques, and restaurants. This part of Montreal feels a lot like Paris!
Explore Mont-Royal: Hike up to the peak of this hill in the center of the city for stunning views. You can have a drink at the top.
Visit the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts: Discover the extensive collection of artworks from around the world.
Enjoy a bagel from St-Viateur or Fairmount Bagel Bakery: Montreal-style bagels are world-famous and these two bakeries are the most famous.
Check out the food scene: Montreal is known for its culinary diversity, with French, Jewish, and Quebecois influences.
Visit RÉSO, a huge shopping center known as the largest underground complex in the world
Visit the Biosphere: Discover the environment and climate through interactive exhibits and activities at this ecology museum on Saint Helen's Island.
See the Montreal Botanical Garden: Explore one of the world's largest botanical gardens, with beautiful exhibits and themed gardens.
Bike the Lachine Canal: Rent a bike and ride along the historic canal pathway to explore the city and its surrounding neighborhoods.
Visit the Notre-Dame Basilica: Admire the beautiful architecture and stained glass windows of this historic and iconic church in Old Montreal.

Day 10-11: Québec

After a day in Montreal, we drive immediately on to Québec. The sun is back, we find a place at the KOA camping site of Québec from where we can take a shuttle bus to the center of the city.

We love this city! A small city filled with cosiness, beautiful buildings, street musicians, good restaurants,... Our day in Québec is too short!

Day 12-13-14: Mont Tremblant National Park

No KOA camping this time. We stay at camping Parc la Conception, beautifully situated on a river with a playground, great for the kids!

Our plan: a day of hiking in the national park. It is a big surprise what we see when we arrive in the town with the same name: luxury hotels, a siteseeing cable car, children's entertainment, ... not the wild nature we were expecting! But the kids love it. We take the cable car from the town to the top and we hike back down by the ski slope, which turns out to be a very nice and beautiful hike!

Day 15-16-17-18: Algonquin National Park

We don't stop in Ottawa, three cities (Toronto, Montréal and Québec) in three weeks seems enough to us and we want to spend some more time in the beautiful Canadian nature. So we spend the night at Renfrew KOA and drive to Algonquin National Park the next day.

We stay in the Algonquin National Park at the Pog Lake Campground. This is fun for the whole family: trying to spot as many animals as possible! The kids are to noisy to make it succesfull, but it is fun!

Along the way through the park are several hiking trails, some long, others short, around a lake or completely in the woods. We choose some short ones that are manageable for the children. All information about the walks can be found at the visitor center.

There are many canoeing opportunities in this region. So we can't let this opportunity pass! We choose a relaxed short trip because we are afraid that it would be difficult for the children to sit still for a long time in the canoe. But it was okay, Ruben is mainly focused on the whistle of his life jacket, so no extra distraction is necessary! And an ice cream on arrival to look forward to is also a great motivation!

Day 19-20-21: Niagara Falls

'Save the best for last', that's what we thought when we decided to schedule Niagara Falls at the end of our trip. We stay at the Niagara Falls KOA campground, this one is a bit more crowded, but still okay for a few days.

We decide to go for the full experience: we visit the falls on both the Canadian and American sides. Both very beautiful, but it took us hours to cross the border, and maybe it wasn't worth it after all. We do the boattrip with the Maid of the mist, and do the walk behind the waterfall (on the Canadian side), spectacular and definitely worth a visit! What we don't like on the Canadian side is the high amusement park atmosphere, that is a bit too much after a few days in the Canadian forests!

We also visit the town of Niagara-on-the lake, which turns out to be a very cozy and charming town where the Niagara ends in lake Ontario. Just enjoy the peace!

After spending our last night at Leisure time park, what we choose because it was close to Cruise Canada, we took the cab back to the airport and put West Canada on our bucketlist too, what a fantastic country, what a fantastic trip!

Want to see more itineraries for families with kids? Check it out here