Editor’s note: I originally wrote this for another blog and it was never published, so I thought I would share it with you :)

Summary: If you have more time than money, don’t fly to or from Canadian airports. Here is an in-depth guide to getting to and from Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.

Introduction



Anybody who has ever flown to or from Canada knows that the flights are overpriced. While some Americans can fly across their country for $150 all-in, Canadians would not be shocked to see $500 for a similar distance. This guide will tell you what you need to know about the cheapest possible transportation to and from Canada’s three most populous cities. All sample fares are one-way as of March 2014.

Toronto

I am very well-acquainted with Buffalo’s airport (BUF.) This is because Buffalo is the closest American airport to Toronto, and I can sometimes fly home to New York (JFK) for $29 plus taxes on JetBlue.

Getting to Buffalo:

Buffalo Airport Shuttle (unknown time and $) Drive your own car or rent one (1 hour 45 mins) Greyhound and Megabus both offer buses directly to Buffalo Airport from downtown Toronto for $20 (3 hours 45 mins) Via Rail has one train a day that goes to Buffalo. Don’t take it.

I recommend the bus to Buffalo Airport. It runs less often than “all buses to Buffalo,” so if your travel times don’t line up with the bus to Buffalo Airport, you can take any old bus to downtown Buffalo and take a cab for about $35. You can also take an NFTA bus for $2. Be warned: downtown Buffalo and Detroit are basically identical.

Bonus: if you are willing to deal with the worst airline in America, you can fly Spirit Airlines from IAG (Niagara Falls, NY, Point B above) to many warm destinations for double-digit prices.

Sample Fares from Toronto

Pearson (YYZ) -> Vancouver (YVR) on Mar 19 2014: $344.28 on WestJet

Buffalo (BUF) -> Seattle (SEA) on Mar 19 2014: $133.80 on JetBlue

Toronto (YYZ) -> Los Angeles (LAX) on Mar 19 2014: $312.80 on American

Buffalo (BUF) -> Los Angeles (LAX) on Mar 19 2014: $177.80 on JetBlue

Pearson (YYZ) -> Miami (MIA) on Mar 19 2014: $220.59 on WestJet

Niagara Falls (IAG) -> Miami-ish (FLL) on Mar 19 2014: $74.39 on Spirit

Vancouver

Vancouver has a pretty interesting array of options because there are actually two legit airports within a decent distance from downtown: Bellingham, WA (<1 hour drive, point B below) or Seattle (2 hour 45 min drive, cheaper fares.) In addition, if you are going to Vancouver, you can take advantage of the cheapest car rentals in the US with FlightCar near the Seattle airport.

Getting to Bellingham

Take QuickShuttle. (2 hours, $15 - $29)

Getting to Seattle if you live in Vancouver

Drive. (2 hours 45 mins) Bus for $15 (4 hours 30 minutes) then cab to SEA ($40, 20 mins) Bus to Seattle for $15 (4 hours 30 mins) then light rail from Westlake Center to SeaTac (40 mins, $2.75)

Getting to Vancouver from SeaTac if you’re visiting

Rent a FlightCar. (2 hours 45 mins, cheap) Rent a car from a big company. (3 hours, less cheap) Cab to Greyhound ($40) then bus to Van for $15 (4 hours 30 mins) Light rail downtown to Westlake Center (40 mins, $2.75), walk 4 blocks, then bus to Van for $15 (4 hours 30 mins)

Sample Fares

Vancouver (YVR) to San Francisco (SFO) on Feb 12, 2014: $213 on WestJet

Seattle (SEA) to San Francisco (SFO) on Feb 12, 2014: $78 on American

Vancouver (YVR) to Miami (MIA) on Mar 3, 2014: $313 on American

Seattle (SEA) to Miami (MIA) on Mar 3, 2014: $189 on Delta

Vancouver (YVR) to New York (LGA) on Mar 28, 2014: $401 on WestJet

Bellingham (BLI) to New York (EWR) on Mar 28, 2014: $293 on Alaska

Seattle (SEA) to New York (EWR) on Mar 28, 2014: $190 on Delta

Montreal

The closest American airports to Montreal are pretty small ones, Burlington, VT (served by one of the best domestic US carriers, JetBlue) and Plattsburgh, NY (h/t to Pauline for pointing this out!) Greyhound conveniently stops at the only two things in Burlington: UVM and the airport. There is a once-daily Amtrak between Plattsburgh and Montreal.

Getting to Burlington, VT

Drive. (1 hour 45 minutes) Bus for $17 (2 hours 45 minutes)

Getting to Plattsburgh, NY

Drive. (1 hour 7 minutes) Bus for $22 (1 hour 45 minutes) Amtrak for $21 (4 hours, once daily)

Sample Fares

Montreal (YUL) to Denver (DEN) on Mar 28, 2014: $312 on Air Canada

Burlington (BTV) to Denver (DEN) on Mar 28, 2014: $155 on United

Montreal (YUL) to Miami (MIA) on Mar 28, 2014: $295 on American

Burlington (BTV) to Miami-ish (FLL) on Mar 28, 2014: $182 on United

Montreal (YUL) to Los Angeles (LAX) on Mar 28, 2014: $386 on Delta

Burlington (BTV) to Los Angeles (LAX) on Mar 28, 2014: $216 on United

Is it worth it? It’s up to you how much your time is worth. Most buses you will take from Canada to the US have wifi so you can get plenty of work done, and if you double the prices above, the savings can be over $500 for a few hours of your time.

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