Stay : Pointe Pelee and Algonquin, natural jewels of the great lakes

This Canadian road trip will allow you to discover much of the Great Lakes region, from Lake Ontario and Kingston to Algonquin Provincial Park, via Toronto and Manitoulin Island. On the programme, large spaces, local food, coastal villages and cabotages between lake islands.

Summary of the stay

Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Best time to go

Suggested by Petit Futé

16 days

€€ - Charm and comfort

All audiences
Culture / Heritage
Faune and flora
Adventure / Sports & Leisure
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Detail of the stay : Pointe Pelee and Algonquin, natural jewels of the great lakes - 16 days

  • Kingston
  • Kingston
  • Kingston
  • Kingston
  • Gananoque
  • Kingston
  • Picton
  • Sandbanks
  • Sandbanks
  • Toronto
  • Toronto
  • Toronto
  • Toronto
  • Toronto
  • Toronto
  • Niagara-On-The-Lake
  • St. Catharines
  • Niagara Falls
  • Niagara Falls
  • Port Dover
  • Port Stanley
  • Niagara Falls
  • Niagara Falls
  • Fort Erie
  • Leamington
  • Leamington
  • Windsor
  • Goderich
  • Kincardine
  • Kincardine
  • Kincardine
  • Port Elgin
  • Sauble Beach
  • Southampton
  • Tobermory
  • Tobermory
  • Île Manitoulin
  • Sudbury
  • Sudbury
  • Sudbury
  • Orillia
  • Parry Sound
  • Nobel
  • Nobel
  • Bracebridge
  • Gravenhurst
  • Huntsville
  • Huntsville
  • Parc Provincial Algonquin
  • Ottawa
  • Ottawa
  • Ottawa
  • Ottawa
  • Ottawa

Day 1: Cruise on Lake Ontario

Steps: Kingston, Gananoque

Leave early in the morning for Kingston. On the way, stop in Gananoque, to take a boat and discover Mille-Illes. Enjoy seafood at one of Gananoque's restaurants and head for Kingston in the early afternoon. Arriving in Kingston, take the tourist bus (Kingston Trolley Tours) for a complete tour of this charming city. End your day with a dinner in the vaults of Fort Henry, a place full of history. For those who have not taken the cruise to Gananoque, treat yourself to the delight of a cruise-meal at sunset aboard the Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises. Memorable!

Day 2: Relaxation in Sandbanks and shopping in Toronto

Steps: Kingston, Picton, Sandbanks, Toronto

If you leave early in the morning for Toronto, we strongly recommend that you take Route 33 from Kingston to the ferry of Glenora. Take a quick stop in the charming little town of Picton and head for the huge fine-sand beach of Sandbanks Provincial Park. Then join Highway 401 towards Toronto. Once in town, leave your car in the hotel's car park and take the subway or walk. Explore the downtown area with its many shops, including the Eaton Centre, and visit the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). End your day with a dinner in one of the city's many restaurants.

Day 3: Cultural Toronto

Steps: Toronto

Head to Lake Ontario and visit the CN Tower, one of the world's tallest towers. Take the ferry towards the Toronto Islands and end your morning with a picnic. Back in town, take the afternoon to visit the Royal Ontario Museum; children will prefer the Ontario Science Center and its many educational activities. In the evening, enjoy your presence in one of the most cultural cities in North America to attend a concert, a play or an opera.

Day 4: Heading for Niagra Falls

Steps: Niagara-On-The-Lake, St Catharines, Niagara Falls

Take the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) towards Niagara-on-the-Lake, a region known for its ice wine and picking of fresh fruits. Enjoy tastings and take your lunch at one of the restaurants of Niagara-on-the-Lake or St. Catharines. Discover the beauty of Niagara's majestic falls at sunset and then dine at the panoramic Skylon Tower restaurant, where you can enjoy views of the city and the falls. End your day visiting the casino.

Places of interest :
SKYLON TOWER

Day 5: Between Niagara and Port Stanley

Steps: Port Dover, Port Stanley, Niagara Falls, Fort Erie

Visit the Journey behind the falls attraction to discover the back of the falls' decors before you leave for the shores of Lake Erie. Follow Niagara Parkway to Fort Erie to visit Old Fort Erie, a hotbed of the reconstruction of the 1812 war in Canada. If you have enough time and formalities are in place (customs oblige!), go and visit Buffalo, an American city located just opposite. Then take Route 3 and make a few stops in the pretty coastal towns like Port Dover. Go then to Port Stanley where you will spend the night.

Places of interest :
JOURNEY BEHIND THE FALLS

Day 6: On the way to Point Pelee Park

Steps: Leamington, Windsor

Parc National du Canada de la Pointe Pelée is located at the same latitude as Rome. In autumn and spring, hundreds of thousands of birds come to take a break at the park before continuing their journey to Mexico. To enjoy this wonderful migration show, nothing better than a stop in this oasis that opens onto Lake Erie. Spend the night in the city of Windsor.

Day 7: Goderich, on the heights of Huron

Steps: Goderich

Small town built on a cliff overlooking Lake Huron, it offers incredible views of this great lake. Take a walk on its main street full of shops and restaurants, and relax with a drink on one of the terraces of this charming little town. Spend the night in one of the town's hostels.

Day 8: Coastal pearls

Steps: Kincardine, Port Elgin, Sauble Beach, Southampton

Take your time and follow the coastline via the Route 21. Make a stop in Kincardine. Some good small restaurants mark out Queen and Harbour streets, if only for the view of the terrace, we suggest Bruce Steakhouse. Depending on your interests, visit Maison Walker or the lighthouse/Kincardine Museum, or go for water activities. For dinner and night, the small towns of Port Elgin and Southampton are excellent options. If the popular beach resorts appeal to you, continue to Sauble Beach.

Day 9: Georgian Bay

Steps: Tobermory

Still taking the road 21, go to Tobermory. Bordered to the east by Georgian Bay and to the west by Lake Huron, the tiny town of Tobermory attracts many anglers and divers every year. The crystalline waters evoke the distant Mediterranean. The discovery of this region cannot be complete without a visit of the wonderful Parc National du Canada de la Péninsule-Bruce. To sleep, there are a few hotels in Tobermory or the campground in Cyprus Lake, 15 km from Tobermory.

Day 10: Manitoulin, the sacred island

Steps: Île Manitoulin

Take the ferry towards Manitoulin Island, the largest in the world in fresh water, and a sacred place for local people. We strongly recommend travellers who are looking for a spiritual experience to spend the night there. 

Day 11: Scientific stop in Sudbury

Steps: Sudbury

Enjoy the morning on the island before heading to Sudbury. Arriving in Sudbury, go and visit Science Nord and Terre Dynamique, two of the most interesting science centres, before ending the day with a high-quality gastronomic meal in one of the city's restaurants.

Places of interest :
TERRE DYNAMIQUE / SCIENCE NORD

Day 12: Towards Orillia

Steps: Orillia, Parry Sound, Nobel

Take the road to Parry Sound via 69. Take advantage of your day to visit the beautiful provincial parks along Georgian Bay (French River, Killbear, The Massasauga ...). Then, continue your way to Lake Simcoe and Orillia. You will find many accommodation facilities and eateries on site.

Places of interest :
PARC PROVINCIAL KILLBEAR

Day 13: The countryside of Muskoka

Steps: Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, Huntsville

Departure to Huntsville via Route 11 (we recommend that you visit Gravenhurst and Bracebridge, two pretty little towns on the road). A stop is essential in this region called "Muskoka". The relief is striking. If Huntsville offers utterly adequate accommodation options, you will find high-quality hostels in the middle of the countryside. Enjoy your visit to Muskoka Heritage Place, a reconstructed historic village.

Places of interest :
MUSKOKA HERITAGE PLACE

Day 14: Splendid Algonquin

Steps: Parc Provincial Algonquin

Departure early in the morning to Algonquin Provincial Park. Spend the day discovering the riches of this park. Take advantage of the fine weather to picnic. Those who like outdoors can also sleep in one of the facilities available on the site or in one of the hostels around the park.

Day 15: Arriving in Ottawa

Steps: Ottawa

Road to Ottawa via Route 60 and Route 17. Take a tour of Parliament Hill and visit its building. Walk along the Rideau Canal and visit the many museums in the capital. Take a break at the cafeteria's National Gallery of Canada and enjoy the breathtaking views of the river and Parliament, then head for the ByWard Market, its many shops and restaurants. In the evening, a dinner in one of the good restaurants of the city is essential; Several addresses are available in this guide. For adventure enthusiasts, take part in the "haunted" walk of the national capital: an experience that will give you goose bumps!

Day 16: Last morning

Steps: Ottawa

Visit the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau (in Quebec, a few minutes from Ottawa) in the morning before departure.


 

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