June 05, 2024
Canada stretches from sea to sea, with diverse landscapes and cultures spanning an entire continent.
Canada is so big, in fact, that it shares the world’s longest international border with the U.S. Most visitors choose 1 or 2 regions so they can explore in depth and cut down on travel time, rather than trying to skim everything.
From unparalleled natural beauty in the Maritimes and Canadian Rockies to the rich cultural heritage of Quebec and Ontario, we look at what each region has to offer visitors so you can pick what you’re most interested in.
Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick
Come here to find: Storybook fishing villages, the world’s most extreme tides, fresh Atlantic cuisine
Canada’s 4 smallest provinces by both land area and population are all on its Atlantic coast. All can point to a long history of fishing, lobstering, and other maritime industries, and their many picture-perfect seaside towns still draw crowds every summer. Famous examples include Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia and Victoria on Prince Edward Island, often called PEI.
Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia
The region’s most distinctive natural feature is the Bay of Fundy, which experiences the world’s highest tides. In many places, including Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park and Burntcoat Head Park, visitors can explore the sea floor on foot at low tide—then return at high tide to see how sea level has risen up to 52 feet in just a few hours. To the northeast, Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland features some of the oldest rocks anywhere on Earth, plus a landlocked fjord carved by glaciers.
Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park in New Brunswick is one of the best places to see the difference between high tide and low tide in the Bay of Fundy.
The food is a big draw here, too. Readers may be familiar with the world-famous PEI potatoes, and they’re at their freshest right here on Prince Edward Island. PEI is also known for its Malpeque oysters, and fresh locally caught lobster is available all around the Maritimes.
Cultural heritage includes exhibits and hands-on experiences exploring Indigenous Mi’kmaq ways of life, plus the history of English, French, and Scottish communities that settled here.
Come here to find: French heritage, the most European cities in North America, the home of maple syrup and poutine
Once the crown jewel of France’s colonies in North America, Quebec today is a fusion of Old World art and architecture with modern sensibility. Canada is officially bilingual at the federal level, but the French language enjoys special legal protection in Quebec. That’s preserved the language and culture and maintained a majority French-speaking populace.
Almost all travel to Quebec includes at least 1 of its 2 major cities, Montreal and Quebec City. Montreal is the province’s fast-paced center, with a bustling downtown, trendy neighborhoods, and monumental architecture all side-by-side. Below ground is the Underground City, 20 miles of subterranean tunnels featuring shopping, dining, art, and transit. Montreal is Quebec’s most bilingual city, with most residents conversant in English.
The Fairmont Chateau Frontenac and the rest of the Quebec City skyline as seen from the Parc du Bastion-de-la-Reine, near the Plains of Abraham.
Montreal has an undeniably European flavor to it, and that’s even more pronounced in Quebec City. That’s where you’ll find North America’s only old town still fortified inside city walls—the city’s junior hockey team, the Quebec Remparts, are named for them—as well as narrow cobblestone streets trod by horse-drawn carriages. Towering above it all is the castle-like Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, the city’s most famous hotel and most famous landmark period.
Maple syrup being turned into taffy at a sugar shack in Quebec
Quebec is also the epicenter of 2 key Canadian foods. While maple syrup is associated with the country as a whole, Quebec alone is actually responsible for about 90% of Canadian maple syrup production. In spring, visitors can head to sugar shacks to taste fresh maple syrup and see how sugar maples are tapped. And of course, it’s not a visit to Quebec without trying authentic poutine with real cheese curds.
Come here to find: Canada’s biggest city, Parliament Hill, Niagara Falls
About 4 of every 10 Canadians live in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province. It’s here you’ll find Toronto, Canada’s largest city and one of the world’s most diverse melting pots. Stroll through the famous outdoor shops of Kensington Market, pay your respects at the Hockey Hall of Fame, and ride to the top of the CN Tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere. For dining, take your pick of Little Tokyo, Greektown, Corso Italia, and not one but multiple Chinatowns, among many other districts with rich immigrant history.
Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada's capital
Head east out of the sprawling Greater Toronto Area and you’ll eventually reach Ottawa. No first-timer’s trip to the Canadian capital is complete without a visit to Parliament Hill, home to a Gothic Revival complex that houses Canada’s Senate and House of Commons. Then walk along the Rideau Canal—or skate in winter, when it freezes and becomes one of the world’s longest ice skating rinks.
A Maid of the Mist tour boat approaches Horseshoe Falls at Niagara Falls.
For natural beauty, there’s Niagara Falls right along the border with New York, where more than 750,000 gallons of water roar down Horseshoe, American, and Bridal Veil Falls every second. Or visit Point Pelee National Park, the southernmost point of mainland Canada and one of North America’s best places to see migratory birds.
Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta
Come here to find: Outdoor sports, Canadian cowboys, the Canadian Rockies, Mountie and First Nations history
These 3 provinces make up most of Western Canada and include the Canadian parts of the Great Plains. The wide-open spaces and fertile soil lent themselves to farming and ranching, and cowboy culture is a defining feature of the Prairies, especially in Alberta, where many highways are referred to officially as “trails.” Head to the annual Calgary Stampede, one of the world’s biggest rodeos, for a front-row seat in the city known as “Cowtown.”
The annual Calgary Stampede is one of the world's biggest rodeos and festivals.
Alberta also has many of the best-known and best-loved places in the Canadian Rockies, one of the biggest draws in all of Canada. Most are contained within Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, including famous summits like Cascade Mountain and the Valley of Ten Peaks, and impossibly blue glacial lakes like Lake Louise and Peyto Lake. There are also world-class accommodations at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and the Fairmont Banff Springs. Hikes and other adventures abound, but there are also breathtaking views just from driving the Icefields Parkway that connects the 2 national parks.
Peyto Lake in Banff National Park, part of the Canadian Rockies in Alberta
Much important Canadian history took place in the prairies, too. It’s where Canada’s iconic Mounties started as the North-West Mounted Police and became the world-famous police force they are today. Visitors can learn all about it at the RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan. It’s also a great place to learn about the Indigenous First Nations peoples of the plains, such as the Cree and Lakota, at sites like Wanuskewin Heritage Park and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum.
Come here to find: Canada’s Pacific Northwest, outdoor activities, fruit and wine country, rainforests
Mountainous British Columbia stretches from the Canadian Rockies to the Pacific, where peaks give way to lush coastlines and island archipelagos. Most of the action is in the south, where you’ll find vibrant Vancouver. Stop by Granville Island to take your pick of dozens of food vendors, and experience the urban oasis of waterfront Stanley Park. Then see the whole city from atop Grouse Mountain via gondola ride.
Ski resorts in the mountains above Whistler, British Columbia
To the north is the outdoor paradise of Whistler, one of the world’s premiere skiing and snowboarding destinations thanks to its 2 mountains, large amount of vertical, and plentiful resorts and lifts. It’s great for warm seasons, too, with hiking and mountain biking trails and a walkable chalet-style village for shopping and dining.
British Columbia's Okanagan Valley is known for its fruit orchards and vineyards.
To the east of Vancouver, find Kelowna and the rest of the Okanagan Valley, whose fertile soils sustain fruit orchards and some of Canada’s best wineries. West across the Salish Sea is Victoria, Anglophone Canada’s equivalent to Quebec City with tearooms, double-decker buses, English gardens, and the ivy-covered Empress Hotel. Discover rainforests on Vancouver Island and in the Bella Coola Valley.
Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon Territory
Come here to find: Inuit culture, the northern lights, Gold Rush history
If you’re looking for a less crowded destination, Canada’s northern territories have you covered. Collectively larger than India by land area, they’re home to about 120,000 people, most of whom identify as Indigenous.
Visitors to Iqaluit can see arctic animals and wildflowers at Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park. Signs in Iqaluit are in English and Inuktitut, which is an official language in Nunavut.
Nunavut is a center for Inuit life (Nunavut means “our land” in Inuktitut) and visitors can get a taste of how they live in the Arctic in Nunavut’s capital, Iqaluit. There you’ll find the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum, which displays Inuit art and artifacts, as well as Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park, a prime place to spot caribou, arctic foxes, and migrating birds.
To the west, the Northwest Territories’ capital city of Yellowknife is prime real estate for viewing the aurora borealis. Long winter nights and cold weather usually keep the skies clear and dark, and tour operators offer a wide array of northern lights excursions—including some by dogsled!
The northern lights near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Keep going west and you’ll come to the Yukon Territory, site of the Klondike Gold Rush. The “stampeders” of the 1890s are gone, but their legacy remains in historic towns like Dawson City and Whitehorse. Hike the Miles Canyon Loop in Whitehorse to see the S.S. Klondike and the world’s longest wooden fish ladder.
Let AAA help plan your Canadian vacation
Handling all the details is no small task when planning your dream vacation. A knowledgeable travel advisor can help you put together your plan, pick the options that work best for you, and help with any issues that may arise during your trip.
