TRAVEL TIPS
Canada-is a North American country stretching from the U.S. in the south to the Arctic Circle in the north. Major cities include massive Toronto, west coast film centre Vancouver, French-speaking Montréal and Québec City, and capital city Ottawa. Canada’s vast swaths of wilderness include lake-filled Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains. It’s also home to Niagara Falls, a famous group of massive waterfalls.
Canada is a country filled with wonderfully friendly people, classy, diverse cities, and a diverse landscape that includes tundras, rainforest, deserts, huge mountains, and much more. From the icy tundra of the Yukon to rocky beaches of the east coast, the mountains of Calgary to the rainforests of Vancouver, Canada is a country that is often skipped over on many world trips.
Trip Planning: The planning stage of your trip can be instrumental in its success and an enjoyable part of the experience itself. You have a world of options…and plenty to consider.
Entry and Exit formalities: Visitors must hold a passport valid for at least six months & beyond at the time of entering the country. Some nationalities can obtain visa on arrival and for nationalities who requires visa please refer to the US consulate website: https://www.vfsglobal.ca/canada/UAE/
Transportation: Figuring out how to get around is one of your biggest pre-trip decisions. Get our holiday expert best advice on deciding between your options. Based on your trip itinerary, our experts will help you choose wisely. You’ll also find a wealth of practical travel tips.
Money: Use your money wisely. Know the best time to use cash or card — and how to avoid unnecessary fees either way — as well as tipping etiquette, and how shoppers can take advantage of VAT refunds.
Phones and Technology: Phones and other smart devices can be huge time-savers…or expensive distractions. Get our tips for making the best use of technology during your trip, and for calling home with or without your own phone.
Packing Light: On your trip you’ll meet two kinds of travelers: those who pack light and those who wish they had.
Sleeping and Eating: Your hotel and restaurant choices can be a matter-of-face chore…or they can provide rich opportunities to connect with locals and their culture.
Health & Hygiene: Take comfort: Doctors, hospitals, launderettes, and bathrooms aren’t that different. Dealing with them can even be part of the fun of travel.
Sightseeing & Activities: Once you’re on the ground, the real fun begins…but it pays to have a thoughtful plan. Our experts will help you get oriented to your surroundings, use your sightseeing hours wisely, and find your way off the beaten path.
Things do & see:
Calgary Stampede-During July, thousands of people descend to Calgary for this multi-day rodeo, drinking event, and carnival. It’s where everyone pretends to be a cowboy for a few days. It’s a lot of fun, and you’ll meet tons of people from around the world. It’s one of Canada’s premier events.
Hit the slopes-The mountains in Canada offer great skiing and snowboarding during the winter. Banff is a popular mountain town known for its excellent trails. It’s quite busy during the winter months with all the snowbirds. While Banff is just the most popular place to go but there are tons of other good skiing destinations in the country.
Vancouver-Vancouver is one of my favorite cities in the world, and in my opinion, the best in Canada (sorry, everywhere else!). I love how you can be downtown in a thriving metropolitan city, and then ten minutes later be hiking the mountains. Vancouver blends nature and civilization very well. Add in good weather, great Asian food, friendly people, and a great music scene, and the city becomes a must see destination in my opinion. Plus, it’s located in British Columbia, one of the prettiest regions in Canada. Double bonus.
Vancouver Island-Take a few days off from the city to explore this western island. Try the delicious seafood, go for a hike, spot some whales, shop, and lounge on the beach. This a place to just sit and relax. Since it is so close to Vancouver, it’s a popular getaway with the locals during the summer.
Rainforest-Hike the Pacific Rim National Forest for a wonderful look at some temperate rain forests. It’s one of the most popular parks in Canada, but if you can’t make it here, there beautiful forests all over British Columbia just waiting to be discovered.
Calgary-Calgary offers a selection of free and low-cost activities for the budget traveler. Have a picnic in one of its many parks, go rollerblading, dine in Kensington, or head up to the top of the surrounding peaks. There’s great hiking, kayaking, skiing, water rafting, and camping here. It’s one of the liveliest cities in Canada.
Visit the Galleries of Toronto – Toronto has some of the best exhibits in the country, so take a day or two just to admire the art of the city. On Wednesdays, galleries will often give a discount.
Montreal-This beautiful city in Quebec offers people a look at the French side of the country. Beautiful streets, an underground mall, jazz clubs, and amazing cuisine make this the hippest and most romantic city in all the country. After Vancouver, it’s my second favorite spot in Canada. Don’t forget to try the poutine when you visit!
Take a road trip – This huge country is best explored by car. You can see tiny little towns, majestic mountains, amazing countryside, and plenty of off-the-beaten-track places. If you have a lot of time, this is your best and cheapest option to see the country.
Stroll the nation’s Capital-Ottawa is a very easy city to explore on foot. Home to museums, art galleries, and plenty of shops, it’s a charming city worth a visit. You can take a tour of Parliament Hill, the historic buildings where the Canadian government operates, or cross the Ottawa River and visit Quebec. Be sure to try a beaver tail when you’re there!
Quebec City-There is more to Quebec province than Montreal and Quebec City’s Old Town offers cobblestone walkways, well-preserved 17th-century architecture, café culture and the only North American fortress that still exists.
Atlantic Provinces-Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia are great places to go explore, especially during the summer. If you want to spend your days hiking, kayaking, relaxing by the ocean, and whale watching, this is the place to do it. This is where you’ll find some of the best seafood and shellfish in Canada as the Grand Banks are just off the coast.
Nova Scotia-The locals boast that Nova Scotia is home to the friendliest, sweetest people in Canada. They might be right. People in this province are overly nice. Nice like “we still don’t lock our doors when we go out” nice. That, combined with over 100 beaches, picturesque lighthouses, great sailing, mouth-watering seafood (this area of Canada is the main fishing region), and a marvelous coastline, makes Nova Scotia an amazing place to visit in Canada and this travel guide can help you get there. Plus, Nova Scotia doesn’t see lots of tourists.
Toronto-Toronto is often considered the most multicultural city in the world, as over half of the city’s population is foreign-born. While this isn’t my favorite spot in Canada, it’s worth a visit if you’re in the area to hit the many museums and enjoy delicious Asian food. It’s no Vancouver but it’s a pretty awesome, hip, and artsy city!
Kelowna-Go where the Canadians spend their vacation. Warm in the summer and mild in the winter, this glacial valley has some of the best weather in the entire country. There’s a marina and few golf courses. Nearby is a great wine district.
Churchill, Manitoba-This might be a small town in the middle of nowhere, but it also happens to be the Polar Bear Capital of the World, the Beluga Whale Capital of the World, and one of the best places to view the Aurora Borealis. Mother nature is alive and thriving here.
Niagara Falls-This is one of the most highly visited attractions in the entire continent. You never imagine how big it is until you see it up close and you never envision so much mist either. I really enjoyed seeing it. The town is a touristy, cheesy dump, though.
Yukon-The Yukon is the perfect place to fill your nature desires. The chances of seeing a bear, elk, or deer are incredibly high. Hardly anyone ever visits the Yukon as visitors tend to stick to the major cities in the south of the country. But definitely consider visiting because you’ll find yourself and nature in perfect harmony.
Jasper and the Columbia Icefield-If you’re in Alberta and heading to Banff or Calgary, why not move a bit further north. The Icefields Parkway connects Banff and Jasper, and this mountain highway must be one of the most scenic drives in the world. Stop along the way at the Columbia Icefield, an enormous (325 square km) icefield that feeds into eight glaciers. Once in Jasper, visit Maligne Canyon for some beautiful hiking and (frozen) waterfalls or hit Marmot Basin for some great skiing.
