Save up to £50 🎉 River-view landmark in Old Québec 🍁
Save up to £50 🎉 Art deco rooms by Vancouver Art Gallery 🎨
Canada is the second-largest country in the world, so a first trip works best with a clear plan. Pick one coast or one region: Vancouver and the Rockies in the west, or Québec City, Montréal and Toronto in the east. Our hotel deals currently cover Vancouver and Québec City, 2 very different starting points.
Summer is peak season, with warm days, open mountain roads and lake swimming. Autumn colours peak from late September to mid-October in the east. Winter is long and cold, but it brings skiing at Whistler and Banff and Québec City’s Winter Carnival.
Canada at a glance:
Flight duration (from London): about 7 hours to Toronto or Montréal, 9.5 hours to Vancouver
Main airports: Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR), Montréal-Trudeau (YUL)
Population: about 41 mln people
Language: English, French
Currency: Canadian dollar (CAD)
Time zone: 6 time zones, from UTC-8 in Vancouver to UTC-3:30 in Newfoundland
Top places to visit in Canada
Vancouver has ocean on one side and mountains on the other, and you can see both from most of downtown. Cycle the seawall around Stanley Park, eat your way through the Granville Island market, and take the gondola up Grouse Mountain. Whistler is 2 hours north on the Sea-to-Sky Highway.
Québec City is the only walled city north of Mexico, and its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Fairmont Le Château Frontenac stands above the St Lawrence River, and the lanes of Petit-Champlain below it are lined with French bistros. Expect to speak a little French: it is the first language here.
Banff and Lake Louise in the Rocky Mountains are known for their turquoise lakes and glaciers. Drive the Icefields Parkway north to Jasper for some of the best mountain views in the country. Fly into Calgary, about 1.5 hours away by car.
Toronto is Canada’s largest city. Go up the CN Tower, walk the Distillery District, and take a day trip to Niagara Falls, about 1.5 hours away.
Montréal mixes French and English culture, with a cobbled old port, a busy festival calendar and its own style of bagels and smoked meat.