Canada travel

[braumeister]

I love Canada, and will go there at the drop of a hat. We are enrolled in NEXUS, so even if the border crossing is busy, there is often a special lane where we can zip right through.

I just came back from a trip there, and had a couple of surprises.

Currently, Canada is adamant about the need to use their ArriveCan app before you enter, and it's a very tedious process to fill out all the required information. The end result is a QR code that you have to display at the border.
So I went through all their rigmarole, and when I got to the border the agent didn't have the slightest interest in looking at it, he just wanted my passport. I can't really complain about that, but it seemed as if the government requirement doesn't actually mean much on the ground.

Second surprise is that even if a highway toll gate says "EZ Pass accepted" it doesn't mean YOUR EZ Pass. Only those with Canadian EZ Pass transponders are accepted. The agent at the toll gate in Nova Scotia was actually apologetic, and sympathized, but rules are rules.

Beyond those little peeves, my trip was delightful as usual. Gas prices were slightly higher than back home, but not outrageous. And I still suspect that Canadian lobster is somehow tastier than the US version.

 

[Aerides]

I've only ever been to Toronto and a day trip from there to Niagara.

Where else is good for a long weekend trip? I'm looking for some late fall /early winter getaway, and would like something that can include some park or unique outdoors stuff.

 

[friar1610]

I love Canada, and will go there at the drop of a hat. We are enrolled in NEXUS, so even if the border crossing is busy, there is often a special lane where we can zip right through.

I just came back from a trip there, and had a couple of surprises.

Currently, Canada is adamant about the need to use their ArriveCan app before you enter, and it's a very tedious process to fill out all the required information. The end result is a QR code that you have to display at the border.
So I went through all their rigmarole, and when I got to the border the agent didn't have the slightest interest in looking at it, he just wanted my passport. I can't really complain about that, but it seemed as if the government requirement doesn't actually mean much on the ground.

Second surprise is that even if a highway toll gate says "EZ Pass accepted" it doesn't mean YOUR EZ Pass. Only those with Canadian EZ Pass transponders are accepted. The agent at the toll gate in Nova Scotia was actually apologetic, and sympathized, but rules are rules.

Beyond those little peeves, my trip was delightful as usual. Gas prices were slightly higher than back home, but not outrageous. And I still suspect that Canadian lobster is somehow tastier than the US version.

Thanks for the report. I’m a big fan of Canada and have always enjoyed our visits there.

 

[braumeister]

Where else is good for a long weekend trip? I'm looking for some late fall /early winter getaway, and would like something that can include some park or unique outdoors stuff.

A weekend is too short for any place I would go. But if you have some time, there is so much. I'll just mention a couple, east and west.

Cape Breton Island, at the north end of Nova Scotia, is just delightful for scenery, hiking, etc.

Kind of a long way to drive, and a ferry required if taking your car, but you can easily fly into Newfoundland. The area around St. John's is great for hiking, and it's a wonderful town.

Vancouver is a wonderful city, and I'm especially partial to Vancouver Island. If you've never been to Victoria or Butchart Gardens, you owe it to yourself to go.

 

[Bamaman]

A weekend is too short for any place I would go. But if you have some time, there is so much. I'll just mention a couple, east and west.

Cape Breton Island, at the north end of Nova Scotia, is just delightful for scenery, hiking, etc.

Kind of a long way to drive, and a ferry required if taking your car, but you can easily fly into Newfoundland. The area around St. John's is great for hiking, and it's a wonderful town.

Vancouver is a wonderful city, and I'm especially partial to Vancouver Island. If you've never been to Victoria or Butchart Gardens, you owe it to yourself to go.

We picked up a rental car in Manchester, NH and went to Cape Breton Island. From our home in North Alabama to Sydney, NS, the halfway point was about at Boston. We put 2000 miles on the rental car in a week.

On another trip, we rented a car at SEATAC and went over to Victoria on the ferry. We returned to Seattle via Vancouver. Another great trip.

 

[Ronstar]

I could handle a week at the Chateau Lake Louise. Maybe stay another week at the Fairmont Banff Springs. Lots of great hiking.

 

[RetMD21]

Currently, Canada is adamant about the need to use their ArriveCan app before you enter, and it's a very tedious process to fill out all the required information. The end result is a QR code that you have to display at the border.
So I went through all their rigmarole, and when I got to the border the agent didn't have the slightest interest in looking at it, he just wanted my passport. I can't really complain about that, but it seemed as if the government requirement doesn't actually mean much on the ground.

Thanks for the tip. I haven't been for years but we are going tomorrow. I thought the app went away with the mandatory testing. Now we have a QR.

 

[RunningBum]

Vancouver is a wonderful city, and I'm especially partial to Vancouver Island. If you've never been to Victoria or Butchart Gardens, you owe it to yourself to go.

+1

Someday I'm going to take the Rocky Mountaineer between Lake Louise or Jasper and Vancouver. We did VIA about 20 years ago.

I'm also considering the Niagara Falls marathon, maybe next year, which used to cross the border, but for now is Canada only.

 

[Freedom56]

Montreal and Vancouver are two of the nicest cities in North America.

 

[savory]

We have been fortunate to visit Canada many times. Lots of good suggestions in the post so far. Biking is great including Cape Breton, Montreal to Quebec City, and around PEI. Visiting Victoria (people love biking there), Vancouver and Toronto is worth it to me.

We are on our way soon to a hiking and biking vacation with the highlight being the Ice Fields Parkway and hiking around Lake Louise. Keep your fingers crossed for us that the weather holds, eh.

 

[Montecfo]

Vancouver is a wonderful city, and I'm especially partial to Vancouver Island. If you've never been to Victoria or Butchart Gardens, you owe it to yourself to go.

Yes. And definitely still feels a bit "undiscovered" outside of Canada. Victoria is probably our favorite town in North America. We also enjoyed Tofino and Qualicum Beach.

 

[jollystomper]

DW had an uncle who lived outside of Quebec City. When he was alive we visited and toured Quebec City, we enjoyed it. We drove it from Vermont, and stopped at a few places between the U.S. Border and Quebec City that were nice.

 

[Souschef]

We took a Western Canada tour with Tauck. Fairmont hotels all the way. We visited Vancouver, Victoria, Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff. It was a multi modal trip; ferry, seaplane, train and bus.The highlights for me were High Tea at the Empress hotel, Butchart Gardens, kayaking in Jasper, and rafting down the Bow River.
I did write a story about it;

 

[anethum]

Currently, Canada is adamant about the need to use their ArriveCan app before you enter, and it's a very tedious process to fill out all the required information. The end result is a QR code that you have to display at the border.
So I went through all their rigmarole, and when I got to the border the agent didn't have the slightest interest in looking at it, he just wanted my passport. I can't really complain about that, but it seemed as if the government requirement doesn't actually mean much on the ground.

I crossed the border in June at a tiny crossing from Vermont to Quebec. A successful processing by the the ArriveCan app was absolutely required to enter Canada. The agent doesn't need to see your QR code because when the agent has your passport read electronically, it tells the border agent that you successfully completed the ArriveCan app. The agent told me he could see on his screen that I had successfully completed the app since you have to enter your passport information while filling out the app.

When I first completed the information the app requires, the app would not execute when I hit "Submit". I couldn't go back to a prior page in the app, either. It was frozen. Since I was just a mile from the border and I had my original CDC vaccination card, I decided to see if the agent would let me enter. He would not. I had to do a U-turn and return to the US. The US agent told me I was the 12th person that day who couldn't get the app to work and who had to turn around, and this border crossing was deserted while I was there.

There was a small Vermont tourist office a mile away which was closed that day but they left their wifi running. I went back there and stood outside with a wifi connection and eventually succeeded in doing a hard stop on the app. Then I started the app again while I had wifi. It had saved all of the information I entered despite my hard stop. I just had to keep going to the next page in the app until I got to "Submit". This time, when I hit Submit while having a wifi connection, it processed successfully in a few seconds. So the moral of the story is don't hit submit on the ArriveCan app unless you have a wifi connection. BTW, the closed Vermont Tourist Office had a sign on its door saying they couldn't help anyone with the ArriveCan app. Obviously a lot of people had been having problems with it.

 

[meridiver]

The agent doesn't need to see your QR code because when the agent has your passport read electronically, it tells the border agent that you successfully completed the ArriveCan app. The agent told me he could see on his screen that I had successfully completed the app since you have to enter your passport information while filling out the app.

Ahh, that explains it. We just got back from a lovely road trip to Vancouver and I had the same experience at the border as OP. I was very confused as to why we had to fill out the ArriveCan app in advance when they were completely uninterested in looking at the QR code at the border crossing. Otherwise, the border crossing was pretty painless - 1/2 hr wait going to Canada on a Friday afternoon, and 15 minutes returning to the US on a Tuesday morning.

 

[Koolau]

Currently, Canada is adamant about the need to use their ArriveCan app before you enter, and it's a very tedious process to fill out all the required information. The end result is a QR code that you have to display at the border.

I quickly looked to see what is required. Nothing you couldn't do at the border as nearly as I can tell. Why they need it through a net-based/phone based app is a mystery to me. Oh, well, it's their country, they can do what they want. Better than an official Visa process, I suppose. I recall when entry/exit was a breeze. Guess those days are gone forever.

I too think Canada is wonderful place to visit. Going through their entry points can be a real pain - for no apparent reason but YMMV.

 

[6miths]

We love travelling in Canada.

We have a Virginia EZ-Pass and it works fine for the tolls on the bridges over the Niagara River between NY and Ontario.

 

[explanade]

I've only transited through Vancouver airport a couple of times.

A few years back, I researched trip to Banff and Jasper and my jaw dropped at the lodging prices, like over $400 USD a night for what seemed like motels. They had good ratings and all but just couldn't get over what they wanted.

It was the 150th anniversary of Canda's founding so the national parks that year were free. But you're talking about maybe saving on $30-40 USD for park entrance fees?

Someone said that they jacked up prices because of the free entrance that year and that the CAD had declined vs. USD.

But honestly, prices were higher than Switzerland and I think I did choose to go to Switzerland instead that year.

Also looked at Montreal hotels another time, almost as expensive as Manhattan hotels IIRC.

But it wasn't unique, I also looked at visiting Boston and the prices were crazy there as well.

Have to wonder what it's like now, after the pandemic, with a lot of the tourist industry raising prices a lot to try to make up for lost revenues.


I haven't looked at it since but maybe it's a bit better? USD is the strongest it's been in a long time so maybe it won't be so pricey.

 

[tulak]

I had the same experience with the QR code. I asked the agent about it when we went into Canada and he said they didn't need it because they get your ArriveCan info when they scan your passport. No idea why they ask for the QR code.

 

[Alan]

I've only ever been to Toronto and a day trip from there to Niagara.

Where else is good for a long weekend trip? I'm looking for some late fall /early winter getaway, and would like something that can include some park or unique outdoors stuff.

We also love Canada and have spent many months there over the years.

For a long weekend then you are going need to be flying I assume and a place we loved and that can be appreciated in a long weekend is Quebec City. We stayed inside the walls of the old city, no car needed. (Flight to Quebec, taxi to accommodation)

Try Googling things to do in Quebec City and you’ll get plenty options. We enjoyed the Plains of Abraham which is a free park but honestly there are plenty of options.

 

[kblagron]

My friend just travelled to Winnipeg by car from Grand Forks with his family. He said he was hassled a good bit regarding the Covid vaccination info not being entered online, even though they had the paperwork with them. He was allowed to continue, but she warned that he would not be able to do that next time.

 

[NW-Bound]

I love Canada. Looking at the map, I recall that I have been to Vancouver several times. Montreal three times. Quebec City and Victoria twice. Also Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Banff.

And I have visited many places in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on a long cross-country RV trek. Same with Yukon (Whitehorse, Dawson City) on an Alaska RV trip.

Still have not been to Winnipeg. Nor Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk. Or anywhere in the province of Nunavut.

Canada is a big place. Even Canadians don't know but a small part of their country.

PS. Looking again at the map, I remember that when I was on Vancouver Island, thought that I would have time to visit Port Hardy at the other end of the island. Nope, only got as far as Qualicum Beach, and Port Alberni.

And on the ferry from Swartz Bay to Vancounver, I went by so many interesting islands in the Strait of Georgia that I told myself I would come back to visit. Nope, that's a trip in itself, and it may never happen.

 

[EastWest Gal]

+1

Someday I'm going to take the Rocky Mountaineer between Lake Louise or Jasper and Vancouver. We did VIA about 20 years ago.

I'm also considering the Niagara Falls marathon, maybe next year, which used to cross the border, but for now is Canada only.

If you take the Rocky Mountaineer, don’t waste your money on the Gold service. Silver service was AMAZING. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

One of best vacations I ever had was an Alaskan cruise followed by three days in Vancouver, then a four day trip to Banff, the first two days by motor coach, then return by Ricky Mountaineer. In Vancouver we took the bus to Stanley park then walked the trails to the beach and back.

 

[braumeister]

We love travelling in Canada.

We have a Virginia EZ-Pass and it works fine for the tolls on the bridges over the Niagara River between NY and Ontario.

I believe those are the only places a US issued EZ Pass works.

 

[friar1610]

DW had an uncle who lived outside of Quebec City. When he was alive we visited and toured Quebec City, we enjoyed it. We drove it from Vermont, and stopped at a few places between the U.S. Border and Quebec City that were nice.

We lived in Vermont for 8 years. When we had a yen for a big city, Montreal was much closer than Boston. And probably more interesting for Yanks because it ha that foreign feel. When we wanted to go to “Europe” on the cheap, we’d spend a few nights in Quebec City.