Montreal & Quebec City Self-Launched: 4 Days in French Canada
4 days · Montreal & Quebec City, Canada
Europamundo charges £520
No-markup version: ~£242 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Europamundo's 4-day Montreal–Quebec City coach tour. You cover the same ground — Old Montreal, Parc Mont-Royal, St. Joseph's Oratory, Old Quebec, Château Frontenac, Place Royale, the Citadelle and the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré basilica — but on your own schedule using Montreal's metro, a cheap intercity coach or train to Quebec City, and free self-guided walking routes plus one optional local excursion to Montmorency Falls. You skip the 2–72-person coach group and the bilingual-guide lottery, get more actual sightseeing time than the 2 real days the original tour delivers, and pay roughly a third of the tour price.
Day-by-day
Arrive Montreal — Old Port, Old Montreal & Plateau at your own pace
Montreal
Land or arrive by train at Gare Centrale and take the 747 airport bus (CAD $11, ~24h pass) or the metro to your hostel in the Plateau/Mile End area — a dorm bed at a place like M Montreal or Auberge Alternative runs about £22–28/night. Drop bags and walk Old Montreal: Notre-Dame Basilica (CAD $16 entry, book AURA light show online if you want it), Place Jacques-Cartier, the Old Port promenade, and up Rue Saint-Paul. Evening: cheap poutine or bagels on Mont-Royal Avenue (Fairmount/St-Viateur) and a wander through Plateau's coloured spiral staircases. This replaces the tour's Day 1, which was arrival-only.
🚌747 airport bus CAD $11 or metro from Gare Centrale (~CAD $3.75); all sightseeing on foot
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Plateau/Mile End (e.g. M Montreal, Auberge Alternative)
- →Self-guided walk of Old Montreal & Old Port
- →Notre-Dame Basilica (optional entry)
- →Plateau & Mont-Royal Avenue food crawl
Mont-Royal, St. Joseph's Oratory & the cathedral — then coach to Quebec City
Montreal → Quebec City
Do the tour's 'panoramic tour' as a free self-guided walk: metro to Mont-Royal station and climb to the Kondiaronk lookout for the classic skyline view, then walk down through the Plateau to St. Joseph's Oratory on Mount Royal's north slope (free entry, CAD $5 for the crypt). Continue to Mary Queen of the World Cathedral downtown (free). Grab lunch at Jean-Talon or Atwater Market. Late afternoon take the Orleans Express coach from Gare d'autocars de Montréal to Quebec City (CAD $40–60, ~3h15, book online) or the VIA Rail train (~CAD $50–90, 3h30). Check into a hostel in Old Quebec/St-Roch (dorm ~£25–32/night). Evening stroll the walls and Rue Saint-Jean.
🚌Metro CAD $3.75; Orleans Express coach Montreal–Quebec CAD $40–60 (or VIA Rail)
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Old Quebec/St-Roch (e.g. HI Quebec, Auberge de la Paix)
- →Mont-Royal Kondiaronk lookout (free)
- →St. Joseph's Oratory (free / CAD $5 crypt)
- →Mary Queen of the World Cathedral
- →Jean-Talon or Atwater Market
Old Quebec, Château Frontenac, Citadelle & Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré
Quebec City
Self-guided walking loop of Old Quebec: Place Royale and Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, the Petit-Champlain quarter, the funicular or Breakneck Stairs up to the Château Frontenac terrace, Dufferin Terrace, and the Citadelle ramparts (guided Citadelle tour CAD $18, or walk the exterior walls free). For Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré basilica, take the local bus (RTC route toward Beaupré, ~CAD $3.75 each way, 45–60 min) or join a half-day Montmorency Falls + Sainte-Anne shuttle from a local operator (~CAD $45–60 booked via GetYourGuide/Viator) — a cheaper, self-bookable stand-in for Europamundo's €40 optional. Montmorency Falls cable car CAD $17 if you add it. Return for a craft-beer evening in St-Roch.
🚌RTC city bus to Beaupré CAD $3.75 each way, or self-booked half-day shuttle ~CAD $45–60; Old Quebec on foot
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Old Quebec/St-Roch
- →Self-guided Old Quebec walking route
- →Place Royale & Petit-Champlain
- →Château Frontenac terrace & Dufferin Terrace
- →Citadelle (exterior free / guided CAD $18)
- →Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré basilica
- →Montmorency Falls (cable car CAD $17 optional)
Quebec City free morning & departure
Quebec City
The original tour ends with breakfast and no activities — do the same but use the morning: Battlefields Park (Plains of Abraham), the Musée national des beaux-arts or the Morrin Centre, and a last croissant in Petit-Champlain. Then depart: Orleans Express coach back to Montreal (CAD $40–60) or to YQB airport (bus 76/80 ~CAD $3.75, or Uber ~CAD $40). No included airport transfer needed — the RTC bus does it for pocket change instead of Europamundo's €131 private transfer.
🚌RTC bus to YQB airport CAD $3.75, or Orleans Express coach back to Montreal CAD $40–60
🛏None (departure day)
- →Plains of Abraham / Battlefields Park
- →Morrin Centre or Musée national des beaux-arts (optional)
- →Petit-Champlain farewell coffee
Self-launched vs. Europamundo
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Europamundo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£242 | £520 |
| Duration | 4 days | 4 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £278 per person (53%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Europamundo-style trips? Check them out here.~£242
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Montreal & Quebec City Self-Launched: 4 Days in French Canada cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £242 per person for 4 days in Montreal & Quebec City, Canada. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Europamundo?+
Yes — Europamundo charges around £520 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £242 — a saving of roughly £278 (53%) per person.
How long is the Montreal & Quebec City, Canada trip?+
This itinerary runs 4 days, covering 4 day-by-day stops through Montreal & Quebec City, Canada.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a city-breaks, culture, budget trip through Montreal & Quebec City, Canada, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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