Canada has so much to offer tourists that whatever you want from a vacation, it has it in abundance. Outdoor pursuits with sensational backdrops – check. Delicious multi-cultural cuisine and intriguing culture – check. Art to inspire – check. Some of the friendliest local folks – check.
Vast, wild, vibrant, and above all else, welcoming to one and all, Canada never disappoints its visitors. Below are just 10 of the many reasons to visit Canada:
With the iconic Rockies, the raw beauty of the Cape Breton Highlands, the ruggedness of the Yukon, and the picturesque perfection of British Columbia, Canada has majestic, mountainous vistas down to a T.
For big mountains, head to British Columbia and Alberta. And don’t even think about visiting Canada without seeing the Rockies – that would be sacrilege! Banff and Jasper are wonderful spots to stay in for exploring the Rockies further. Keep an eye out for wolves, grizzly bears and lynxes! Canada has many other stunning wonders of nature, such as glaciers, dramatic coastlines, prairie flats, the Northern Lights, sweeping taiga, cherry blossoms, fall foliage, and the world’s largest collection of tranquil, freshwater lakes, making it a naturally diverse and inspiring destination.
Canada also has many wonderfully preserved public parks for people to enjoy. Whatever the season, there’s always something to see, do and marvel over.
There are adventures to be had no matter what the season. You can ski, skate, dogsled or fish in the winter snow, and hike, climb, whale watch, kayak or go canyoneering during the bright, summer months. If adrenalin is in your DNA, there’s nothing you won’t be able to do in Canada to get your pulse racing and your excitement levels careering out of control! Go tidal bore rafting in Nova Scotia, jet boating in New Brunswick, or even tracking bears in BC’s Great Bear Rainforest. The best place to see these magnificent grizzly beasts is in Western Canada. If you want to see them fishing for salmon (as seen on TV!), the best months to go are from August to September.
With Pacific and Atlantic salmon forming part of the staple diet, and AAA Alberta beef prized around the continent, Canada has an abundance of tasty natural resources to sate even the most uncontrollable of appetites! With the bigger cities featuring world-class restaurants, and fruit, wine and fresh produce from BC’s Okanagan and Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley positively revered, Canada’s ethnic diversity is reflected in its varied tastes.
Fishing is a centuries-old tradition on the East Coast. If you’re looking for fresh seafood, you can fill up on fish and other sea-dwelling delicacies there.
For scrumptious smoked meat, creamy cheeses, delicious bagels, sweet and sticky maple syrup and the local specialty, poutine, head to Quebec. For farmers’ markets and local produce, well, head anywhere you like – they’re everywhere!
Whether you’re in French or English-speaking Canada, there’s a rich cultural history just waiting to be discovered – from the First Nation and Alberta’s Blackfoot to the Arctic Inuit. Canada may be a huge, sprawling country. But with a population smaller than California, it has a wealth of home-grown talent, including famous artists, actors and comedians.
The Canadian people are a positive, friendly, ethnically diverse and polite bunch. Whether you travel to the country alone or with friends or family, you’ll always find someone willing to strike up a conversation with you and help make your stay that much more enjoyable.
With a love of celebrating – anything! – Canada hosts the world’s largest comedy and jazz festivals and Quebec City has the world’s biggest winter carnival. In Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg, thousands of music lovers flock there for the summer folk festivals. And the glamorous Toronto International Film Festival is second only to Cannes. Ottawa’s Rideau Canal lights up for its annual Winterlude and in July, Parliament Hill celebrates Canada Day. Vancouver attracts millions of people annually for the Festival of Light fireworks extravaganza, while Shakespeare, literary, fringe, religious, music and cultural festivals can be found all over the country.
In Canada, natural attractions are aplenty. From Niagara Falls and the Northern Lights to the Bay of Fundy and The Rockies, if you’re looking for sights that are truly worth seeing, you’ll find them in Canada. Its unique vistas can make you endlessly marvel at the wonders of nature. Plus, there are more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than you can shake a branch from a maple tree at!
If you fancy swapping the delights of nature for the shopping malls in some of Canada’s bigger cities, there are plenty of opportunities to shop until you drop. Its many parks and museums offer wide open, safe spaces for the whole family.
Some prefer to busy themselves in vibrant, energetic cities or strike a balance between nature and the architectural splendor of an exciting and modern metropolis. Vancouver and Victoria enjoy rich, cultural lifestyles, while Calgary and Edmonton have an abundance of natural resources. Regina and Saskatoon are proud prairie communities, while Winnipeg is considered to be at the cultural center of the country. As the corridors of commerce, Toronto and Ottawa have much to offer the visitor. And Montreal enjoys a reputation as the coolest city in the country, if not the continent! The streets of Old Quebec feel like they’ve been teleported from Europe, and Halifax and Charlottetown are knee-deep in history. Witness the first sunrise of the continent at St. John’s, Newfoundland, and pay a visit to Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit, the vibrant outposts of the Great White North.
A Dawson City tradition, the Sourtoe Cocktail, is the definition of quirky – or perhaps gruesome! Established in 1973, it has a dehydrated, salt-preserved human toe used as a garnish, and you don’t get quirkier than that! Or do you? How about tourists paying money to shoot back rum and kiss a cod’s lips, spend a night in an Ice Hotel, visit a haunted aspen grove in Saskatchewan or walk headfirst off a cliff in New Brunswick! For the more energetic among you, there’s the tidal marathon in Newfoundland, howling at wolves in Ontario’s Algonquin National Park, or snorkeling with salmon on Vancouver Island.
If you’re hunting for quirkiness, your search is over: next stop, Canada!
With many fiercely contested rivalries among competitors and sportspeople, Canada is a country passionate about sports. It has produced champions in skiing, snowboarding, boxing, lacrosse, curling, tennis, swimming, wrestling, athletics, MMA, skating and golf, among others. It also hosts the Yukon Quest, arguably the toughest race on the planet that pits one man against thousands of miles of wilderness. Every year thousands of fans cram into Mosaic Stadium to support their favorite Canadian football teams.
If sports are your thing, Canada is the place to be!
As the second-largest country in the world, Canada has a population around nine times smaller than that of the US. While it remains a popular country for visitors, it can feel exceptionally tranquil. Its vast expanses of natural beauty offer true opportunities for real reflection and to better connect with nature and ourselves. If you’re looking for room to roam, Canada gives you all the space you need.
Whoever you are, and whatever you want from a vacation or sightseeing trip, Canada will give it to you with a friendly smile! Canada is the destination for anyone, at any time.
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