How to road trip from Ottawa by bus or train

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It’s among the top questions I get from readers—something along the lines of “I’d love to do a road trip from Ottawa to X, but can I get there without a car?” In other words, “Is there a bus or train I can take?”

The short answer, unfortunately, is “Maybe.”

Truth to tell, intercity public transportation in Ontario and Quebec is mediocre beyond the greater urban areas of Toronto and Montreal. As someone who spent seven years without a car, I can attest from experience that getting from point A to point B by train or bus can be complicated. However, it’s not impossible!

Here are as many options as I could find for taking a road trip from Ottawa by bus or train. (If you’re a keen cyclist and would prefer to travel on two wheels, check out my extensive local cycling guide, which includes tips on long-distance bike routes.) I’ve even thrown in a long-distance ferry company.

Note that this post does not cover municipal transit companies, such as Ottawa’s OC Transpo and Gatineau’s STO. There are just too many of them to list here! However, here are some ideas if you’re interested in day tripping within Ottawa by bus.

Cover photo courtesy of Megabus.

Table of contents

VIA Rail routes from Ottawa

Currently, VIA Rail offers direct train service from Ottawa to the following stations:

• Ontario (en route to Montreal): Casselman, Alexandria
• Ontario (en route to Toronto): Smiths Falls, Brockville, Gananoque, Kingston, Napanee, Belleville, Trenton Junction, Port Hope, Cobourg, Oshawa, Guildwood, Toronto
• Quebec (en route to Montreal and Quebec City): Les Coteaux (Coteau station), Dorval, Montreal, Saint-Lambert, Saint-Hyacinthe, Drummondville, Sainte-Foy, Quebec City

Note that not all trains serve all stations. In Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City, you will be able to make connections to other destinations in the VIA Rail’s nationwide network—although, to be honest, outside of the Quebec City–Windsor corridor, train service isn’t as extensive as it once was.

Also, in Toronto and Montreal, you’ll find extensive connections to local and regional transit services, as well as Amtrak trains to New York City. (I have information on those later in this post.)

Intercity buses from Ottawa

Back when I was a starving student, there was one main bus company—Voyageur, later Greyhound—connecting Ottawa to Toronto, Kingston, Montreal and points beyond. With the demise of Greyhound and its bus terminal on Catherine Street, all kinds of bus lines have stepped into the breach. That’s good news and bad news. It’s good because all that competition might be keeping prices lower than they would normally be. But it’s bad because you have to troll around multiple websites trying to find the bus company with the right route at the right time at the right price.

Fortunately, I’ve tried to do some of the initial digging for you. Here are the bus lines I’ve found providing intercity transportation from Ottawa. I don’t have space here to outline their every route and connection, but this should at least point you in the right direction.

Autobus Maheux

Ottawa pickup points: St. Laurent Station, downtown (Rideau Centre/Mackenzie King Bridge)

Gatineau pickup points: 34 Maisonneuve, Station de la Cité

Destinations served directly from Ottawa–Gatineau: Wakefield, Alcove, Brennans Hill, Low, Venosta, Kazabazua, Aylwin, Gracefield, Bouchette, Massine, Val-Guertin, Maniwaki, Bois-Franc, Grand-Remous, Laval, Montreal

For more information: Autobus Maheux website

Flixbus

Ottawa pickup point: The north side of George Street in the ByWard Market, just east of Sussex Drive.

Destinations served directly from Ottawa: Kingston, Whitby, Toronto; many other connections available.

Of note: Drops off in downtown Kingston.

For more information: Flixbus Canada website

Megabus

Ottawa pickup point: St. Laurent OC Transpo station, platform E.

Destinations served directly from Ottawa: Kingston, Toronto; many other connections available.

Of note: Drops off in the north end of Kingston, on John Counter Boulevard just off Highway 401.

For more information: Megabus Canada website

Ontario Northland

Ottawa pickup points:

• CHEO
• Ottawa Hospital, General Campus
• VIA Rail station

Destinations served directly from Ottawa: Arnprior, Renfrew, Pembroke, Petawawa, Chalk River, Mattawa, North Bay, Sturgeon Falls, Verner, Hagar, Sudbury (along with a number of other request-only stops).

Of note: From Sudbury, you can make connections to other Northern Ontario cities, including Timmins, Hearst and Sault Ste. Marie. From North Bay, you can connect to places like Temagami, Cobalt and Kirkland Lake.

For more information: Ontario Northland schedules

Orléans Express

Ottawa-Gatineau pickup points:

• Motel Adam, 100 Gréber, Gatineau
• Place du Portage, 13 Maisonneuve, Gatineau
• Desmarais Pavilion, University of Ottawa, 55 Laurier Avenue East
• VIA Rail station

Destinations served directly from Ottawa: Kirkland, Trudeau International Airport (Dorval), Montreal.

For more information: Orléans Express website

Rider Express

Ottawa pickup points:

• St. Laurent OC Transpo station, platform E
• Must Furniture Store, 2685 Iris Street
• Terry Fox OC Transpo Park and Ride, Kanata

Destinations served directly from Ottawa: Belleville, Carleton Place, Kingston, Madoc, Marmora, Perth, Peterborough, Scarborough, Toronto.

Of note: Drops off in the north end of Kingston, on Division Street just south of Highway 401.

For more information: Rider Express website

Regional buses in the Outaouais

Gatineau Park Shuttle (NCC)

This seasonal free shuttle runs on weekends from late May to late August. It stops at Pindigen Park (between the Pimisi O Train station and the Canadian War Museum) in Ottawa, and at the Canadian Museum of History and the Montcalm Rapibus stop in Gatineau. There are eight stops in Gatineau Park, including the Visitor Centre, the Mackenzie King Estate, Pink Lake and the Champlain Lookout.

For more information: Gatineau Park Shuttle website

Transcollines

This bus service stretches across much of the lower Outaouais. Be forewarned, however, that it is designed mainly for commuters. As a result, many routes run only on weekdays, and travel into Gatineau in the morning and back out in the evening.

Perhaps the most useful routes for road trippers are 924 (weekends) and 925 (weekdays), which connect several stops in the Hull sector of Gatineau to multiple stops in Wakefield and Chelsea. They run in both directions throughout the day.

For more information: Transcollines website

Other transportation and transit companies in Ontario

This list is by no means complete; I’ll keep adding to it as I discover more options.

GO Transit

If you’re looking for intercity transportation within the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area—which extends across a vast swath of Southern Ontario—GO Transit offers an extensive schedule of buses and trains. From Toronto, the network stretches west to Kitchener, southeast to Niagara Falls, north to Barrie and northeast to Peterborough. Bear in mind that the system was originally designed for commuters, so service is less frequent (and more likely to be by bus) on weekends and holidays.

Note 1: You can use your Ottawa PRESTO card on GO Transit. Just remember to tap your card when exiting as well as when boarding.

Note 2: Several readers alerted me to a great online deal: If you’re travelling on weekends, you can buy a one-day pass for $10 or a weekend-long pass for $15 that gives you unlimited travel on the entire GO Transit network. A variety of weekday passes are available, too. Note that they are only valid for seven days from date of purchase, and you can only purchase them online (they are not available at stations or on vehicles).

River Route

River Route Public Transit is a small weekday service connecting a number of communities between Brockville and Cardinal, including Maitland, Prescott and Johnstown. This is a fairly new service and it was initially just a pilot, so please check the website and the company’s Facebook page for the latest information.

Other transportation and transit companies in Quebec

Again, this isn’t the full list, but may come in handy if you’re planning a trip by public transportation in Quebec.

Autobus Maheux

In addition to the direct routes from Ottawa–Gatineau mentioned above, Autobus Maheux operates an extensive network of routes throughout Quebec, including a number of quite small communities in rural areas.

Destinations served include the following: Rouyn-Noranda, Val d’Or, Chibougamau

Exo

Exo is the Greater Montreal Area’s regional bus and train network. Five train lines extend from Montreal to Hudson in the west, Saint-Jerôme in the north, Mascouche in the northeast, Mont-Saint-Hillaire in the east and Candiac in the south.

Intercar

This bus company was a lifesaver for me in July 2022, when I found myself stranded in the small Charlevoix town of La Malbaie. (It’s a long story.) Intercar connects dozens of communities in northeastern Quebec—particularly along the north shore of the St. Lawrence—to Quebec City and Montreal.

I’ve listed some of the main destinations below, but if you don’t see the community you want to reach, do check Intercar’s website. These buses make lots of stops, and your destination may be one of them.

Destinations served include the following: Montreal, Quebec City, Chicoutimi, Jonquière, Tadoussac, Baie Comeau, Baie-Sainte-Paul, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Sept-Iles, Havre-Saint-Pierre, Dolbeau, Chibougamau, Saint-Félicien

For more information: Intercar website

Orléans Express

I mentioned this company above, under direct connections from Ottawa to Montreal. However, Orléans Express is also a major intercity bus company, with routes spanning 30 cities across much of the province of Quebec. So if you don’t mind changing buses in Montreal and/or Quebec City, you can travel quite far.

Destinations served include the following: Montreal, Quebec City, Drummondville, Trois-Rivières, Rimouski, Matane, Gaspé

For more information: Orléans Express website

Société des Traversiers du Québec

This organization coordinates an extensive network of 13 ferry routes along the St. Lawrence River and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Again, the main destinations listed below are only a fraction of the communities served (some of which are accessible only by ferry or plane).

Destinations served include the following: Montreal, Quebec City, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Blanc-Sablon, Sept-Iles, Rimouski, Rivière-du-Loup, Ile d’Anticosti, Matane

For more information: Société des Traversiers du Québec website

More information on Quebec transportation

Check these provincial and regional tourism board pages for more detailed information about public transportation in Quebec:

• Bonjour Québec (province-wide)
• Tourisme Outaouais
• Tourisme Laurentians
• Québec Maritime (eastern Quebec—basically, anything east of Tadoussac, including Gaspésie and les Iles-de-la-Madeleine)

Public transportation between Canada and the United States

I’m going to assume here that you’re not driving or flying—that’s a whole other post. (In fact, you can check my post 5 ways to get from Ottawa to New York City for some ideas on that front.) In this section, I’m going to give you some ideas for ways get to the U.S. from Canada by bus or train.

Important: Please note that prices on American websites are usually shown in American dollars. (Some give you the option to select your preferred currency. If they don’t, assume you’re looking at prices in U.S. dollars, not Canadian.)

Amtrak

Amtrak offers two main routes between eastern Canada and the U.S. northeast.

• The Adirondack connects Montreal with New York City’s Penn Station. Montreal’s Central Station and the train station in suburban Saint-Lambert are the only boarding points in Canada. Once you cross the border, though, you can disembark in all sorts of New York state communities, including Plattsburgh, Ticonderoga and Saratoga Springs. Official travel time from Montreal to NYC: 10 hours.
• The Maple Leaf connects Toronto’s Union Station with New York’s Penn Station. You can board at half a dozen southern Ontario stations (Toronto, Oakville, Aldershot, Grimsby, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls). U.S. stations include Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. Official travel time from Toronto to NYC: 12.5 hours.

Here are a few words to the wise about travelling to the U.S. on Amtrak.

• Both the Adirondack and the Maple Leaf go through Albany-Rensselaer. After that, both routes serve the same stations between Albany-Rensselaer and New York City, including Hudson, Rhinecliff and Poughkeepsie.
• You can’t use Amtrak trains to travel solely between Canadian destinations—so, for instance, you can’t take one from Toronto to St. Catharines.
• Wi-fi and café service are available on both routes.
• Although you can bring dogs and cats aboard many Amtrak routes within the U.S., you can’t bring them across the Canada-U.S. border on the train.
• These are long routes and, like VIA Rail, Amtrak shares many of its rails with freight trains, which get priority. Also, when you cross the border, customs and immigration officers come on board and check every passenger’s passport individually. If one passenger has a problem, you all have a problem—in other words, there can be unexpected delays at the border. All of this is to say that the trains often arrive hours late. Bring a book. Bring snacks. Bring patience. (On the bright side, the trains are affordable and relatively comfortable.)

Flixbus and Megabus

I know I mentioned these two companies above, but their Canadian websites will link you mainly to Canadian destinations. If you check the U.S. Flixbus site or the U.S. Megabus site, you can find more information on connections from Toronto and Montreal to the States (including direct routes to Detroit and New York City). Once you’re in a U.S. bus hub, you can connect to an extensive network of American destinations.

Greyhound

Yes, Greyhound basically bailed on Canada in 2021, but the bus company still offers cross-border service from Toronto and Montreal, mainly to New York City.

Road trip accommodations

Note: This section contains affiliate links.

Do you need to find a place to stay on your road trip? Use this map to book a hotel or other accommodations, and I’ll receive a small commission that will help support this website (at no extra cost to you). Scroll around the map, or make it larger or smaller with the “+” and “-” signs in the lower right-hand corner, to change the view so that the destinations you’re interested in will be displayed.

Looking for more tips on things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, northern New York state and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your Weekend Getaway Guide.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.