7 Days in Toronto and Beyond
Seven Days: Loop Both Capitals Instead of Picking One
A week is enough to stop treating Toronto as the whole trip and actually run the corridor: Toronto to Ottawa, Ottawa to Montreal direct without backtracking, Montreal back to Toronto to close the loop. That’s a genuinely different Canada trip from the one most week-long itineraries build, which is just Toronto with a Niagara day bolted on. Here’s the version that earns the extra days.
| Day | Focus | Getting there |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Union Station, Queen’s Park, Hockey Hall of Fame | UP Express, 25 min from Pearson |
| 2 | Kingston, out and back | VIA Rail, 2 to 2.5 hrs each way, 60-140 CAD |
| 3 | Toronto’s Canada 101 (CBC, Argonauts, one neighbourhood) | On foot and TTC downtown |
| 4 | Niagara Falls, out and back | GO Transit, 2 to 2.5 hrs each way |
| 5 | Toronto to Ottawa, arrival and evening | VIA Rail, 3.5 to 4.5 hrs, 40-100 CAD |
| 6 | Ottawa morning, then Montreal | Direct VIA Rail, no backtracking |
| 7 | Montreal, then home to Toronto | VIA Rail, 4.5 to 6 hrs, 45-110 CAD |
Book these before you go
- VIA Rail’s Ottawa and Montreal legs climb fastest on Friday afternoon and Sunday evening trains, book all three legs weeks ahead.
- Compare Montreal hotel rates before locking in the Ottawa-to-Montreal leg, since you’ll want one night there.
Day 1: Arrival and the correction that matters
UP Express to Union Station, about 25 minutes, adult fare 12.35 CAD cash or 9.25 CAD with PRESTO, seniors half price, kids under 12 free, beats a 60-70 CAD taxi through traffic. Ten minutes in Union Station’s Great Hall, a 1920s Beaux-Arts rail palace built jointly by Canadian National and Canadian Pacific, the hub this whole week runs through.
Walk to Queen’s Park, the Ontario Legislative Building, free, and remember why: Toronto is not Canada’s capital, Ottawa is, chosen in 1857 as a compromise between four cities that couldn’t agree the job belonged to any one of them. Afternoon at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Brookfield Place, 45 CAD adult admission, the real Stanley Cup on site. Dinner downtown, early night.
Day 2: Kingston, out and back
Early VIA train to Kingston, roughly two to two and a half hours each way, fares commonly 60-140 CAD depending how far ahead you booked. Old limestone downtown, Fort Henry, the start of the Thousand Islands, lunch on Princess Street, or book a Kingston day tour if you’d rather not plan the route yourself. Evening train back to Union.
Day 3: Toronto’s Canada 101
CBC’s headquarters and broadcast centre on Front Street produces content for the entire country, and most visitors walk past without a glance. The Toronto Argonauts, the CFL team, formed in 1873, have played under the same name longer than any other pro sports club in North America, older than the NHL. The Tim Hortons myth: Hamilton, 1964, an actual NHL defenceman, not Toronto, whatever the location density downtown implies.
Spend the afternoon properly in one immigrant neighbourhood. Canada’s multiculturalism policy dates to 1971, the first country to adopt one officially, and Toronto is where it reads as daily life: roughly half the population born outside Canada, 160-plus languages spoken. The in-city guide has the neighbourhood breakdown. Dinner there.
Day 4: Niagara, the lightweight rail option
GO train to Niagara Falls, about two to two and a half hours each way, still Ontario, a legitimate scenic day but not the different-culture payoff coming up. The Ontario-focused guide covers the falls and wine country properly if that’s more your speed. Evening train back to Union, last night in Toronto before the loop starts.
Day 5: Toronto to Ottawa, arrival and evening
VIA to Ottawa, roughly three and a half to four and a half hours depending on the train, one-way fares commonly 40-100 CAD, more if booked late. Check in and take the afternoon: Parliament Hill and the Peace Tower, dinner in the ByWard Market, a canal-side walk if the weather cooperates.
Day 6: Ottawa morning, then on to Montreal
A proper morning in a national museum before boarding a direct Ottawa-to-Montreal VIA service, no need to route back through Toronto first. Arrive in Montreal by evening, distinctly Francophone, a genuinely different Canada from the one Toronto shows you: dinner somewhere doing it right, a walk through Old Montreal if there’s daylight left.
Day 7: Montreal, then home to Toronto
A morning in Montreal, whatever the season and your interests point toward, before the VIA run back to Toronto, roughly four and a half to six hours depending on service, fares commonly 45-110 CAD with any lead time. Arrive back in Toronto by evening for a last dinner, or connect straight through to your flight if the timing lines up. Either way, you’ve run the actual corridor, not just visited one city and driven to a waterfall.
Before you go
Loonies and toonies are in your pocket within the hour of landing, Canadian dollars aren’t US dollars despite the shared symbol, check the real rate. Federal bilingualism (official since 1969) explains the English-and-French signage on the trains and at the airport even though Toronto itself runs almost entirely in English, and it becomes the norm rather than the exception once you’re in Montreal. Every leg on this route is domestic, no passport, a photo ID covers you if VIA asks. Book the Ottawa and Montreal legs as early as you can; VIA fares climb the closer you get to departure, and a week-long trip with three separate rail bookings is exactly where that adds up. The full guide has the fare and booking mechanics in one place if you want to reshuffle any of these legs.