Camper vans and motorhomes for the Outaouais, Ottawa and the Thousand Islands
Compare campervan and motorhome rental companies in Dorval to find the best price, and book at the price shown, mandatory fees included.
Hiring a campervan in Dorval means going straight from landing at Montreal-Trudeau airport to the open road, without crossing downtown Montreal. From the west of the island, Autoroute 40 heads for the Outaouais, Montebello and Ottawa, the federal capital, while Autoroute 20 follows the St. Lawrence to Ontario's Thousand Islands and Kingston. In the other direction, Quebec City, Charlevoix and the mouth of the Saguenay are a few stages away.
Our partner companies have no depot in Dorval itself: vehicles leave from the three depots of the Montreal region, all off the island, Canadream in Mirabel and Cruise Canada in Saint-Eustache, to the north-west, and Fraserway in Saint-Hubert, on the south shore.
No branch in Dorval: these companies have a branch within 100 km.
Oka National Park is a stone's throw from the Saint-Eustache and Mirabel depots; Route 344 then runs along the Lake of Two Mountains, and Route 148 follows the Ottawa River to Montebello, its famous log hotel and the Parc Oméga wildlife park. Plaisance Falls come before Gatineau and the Canadian Museum of History, facing Ottawa's Parliament. Spend two nights at Lac Philippe in Gatineau Park, then return on Highway 417.
Autoroute 20 becomes Highway 401 in Ontario and follows the St. Lawrence to Upper Canada Village, a reconstructed pioneer village near Morrisburg. At Brockville the Thousand Islands Parkway begins, a small scenic road to Gananoque, where cruises leave to wind between the wooded islands. Kingston keeps Fort Henry and the Rideau Canal locks; the free Glenora ferry then leads to the Sandbanks dunes in Prince Edward County, before the Toronto area.
From the Saint-Hubert depot, a long day on Autoroute 20 and the Pierre-Laporte Bridge brings you to Quebec City and its ramparts. Past Montmorency Falls and the Côte-de-Beaupré, Baie-Saint-Paul opens up Charlevoix, its art galleries and the Route du Fleuve through Les Éboulements to La Malbaie. The ferry then crosses the mouth of the Saguenay to Tadoussac. Return along the south shore: the Saint-Siméon to Rivière-du-Loup ferry, then Kamouraska and its old houses by the river.
The most balanced months to leave from Dorval: clear roads, open campsites and sights quieter than in high summer. In late September and early October, the maples of Gatineau Park and the Outaouais hills turn red and gold; October is nonetheless the wettest month of the year, and the nights get distinctly cooler.
High summer: long, hot days, swimming in the lakes of Gatineau Park and cruises among the Thousand Islands. Canada Day, on 1 July, draws crowds to Ottawa, and festivals follow one another in Quebec City. Campsites in national and provincial parks fill up as soon as bookings open, often months ahead.
Two transition months, grey and damp, with nights close to freezing. In April, snowmelt swells the Ottawa River, which floods low-lying areas in some years; by November most campsites have closed and the scenic roads of Gatineau Park close to cars as winter approaches. May or June is a better bet.
Dry cold, heavy snow and short days: January sees lows around -11 °C. Winter tyres are compulsory in Quebec from 1 December to 15 March, water pipes freeze and very few campsites stay open. Winter is better enjoyed on foot in Ottawa, skating on the Rideau Canal when the ice allows.
Most pleasant months: May, September.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -4 °C | -11 °C | 79 mm | 5 h/day |
| Feb | -2 °C | -10 °C | 82 mm | 6 h/day |
| Mar | 3 °C | -6 °C | 87 mm | 8 h/day |
| Apr | 11 °C | 1 °C | 117 mm | 8 h/day |
| May | 19 °C | 9 °C | 80 mm | 10 h/day |
| Jun | 24 °C | 15 °C | 112 mm | 11 h/day |
| Jul | 27 °C | 19 °C | 97 mm | 12 h/day |
| Aug | 25 °C | 18 °C | 117 mm | 11 h/day |
| Sep | 21 °C | 14 °C | 65 mm | 10 h/day |
| Oct | 15 °C | 8 °C | 126 mm | 7 h/day |
| Nov | 6 °C | -0 °C | 89 mm | 5 h/day |
| Dec | -1 °C | -7 °C | 91 mm | 4 h/day |
Averages 2016–2025 computed from Open-Meteo data (ERA5 reanalysis).
No rental company has a depot in Dorval: choose Montreal as your departure city when searching. All three depots are off the island: Cruise Canada in Saint-Eustache and Canadream in Mirabel, to the north-west, via Autoroute 13, on the way to the Outaouais; Fraserway in Saint-Hubert, on the south shore, via Autoroute 20 and the often congested Samuel De Champlain Bridge. The exact address is in your confirmation.
After a long flight, avoid driving the same evening: book a night at one of the hotels near the airport and arrange to collect the vehicle the next morning. You will not discover an unfamiliar vehicle size while jet-lagged, and you will avoid the rush-hour jams at the Dorval interchange.
Once over the Ontario line on Autoroute 40 or Autoroute 20, road signs switch to English and turning right on a red light becomes legal again, whereas it is banned across the whole island of Montreal, Dorval included. Around Toronto, Highway 407 is an electronic toll road billed by licence plate: avoid it or ask the rental company how it recharges these fees.
A few kilometres from the Saint-Eustache and Mirabel depots, Oka National Park has a large campground on the Lake of Two Mountains, with a beach and the Calvary trail: a short first stage to check the equipment and buy whatever is missing before the long distances. Book on the Sépaq website, especially for summer weekends.
The rate varies with the season, the length of hire, the model and the departure depot, and rises sharply in July and August, when Quebec and international demand peaks. Enter your dates and choose Montreal as your departure city: the search shows the real price of every offer available at the three depots, mandatory fees included, bookable immediately.
The airport is in Dorval, but the depots are on the outskirts: Saint-Eustache and Mirabel to the north-west, Saint-Hubert on the south shore. Tell the rental company your arrival time and use its shuttle where one exists; otherwise, a taxi will take you there in thirty to forty-five minutes depending on the depot and the traffic. Allow time for customs and baggage.
Allow about 180 km and two hours on Autoroute 40, which becomes Highway 417 in Ontario. Route 148, on the Quebec bank of the Ottawa River, is slower but far more beautiful, through Montebello and Plaisance. Avoid Friday late afternoon, when the west of the island empties towards cottages and campsites.
Yes, Toronto is one of our partners' departure cities, 486 km away as the crow flies. Its depots are on the outskirts, in Brampton, Bolton, Cookstown or Clarington, the latter on Highway 401 as you come from Kingston. Via the Thousand Islands, the one-way trip takes five to seven days. One-way fees may apply: they are included in the displayed price as soon as Toronto is entered as the return city.
Yes, from spring to autumn: the campgrounds in the Lac Philippe sector welcome motorhomes, and the parkways lead to lookouts above the Ottawa Valley. Some roads close to cars in winter or at certain times in summer for cyclists, and car parks are small: check the restrictions in force and book through the National Capital Commission.
Good value for money Very good contacts with Cooldrive Antibes
8-seat vehicle in almost new condition, in perfect working order. Storage space is clearly sufficient and essential for 8 people. The last bench could have been moved back by 5 to 10 cm to give more room to the rear passengers.
Everything was perfect.
For a tourist stay, a valid licence from your own country generally allows you to drive a rental motorhome in both provinces. An international driving permit is advisable if your licence is written in neither French nor English. The minimum age and years of driving required vary by rental company: they are shown in the conditions of each offer.
Private campsites line Route 148 along the Ottawa River, and Gatineau Park has campgrounds by Lac Philippe. In Ottawa, overnight street parking is regulated and spaces for large vehicles are rare: sleep on the outskirts and reach the centre by public transport. Elsewhere, always ask for permission before settling in for the night.
No, Quebec and Ontario are two provinces of the same country: there are no checks on Autoroutes 40 and 20, and the time zone stays the same all the way to Toronto. Only the language of the signs, a few traffic rules and the campground network change, with Ontario Parks running the provincial parks. The Thousand Islands, however, lie along the United States border.
The maples generally turn red from late September to mid-October, first in the hills of the Outaouais and Gatineau Park, then in the St. Lawrence valley. On peak weekends, access to the park is very busy and sometimes restricted: set off early or go on a weekday. Also check campsite closing dates, often set for mid-October.
Charlevoix has the steepest hills in the St. Lawrence valley, especially around Les Éboulements and Baie-Saint-Paul: a camper van or a lighter low-profile motorhome is more pleasant there than a large model. Use engine braking on long descents. The Saguenay and Saint-Siméon ferries take motorhomes, but waiting times grow longer in summer.
From June to October, fin whales, minke whales and sometimes blue whales feed at the mouth of the Saguenay. You can spot them from the shore at Cap-de-Bon-Désir, in Grandes-Bergeronnes, or on a cruise from Tadoussac. The protected belugas live in the estuary all year round. Bring warm clothes: the river water stays icy cold.
Dorval is where most travellers first set foot in Quebec: Montreal-Trudeau airport takes up a large part of this town on the west of the island, on the shore of Lake Saint-Louis. Starting here means skipping the drive through downtown and heading straight west, where the Ottawa River leads to Ottawa and its museums, or towards Ontario's stretch of the St. Lawrence, its wooded islands and its 19th-century forts.
Vehicles are collected from the three depots of the Montreal region: in Mirabel and Saint-Eustache, to the north-west, already on the road to the Outaouais, or in Saint-Hubert, on the south shore, well placed for heading to Quebec City. May, June, September and early autumn are the best periods. For a longer trip, Toronto and Halifax, 804 km away as the crow flies, are other departure cities of our partners: enough to reach the Great Lakes or the Atlantic one way.
