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Québec/New Brunswick/Nova Scotia

On the Road: Québec City to the Canadian Maritimes

Program No. 21432RJ
Explore historic Québec City, visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and learn the story of French Canada as you venture from Québec to the Maritimes by train and motorcoach.

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climate
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Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Jun 18 - Jun 28, 2024
Starting at
4,449
Jul 16 - Jul 26, 2024
Starting at
4,999
Jul 23 - Aug 2, 2024
Starting at
4,449
Aug 4 - Aug 14, 2024
Starting at
4,899
Aug 6 - Aug 16, 2024
Starting at
4,899
Aug 13 - Aug 23, 2024
Starting at
4,449
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Jun 18 - Jun 28, 2024
Starting at
5,449
Jul 16 - Jul 26, 2024
Starting at
6,139
Jul 23 - Aug 2, 2024
Starting at
5,449
Aug 4 - Aug 14, 2024
Starting at
6,139
Aug 6 - Aug 16, 2024
Starting at
5,909
Aug 13 - Aug 23, 2024
Starting at
5,449

At a Glance

Embark on a journey through eastern Canada by train and motorcoach reveling in the charm of Québec and the Maritimes. Setting off from Quebec City aboard the “Ocean,” ride the rails overnight through the lower St. Lawrence River valley to Moncton, New Brunswick. There, disembark and venture by motorcoach through New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island and Halifax, experiencing the natural beauty of the Bay of Fundy and the unique culture of the Canadian Maritimes.
Activity Level
On Your Feet
Walking up to 2 miles during field trips over uneven terrain including busy streets, cobblestones, hills and stairs. Be prepared to get on/off trains and walk through museums. Sleeping arrangements on overnight train include bunk beds in close confines requiring the use of a ladder to reach the top bunk. Travel by motorcoach between 130-200 miles daily over the course of 2-4 hours.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Discuss with local experts the history, settlement and cultural significance of French Canada while discovering 400-year-old Québec City.
  • Discover the dynamic nature of coastal sand dune ecosystems in Prince Edward Island National Park.
  • In the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, survey the maritime history of Atlantic Canada, from the age of steamships to the Royal Canadian Navy to Nova Scotia's role in the aftermath of the Titanic.

General Notes

Select dates are designated for small groups and are limited to 24 participants or less.
Featured Expert
All Experts
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James White
James (Jay) White is an expert in history, having earned his PhD in Canadian History from McMaster University in 1994. After a two-year stint at Western Washington University, Jay migrated home to Nova Scotia where he has lived ever since, teaching a variety of historical subjects. He even instructed members of the Canadian Armed Forces in military history. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and photography, is a Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Canadiens fan, and is of Loyalist and Acadian descent.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of James White
James White View biography
James (Jay) White is an expert in history, having earned his PhD in Canadian History from McMaster University in 1994. After a two-year stint at Western Washington University, Jay migrated home to Nova Scotia where he has lived ever since, teaching a variety of historical subjects. He even instructed members of the Canadian Armed Forces in military history. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and photography, is a Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Canadiens fan, and is of Loyalist and Acadian descent.
Profile Image of Cameron MacDonald
Cameron MacDonald View biography
Cameron Bennett MacDonald was born in Charlottetown, as a 9th generation Islander. Being between the theatre and history of the Island his entire childhood, it only made sense that Cameron joined the Confederation players in 2013, a historical reenactment troupe. The troupe combined a knowledge of history and group leading experience, with a theatrical side as well, a job to honor both his parents. As the troupe’s artistic supervisor, he writes historical vignettes and shares his knowledge with those around him.
Profile Image of Marie Legroulx
Marie Legroulx View biography
Marie is an eleventh-generation Quebecoise whose ancestors settled on the shores of the St. Lawrence River in the mid-17th century. She has a BA in history and an MA in Quebec literature from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Marie draws on both fields in her Road Scholar learning adventures as well as within her life more broadly. She taught French and Quebec literature for 25 years at the university level. Marie has been leading groups in Quebec City and the surrounding area since 2008.
Profile Image of Francois Vidal
Francois Vidal View biography
François Vidal was born in Québec City, where he spent years studying theatre and travel. He frequently combines his education with his love for Québec City and its rich history, performing in numerous educational theatrical productions. François has been an educational interpreter in Québec City since 2009 and is well-known for his personification of historical figures including a recent production in which he portrayed General Montcalm from the French-Indian War. François displays a keen interest in the architecture, culture and lifestyle in Québec City.
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Routes Adventures Mobile Phone View biography
Please call the toll free line at 1-866-745-1690 during regular business hours or for non-urgent matters (Mon - Fri 8:30 - 4:30 EST). The mobile phone #1-613-331-5777 is for after hours and weekends for emergency use only. The phone is carried by a staff member.
Profile Image of Philippe Theriault
Philippe Theriault View biography
Philippe Theriault has been a group leader in India, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the Americas for 30 years. He has a background in anthropology and history, and is an expert in generalizing history to help people understand local cultures and traditions. When asked to comment on his own experiences while travelling Philippe quotes Marcel Proust: “helping people discover a new place or a new culture is also a way of opening their eyes to the joy-of-living and to the art of travel.”
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The Atlantic Coast, A Natural History
by Harry Thurston
Thurston illuminates the geology, plant and animal life and nature of the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland and Labrador through the Maritime Provinces and the Northeastern United States south to Cape Hatteras in this illustrated, engaging survey.
Burden of Desire
by Robert MacNeil
An intricate, suspenseful novel of love and war set against the backdrop of the 1917 explosion that destroyed the north end of Halifax. Written by the noted newsman Robert MacNeil.
A Field Guide to North Atlantic Wildlife
by Noble S. Proctor, Patrick J. Lynch (Illustrator)
A comprehensive pocket guide to commonly encountered marine mammals, seabirds and other marine life of Northeastern North America, from North Carolina to Newfoundland and the Canadian Maritimes.
Canada and Quebec: One Country, Two Histories
by Robert Bothwell
An in-depth look at Canada-Quebec relations through interviews with prominent Canadian figures.
Varieties of Exile
by Mavis Gallant, Russell Banks (Introduction)
Wonderful stories set mostly in Gallant's native Montreal, a city starkly divided between working-class French Catholics and genteel English Protestants.
Atlantic
by Simon Winchester
The subtitle tells it all -- Winchester squeezes "Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories" into the covers of this latest entertaining and digressive tale.
The Sea Captain's Wife
by Beth Powning
Azuba Galloway, daughter of a shipwright, sees ships leaving for foreign ports from her bustling town on the Bay of Fundy and dreams of seeing the world. When she marries Nathaniel Bradstock, a veteran sea captain, she believes she will sail at his side. But when she becomes pregnant she is forced to stay behind. Her father has built the couple a gabled house overlooking the bay, but the gift cannot shelter her from the loneliness of living without her husband. When Azuba becomes embroiled in scandal, Nathaniel is forced to take her and their daughter, Carrie, aboard his ship. They set sail for London with bitter hearts. Their voyage is ill-fated, beset with ferocious storms and unforeseen obstacles that test Azuba's compassion, courage and love. Alone in a male world, surrounded by the splendour and the terror of the open seas, she must face her fears and fight to keep her family together.
Train, Riding the Rails That Created the Modern World
by Tom Zoellner
An informative and entertaining history of railway travel around the world -- from the frigid Trans-Siberian Railroad to the antiquated Indian Railways to futuristic Mag-Lev trains. Zoellner examines mechanics and innovations in rails and engines, trains’ impact on societies and even America's ambivalence toward mass transit.
Trans-Canada Rail Guide
by Melissa Graham
A compact, kilometer-by-kilometer guide to the 4,000-mile rail journey across North America from Halifax to Vancouver.
A Traveller's History of Canada
by Robert Bothwell
A readable and admirably concise march through Canadian history from prehistory to today, including a timeline.
Why I Hate Canadians
by Will Ferguson
This is the tenth anniversary edition of Ferguson's wickedly astute cultural salvo, the collection of humorous essays that launched his career. As you might guess, the title is tongue-in-cheek.
Shadows on the Rock
by Willa Cather
Set at the end of the 17th century in rural Quebec, this beautifully realized novel highlights the struggles of the Parisian widower Auclair and his young daughter to adapt to their new land.
Island, The Complete Stories
by Alistair MacLeod
Raised in Cape Breton, Alistair MacLeod writes of family, the pull of old Gaelic traditions, love and the landscape and folkways of Nova Scotia in this collection of 16 stories. Winner of the Pen/Malamud Award.
Cod, A Biography of a Fish That Changed the World
by Mark Kurlansky
A sparkling extended essay on the cod, looking at the importance of the fish to cuisine and history, as well as to Scandinavian, American and Canadian commerce.
The Boat Who Wouldn't Float
by Farley Mowat
A laugh-out-loud account of Mowat's determination to refurbish and sail a clunky old boat in the not-always-forgiving waters of Newfoundland.
Railroads Across North America, An Illustrated History
by Claude Wiatrowski
This entertaining account of the golden age of rail in the U.S. and Canada is illustrated with 600 vintage and modern photographs, period advertisements, maps, timetables, postcards and brochures.
Montreal Then and Now
by Alan Hustak
This installment in the Then and Now series takes stock of Montreal’s evolution by placing antique photographs side-by-side with contemporary ones. It peels back the years so that readers can see city fixtures as they once were.
Champlain's Dream
by David Hackett Fischer
In this stunningly researched and engaging biography, Pulitzer Prize-winner David Hackett Fischer weaves together the epic story of soldier and explorer Samuel de Champlain, a colonizer of North America who spent 30 years bringing his vision of a New France to life.





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