<p>Distances in New England are smaller then out west. The whole loop is doable in 16 days of which about 5 would be spent traveling.</p>
<p>I would include Portland if you can, but check to see about the availability of flights from your area. From ours, non-stop/direct flights are nonexistant. We usually stay at the Portland Harbor Hotel which is nice as well as being in a convenient location:</p>
<p>[Portland</a> Harbor Hotel Downtown Portland Hotels Portland Maine Official Hotel Website](<a href=“http://www.portlandharborhotel.com/index.php]Portland”>Portland Maine Hotels | Portland Harbor Hotel in Portland's Old Port district.)</p>
<p>We love Maine with favorite spots being Boothbay Harbor, Rockport, Camden, and Monhegan. In the Rockport/Camden area, we like to stay at Samoset or one of the many B&Bs in the area.</p>
<p>[Samoset</a> Resort, Camden- Rockport Maine](<a href=“http://www.samosetresort.com/index.aspx]Samoset”>http://www.samosetresort.com/index.aspx)</p>
<p>Quebec City is lovely and there is much to see and do. Le Chateau Frontenac is the most popular spot to stay. It’s pricey but worth it, in my opinion. Great service, fabulous views, terrific location. If you want to splurge, stay on the Gold Floor. A drive north of the city along the river is very pretty and a nice way to spend a day.</p>
<p>The Eastern Townships are filled with beautiful small towns, and don’t worry about speaking French. There are plenty of English-speaking people there. It’s where many English Quebeckers spend their summers, and there are many ‘native’ English speaking families who date back to the Loyalist days. In the province, it will be unusual to find too many places where the people don’t also speak English. A terrific place to stay is the Manoir Hovey, a beautiful inn in North Hatley.</p>
<p>[Rooms</a> at romantic inn in North Hatley, Quebec](<a href=“http://www.manoirhovey.com/en/accommodation.html]Rooms”>http://www.manoirhovey.com/en/accommodation.html)</p>
<p>Vermont has so many lovely towns, it would be difficult to choose just one or two. Stowe is very nice as is Weston (and the surrounding area), which has a wonderful summer theatre, the Weston Playhouse.</p>
<p>Yes, do bring your passports. You’ll need them as of June this year. Also be sure that your rental car allows you to cross over into Canada. I second the suggestion to make reservations in advance. Popular spots will be unlikely to have rooms available without one.</p>
<p>I’ve heard horror stories of the deep woods area of Maine, like Baxter, being completely overrun with mosquitoes at some point in the year. Anyone know what month that is?</p>
<p>May through October – Mosquitos the size of F-15’s and twice as leathal!!!</p>
<p>Blue Hill/Castine area is lovely. Lots of nice biking in those Eastern Townships. Here’s a little bit about them. </p>
<p>[Monteregie</a> and Cantons-de-l’Est : Regions in Brief | Frommers.com](<a href=“Regions in Brief in Monteregie and Cantons-de-l'Est | Frommer's”>Regions in Brief in Monteregie and Cantons-de-l'Est | Frommer's)</p>
<p>Wow, thank you so much! This is such great feedback! I’m completely sold on Maine and want to do one of the islands. I think the Windjammer, which sounds fabulous, is probably not a good idea for us as my son gets horribly seasick, even with meds, and he’d be miserable. How much time are you actually on the boat? He can probably tolerate a ferry better. It sounds like (and I need to check a map) Montreal is between Burlington and Quebec. I know the drive from Montreal to Quebec is pretty straightforward (and pretty) as I’ve done it before, but I have no real desire to see Montreal again. It’s a very nice city but I just don’t feel that this trip is about seeing a city. I found my New England Fodors and I’m going to start looking at maps and try to plan a route with all this great advice. I can fly Jet Blue from CA to NY and then to Portland. Jet Blue always flies one-way anyhow so I’d just have to figure out the best way to get back. Thank you so much. I can’t imagine ever leaving CC. There is no better place to go for advice!</p>
<p>If your child gets seasick, then a windjammer is definitely not for you! I would second the idea of the Charlevoix. Sometime, if you ever have the time, going all the way up the St. Lawrence on the Gaspe peninsula is a fantastic experience.</p>
<p>I find the Maine coast in summer one of the most beautiful places in America. Once you get off Route 1, very few places are crowded or excessively touristy. Personally, if I had 16 days, I’d try to rent a cabin somewhere on the coast or on an island, say between Camden and Acadia, and do little day trips, hiking in Acadia, and spend a little time on the water. Then head up to Quebec City with its absolutely charming old city, about 5 hours by car from Bangor. Then explore PQ east from Quebec City, beginning with the nearby quaint and historic Ile d’Orleans and heading up towards the Charlevoix region. Then head back down into Vermont via Sherbrooke (avoiding Montreal as you’re not interested in seeing it again), through St. Johnsbury (Quebec City-St. Johnsbury about 4 hours). Then see whatever you want to see in Vermont before returning home.</p>
<p>Jet Blue serves Portland, ME and both Burlington and Rutland, VT. Check with rental car companies about drop-off charges if you’re not returning the car to the same location, however, as these can be stiff. Another possibility is Southwest Airlines into Manchester, NH, easy access to Maine (Manchester-Portland = 1 hr 45 min) and very accessible from anywhere in Vermont. Also, whatever your route, be sure to check with rental car companies about taking their car into Canada as policies and requirements vary.</p>
<p>Thank you, bclintonk. I’ve been pondering how to fly in and out. The Southwest option might be best. Jet Blue is almost sold out now to Portland and it will be about two weeks before I can buy tickets for complicated reasons. I’ll check out both options.</p>
<p>Manchester is a great airport and convenient to Maine and Vermont.</p>