Weekend Getaways From Ottawa: Drive & Cost

Ottawa sits on the Ontario–Quebec line, and that border is the whole trick of its weekends: cross the river and the Laurentians, the Eastern Townships, and the walled city of Quebec open up east, while the limestone towns of the St. Lawrence run southwest. The list below now runs sixteen deep, from a 55-minute chateau run to Montebello to a five-and-a-half-hour haul into Charlevoix, sorted by what each trip actually costs you in road time. Verified drive times, an honest all-in cost for two, and the month worth going.

Every drive time here was checked against a routing source, not the optimistic figure, and labeled one-way in typical traffic. The cost is an all-in estimate for two over two nights in Canadian dollars: a room, gas, and a normal weekend of eating and doing, at a mid-range pace. One trip, Lake Placid, crosses into the US, so its prices are in US dollars and a passport rides along.

The short list#

Lake Placid is the one row priced in US dollars; every other figure is Canadian.

Best for the Quebec side#

If you make one weekend trip from Ottawa, cross the river and keep going: the Quebec side is the signature. It starts 55 minutes out and runs all the way to Charlevoix.

Montebello#

Fifty-five minutes east along the Ottawa River, Montebello is the shortest overnight on the list, and it is built around one building. The log architecture of the Fairmont Le Château Montebello carries the whole weekend, the kind of place you book to sit by a fire in a grand rustic room, and Parc Omega's drive-through wildlife park sits up the road, with ChocoMotive covering the chocolate stop back in the village. December, when the fireplaces earn their keep.

Montebello

Montreal#

Two hours east on the 417, Montreal is the big-city weekend, close enough to leave Saturday morning and still get two full days. Old Montreal's cobblestones run past the Notre-Dame basilica, Parc du Mont-Royal climbs to the Kondiaronk lookout over the skyline and the St. Lawrence, and the Musée des Beaux-Arts covers the indoor hours. Pick up a Montreal bagel on the way up the mountain. July, at the summer peak.

Montreal

Quebec City#

Four and a half hours east, Quebec City is the long-weekend trip and the most European-feeling city on the list. The walled old town climbs from the Petit Champlain district to the Château Frontenac, the Citadelle holds the high ground, and Montmorency Falls cascades into the river at the city's edge. January is the counterintuitive pick: rates run about 19 percent below peak, and the old town under winter is the version worth seeing.

Quebec City

Beaupre#

Not quite five hours east, Beaupre is the quieter base past Quebec City. Canyon Sainte-Anne drops into a deep gorge crossed by a high suspension bridge, the Basilique Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré anchors the town, and Montmorency Falls and the old city sit back down the road, with Mont-Sainte-Anne's slopes above. October, for the colour in the gorge.

Beaupre

Baie-Saint-Paul#

Five and a half hours northeast, Baie-Saint-Paul is the far edge of the list and the art town of Charlevoix. Galleries line Rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste, the Centre d'exposition keeps the town's exhibition calendar, and Parc national des Grands-Jardins rises in the hills behind. For a different pace, the Acrofouine obstacle course runs high through the forest canopy. July, at the height of the season.

Baie-Saint-Paul

Best for the Eastern Townships#

A bit past three hours out, the Townships south of Montreal trade drama for lakes, villages, and food.

Lac-Brome#

Three hours out, Lac-Brome is the quiet one: historic village architecture around the lake, walking paths along the shore, and the Lac Brome Museum covering the local history, with the old Yamaska rail line tracing the countryside. Come for a slow weekend rather than a checklist. September, when the summer crowd has gone home.

Lac-Brome

Magog#

Three hours and 10 minutes out, Magog sits on Lake Memphremagog, where cruise boats run out onto the water to show off the mountain slopes around it. Parc national du Mont-Orford rises behind town, lakeside walks fill the mornings, and the local cheese producers are the detour worth making. June, before the peak.

Magog

Sherbrooke#

Three and a half hours out, Sherbrooke is the Townships' city, and its museum is the streets: a mural circuit paints the region's history across downtown building facades. Jacques Cartier Park runs green through the middle, the Musée des Beaux-Arts covers a rainy afternoon, and the rolling hills start at the city limits. September, for the harvest weather.

Sherbrooke

Best for lakes and mountains#

Mont-Tremblant#

An hour and 50 minutes north into the Laurentians, Mont-Tremblant is the closest mountain weekend. The pedestrian village at the base of the hill runs on cafes and, in winter, strings of lights, with Place Saint-Bernard at its centre, the national park behind it, and the Scandinave Spa's hot-cold circuit nearby. February, mid-ski-season, when the village is at its best under snow.

Mont-Tremblant

Lake Placid#

Three hours south across the US border, Lake Placid is the Adirondack weekend and the passport one. Mirror Lake reflects the high peaks and keeps calm water for a morning paddle, the Olympic Jumping Complex still towers over town, and Mount Jo and the John Brown Farm historic site fill the hiking and history slots. Prices here run in US dollars, US$630 to $860 for the weekend. August, for the long mountain evenings.

Lake Placid

Best for the river towns#

The Ontario side of the list runs along the water southwest of the city, from the Rideau country to Lake Ontario.

Kingston#

An hour and 55 minutes southwest, where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence, Kingston is the limestone-city weekend. Fort Henry looks over the confluence from its hill, the Thousand Islands cruise boats leave from the waterfront, and the public market and the Agnes Etherington Art Centre fill the blocks between grey-stone facades. June, for long days on the water.

Kingston

Brockville#

An hour and 10 minutes south on the St. Lawrence, Brockville keeps its most unusual attraction underground: the heritage railway tunnel beneath downtown has been renovated into a walk-through light show. Above ground, Fulford Place, St. Lawrence Park, and the Blockhouse Island promenade string along the riverfront, and Thousand Islands cruises run from here too. August, at the height of river season.

Brockville

Perth#

An hour southwest, Perth is the heritage-town stop, and Stewart Park is its centre, a lush pocket in the middle of the old streets. The rest of the weekend is browsing: independent bookstores, cafes, historic facades. July, when the park earns the trip.

Perth

Prince Edward County#

Two hours and 50 minutes southwest, Prince Edward County is the wine-and-beach weekend. The Sandbanks dunes stack against clear turquoise lake water, Norman Hardie's winery pours a few concession roads over, and Picton's main street runs the farm-to-table end of things, with the Point Petre wildlife area holding the county's wild southern tip. September, at the harvest and the last warm swims.

Prince Edward County

Best for the big trips#

Past four hours the drive wants a long weekend, but both of these repay it.

Toronto#

Four and a half hours southwest, Toronto is the biggest city within reach. The CN Tower's observation deck hangs high over the lakefront, the Distillery District and Kensington Market cover two different moods of the same city, and the Toronto Islands put the skyline across the water. September, at the shoulder of the season.

Toronto

Niagara Falls#

Five and a half hours southwest, Niagara Falls is the longest Ontario haul here and the one with the postcard. Journey Behind the Falls runs tunnels to the base of Horseshoe Falls' roaring curtain, the Niagara Glen nature reserve drops into the gorge downstream, and Peller Estates and Fort George add wine and history minutes away. June, before the peak crowds.

Niagara Falls

Getting there and getting around#

Every one of the sixteen is a drive; no ferries, no flights. Highway 417 runs east out of the city and becomes Quebec's Autoroute 40 into Montreal, the same corridor that continues toward Quebec City, Beaupre, and Charlevoix. Kingston, Prince Edward County, Toronto, and Niagara ride the 401 along Lake Ontario. Lake Placid crosses into the US, so carry a passport and budget for the border wait. And from December 1 to March 15, winter tires are the law in Quebec, which covers half this list.

Common questions#

What's the best weekend getaway from Ottawa? Montreal for the city weekend, about two hours east on Highway 417. Mont-Tremblant covers the mountain weekend at an hour and 50 minutes, Montebello the shortest overnight at 55 minutes, and Quebec City the long-weekend run at four and a half hours.

How many weekend getaways are within 2 hours of Ottawa? Five of the sixteen on this list: Montebello at 55 minutes, Perth at an hour, Brockville at about an hour and 10, Mont-Tremblant at an hour and 50, and Kingston at an hour and 55. Montreal lands a few minutes past the line at about two hours and five.

What's the closest weekend getaway from Ottawa? Montebello, 55 minutes east along the Ottawa River, built around the log chateau, with Parc Omega up the road. Perth at an hour and Brockville at about an hour and 10 are the closest Ontario overnights.

Do you need a passport for a weekend trip from Ottawa? For Lake Placid, yes. It sits about three hours south across the US border in the Adirondacks, and its costs run in US dollars, so carry a passport and budget for the crossing. Every other trip here stays inside Ontario and Quebec.

What are the best weekend getaways from Ottawa with kids? Kingston for Fort Henry and the Thousand Islands boats, Montebello for Parc Omega's drive-through wildlife park, and Prince Edward County for the Sandbanks dunes. All three stay under three hours one-way.

What's the best wine or beach weekend from Ottawa? Prince Edward County, two hours and 50 minutes southwest, pairs the Sandbanks dune beaches with wineries like Norman Hardie. Niagara adds Peller Estates and the falls at the far end of the list, five and a half hours out.

Which weekend getaways from Ottawa are worth a long weekend? Quebec City, four and a half hours east, rewards three or four days, and Beaupre and Baie-Saint-Paul extend the same run up the St. Lawrence into Charlevoix. Toronto and Niagara Falls, both past four hours, also earn the extra night.

What's the best winter weekend trip from Ottawa? Mont-Tremblant in February, when the pedestrian village is strung with lights and the slopes are in full season. Montebello in December does the fireplace weekend at 55 minutes, and Quebec City in January runs about 19 percent below its peak rates.

The bottom line#

The best weekend getaway from Ottawa is the one whose drive leaves you time to use it. With two days, Montebello, Perth, Brockville, Mont-Tremblant, Kingston, and Montreal all sit at about two hours or less. With a long weekend, Quebec City and Charlevoix are the ones to build around. Either way, plan your weekend free and it ranks these for your exact dates, group, and budget.

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Cover photo by Arctic.gnome (CC BY 2.5) via Wikimedia Commons. Drive times verified against routing sources August 2026; confirm border waits, winter tire rules, and seasonal conditions before you travel.