No matter how much space you need, Canada’s 3.8 million square miles will leave you dizzy. The world’s second-largest country has sights and experiences enough to keep you going for a lifetime of visits. Its limitless horizons, spellbinding scenery, spectacular wildlife, cosmopolitan cities and colourful Anglo-French culture all make for an utterly unique holiday setting. All this with a population smaller than California’s alone.
Canada is a country of amazingly contrasted environments, lifestyles and traditions. The Rocky Mountains and Pacific tides are the backdrop to the vibrant communities of British Columbia. Urban flair fuses with cowboy culture in Alberta. Ontario distils a diverse mix of big-city sophistication and easy country living. Fascinating Quebec’s rich French heritage is a vivacious variation on the transatlantic theme. Beyond lie Atlantic Canada’s friendly fishing communities – and the untamed frontier lands of the North.
Park Hyatt Toronto Evening Exterior
Canada Adventure
When it comes to adventure travel, Canada’s breathtaking mountain scenery, 41 national parks and inexhaustible supply of forests, lakes and rivers tell their own story. Superb venues for whale watching, white-water rafting, canoeing, bear-watching, fishing, mountain-biking, hiking or horse-riding and more are all easily identified here. And here too, of course, are some of the world’s finest ski slopes. The resorts of Whistler, Banff and Tremblant are winter playgrounds with world-class facilities, dining and après-ski.
Nightlife & Party with Locals
Canada nightlife. Does it exist – and how does it rate? Relax! It’s here – and it’s good. The beat is too groovy to miss. If you’ve got the moves, it’s got places for you to unleash them! There are pubs, bars and nightclubs in major cities and towns across Canada. Comedy clubs, pool halls and casinos can be found in many cities. Sports bars with flat-screen plasma televisions and music are everywhere. Theatre is especially strong in Toronto and Vancouver – while Montreal is the capital of French Theatre and other performing arts. Film, theatre and art festivals jostle in various locations with jazz and classical music gatherings throughout the year.
Gourmet Cuisine & Dining Out
In the larger cities keen ‘foodies’ can go on the trail of restaurants to suit every budget and serving an eclectic variety of cuisines from all over Europe, Asia (especially China) and elsewhere – though to a quick burger and fries or a 20oz. T-Bone universal favourites. Look out for a fusion of the latest culinary techniques and uniquely Canadian ingredients, such as wild blueberries and Saskatoon berries, fiddleheads (ferns), mussels, caribou, bison, salmon, wild rice and maple syrup. Some claim that culinary quality improves the nearer you travel to the Pacific Coast!
World Class Golf Courses
Though Canada may not be one of the first names that come to mind when golfing holidays are on the agenda, you’ll find among the country’s 2,000 courses several that offer an ideal mix of superb golf, stunning natural surroundings and a pampered resort hotel lifestyle. Two premier setting among them are the world-class 18-hole courses at British Columbia’s Fairmont Chateau Whistler and the Fairmont Banff Springs in Alberta.
Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club is carved out of the slopes of the Coast Mountain range in British Columbia; this magnificent golf course is generous to the eye and provides enough fun and challenge for players of all levels. Remember to keep your camera with your clubs, so you can take full advantage of all that this great course has to offer!
Renowned for its panoramic beauty, The Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course in Alberta is a captivating and challenging layout set in the heart of Canada’s Rocky Mountains. It offers a breathtaking view in every direction and a magnificent layout that thrills every golfer fortunate enough to spend a day here. Amateurs and professionals alike are constantly amazed by its panoramic challenge. From the actual hole design to the optical illusions created by the surrounding mountains, this course will delight and tempt you.
Family Holidays
Like the USA, Canada is a great choice for the kids. They’ll be made to feel welcome in the many family-friendly hotels, the vibrant cities and resorts – and will be amazed by those wide open spaces and exciting wildlife.
Sightseeing & Activities
Canada’s great cities deliver a vibrant mix of the old and the new, the familiar and the ‘different’ – and each has the capacity to surprise and please with their lively fusion of both commercial and cultural vitality. The Eastern cities of Montreal and Quebec with their shops, cafés and stylish restaurants provide a wonderful French flavour, whilst Toronto has great year-round shopping. On the west coast Vancouver is considered to be one of the loveliest modern cities and the perfect starting point from which to visit the spectacular resorts of the Rocky Mountains. Don’t underestimate their sheer scale – good walking shoes essential!
Fairmont Banff Springs Exterior
WHAT TO SEE
The East:
Toronto
Downtown you’ll find historic MacKenzie House and the Museum for Textiles, with the Casa Loma, the Bata Shoe Museum and Spadina House nearby. Toronto’s Chinatown (second largest in North America) is a ‘must’, as are the 1,850 ft high CN Tower, the Rogers Centre (formally the SkyDome), the Art Gallery of Ontario and Royal Ontario Museum. The long Harbourfront is a Toronto landmark – from here you can take a ferry trip to Center Island. Seeing Toronto’s downtown centre and waterfront by jet helicopter is an unforgettable experience. Oh, and Niagara Falls is just 90 minutes away.
Montreal
See the wide views of the city and the St Lawrence River from Mont Royal (Mount Royal). Explore the colourful historic buildings of Old Montreal and the riverside promenades of the Old Port. See the Olympic Park & District, the panorama from the Montreal Tower, the Botanical Gardens, the McCord Museum of Canadian History and Fine Arts Museum. Take off for the Island Parks and visit the La Ronde amusement park. In winter, you can stay snug within the amazing world of the Underground City with its array of hotels, shopping arcades and restaurants.
Québec City
North America’s most French community, Québec City contains the only walled city north of Mexico. Split into two levels by steep rock, delightful Old Québec boasts 25 or more stairways and even a funicular. Beside the St. Lawrence River is the Lower Town, whose streets are lined with shops, restaurants and art galleries housed in old warehouses and residences. The fortifications and battlements of military sites and numerous museums and attractions encircle the city. Rue St-Jean, home to eclectic and affordable restaurants, is Québec City at its trendiest.
Mont-Tremblant
The sights of Mont-Tremblant are natural rather than man-made, with the emphasis of its Austrian-styled pedestrian village on charming restaurants, bistros and boutiques. The main street of the older lower part of the resort outside the pedestrian area has a pleasant Laurentian town mood.
The West:
Vancouver
Walk the Seawall and take a harbour cruise to appreciate the city’s great setting – or for an even better view try a floatplane trip! Lively Gastown has some of the best shops, bars, restaurants and historic buildings, while Chinatown’s authentically crowded and noisy streets – and the serene Ming Dynasty-style Dr Sun Yat Sen Gardens are both ‘must-sees’. Stanley Park is home to the Theatre under the Stars and Vancouver Aquarium – and the Lookout in the Harbour Centre shopping area offers fabulous views of the city, ocean and mountains. The Vancouver Art Gallery and Maritime Museum are two cultural highlights.
WHAT TO DO
The East
Toronto
A lively and cultured city, Toronto meets world-class levels when it comes to the quality and variety of its restaurants, bars and clubs – and its music, opera and theatre choices. Toronto’s nightlife keeps everyone busy long after dark. In summer there are free outdoor festivals going on all the time. Shopping? – this is also a city filled with shops above ground and on the PATH, Toronto’s underground city – 7 miles of subterranean walkway lined with retail therapy!
Montreal
Known for its European touch, Montreal combines the best of two continents in its shopping as in so much else. A good stroll-and-shop area is around Sherbrooke Street and Greene Avenue in Westmount. Old Montreal’s boutiques, the restaurants and funky shops of St Denis and St Laurent and open-air markets all add to the variety. In winter, it’s great to shop in the vast underground complex of Place Ville Marie. Montreal’s nightlife buzzes into the small hours, and its bars and clubs cater for all. Many bars have regular music nights, with jazz especially popular – and entertainment spots like the Centre Molson and Olympic Stadium feature top-name touring bands, and other performing arts are well represented.
Quebec City
Shoppers will find plenty of ‘windows of opportunity’ amid the temptations of both the Upper and Lower Town, while outside the walls Avenue Cartier has shops and restaurants of some variety, Although Québec City can’t match the night-time diversions of Montréal, there’s more than enough after-dark activity here to fill your evenings, with the Grande Allée where you’ll find bars, cafés and trendy nightlife of all sorts.
Mont-Tremblant
Seasonal outdoor activities like world-class skiing, golf, watersports on its lake, walking, mountain-biking and much more are, of course, Mont-Tremblant’s raison d’etre. Tremblant is the most European in style of all the North American ski resorts and the après-ski scene of Vieux Tremblant will not disappoint!
The West:
Vancouver
All kinds of outdoor pursuits await right on Vancouver’s doorstep. Ski in the morning, then swim, kayak or play a round of golf in the afternoon! Shopaholics will zoom in on the downtown area of Robson Street with its boutiques and famous retail names. Close by, the Pacific Centre boasts over 300 stores and Gastown features shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. Yaletown mixes fashionable boutiques and high-end restaurants with high-tech companies – while Granville Island houses the lively public market and restaurants, shops, theatres and galleries. The late-night scene is a mix of ‘cool’ lounges, laid-back pubs and energetic live music venues. Or you can head for the casinos. Dance clubs and other late-night venues will keep night owls entertained until the wee hours.
Events
Though there are ‘happenings’ throughout the year in Canada’s major cities, it’s during the kinder temperatures of the summer months that the events calendar really takes off – with a wealth of outdoor festivals and contests that between them can cater for just about every mood and interest.
Toronto
Canada’s biggest Chinese New Year event draws thousands of visitors to Exhibition Place. Later in January the Winter City Festival offers two weeks of fun throughout the city – from puppeteers to spectacular ice-skating shows. April brings the Du Maurier World Stage Festival, North America”s largest international theatre festival. In June there’s ‘Caravan’, a nine-day cultural exchange between the city”s ethnic groups – and the Toronto Dragon Boat Race Festival. The annual Pride Week ends in a suitably outré parade. In June and early July the excellent Du Maurier Downtown Jazz Festival attracts local and international players. Toronto”s music scene then continues into the Toronto Blues Festival, enlivening the Harbourfront in early July. Also in July, flags drop at the Molson Indy, the Corso Italia Fiesta is in full swing – and the Toronto Fringe Festival hits town. In August Caribana, an ever-expanding Caribbean festival, celebrates with a weekend of reggae, steel drum and calypso music and dance, its finale a huge Rio-esque parade. Come September, the top-ranking Toronto International Film Festival is the focus of cinema buffs.
Montreal
The ‘events’ year kicks off with the Fete des Neiges at the end of January when Montreal demonstrates its joie de vivre through this celebration of winter held over three weekends. At the end of February Montreal High Lights Festival in which food, music and art are the ingredients of a showcase of the best Montreal has to offer. In March the city hosts North America’s longest-established St Patrick’s Day Parade, with crowds of 600,000 lining the route. In May the Festival du Théatre des Amériques, with performances around the city. The 11-day Montreal Fringe Festival takes place in June, along with Les Francofolies Music Festival. June is also the month of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix and the opening of the Montreal International Jazz Festival, one of the world’s top jazz events. In July comes the city’s Dragon Boat Race Festival, while the Montreal Pride Festival celebrates diversity in flamboyant style. August brings the Moison Indy Montreal Champ Car Championship race weekend. Montreal’s acclaimed World Film Festival runs from August into September, with screenings at cinemas all over the city.
Québec City
The city’s end-January Québec Winter Carnival promotes itself as the largest snow festival in the world and is great fun. The Québec City Gastronomy Festival arrives in April and offers tasting, demonstrations, gourmet cooking and much more. At the Québec International Pee Wee Hockey Tournament in February the city’s focus is firmly on Canada’s favourite sport. A summer high spot is the July Québec Summer Festival – North America’s biggest Francophone cultural festival. Later in the month is the Loto-Québec Firework Competition, a major international affair. August’s Expo Québec features a huge fairground and all kinds of family entertainment. In October the Québec City Festival of Sacred Music presents music inspired by the world”s many spiritual traditions – played both indoors and outdoors.
Mont-Tremblant
February’s ‘You Look Good’ Snowboard Slopestyle Series welcomes kids of all ages and skills. The March Côté Obscur weekend has freeskiers and snowboarders competing for the starlight finals with acrobatics and music. Mid-March to mid-April sees weekend Springtime Concerts and at about the same time is the TELUS Spin – 10 days of lively events including motocross demonstrations, concerts and all-night dance parties. April brings the Caribou ‘Splash’ Cup for crossing a 75 ft pool of icy cool water en route to the P’tit Caribou and celebration into the wee hours. May is the month of the Canada & Québec Mountain Biking Cups while St Jean Baptiste Day in June is a time for parades and festivities for all French-Canadians. Other summer highlights include the Tremblant Film Festival (June), Les Rythmes Tremblants outdoor weekend concerts (June – August), the Beach Festival of summer sports and activities (July), the Tremblant International Blues Festival (July) and the Tremblant Symphony of Colours autumn concerts (September/October).
Vancouver
The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival held at the end of March is Canada”s premier wine event and a great reason for being here! In April the Vancouver Sun Run welcomes the spring and 50,000 contestants. In May features the Vancouver International Children’s Festival. High summer brings the June/July Vancouver International Jazz Festival – up there as one of the best in the world. July is also the time to make a date with the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. The August Celebration of Light is claimed to be the world’s largest firework competition. In the same month is the Festival Vancouver, a feast of classical, world music and jazz at venues across the city. There’s plenty of lively entertainment in September come the Vancouver Fringe Festival, as well as the Vancouver International Comedy Festival and International Film Festival (September/October), the latter featuring films from all over the world. In December the Festival of Lights creates a magical wonderland across Vancouver”s expansive VanDusen Botanical Gardens.
