Attraction
CN Tower
Toronto's 553-metre communications tower on Bremner Boulevard, with a Glass Floor, an outdoor terrace, the higher Top level, a revolving restaurant and the seasonal EdgeWalk.
Canada is the second-largest country in the world, stretching from the Pacific to the Atlantic and north into the Arctic. Most visitors combine cities with nature. On the west coast, Vancouver sits between the ocean and the mountains, with Whistler and Victoria close by, while the Rocky Mountain parks of Banff and Jasper lie further east. Toronto is the largest city, with Niagara Falls within easy reach, and Montreal and Quebec City show the country's French-speaking heritage. Ottawa, the capital, has national museums and the Rideau Canal. Distances are long, so most trips focus on one or two regions, travelling by plane, train or car.
Attraction
Toronto's 553-metre communications tower on Bremner Boulevard, with a Glass Floor, an outdoor terrace, the higher Top level, a revolving restaurant and the seasonal EdgeWalk.
Attraction
Gothic Revival basilica on Place d'Armes in Old Montreal, known for its deep blue, star-studded vaults, its 1891 Casavant organ and the AURA evening light show.
Attraction
Opened in 1888, Stanley Park covers about 405 hectares of forest, beaches and lakes on the Downtown peninsula, circled by an 8.8 km stretch of seawall.
Attraction
A 140-metre suspension bridge 70 metres above the Capilano River, with treetop walkways, a cliffside path and rainforest trails, reached by a free shuttle from Canada…
Attraction
Frederick Law Olmsted's park on the mountain that gives Montreal its name, with the Kondiaronk Belvedere city view, Beaver Lake, forest trails and winter sports.
Attraction
Canada's largest museum of world cultures and natural history, on Queen's Park, known for its dinosaur galleries, Chinese collections and Daniel Libeskind's Crystal entrance.
Café
A family-run bakery inside St. Lawrence Market, known as the home of Toronto's famous peameal bacon sandwich, with breads, bagels, pastries and hot sandwiches.
Café
Founded as a single Gastown café in 2017, Nemesis was ranked 15th in the World's 100 Best Coffee Shops 2026, the highest-placed café in Canada.
Café
Mile End bakery founded in 1957, where bagels are still hand-rolled, boiled in honey water and baked in a wood-burning oven, open from 6am to midnight.
Café
A two-storey coffee house in the Distillery District's restored 1890s Pump House, run by Ontario roaster Balzac's and open every day from early morning.
Café
Family-run Mile End bagel bakery whose story begins in 1919 with the city's first bagel bakery, still rolling bagels by hand and baking them in a…
Café
A long-time Gastown favourite on Cambie Street, Revolver brews a rotating menu of coffees from respected roasters across North America and beyond.
Hotel
A Forbes Five-Star hotel on the Coal Harbour waterfront with 367 rooms and suites, a rooftop pool, a fifth-floor spa and the Botanist restaurant and bar.
Hotel
A grand railway hotel opened in 1929 opposite Union Station, with more than 1,300 rooms, the Library Bar, a pool and spa and a rooftop garden…
Hotel
Sherbrooke Street grande dame opened in 1912, restored in 2012, with 129 rooms and suites, Maison Boulud, afternoon tea in the Palm Court and an indoor…
Hotel
Downtown landmark opened in 1958 above the central train station, renovated in 2017, where John Lennon and Yoko Ono staged their 1969 Bed-In.
Hotel
A Forbes Five-Star hotel in Yorkville at Bay Street, opened in 2012, with 259 rooms, Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud, a cocktail bar and a two-storey spa.
Hotel
Opened in 1927 and restored in 2011, the Rosewood Hotel Georgia pairs heritage interiors with Hawksworth Restaurant, a garden terrace, Sense spa and several bars.
Bar
Award-winning cocktail bar on avenue Atwater, open nightly until 3am, ranked 32nd in North America's 50 Best Bars and run on a walk-in-only basis.
Bar
Inside Fairmont Pacific Rim, Botanist Bar serves inventive cocktails inspired by British Columbia's landscapes and is ranked among North America's 50 Best Bars.
Bar
A long-running jazz and blues bar on Queen Street West presenting around 19 shows a week, most of them pay-what-you-can, with pub food and live music…
Bar
Grant van Gameren's College Street pintxos and cocktail bar, open since 2015, with a curved mahogany interior, sherries and highballs and a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
Bar
Opened in 1929, the Art Deco Commodore Ballroom on Granville Street holds about 990 people and is known for its sprung dance floor and decades of…
Bar
Craft brewpub on avenue Laurier Ouest, open since 1998, where the brewers behind Péché Mortel and Rosée d'Hibiscus pour their beers on tap.
Restaurant
A weekday fine-dining restaurant on the 54th floor of the TD Bank Tower, cooking seasonal Canadian ingredients with a tasting menu, à la carte dinner and…
Restaurant
Montreal's best-known smoked meat deli, serving its cured and smoked brisket sandwiches on Saint-Laurent Boulevard since 1928.
Restaurant
Chef Jean-Christophe Poirier's Michelin-starred restaurant on Powell Street serves refined Québécois and French cooking, with maple running through a weekly-changing table d'hôte.
Restaurant
Chef Patrick Kriss's Michelin-starred restaurant on the third floor of 163 Spadina Avenue, serving changing four-, six- and ten-course tasting menus of contemporary French cooking.
Restaurant
Little Burgundy restaurant opened in 2005 and named after a 19th-century tavern keeper, known for steaks, seafood and French bistro classics.
Restaurant
A Michelin-starred restaurant on Main Street cooking seasonal British Columbia produce from local farms and foragers, with à la carte dishes and a Harvest Tasting Menu.
Thing to do
Opened in 1979 in a converted industrial building, Granville Island's indoor Public Market has around 50 vendors selling seafood, produce, baked goods and international food.
Thing to do
More than two kilometres of quays along the St Lawrence below Old Montreal, with the Clock Tower, the Science Centre, an urban beach and winter skating.
Thing to do
Toronto's historic food market on Front Street East, with food stalls in the South Market, part of the 1845 city hall, and a Saturday farmers' market.
Thing to do
Built for Expo 86 under white fabric sails on Burrard Inlet, Canada Place combines a cruise terminal, convention centre and a public promenade with harbour views.
Thing to do
Montreal's largest public market, in Little Italy since 1933, with farmers' stalls, cheese, maple products, bakeries and restaurants, open year-round.
Thing to do
A National Historic Site of narrow streets west of Spadina Avenue, known for independent food shops, vintage clothing, cafés and a long history as an immigrant…
Tour operator
Old Port bike tour and rental company operating since 1995, with three-hour guided rides on regular or electric bikes through the Plateau, Mount Royal and the…
Tour operator
Award-winning storytelling walks of about two hours through Gastown, Stanley Park, Davie Village and downtown, covering Prohibition, crime, fires and hidden history.
Tour operator
A family-owned Toronto food tour company running small-group tastings since 2011, best known for its St. Lawrence Market tours with peameal bacon, cheeses and smoked salmon.
Tour operator
Year-round bike and walking tour company based in the Plateau, running three-hour rides through downtown, Old Montreal, Mile End and Jean-Talon Market since 2010.
Tour operator
A Toronto cruise company operating since 1991, best known for public sails on the Kajama, a three-masted schooner built in Germany in 1930, from the downtown…
Tour operator
A female-owned company leading small-group food tours since 2010, with tastings at Granville Island Public Market, in Gastown and around Robson Street.
Distances are large, so domestic flights connect the main cities, VIA Rail runs long-distance trains, and hiring a car is the easiest way to explore national parks and rural areas.
Summer, from June to September, is the most popular time for cities and national parks, while winter suits skiing and snow activities in places such as Whistler and the Rockies.
Popular choices include Toronto and Niagara Falls, Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Banff and Jasper in the Rockies, Whistler and Victoria on Vancouver Island.