Touring in Canada

Canada is all about the great outdoors, home to some of the most scintillating scenery on the planet. From the thick forests and crystalline lakes of the Rocky Mountains to the stark beauty of the Arctic tundra, from the explosion of fall colours to thundering Niagara Falls, Canada is never dull. Spend time in the wilderness and you’ll see caribou, moose, elk, eagles and maybe even polar bears. Canada is also a winter sports hotspot, with ski resorts like Whistler and Banff drawing the crowds as the snow begins to settle.

Canada is not just about outdoor adventure, however, and boasts some of North America’s most compelling cities. Sample the unique French flavour of Montréal and Québec City, climb cosmopolitan Toronto’s iconic CN Tower, or dip into Vancouver’s thriving culinary and craft beer scene. And don’t forget to spend some time exploring Canada’s most fascinating historical sites, from the early Viking settlements in Newfoundland to the gold rush towns of the Yukon.

Touring Highlights of Canada

• Vancouver is one of Canada’s most vibrant cities, with a great arts scene, mouthwatering restaurants galore and a host of quirky neighbourhoods to explore.
• Beyond Vancouver’s city limits is British Columbia’s great outdoors, a sprawling wilderness of ancient rainforests, towering mountains and First Nations peoples who have inhabited these lands for millennia.
• Multicultural Toronto has a real big city buzz, with superb restaurants, lively bars and a fantastic array of museums and galleries. For the best views of the city and Lake Ontario, head to the top of the iconic CN Tower.
• The charming cobbled streets and elegant architecture of Québec City date back to the 17th century, recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
• Montréal is a cauldron of creativity, an island city where handsome 18th century architecture sits alongside hipster-filled bars and restaurants serving cutting edge cuisine, with a packed year-round programme of festivals and events.
• The Canadian wilderness is home to some of North America’s most iconic wildlife, including caribou, bears, moose, elk and eagles.
• The waters around Canada offer some of the best whale watching in the world, sustaining over 30 species including humpbacks, minke whales, right whales and the legendary blue whale, the largest animal on earth.
• Up to six million cubic feet of water thunders over Niagara Falls every minute, so make sure you pack your waterproofs if you want to take a boat trip and have a closer look!
• The Haida Gwaii archipelago has been described as the ‘Galapagos of the North’, home to an amazing concentration of unique flora and fauna found nowhere else on earth.
• Nova Scotia is a rugged, sea-salty sort of place, a beautifully windswept landscape of wild beaches, thick woodland, fishing harbours and rocky inlets.
• Wind your way through spectacular mountain scenery on board the Rocky Mountaineer train, which links Vancouver with Whistler, Banff and Jasper.
• Whistler is home to one of North America’s most famous ski resorts, but there’s plenty on offer in summer too, including spectacular hikes, mountain biking trails and four championship golf courses.
• The Canadian Arctic is a vast wilderness where treeless tundra stretches for miles and Inuit communities eke out an existence in harsh conditions. Look out for polar bears, beluga whales and narwhals, with the chance to see the Northern Lights during the winter months.
• Autumn is one of the most photogenic months to visit Canada, when the trees are ablaze with the spectacular fall colours.
• Canadians are mad about ice hockey, and watching a game with the locals is a memorable experience. It’s a fast-moving, rough-and-tumble sport where players are often slammed into the hoardings as they jostle for control of the puck.
• Newfoundland and Labrador is Canada’s most easterly province, a fiercely independent place where the local dialect is infused with old English and Irish words, a legacy of the settlers who first established fishing communities amongst this harsh landscape.
• Canada’s attractive capital, Ottawa, is home to some of the country’s top museums, including the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
• The town of Churchill, on the western shore of Hudson Bay, is Canada’s most popular polar bear-watching destination. Peak bear season is mid-October to November.
• The Yukon Territory will forever be associated with the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98, when thousands were lured here by the promise of untold riches.
• The gorgeous turquoise waters of Moraine Lake are fed by the glaciers of Banff National Park, set amongst stunning mountain scenery where bears lurk in the trees.
• Canada shares the Great Lakes with the USA, and three of the lakes border the province of Ontario. Highlights on the Canadian side include Point Pelee, a birding hotspot and Canada’s most southerly point.
• You might not associate Canada with vineyards, but the sunny and fertile hills of the Okanagan Valley are home to some truly excellent wineries.
• Victoria is the underrated capital of British Columbia, with a quirky Olde England heritage, outdoor activities such as kayaking and whale watching, and the popular Butchart Gardens.
• Learn about the history of the First Nations peoples at Vancouver’s Museum of Anthropology, or head to the Audain Art Museum in Whistler to find out more about indigenous art in Canada.
• A huge influx of Scots settled on craggy Cape Breton Island after fleeing the Highland Clearances in the 19th century, and the island still has a distinctive Celtic culture manifested in foot-tapping music and rousing cèilidhs.