Planning a trip to Canada? We share the best places in Canada to visit so you can explore this incredible country.
We have collaborated with other travel bloggers to answer that question! It is a gorgeous country with so much variety, with easy transport and backpacking Canada options available.
BEST PLACES IN CANADA TO VISIT
OTTAWA – ONTARIO
My favourite place in Canada is my hometown – Ottawa, Ontario. A lot of people give Ottawa a hard time because it’s not as big as neighbouring cities like Montreal and Toronto. However, I’ve always had a million things to do while living there – all you need is the right connections. On any given weekend, I always have at least 10 fun options of social things to do in the city.
The winter months are full of skating on the canal (complete with hot chocolate and beaver tails), nearby mountains for skiing, and cuddling by the fireplace. The summer months are full of festivals! Not only is there “Bluesfest” with so many artists from different musical genres represented, we also have a beer festival, and every type of junk food festival you can imagine (ribs, grilled cheese, poutine, or mac n’ cheese – to name a few).
Although a lot of people are government workers, everyone is incredibly friendly and I’ve met a lot of wonderful people over the years. In the spring, the beautiful tulips in every colour can be seen throughout the city, and in the fall, the colours of the changing leaves make a perfect backdrop for spooky Halloween wagon rides.
My favourite thing to do is go rollerblading along the bike paths beside the river in the summer, while watching the baby geese hatch, and feeling the beautiful sunshine along the beaches. Ottawa has a perfect mix of activities to make it a perfect place to live or visit during any season!
Amanda from Amanda around the world
MUSKOKA – ONTARIO
I was recently invited to join one of my closest friends on a week long trip to her family cottage in Muskoka. I had heard so much about this magical place but couldn’t quite believe it when I finally sat out on the dock and watched the sun go down.
We were miles away from ‘civilisation’ and it was so refreshing. It’s funny what disconnecting can do to you; our week without Wi-Fi was spent reading out on the dock, barbecuing, playing cards, boating, jumping in the lake and snuggling around the fire at night. The silence struck me the most; complete and utter silence. It felt a bit eery at first, but I slept more soundly than ever thanks to the peaceful environment.
Coming from Barbados, I have seen my fair share of beautiful sunsets, but the sunsets in Muskoka took my breath away.
Malou from Skip to Malou
LAKE LOUISE – ALBERTA
Lake Louise is probably the most photographed place in Canada and for good reason. Beautiful in any season, this lake is quintessential Canada. In summer, the turquoise waters reflect the majestic snow-capped mountains with canoes doting the lake.
In winter, the spectacular ice castle built on the lake is a perfect place to brush up your ice skating skills. The historic Chateau Lake Louise Hotel sits front and center in the valley and is a charming place for high tea or to warm your chilled bones in winter. A favorite activity is to trek 3.5 km from Lake Louise to the Lake Agnes Tea House. The hike provides a different vantage point of the Lake and the charming Tea House makes for a good reward. In winter, the nearby Lake Louise Ski Resort, located in Banff National Park is the place to head for pristine skiing. You will be sharing this magical spot with lots of other tourists, but as you gaze at this magical lake in the Rockies, you truly won’t mind.
Dawn from 5 Lost Together
NIAGARA FALLS – ONTARIO
Niagara Falls is by far my favourite place in North America!
Calum and I visited The Falls on our first ever trip together and will always find time to return here when we are in the area. With the Maid of the Mist and Hornblower cruises offering you a chance to get up close and personal, the journey behind the falls or the Cave of the winds – there is so much fun to be had here.
The Canadian side also offers some fun activities for the evenings: wax museums, arcades, themed restaurants, chill-out bars with funky cocktails and more. You can drive out to one of the many vineyards or head down Niagara River on a thrilling Jetboat.
VANCOUVER – BRITISH COLUMBIA
Vancouver in British Colombia on the west coast of Canada is famed for its beauty. It has so much to offer visitors whatever season you choose to visit. I highly recommend spending a day cycling around Stanley Park. Walk or cycle the seawall – the 9 km long section found in the park has a path which leads you past totem poles, a beach and also offers great views of the Lions Gate Bridge.
After a day of cycling, head downtown to Gastown and enjoy a drink and a meal while people watching.
If markets full of beautiful fresh produce are of interest, then a trip to Granville Island by Aquabus is a must! Enjoy a stroll around the island and don’t forget to check out the floating homes in the creek!
Don’t forget to enjoy the Whale Watching Vancouver experience.
Tracy from Tracy’s travels in time
HALIFAX – NOVA SCOTIA
Halifax is known as the hipster city in Canada, but when I went to book flights, I could only find two things to do from Google: The Public Gardens and The Citadel. Although I would highly recommend both, they aren’t the only reasons why I want to go back and explore the Nova Scotia capital more. From the incredible architecture to the oldest parliament house in Canada to Canada’s oldest urban park to gluten-free and vegan food galore, Halifax truly surprised and amazed me.
What surprised me most about Halifax is its music scene, which was mainly folk music with Celtic and Gaelic undertones. The city of 390,000 people has even hosted Elton John and John Lennon at concerts in the Halifax Commons, a large green space that was also visited by Princess Diana and Pope John II. I recommend driving up to Cape Breton to visit the Gaelic College or the Celtic Music Centre to learn more about the musical and cultural influences.
Other day trips from Halifax include the iconic Peggy’s Cove and historic Lunenburg. I would spend at least three days in Cape Breton, as it’s about a four-hour drive from the capital.
Deni from The Full Time Tourist
WHITEHORSE – YUKON
What first drew me to Yukon two years ago was the northness of it. I’ve always felt a deep curiosity and affinity to the north, for its stories of remote wilderness and pioneering spirit. Whitehorse is its capital, and the largest city in the Canadian territories, so it’s a good starting point to launch your adventures from. Many people visit for the Northern Lights (I didn’t get to see any the entire two weeks I was there! Sad!) but that’s just one of its many delights.
While I was up there, I went snowboarding and dogsled riding. I visited the smallest desert in the world (Carcross Desert) as well as a nature preserve where you can see arctic foxes and muskox, among other animals. I also snowshoed for the first time, relaxed in some hot springs under the stars, and hitchhiked across the border into Alaska (technically!) with a birder; through his scope, we were lucky enough to see a couple of mountain goats on the craggy mountains. You won’t be short of adventures if you visit Yukon!
TORONTO – ONTARIO
oronto really does have it all. A vibrant & exciting food scene, colourful street art, an instagram-worthy skyline and natural scenery that is just a stone throw away from the city centre.
The food in Toronto is reason enough to pay this city a visit: between creative fusion cuisines, tasty street food and eateries serving up new & exciting combinations I could have easily spent weeks in Toronto sampling all the delicious food.
My favourite spot in the city is without a doubt the Toronto Islands, it’s just a ferry ride away yet it feels like setting foot into a completely different world. The islands offer picturesque settings for a walk along the shore and are also a great location for a picnic with friends, just keep an eye on those seagulls otherwise you might have to share your food.
Maria from Global Brunch
Helpful Resources
What to pack
- No matter where we travel to, I always take these trusty hand sanitizer’s and a mini first aid kit.
- We love these toiletry bags (especially great for smaller bathrooms) and choose a laptop bag like this as our hand luggage.
- We keep our devices charged on long travel days with these lightweight battery packs and bring these worldwide travel adaptors on all our trips.
- I still struggle not to overpack so stick to using an expandable suitcase like these, over backpack and always take my trusty luggage scales to avoid being charged at the airport.
Travel essentials:
- We LOVE this camera for our travel photography.
- For a cheap, easy and compact camera, we use this to vlog and take photographs.
- We use this travel drone (but make sure to check drone laws in your chosen destination first).
- This is our favourite travel Insurance because it covers so many activities and travel situations that could arise on longer trips but also offers year coverage.
29 Comments
I haven’t been to American continent yet and obviously I’m yet to visit Canada! So, thanks for this virtual tour. From your post, Muskoka and Lake Louise looks so spectacular!
Buenos Aires is high on my bucket list! would love to visit Thanks for such a detailed guide The markets sound awesome!
WOW! Whattay a beautiful list. I am in your neighbouring country right now. How I wish I could see the Niagara Falls from CANADA side too. One day. Soon. Hopefully 🙂
Without sounded completely biased but Toronto is my hometown and I have lots of love for Canada. Unfortunately, I still haven’t travelled our beautiful country. Looking forward to seeing Lake Louise in person one day soon.
Thank you for compiling this list! I live in Canada and I’m constantly looking for new places to visit in the country. So far, I have only been to the big cities, but would love to pay a visit to smaller, lesser known areas such as Whitehorse, Halifax and Muskoka!
We have a lot of Ottawa for the amazing festivals and the skiing activities in winter, would love to check out the tulip hues. Muskoka and Lake Louise definitely sounds like an ideal location for a digital detox, a day amidst the nature once in a while is a must. And the Niagara Falls who would want to miss it.
I am glad you included the Yukon! I lived there for a year and it was amazing. Carcross Desert, and the town is one of my favourite places in the world!
Great post, thank you!! I’ve only explored a small corner of Canada, but Ottawa on a beautiful summer’s day was the highlight for me. Now I have some more places to add to my list!!
These are all interesting places but if I were to pick one, I would choose Whitehorse, Yukon. I have not experienced anything similar to that. I want to join ski and snow tours, kayaking, canoeing, and taste the local cuisine of Yukon.
Thanks for sharing Canada is definitely on my bucket list!
Canada is a wonderful country and glad to know about these destinations. I’m particularly eager to visit British Columbia and of course the Niagara Falls!
Well this makes Canada sound completely and utterly idyllic! I haven’t been swept away by the Canada craze gripping the Internet just yet, but each one of these blurbs chipped away at my resolve bit by bit…
I would love to visit Canada; it looks so beautiful! I enjoyed reading about each place in this post. I especially like the look of Lake Louise, I love the sound of the turquoise water in the summer!
Growing up so close to Canada, I usually am not able to get too worked up about the idea of visiting. But this roundup has definitely proven how wrong I am—Canada looks positively idyllic! Great post 😀
Such a great list, thank you for the suggestions! I’ve yet to visit Canada, but it’s high up on my list. I’ve heard so many great things about it (including what you mentioned as well, about people being friendly), and it’s so diverse, the landscape is so beautiful, that I can’t wait to finally visit. Alberta is definitely on my list – I love hiking, and Canada has some amazing mountains – and so are Niagara Falls!
Oh I have such Vancouver cravings! My friends keep telling me how much I’ll love it. Halifax looks like a super city break too. And so does Ottawa and…oh dear, I see a long trip coming on!
I am the same! Can’t plan a trip just to one place!! 🙂
Hey Katie, ahh I can’t wait to come to Canada (hopefully this September!) I’ve heard so many wonderful things from Canadians and others, and these photos just make me more excited so thanks 🙂
aww that is great to hear! Hope you have an incredible time! 🙂
Great post and Canada is very beautiful
Great read, Katie! Canada has so much to offer. I simply cannot decide what first to see when I visit it!
Fantastic list of spots! I now have more options to put on my list when I visit in Canada. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Wow! I have been to Canada years ago and it was very fun but I was a child. It looks like things have really expanded and worth visiting again as a adult. Would love to do a four day weekend trip and enjoy what you shared in this post. Thanks for being so informative
Loved it excellent list. Looking forward to visit them
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