Montreal to Boston Massachusetts

A festival and foodie heaven Montreal is a fascinating French flavoured destination of old-time European splendour and glittering urban charm. An elegant place of history pavement cafes and cobbled streets - Montreal wears its French heritage with a healthy dash of on-the-pulse Canadian cool. Set on the banks of the mighty St. Lawrence River you can head to beaches and elegant parks that open out onto the pretty waterfront. Mount Royal is a jewel of the city and on warm days locals spill out onto its sloping grasses to soak up the sun. Rise to the top to look down over the reaching skyscrapers of downtown. The city's massive botanical gardens are alive with the sounds of flowing water and surreal floral sculptures. The vivid colours of the impressive Notre-Dame Basilica's interior add more vibrancy while a diverse set of museums and galleries offer plenty of space for both traditional and contemporary art. The sounds of ivories tinkling and basslines wandering are ever-present in downtown – whether it’s street performers earning a living or jazz musicians riffing in dusty bars. The city’s musical swing ramps up a notch during the famous Montreal Jazz Festival which brings international talent to the city en-masse. It’s impossible to visit Montreal without sampling its ultimate comfort food poutine. French fries smothered in gravy cheese curd and your choice of topping. It’s as Québécois as ice hockey and bagels.

Established by the French settler Samuel de Champlain before the British landed on these shores Quebec City - initially known as New France - is one of North America's oldest cities. Towering over the banks of the Saint-Lawrence River Quebec City relishes in details and eccentricities and has reams of rich history and beautiful architecture - like the famous Château Frontenac. This chandelier-clad castle watches over the city and is said to be the world’s most photographed hotel. The wooden boardwalk of the canon-lined Dufferin Terrace offers stunning views of the city from its elevated standpoint. The French storybook feel has been delightfully protected and preserved in Quebec City's storied old quarter and a funicular links the upper and lower towns of this historic core. The 400-year-old fortified city is unique to North America and a celebrated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mind your step as you wander through uneven cobbled streets to Place Royale - the charming spot where the city was founded - and between the bistros boulevards and boutiques of the dainty Quartier Petit Champlain area. There’s a wide variety of delicious international food to try and of course – greasy helpings of poutine. Taste local cheeses at the Marché du Vieux-Port indoor market where you’ll sink your teeth into buttery cakes pastries and encounter Canada’s fabled tree sap maple syrup - revered like wine in these parts.

Located in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada, the city of Baie-Comeau is nestled on the shores of the Saint Lawrence River near the mouth of the Manicouagan River, and is the seat of Manicouagan Regional County Municipality. The city is comprised of two urban centres, Baie-Comeau proper and Hauterive. The landscape of the Baie-Comeau region has been shaped by glacial retreats and other natural phenomena. Important geological features include the Manicouagan and St. Lawrence rivers in the Manicouagan-Uapishka World Biosphere Reserve, and the immense Manicouagan crater, which was formed by a meteorite. The oldest part of Baie-Comeau is the Old Post, or Vieux-Poste, an area near the mouth of the Amédée River. In 1889, the Saint-Eugène-de-Manicouagan Mission was founded by Eudists, and the first sawmill in the Côte-Nord region was built in 1898. In 1916, Route 138 was extended to Saint-Eugène-de-Manicouagan and in 1929, its post office opened with the English name of Comeau Bay. Eastern Baie-Comeau was founded in 1936 with the construction of a paper mill. The region's burgeoning timber, pulp and paper industries prompted remarkable growth, and the town of Baie-Comeau was incorporated the following year. In 1950, the village of Saint-Eugène-de-Manicouagan was incorporated as the Municipality of Hauterive. In 1982, Hauterive was merged into Baie-Comeau. As a result of its deep-water seaport and access to forestry, energy and mining in northeast Canada, Baie-Comeau combines sustainable industrial development with a thriving natural ecosystem. In fact, few others cities around the world possess a major industrial complex at the heart of a global reserve like the World Reserve Biosphere of Manicouagan-Uapishka. The Baie-Comeau region also boasts engineering masterpieces in the realm of hydroelectricity, including the Jean-Lesage Generating Station, Manic 2Central Dam, Manic 5 Generating Station and Daniel Johnson Dam. The development of the Baie-Comeau region was bolstered by the industrialization of modern Québec by means of its natural resources. The presence of the Saint Lawrence River, forestry, the creation of saw and paper mills, and the emergence of a world-class aluminum smelter all led to the expansion of the territory. Baie-Comeau and its environs are ideally-suited for a variety of popular inland and coastal excursions. Its proximity to the confluence of the Manicouagan and St. Lawrence rivers in the Manicouagan-Uapishka World Biosphere Reserve offers easy access to a vast natural paradise replete with exceptional geological phenomena, incredibly rich wildlife and forest habitats. Explore the exquisite coast and crystal-clear waters teeming with marine mammals and undersea treasures whilst boating, kayaking, scuba diving, fishing, and hunting. In the summer, an abundance of activities include golf, cycling and hiking trails, beaches, parks, flight-seeing, and more. Winter is no less exciting; the region's abundant snowfall is ideal for downhill skiing at the Centre de ski du Mont-Tibasse, and cross-country skiing and ski-skating at Sentier Norfond and Les Sentiers de la Rivière Amédée. Due to its compact size, Baie-Comeau can be easily explored in just a single day.

The otherworldly limestone structures of the Mingan Archipelago await at Havre St. Pierre Quebec's most northerly call. Perched on the northern shore of the mighty St Lawrence River's gaping jaws - and looking out across the vast stretch of water to the distant Anticosti Island - where white-tailed deer stalk dense forests - Havre St. Pierre is a feast of staggering scenery and diverse wildlife. The Mingan Archipelago's monolith treasures have been carefully painstakingly sculpted by Mother Nature's hand - using ocean wind and ice erosion to create towering rock outcrops which stand improbably counterweighted and precariously balanced over the waters. Sail between the scattered array of islands and formations and keep your eyes peeled - you may be joined by pods of friendly minke whales as you weave between skerries and rocky isles. Look out for eagles soaring overhead too and the colourful puffins which nest on the sheer cliffs. Back at Havre St. Pierre stroll isolated river beaches and wander the wooden boardwalk to soak in panoramas of the world's largest estuary - which lures the world's mightiest animal the blue whale to feast in its krill-rich depths. A walk out to the quaint lighthouse which crowns the shore is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon or you can take some time to learn a little more about the culture and traditions of the region's Inuit people.

Acclaimed for its unearthly landscape Woody Point is probably as close to Mars as you will ever get in this lifetime. Situated on the west coast of the island the Tablelands behind Woody Point in the Gros Morne National Park are composed of peridotite — like much of the surface of Mars — and  NASA the Canadian Space Agency plus others are studying this unique land form searching for insights into possible bacterial life on the red planet. The story of the Tablelands earned Gros Morne its World Heritage Site status from UNESCO in 2010 and the area remains a geological wonder showcasing a time when the continents of Africa and North America collided. When the plates struck 485 million years ago the peridotite was pushed to the surface and remained above sea level. The rock lacks the nutrients to sustain plant life thus giving the Tablelands a barren isolated appearance. As the name suggests the flat topped mountains dwarf the tiny village (population 281!) yet Woody Point has retained its character and the historic houses and buildings dating from 1870 have been beautifully maintained.

Historic yet revolutionary, few places embody the American dream quite as well as Boston - and you’ll feel the strong independent streak, and pride in the founding ideals of freedom and independence wherever you go. Skyscrapers mingle harmoniously with cobbled streets, and every footstep here promises new tales of legend, daring and valour, as you walk through the pages of history and immerse yourself in the stories of one of the USA’s oldest cities. The flashing colours of Fall – a period when the foliage around Boston explodes with blazes of red, orange and purple – attract visitors from across the world, more than compensating for the northerly city’s harsh winters. Green open spaces like Boston Public Garden also decorate the city, offering breathing space, and the chance to enjoy blossom-perfumed sanctuary,as you sit among scampering squirrels and quiet boating lakes. At times, Boston feels like an open-air history museum, and the Freedom Trail links together the city’s many valuable historic sites. It’s no exaggeration to say that the world’s history pivoted significantly on this humble two-and-a-half-mile trail. Wander across incendiary sites like the Boston Massacre Site, and Bunker Hill - where the first shots of the American Revolutionary War were fired, eventually leading to independence from British rule. Fenway Park is the cathedral-like home of Boston’s famous Red Sox, and a must visit for any sports fan. You’ll also find plenty of acclaimed New England seafood to sample, including famous buttery clam chowder. Restaurants in the thriving Seaport District serve up freshly harvested crab and lobster, accompanied by spectacular views of the crashing Atlantic waves.