Offbeat Toronto and Beyond: 6 Days
Six days turns the Ottawa overnight from our 5-day version into a proper loop that pushes on to Montreal, and it’s here that the “Toronto as gateway” framing really earns itself: by day 6 you’ve touched four cities in two provinces without renting a car once.
Book these before you go:
- VIA Rail seats for the whole corridor (Kingston, Niagara, Ottawa, Ottawa-Montreal) at viarail.ca ; economy fares climb the closer you book to departure
- Hockey Hall of Fame admission to skip the walk-up line on Day 2
- An Old Montreal walking tour for Day 6, since the popular evening slots fill first
| Day | Focus | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival, Fort York | Free (Fort York); UP Express ~9.25-12.35 CAD |
| 2 | Hockey Hall of Fame, ethnic neighbourhood | ~34 CAD admission |
| 3 | Kingston day trip by VIA Rail | VIA fare varies by booking window |
| 4 | Niagara Falls day trip by VIA Rail | VIA fare varies; passport if crossing |
| 5 | One-way to Ottawa, Parliament Hill | VIA 45-80 CAD one-way economy |
| 6 | Gatineau, then on to Montreal | VIA under 2 hrs Ottawa-Montreal |
Day 1: Arrival and Institutions
Clear Canada Border Services at Pearson, UP Express to Union Station (28 minutes, 12.35 CAD cash or 9.25 tapped, bilingual signage the whole way by federal law). Check in downtown, Fort York in the afternoon (free, Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm, the actual 1813 site rather than the postcard city). Tim Hortons after, “double-double” for the correct order.
Day 2: What Makes This Canada
Hockey Hall of Fame at Brookfield Place in the morning, the actual Stanley Cup, around 34 CAD (verify current pricing). Walk past the CN Tower and register the Canadian National Railway name behind it. Afternoon and evening in one ethnic neighbourhood, Kensington Market or Chinatown, the visible product of Canada’s 1971 official multiculturalism policy.
Day 3: Kingston, By Train
Morning VIA Rail to Kingston, about two and a half hours each way, Canada’s first capital from 1841 to 1844 before the job bounced to Montreal, Quebec City, and finally Ottawa. Old limestone downtown, waterfront, Thousand Islands views, return train, dinner near Union Station.
Day 4: Niagara, By Train and Across the Border
Morning VIA Rail to Niagara Falls, Ontario, roughly two hours, the Canadian half of the joint Amtrak “Maple Leaf” (VIA 97/98 becomes Amtrak crossing the Niagara River into New York). Bring a passport if crossing; a genuinely different trip from the GO Transit day tour in our Ontario day-trip guide . Evening train back.
Day 5: To Ottawa
Check out, VIA Rail to Ottawa, roughly four and a half hours, economy fares typically 45 to 80 CAD. Ottawa was chosen the national capital in 1857, a Queen Victoria compromise between rival claims from Toronto, Montreal, Kingston, and Quebec City. Afternoon and evening, Parliament Hill and the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that becomes the world’s largest naturally frozen skating rink in winter. Overnight near ByWard Market; check rates on Booking.com .
Day 6: Gatineau and On to Montreal
Morning, walk across the bridge from downtown Ottawa into Gatineau, Quebec, a different province on foot, roughly fifteen minutes, for your first taste of French Canada without committing to a full Montreal stay. Then VIA Rail from Ottawa to Montreal, under two hours, considerably shorter than the direct Toronto-Montreal run.
Afternoon and evening in Old Montreal : expect French-first signage, a distinctly older European street grid than anything in Toronto, and, if you want the payoff to the joke that’s been running since day 2, actual poutine from the province it’s actually from. Montreal was Canada’s biggest city for much of the 19th and early 20th century, before Toronto’s population overtook it; the two cities’ rivalry is part of why Ottawa exists as capital at all.
Where To Stay
Toronto downtown near Union Station for days 1 through 4, Ottawa near ByWard Market for day 5, Old Montreal or downtown Montreal for day 6; each leg is a short walk from its own train station, so pick lodging around the platforms rather than the sights.
Getting Around
TTC fare in Toronto is 3.30 CAD tapped. Book every VIA leg (Kingston, Niagara, Ottawa, Ottawa-Montreal) ahead through viarail.ca; fares climb closer to departure on all of them.
Where This Goes Next
Our 7-day itinerary closes this same loop with the return leg from Montreal back to Toronto, the full corridor round trip.