What are the most interesting places in Canada to visit?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Last week, I took part in a fantasy hockey draft with 10 people from the United States and ten people from Canada. I spent a long time talking with the Canadians about visiting Canada and they all seemed to think I should visit the Western provinces rather than Montreal or Toronto.

I’d love to visit Canada, but I think Montreal, Quebec City, and Toronto, would be the first 3 cities I’d like to see.

I certainly would not turn down a visit to Vancouver, Edmonton, or Calgary, but I think I would rather go to Ontario or Quebec if ever went to Canada.

I live in Arizona, so the western provinces are closer.

2

It sort of depends on whether you want to see cities or scenery.

Montreal is more cosmopolitan, Quebec City has an old European feel, and Toronto is a wanna be New York of the north. Vancouver is beautiful and green (Stanley Park is gorgeous) and right on the ocean. Calgary has the proximity to the Rockies, and quick access to the most beautiful national parks.

It really depends what you’re in the mood for. I’ve been to all of the cities you mentioned, and they all have their own particular charm.

3

Having lived on Vancouver Island most of my life, I have to say it’s the best place in Canada. Awesome weather, fabulous scenery, beaches and mountains, whale and grizzly watching, trees so large 6 people can hold hands around it, Victoria for city life and the west coast trail for hiking.

4

Yup, it really does depend on what you’re looking for. I think Drumheller, Alberta is one of the most interesting places in Canada, because it has the Royal Tyrrell Museum full of dinosaurs there.

If you want natural beauty of lakes and trees and having a peaceful stay, I’d go with northern Saskatchewan or Manitoba - gorgeous country there. The Rocky Mountains of Alberta and BC have their own type of natural beauty - I remember seeing the mountains for the first time when I was around 25, and my jaw practically dropped. I have never in my life been anywhere more isolated and empty than the Northwest Territories (not even Montana), and that has a certain draw, too.

I’ve been to Ottawa and Toronto, and if you like big city/governmental stuff, those would be good places to go to.

5

While I go to Vancouver all the time and while it’s a good city and one I highly recommend, Victoria is one of my favorite places in the whole world. Banff is simply beautiful - I live between two mountain ranges, and those blew me away.

6

Not just the dinos! A friend and I spent a day earlier this summer, driving up and down the 10/56 southeast of Drum… got nowhere near the dino museum (more northwest), the only dinos we saw were the statues in Drumheller itself. Some really cool little museums, the hoodoos, and ghost towns that way…

I agree with the others, it really depends on what you are in the mood for. I loved tooling around Nova Scotia just as much as my own province (I need to visit a few more!!)

7

I like Vancouver very much (I’d like it more, but I live in Seattle, which is similar), and I love Toronto – to an extent that surprises my Canadian friends. Seriously, if I could get a job there I’d move there.

I also once spent a week in a yurt in eastern B.C., and can recommend it. Beautiful scenery and good hiking there.

8

Take “The Circle Route” around Lake Superior.

9

One of the advantages of visiting Ontario and Quebec is that you can hit many cities by car in a relatively short trip. Starting in Toronto you have a 5-6 hour drive to Ottawa, then a 2 hour drive to Montreal, then 2.5 hours to Quebec City. The cities here are also older than out West, so if you like history, that’s another small bonus.

As everyone keeps saying, it’s all a matter of what you are looking to do on a trip, but you’ll find a bit of everything no matter where you go. They aren’t nearly as spectacular as the Rockies, but there are mountains in Quebec that are well worth hiking. Lots of rivers and lakes in northern Manitoba, but Central Canada has the Great Lakes and thousands of others. There are beaches on the lakes and the East Coast actually has some rather warm water in the summer (at least PEI does, according to my sister who lives there…I’ve only visited in April!)

One thing you’ll find in discussions amongst Canadians is that everyone believes their part of the country is better than all the others. Westerners can’t imagine living in Central or Eastern Canada, Central Canadians wonder why the hell anyone would want to live out West (except for Vancouver, which seems like a proper city) and the Easterners are laughing behind everyone else’s back about just how awesome their region is, and the crazies West of Edmundston haven’t discovered it yet. Such is the Canadian identity…we don’t understand each other, but dammit, we’re all proud to be Canadian*! :wink:

*Offer not valid in Quebec. 15% sales tax will be added to your bill. Skill-testing question required.

10

I have loved all parts of Canada, and especially the West. However, if you do plan to go East, keep in mind a truly wonderful Province: Price Edward Island.

11

I live in Ottawa, and have been to Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria before.

Will have to agree with the poster talking about Vancouver island. Especially in the summer. The Buchardt Gardens are an amazing day trip in and of themselves.

What is your idea of a vacation spot? I’ve spent a week in the Okanagan valley, and between all the fresh produce, wine touring and rolling hills and lakes, it’s to die for. A real rejuvenating experience. Plus there’s lots of–ahem-- oregano growing in people’s backyards, if you’re into that sort of thing (I neither partake in, nor condone the use of “oregano,” but I’m a musician, so people I gig with always instantly gravitate towards that sort of thing).

Conversely, if I want to see a show or two, take in a night at the orchestra, go for a pub crawl, and spend a Sunday afternoon in a big beautiful basilica, I don’t think you can beat Montreal. Toronto’s a far bigger city, but Montreal just feels like such a cosmopolitan village, which I imagine is more of a pull for a tourist.

12

As everyone says, just depends on what you’re interested in: cities? Landscapes?

I’ve only ever been to Toronto, Montreal, and Niagara in Canada. That said, personally, I think Quebec and some of the Atlantic provinces are probably the most different/interesting. While I’ve never been in Western Canada, the attractions in that part of the country seem more similar to things you could find in the US. Quebec…well, it’s just different, and really feels like you’re going to a foreign country and getting an insight into a different culture. And while I’ve never been, my impression is that some of the Atlantic provinces have similarly unique feels.

Toronto’s alright, but I wouldn’t consider it a “must” - it’s a nice enough city and I’m glad I’ve been, but it didn’t feel too different from other North American cities or have a unique enough profile to make me recommend it.

13

For natural beauty and recreational activities it would be pretty hard to beat BC. It’s wall to wall with that stuff. For purely urban delights, Toronto and Montreal take the cake, with Vancouver coming in third.

14

About the only part of Canada I wouldn’t recommend is Cornwall, Ontario. I spent a horrible couple of weeks there in 1994.

I’m going to mention a few spots that no one else has, but there isn’t a suggestion up above that I wouldn’t second.

Gaspé is a lovely trip - we went from Québec (City) around the Saguenay Fiord, across the St. Lawrence by ferry and then around the Gaspé peninsula. We drove no more that 100 km a day, staying in B&Bs in small towns throughout. It was fantastic - the cuisine was great, the people warm and friendly, there were things like the hang gliding in Matane and the sea kayaks throughout the lower St. Lawrence. Historical spots like Restigouche, sites of scientific interest like Miguasha - it was a great trip.

No one has mentioned Newfoundland yet, and that needs to be brought up. St. John’s has a great assortment of bars and night spots, there are beautiful areas to hike, such as Gros Morne, much of historical interest such as L’Anse aux Meadows. The ocean is a massive part of their culture, though there is much natural beauty to explore away from the coast. Oh, and the people are extraordinarily generous.

No one has yet mentioned Manitoba. Winnipeg features one of the most interesting arts scenes in Canada, despite a perpetually bad economy. Then there are beautiful spots like Riding Mountain National Park and the Little Saskatchewan River. Churchill is famous for the polar bears, but throughout the north of the province there is much to be admired - chains of rivers and lakes as you approach the tree line. Lots of white water for kayaking.

Prince Edward County, in Ontario. This is where many of the United Empire Loyalists ended up in the 1780s and there is a lot involving the history of the region to be explored. This is also one of the interesting areas for cuisine in Ontario, with cheese-makers, wineries, breweries and cideries all contributing to the burgeoning local cuisine. Arts festivals, music festivals and a year-round theatre scene, and an interesting sense that the tourists that have found the place like it the way it is and don’t want in to change like some of the more touristy areas of Ontario (think Niagara, which is beautiful but becoming over-done.)

I just saw someone’s pictures from the Dempster Highway last night - he had ridden up to Fort MacPherson, NWT on a dirt bike. The Qu’appelle valley in Saskatchewan. The Algoma Canyon in Ontario. Hiking from Banff townsite to Jasper townsite in Alberta. All the fantastic places in BC. Halifax, Wolfville and the rest of Nova Scotia. Cruise ships along the Davis Strait.

That’s just a few quick recommendations, but there are so many beautiful and interesting spots in Canada, it’s difficult to narrow it down to just one region. Particularly if your tastes run to the natural and the isolated.

15

Montana.