THE BEST 25 THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN CANADA

We recently returned from a wonderful trip through Canada, but we still have fresh the moment we decided to go. And we were completely lost when deciding the itinerary: this country is enoooorme (in fact it is the second largest in the world, after Russia) and there are so many places to visit that one ends up a little dizzy. As we do not want this to happen to you, we have made a post with the best 25 things to see and do in Canada. Open a map and go pointing them out, and if you can do them all in one trip, tell us the trick!

1. There are many cheap flights between Europe and Toronto, so it can be a good starting point. And since you are there, dedicate it a couple of days, for us it is one of the most interesting cities in the whole country. In this article we tell you everything to do in Toronto, but we anticipate our favorites: the views of the skyline from the Toronto Islands, get to know the Canadian Flatiron Building and tour the characteristic Distillery District.

2. Flipa with the Niagara Falls, one of the world's largest waterfalls, which impressed us much more than expected. In addition, the surroundings of Niagara Falls offer other plans, such as a bike routine through the vineyards (try the ice wine, it is produced only here and it is tremendous), or visit the beautiful town of Niagara on the Lake. Here we tell you everything to see and do in Niagara Falls.

3. Montreal, the city that saw Nagetcer the great Leonard Cohen, can be considered as the cultural capital of the country. And although we did not have a crush (you know, everything is a matter of taste), it is undeniable that it deserves a couple of days, that you have time to know its many and very diverse neighborhoods. Prepare your visit by reading the essential things to see and do in Montreal.

4. Instead, with Quebec City quite the opposite happened, and we do not believe we are the only travelers who fall in love with it. It is a small, flirtatious city, with cobbled streets and perched on a promontory, from which the Château Frontenac hotel stands out, which more than a hotel looks like a real French castle! Here we tell you 20 things to see and do in Quebec City.

5. Very close there are the Montmorency waterfalls, less famous than those of Niagara but actually taller, with its 83 meters of fall. We were so surprised that we included them in this list of the 25 best things to see in Canada. It is also a couple of hours excursion easily realizable by free from Quebec City.

Château Frontenac in Quebec City

6. If you like roadtrips, rent a car and travel the Nova Scotia Peninsula, a land dotted with lighthouses, colorful villages, restaurants where to swell seafood (aiiins those lobsters) and natural corners of an overflowing beauty, especially along the Cabot Trail, on Cape Breton Island.

7. Although for epic roadtrip, the coast to coast by the Trans-Canada Highway, the road that crosses Canada from St John's, on the east end, to Victoria, on the west end, and which has almost 8,000km! Do you want the plan to sound even better? Come ... there we go: rent a motorhome! Or if you do not have much budget but if flexibility, try your luck with some relocation.

We are very motivated, especially after making a van life in New Zealand, Australia and on Route 66.

8. And on the other side of the country, it would be a sin not to visit Vancouver. Although if we have to be honest, we are divided: Rober is not convinced at all and prefers Toronto, and Lety, well ... it is enough to say that it would be the place chosen if he had to move to Canadian lands! What is clear is that Vancouver is the most Yankee city in Canada (in a good way and in a bad way) and that it does not usually leave anyone indifferent (you saw). Here we leave everything you can see and do in Vancouver and draw the conclusion yourself.

9. Approach the Capilano Bridge and feel the vertigo when crossing its famous suspension bridge. But the surprises do not end here: you can walk along wooden walkways several meters high and over the treetops, or walk on the edge of the cliff (literally) on the wall of a canyon.

Tip: we did not go, but if you prefer not to spend the $ 53 of the entrance to the Capilano Bridge Park, there is another suspension bridge in the Lynn Canyon Park also very close to Vancouver (free, although it only has the suspension bridge).

10. If you like skiing, Whistler It is one of the most legendary ski destinations in all of North America (and probably the whole world), in fact it hosted the Winter Olympics of 2010. The season is from November to April, but if you go in other months or ski passes Whistler is also famous for hiking trails and mountain bike circuits, in an idyllic setting.

Cloudraker Skybridge, in the Whistler Mountains (www.whistlerblackcomb.com)

11. To get there you will have to travel the Sea to Sky Highway, considered one of the most amazing panoramic roads in the world. It leaves from Vancouver and goes around the Howe Sound fjord (the southernmost fjord in North America), to enter the interior mountains of the province of British Columbia to Whistler. Now you understand the reason for his name, right? Here we tell you our experience on the Sea to Sky Highway.

12. The Wells Gray Provincial Park It was one of the great surprises of the trip, mostly because we had never read anything about this park dotted with waterfalls, each one more amazing than the previous one. Here we give you more info to plan your visit to the Wells Gray Provincial Park.

13. Of Jasper National ParkOn the other hand, we had heard a lot ... and rightly so: it is one of the three national parks that make up the Rocky Mountains of Canada, and in the end, the one we liked the most. It has wonderful places like the Maligne Lake, the trekking through the Valley of the Five Lakes, the Athabasca Falls or the very Athabasca Glacier. And besides all that, it is where we saw more bears (as a family, swimming and even next to the bathroom of the hostel 0_o).

14. The second of the parks we visited in the Rocky Mountains of Canada was the Banff National Park, and how could it be otherwise, it was a spectacle! Thanks especially to its emblematic turquoise water lakes, such as Peyto, Moraine (in the Valley of Ten Peaks) or Lake Louise. It is also one of the best places in the world to see grizzly bears in freedom (although of course, that as you see it can be a pro or a contra).

15. The roads that remove the hiccups in Canada are counted by tens, we have already told you about some of them in this same post, but the one that runs between these two national parks, crossing the heart of the Rocky Mountains, is undoubtedly the Most beautiful panoramic road we have ever seen. Is the Icefields parkway, 227 km of extreme beauty, passing through landscapes that seem like another world: from glaciers to lakes, from snowy peaks to huge rivers.

If you want to have a spoiler, check out the safety pins on the Icefields Parkway in Canada.

Icefields Parkway in the Rocky Mountains of Canada

Tired? Oops, look there are a few things to see and do in Canada!

16. We don't leave the Rockies without going through the Yoho National Park, where among other things you can see the Emerald Lake and Lake O'Hara, two of the most spectacular lakes in all of Canada, the Takakkaw Falls, the second highest in the country, or the Natural Bridge, some rock formations in the form of a bridge Very cool Here we tell you everything to see in Yoho National Park.

17. They say you haven't been to Canada if you don't have breakfast, at least once, Pancakes drowned in maple syrup, one of the most precious treasures for Canadians. So you know ... go for it! In addition it will be a good sugar chute to visit all the things we propose.

18. If you want to live an unforgettable adventure and nothing common, stay away to the north of Canada: there you will find the Northwest Territories, Nunavut Y Yukon, the three zones that make up this remote area of ​​America. Many of those who have been define it as a country within the country, and it seems that it does not have much to do with the rest of Canada. Especially Nunavut has to be a pass, because of its traditional Inuit culture and its arctic, wild and untamed environment, where mass tourism has not arrived (nor is expected) and where traveling has to be a real experience.

19. Which Christopher Columbus was the first to reach the American continent? No way: in Newfoundland vestiges of culture have been found viking which show that this Nordic people arrived on the shores of America at least 500 years before the Genoese. Specifically, it was an expedition of a ship with 90 crew members, men and women, led by Leif Erikson, who later commissioned to establish the first European settlement on American soil in Newfoundland.

If you like history, it is a destination that you enjoy a lot (in addition Newfoundland is a beautiful land that offers whale sightings, wild landscapes and small villages full of personality).

20. Another of the best things to do in Canada is to go to watch an ice hockey game. Seriously, it's an experience! We went to see the Marlies in Toronto and we freaked out. Let's go Marlies! Canada is the country with the best hockey teams (the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Calgary Flames), so if you visit the country between October and April (regular season), take advantage! You can also opt for a basketball game, of course ... especially if you're in Toronto.

Landscape in Newfoundland

21. Have a coffee in one of the thousands of places Tim Hortons There are scattered throughout Canada. It is a fast food considered as a symbol of the country, there is no Canadian who has not had breakfast or snack here, their donuts and coffees are a legend.

22. It is not the typical destination of Canada that is included in a first trip and costs up to pronounce its name: Saskatchewan, but they say that it is a region that leaves the eyes as dishes to those who are encouraged to discover it. Come on, if you are a nature lover, you should visit it. They call it the land of 100,000 lakes and it hosts an infinity of native fauna species, such as bears, bison, wolves, prairie dogs and hundreds of types of birds.

It is also one of the most recommended places in the world to observe the northern lights. There are even those who define Saskatchewan as the land of the "living sky."

23. Canada is one of the few countries where you can see polar bears. The best place to do it is just outside Churchill (In fact this city is known as "the world capital of polar bears"). The best season to see them is the months of October and November, when the bears pass through here on their migratory route. The trip is expensive (you have to go with tours that cost about $ 200-300), but we are convinced that it will be money well spent.

24. Much cheaper to visit the capital of the country, Ottawa, where the Parliament of Canada and an infinity of museums are located.

25. You can't leave Canada without trying the poutine. This national dish consists basically of fries with bits of fresh cheese and dipped in meat sauce, to which you can add the most varied ingredients ... Yes, it is a den, but Canadians are crazy about this dish and hey, a we liked it They say the best is eaten in Montreal, in the restaurant Le banquise. There we left it 😉

Northern Lights in the skies of Saskatchewan

Extra: Come back. It is impossible to know a country like Canada in just one trip. Remember that it is the second largest country in the world!

Of course there is more, much more in Canada, such as visiting the area of ​​the thousand islands, touring Prince Edward Island or New Brunswick ... but for something you have to start, right? At the moment these are for us the 25 best things to see and do in Canada.

Video: 25 Things to do in Toronto Travel Guide (April 2024).