Traveling from NYC to Montreal
- Thread starter IamNY
- Start date
Buffalo? You need a map, dude
Can't drive, train takes too long, plane fare is too expensive... hmm.. The bus alternative is cheapest but does take the longest. It is relaxing though. You can sleep on the bus and someone else takes care of the driving.
You would pass by Buffalo if you were on your way to T'rawna (or however it is pronounced) but not to go to Montreal.thegreatwalooo said:
Can't drive, train takes too long, plane fare is too expensive... hmm.. The bus alternative is cheapest but does take the longest. It is relaxing though. You can sleep on the bus and someone else takes care of the driving.
Beware the bait and switch
It happens a lot so this airfare may only exist in theory.
There is a lot of cheap airfare out there.. the problem is it disappears once you actually take the next step and try to book it. Then they offer you other (more expensive) alternatives.thegreatwalooo said:
It happens a lot so this airfare may only exist in theory.
Stranger said:
It only takes me 20 minutes to get to the airport. They say you need to be there 2 hours before but I have never had a problem showing up an hour before check in.
I have taken Amtrak to Montreal and back and it is the slowest way to get there. I would only do it again if I had to.
I would agree that taking the bus is a pretty cheap way to go and you can go to sleep as well. You can leave NYC around midnight after a night of partying and sleep it off all the way to Montreal and it takes about 8 hours.
By far the best way to go is taking the plane to Burlington Vermont ($49 or $59) each way and renting a car for the 1 1/2 trip to Montreal. Total time for the trip is around 4 hours max including the hour to get to the airport. You land feeling 100% because you havent been driving alone and you simply take the 1 1/2 drive up. Another nice reason for this route is that at the border the agents are much nicer than when you go thru NY and there are almost never any lines.
A M T R A K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
if you want to be on a bus with a lotta kids speaking Chinese, and familes with babies crying, you can get cheap like $60 roundtrip buses from Chinatown in New York, or be searched like a potential terrorist and then asked for a passport and pay 300 rt with a plane, or sit in a cramped seat for 6 hours with noisy kids on Greyhound, .........
OR
Pack a boiled lobster, a couple of crab cakes, a Katz's brisket sandwich, cole slaw, potatoe salad, some Jameson Irish whiskey, or Padron teguila, WATER, some cool sounds on yer pod, and some bitchin fliks on yer laptop, and chill in the comfort of a view of the Hudson that is to die for, AND LIKE BRO THIS AINT A SHIL FOR AMTRAK, TRUST ME
ther is no better way to go to Montreal, you enter the Central station that has a cabport and the Les Halle de Gare, a French food mall, complete with a SAQ(liquor store) and fine gourmet munchies to take to your rest joint!
if you want to be on a bus with a lotta kids speaking Chinese, and familes with babies crying, you can get cheap like $60 roundtrip buses from Chinatown in New York, or be searched like a potential terrorist and then asked for a passport and pay 300 rt with a plane, or sit in a cramped seat for 6 hours with noisy kids on Greyhound, .........
OR
Pack a boiled lobster, a couple of crab cakes, a Katz's brisket sandwich, cole slaw, potatoe salad, some Jameson Irish whiskey, or Padron teguila, WATER, some cool sounds on yer pod, and some bitchin fliks on yer laptop, and chill in the comfort of a view of the Hudson that is to die for, AND LIKE BRO THIS AINT A SHIL FOR AMTRAK, TRUST ME
ther is no better way to go to Montreal, you enter the Central station that has a cabport and the Les Halle de Gare, a French food mall, complete with a SAQ(liquor store) and fine gourmet munchies to take to your rest joint!
Non stop NY- MtRl, MtRl-NY
Just call 1-800-USA-RAIL thats the # for Amtrak, if I'm not mistaken, the line is called the Adirondaker,
From Montreal to New York, sit on the left side to view the Hudson, the serve mixed drinks and brewskies, and pizza and what not but it's cheaper and cooler to pack yer own!
Though the Canadian dollar gets you more in the States now,
the same quality SPS (GFE) are in the 300 range!
Just call 1-800-USA-RAIL thats the # for Amtrak, if I'm not mistaken, the line is called the Adirondaker,
From Montreal to New York, sit on the left side to view the Hudson, the serve mixed drinks and brewskies, and pizza and what not but it's cheaper and cooler to pack yer own!
Though the Canadian dollar gets you more in the States now,
the same quality SPS (GFE) are in the 300 range!
putneyswope said:
I've done the Amtrak thing before & it's great ... if you're not in a hurry.
Just like in an old Hollywood movie you can kick back & relax as the scenery rolls by.
But for the distance it is an unbelievably long trip ... yes, 10 hours is correct. ... because the railroad does not repair and/or maintain this branch that much, if at all.
It's sad, too, because it really is a beautiful ride. Not just the majestic views of the Hudson (a la Alfred Hitchcock's "North-By-Northwest") but the long stretch of Lake Champlain is equally as soothing.
But at times the train is inching along at a snail's pace of 15 MPH because the track beds have been washed out and are unstable. Economically they say it's not worth fixing because nobody takes the train.
But that's the ultimate Catch 22.
Nobody takes the train because it's too damn slow. If it was faster, more people would take it (it is pretty convenient from midtown Manhattan) and then they might say it was worth fixing.
But until they do, nobody will be interested. Go figure.
And, if you ride at the right time, there's a bunch of local history buffs that hop on the train somewhere north of Albany and they give history lectures about the area as you're passing through. Very entertaining & informative.
(You'll be able to answer the 'Trivial Pursuit' question about why the "Birthplace of the U.S. Navy" is located 200 miles from the nearest ocean upstate in Whitehall, NY)
With the bar-car you can hang out & party the whole way if you want. But it is much cheaper to bring your own. And if you go during major events like Jazz Fest the supplies on the train do run out so plan ahead.
But, since the trip is so long, it's still easier for most in the NYC area to just do it on thier own.
I don't have to worry about getting to my flight on time, what I'm allowed to bring, or how much I can carry if I just pack my car & go.
Still, if you have the time, take the trip by train at least once just for the experience. I've always loved travelling by train. More scenic than bus rides (no highway), and train stations are generally more grand destinations than bus depots are in most major cities.
Plus the train station will be right in the middle of downtown when you get there as opposed to an airport that's an expensive taxi ride away.
Lots of pros & cons but, if it weren't for the time factor, I'd take the train anytime.
Last edited:
Amtrak Sucks!
I've done it all other then the bus. Amtrak four times, I hope never again.
Amtrak is at least 10 hours. It can be longer because of border and construction delays.
The argument that air travel also should include travel to the airport and check-in time also applies to Amtrak.
I find the seating too tight and the fellow passengers either too neighborly, or too lowd and too annoying.
I do not feel relaxed after the long cramped train ride.
I've been told the bus has a calmer crowd and an easy to swallow 6 to 8 hours if you get the midnight departure.
I've done it all other then the bus. Amtrak four times, I hope never again.
Amtrak is at least 10 hours. It can be longer because of border and construction delays.
The argument that air travel also should include travel to the airport and check-in time also applies to Amtrak.
I find the seating too tight and the fellow passengers either too neighborly, or too lowd and too annoying.
I do not feel relaxed after the long cramped train ride.
I've been told the bus has a calmer crowd and an easy to swallow 6 to 8 hours if you get the midnight departure.
Don't take my word for which has a better ride , bus or train.HarmonyNYC said:
Just check EPINIONS, Travel-Advisor, or any other travel review board and see what they say!!!!!!!!
(bus seats roomier then a train? hmmmm!)
Saying a bus to Montreal which has a chaper ticket then the train would have a calmer crowd, s like saying you get a calmer crowd at Schwartz's then Que de Cheval!putneyswope said:
$21 roundtrip if you take the autobus which runs every 20 minutes to Central Station.johnmbot said:
SHUTTLES, roughing it!
If you don't mind a train crowded with Haitian or Chinese families on board predominantly the there are shuttle busses,real cheap from the Haitian community in New York and also leaving from Chinatown here in NYC, sory I don't know the 411, but the rates are dirt chaep sometimes 1/4 of Amtrak.
If you don't mind a train crowded with Haitian or Chinese families on board predominantly the there are shuttle busses,real cheap from the Haitian community in New York and also leaving from Chinatown here in NYC, sory I don't know the 411, but the rates are dirt chaep sometimes 1/4 of Amtrak.
Shitty Amtrak
AMTRAK is along rickety rockity like riding on a stage coach ride, I had a delay once.
Boarded in NYC penn station at 9AM got to Montreal central statin at 11 that night!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great scenery but will try greyhound or fly next time!
AMTRAK is along rickety rockity like riding on a stage coach ride, I had a delay once.
Boarded in NYC penn station at 9AM got to Montreal central statin at 11 that night!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great scenery but will try greyhound or fly next time!
Similar threads
