Offbeat Toronto and Beyond: 7 Days
A full week closes the loop our 6-day version opens: Toronto out, Kingston and Niagara as day trips, Ottawa and Montreal as the deep end, then a full VIA leg back to where you started. By the time you’re back at Union Station, you’ve used it as a genuine national hub rather than a downtown train stop, which is the whole argument of this guide.
Book these before you go:
- VIA Rail seats for the full corridor (Kingston, Niagara, Ottawa, Ottawa-Montreal, Montreal-Toronto) 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 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 |
| 7 | Back to Toronto by VIA Rail | VIA 60-90 CAD one-way economy |
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 route, federal law rather than local habit. Check in downtown, Fort York in the afternoon (free, Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm, the 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, 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, the first country to legislate it as government policy rather than let it happen informally.
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, then Quebec City, then 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 became the national capital in 1857, Queen Victoria’s 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 and the world’s largest naturally frozen skating rink each winter. Overnight near ByWard Market; check rates on Booking.com .
Day 6: Gatineau and Montreal
Morning, walk across the bridge from Ottawa into Gatineau, Quebec, a different province on foot in about fifteen minutes. Then VIA Rail to Montreal, under two hours from Ottawa, considerably shorter than the direct Toronto run. Afternoon and evening in Old Montreal : French-first signage, an older European street grid than anything downtown Toronto offers, and actual poutine from the province it’s actually from, the payoff to a joke that’s been running since day 2. Overnight in Montreal.
Day 7: Back to Toronto, By Train
Morning free in Old Montreal, then VIA Rail back to Toronto via the Kingston corridor, roughly five and a half hours, economy fares generally 60 to 90 CAD with several departures a day. Arriving back at Union Station after a week that started at the same platform closes the loop properly: you’ve now ridden the actual national rail network rather than just heard about it. Final dinner downtown before your onward flight out of Pearson the next morning, or fly home directly from Montreal-Trudeau if your booking allows it and you’d rather skip the return leg entirely.
Where To Stay
Toronto downtown near Union Station for days 1, 2, and 7; Ottawa near ByWard Market for day 5; Old Montreal or downtown Montreal for day 6. Book each leg around its own train station rather than the sights.
Getting Around
TTC fare in Toronto is 3.30 CAD tapped. Book every VIA leg (Kingston, Niagara, Ottawa, Ottawa-Montreal, Montreal-Toronto) ahead through viarail.ca rather than walking up; fares climb fast closer to departure across the whole corridor.
One Closing Correction
Don’t mistake this week for a Niagara Falls trip with extra stops. The falls day (day 4) is one leg among five, and the actual center of gravity here is the rail corridor and the two provinces beyond Ontario; for a Niagara-and-Ontario-focused week instead, our Toronto-as-base-for-Ontario guide is built for that trip specifically.