Canada captivates visitors with its wildlife, wilderness, and vibrant cultural offerings. Spot polar bears, cruise Vancouver’s coastline, savor Toronto’s cuisine, or enjoy Montréal’s music scene.
Whether you’re a first-time visitor or returning to experience something new, these are the best places to visit in Canada. But you’ll have to plan your trip ahead because this is the world’s second-largest country – you can’t see it all in just one go.
Ontario
1. Toronto
Best for diversity
A vibrant mix of cultures and neighborhoods, Toronto strikes you with sheer urban awe. Dine in Chinatown, visit Greektown, or enjoy five-star fusion. Toronto’s diverse neighborhoods, art galleries, theaters and hockey mania make it Ontario’s coolest city. Toronto is also Canada’s most diverse city – nearly half of its residents were born abroad.
Local tip: Snap a photo of the CN Tower (one of the top spots to visit in Toronto). For an added thrill: check out Edgewalk, where you can loop around the tower’s perimeter while taking in unparalleled city views.
Get an eyeful of Niagara Falls with a zip-lining experience © iStockphoto / Getty Images
2. Niagara Falls
Best for an iconic travel experience
The #1 tourist attraction in Canada is Niagara Falls, known for its stunning and powerful waterfalls. Board the iconic Maid of the Mist boat tour, where you’ll feel the thunderous spray up close. Hikers will enjoy the Niagara Glen hiking trail through ancient forests and rugged terrain, offering a peaceful contrast to the roaring waters.
Extend your stay with a scenic biking adventure along the Greater Niagara Circle Route or soar to new heights with the Wildplay Zipline, which offers unmatched views of the falls.
3. Manitoulin Island
Best for Canada’s First Nations culture
The largest freshwater island in the world, Manitoulin has a slower pace with its summery cottages and lakeside beaches. Jagged expanses of white quartzite and granite outcroppings edge the shoreline and lead to shimmering vistas. First Nations culture thrives, with local foods and eco-adventures offered by the island’s eight communities. Powwows add drumming, dancing and storytelling to the mix for immersive experiences that connect you with the people and the land of the country that we now know as Canada.
When frozen, the Rideau Canal in Ottawa becomes the world’s biggest ice rink © Preappy / Stocksy United
4. Rideau Canal
Best for ice skating
Opened in 1832, this 200 km-long (124 miles) waterway—consisting of canals, rivers and lakes—connects Ottawa and Kingston via 47 locks. The Rideau Canal is at its finest in wintry Ottawa, where a stretch of it becomes the Rideau Canal Skateway – the world’s largest skating rink.
People swoosh by on the 7.8km (4.8 miles) of groomed ice, pausing for hot chocolate and scrumptious slabs of fried dough called beavertails (a quintessentially Canadian treat). February’s Winterlude festival kicks it up a notch when townsfolk build massive ice sculptures.
Local tip: Once the canal thaws, it becomes a boater’s paradise, meaning you can appreciate it whatever time of year you visit.
British Columbia
Vancouver is a laid-back city on the edge of beaches and rainforest © Aolin Chen / Getty Images
5. Vancouver
Best for urban life with access to nature
Sea-to-sky beauty surrounds the laid-back, cocktail-loving metropolis of Vancouver. There are skiable mountains on the outskirts, beaches fringing the coast and Stanley Park’s thick rainforest just steps from downtown’s gleaming skyscrapers.
Pack a picnic and enjoy the (legally allowed) summer park drinking. Shop and stroll through the diverse and charming neighborhoods – you may even spot a celebrity. Known as “Hollywood North,” Vancouver is the filming location for many TV and film productions shot throughout the year.
Planning tip: With its mild climate and beautiful beaches, Vancouver is definitely one of the best places in Canada to visit in summer.
Take time to enjoy the wilderness and natural wonders of Vancouver Island © PamelaJoeMcFarlane / Getty Images
6. Vancouver Island
Best for nature, surf beaches and boutique food ventures
Picture-postcard Victoria is the heart of Vancouver Island, with bohemian shops, wood-floored coffee bars and a past steeped in English tea culture since the 1840s. British Columbia’s capital city is full of charm, but it’s only the kick-off point to an island that has a bounty of natural wonders to explore.
Pacific Rim National Park’s West Coast Trail offers misty wilderness and Tofino’s waves. With countless outdoor adventures to enjoy, this is a favorite among Canada’s national parks for nature lovers.
Detour: Wandering foodies will want to head to the Cowichan Valley, which is studded with welcoming small farms and boutique wineries.
7. Whistler
Best for skiing, mountain biking or summer paddle-boarding
A 2010 Winter Olympics venue, Whistler is one of the world’s top ski resorts, located just 90 minutes from Vancouver. Featuring over 200 marked runs winding down two towering mountains – Whistler and Blackcomb – this alpine village is a skier’s paradise.
Skiing is Whistler’s main draw, but summer visitors with bikes and paddleboards make it a year-round hot spot. Adding more diversity, Whistler has recently developed a thriving arts and culture scene, with highlights like the Audain Art Museum and Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre taking the stage as equally appealing attractions to the famed slopes.
Get your adrenaline fix with outdoor adventures in the Canadian Rockies © iStock / Getty Images
Alberta
8. The Canadian Rockies
Best for mountain views
Known as the prettiest place to visit in Canada, the Canadian Rockies straddle British Columbia and Alberta and offer awe-inspiring adventures across five national parks. Try hiking, whitewater rafting, and skiing.
For a different perspective, take the train and experience the grandeur from the comfort of your seat: luminous lakes, jumbles of wildflowers and glistening glaciers glide by as the steel cars chug up mountain passes and down river valleys en route to points east or west.
9. Drumheller
Best for dinosaur enthusiasts
Dinosaur lovers get weak-kneed in dust-blown Drumheller, where paleontological civic pride runs high thanks to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, home to one of the planet’s pre-eminent fossil collections. The world’s largest “dinosaur” is here, too—a giant fiberglass T-rex that visitors can climb and peer out of (through its mouth). Beyond the dino-related attractions, enjoy classic Badlands scenery including the eerie “hoodoos,” or craggy spires of rock.
Planning tip: Follow the scenic driving loops; these take you past all the good stuff.
Wondering where locals go in Canada? Check out some of our writers’ favorite spots.
Quebec
10. Old Québec City
Best place to visit in Canada for romantics
Québec’s capital, with over 400 years of history, is a treasure trove of romance and charm. Its stone walls, spired cathedrals, and jazz-filled cafes create an atmosphere reminiscent of the most enchanting European cities. Wander through the narrow, winding streets of the old town, where you can lose yourself amid street performers, cozy inns, and the irresistible aroma of café au lait and flaky pastries.
For those looking to explore beyond the city, consider taking a scenic drive along Québec’s Rte 132, which winds past the sea, mountains and charming towns, offering breathtaking views and a taste of the region’s natural beauty.
Embrace the joie de vivre at a summer festival in Montreal © Vincent JIANG / Shutterstock
11. Montréal
Best for music lovers
As Canada’s second-largest city and the country’s cultural heart, Montréal is a marvel for music lovers. From June to August, Montreal’s parks, beaches, and festivals come alive with lively rooftop bars and arts-filled streets. The best jazz-influenced musicians in the world play to equally jazzed spectators at the annual Montréal International Jazz Festival, where there are over 500 performances and shows to enjoy (and countless are free). Want more? Discover more things to do in Montreal to make the most of your visit.
Planning tip: Check out Tourisme Montréal for the latest live music events, big and small, throughout the city.
Prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan)
12. The Prairies
Best for big-sky road trips
Solitude reigns in Canada’s middle ground. Drive through Manitoba’s vast landscapes and Saskatchewan’s endless fields of golden wheat, which melt into the horizon. When the wind blows, the wheat sways like waves on the ocean, punctuated by the occasional grain elevator rising up like a tall ship.
Big skies mean big storms that drop like an anvil, visible on the skyline for miles. Far-flung towns include arty Winnipeg, boozy Moose Jaw and Mountie-filled Regina, interspersed with Ukrainian and Scandinavian villages.
Churchill is right on the migration path of Canadian polar bears © chbaum / Shutterstock
13. Churchill
Best for polar bear encounters
The first polar bear you see up close will take your breath away, and there’s no better place for an encounter than Churchill, Manitoba, which happens to be right on the bears’ migration path. From late September to early November, tundra vehicles take you close enough to lock eyes with polar bears. Summer lets you kayak or stand-up paddleboard with beluga whales.
Atlantic Canada
14. Bay of Fundy
Best place to spot whales
It has lighthouses, boats and trawlers, fishing villages and other maritime scenery, yet Fundy is not your average Canadian bay. The Bay of Fundy’s extreme tides attract whales, including fin, humpback and endangered North Atlantic right whales, making it a must-visit spot for whale watching. For more maritime travel inspiration, check out the best places to visit in Nova Scotia.
Northern Canada
15. Baffin Island
Best for Inuit art and incredible landscapes
The rugged landscape of Baffin Island is home to cloud-scraping mountains and a third of Nunavut’s human population. Canada’s largest island is perfect for an arctic safari to spot narwhals, belugas and bears. The island’s crown jewel is Auyuittuq National Park—its name means “the land that never melts,” and indeed glaciers, fjords and vertiginous cliffs fill the eastern expanse. The park is a siren call for hardcore hikers and climbers—and more than a few polar bears.
Local tip: Baffin Island is also a center for Inuit art; studios for high-quality carving, printmaking and weaving can be found in many of the small towns.
Keep planning your trip to Canada:
Find out how to see Canada by train and by road.
Discover the best time to visit and the top things to do in Canada.
Learn how to get around Canada and travel throughout Canada on a budget.
Get more information on the visa requirements to visit Canada.
This article was first published Jul 11, 2021 and updated Sep 9, 2024.
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