How much do you know about the world’s second largest country? Famous for its love of ice hockey (if you’ve seen Heated Rivalry, you’ll know why), ‘Mounties’, moose, lobster rolls and maple syrup, we also have Canada to thank for Ryan Gosling and Céline Dion.
Peaceful, welcoming and crowd-free (it has one of the lowest populations in the world), Canada is increasingly popular as a long-haul destination with UK tourists, with almost 900,000 expected to visit this year. ‘Canada has become one of our top destinations, says Trailfinders’ Nikki Davies. ‘It’s the combination of cities, fly-drive holidays, iconic rail journeys and great wildlife.’
WHERE TO GO
It’s impossible to see everything Canada has to offer on one trip, so most first-time visitors focus on one of three main regions: West for the Rockies and Prairies; Central for Toronto, Montreal, Ontario and Quebec; or Atlantic Canada for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia’s rugged coastlines.
Thanks to rising demand, travel firms have launched a range of new itineraries to all three this year – with 19 from Cox & Kings. Managing director Jennifer Charlton says: ‘While many first-time visitors gravitate to the Rockies, Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia is a hidden gem. The Cabot Trail has spectacular coastal scenery, plus hiking, wildlife spotting and charming fishing villages. It delivers everything people imagine Canada to be.
Ottawa, the capital, is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year and likes to call itself ‘Canada in one city’. Air Transat and Air Canada have just launched direct flights to the city, from £328pp and £389pp return respectively, and you’ll be following in the footsteps of King Charles and Queen Camilla, who visited last May. The King said: ‘Every time I come here, a little more of Canada seeps into my bloodstream – and from there straight to my heart.’ After a Canadian adventure of your own, you’ll no doubt feel the same. Here’s our pick of the best places to swap the stars and stripes for the maple leaf this year
CROWD-FREE CANADA: 7 HIDDEN GEMS
1. The Okanagan Valley
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A thousand miles north of California’s famous Napa Valley, this stunning lakeside region of British Columbia is home to more than 200 wineries. Kelowna, the main city on Okanagan Lake, has a unique wine and orchard museum; Penticton in the Okanagan Valley is nestled between two lakes (Okanagan and Skaha) and boasts more than 2,000 hours of sunshine a year; while from Vernon you can do watersports on three lakes (Kalamalka, Okanagan and Swan).
2. The Canadian Rockies
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While the American Rockies include Yellowstone Park and Mount Rushmore, their craggier Canadian counterpart boast the glacial Icefields Parkway, Lake Louise and 5,200ft-high Banff Upper Hot Springs. The luxury Rocky Mountaineer train connects Vancouver with the mountain towns of Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper over two- to three-day itineraries with overnight hotel stops.
3. Toronto
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With its skyscrapers, subways and Art Deco buildings, Toronto is a popular cinematic stand-in for New York – you’ll recognise it in everything from The Handmaid’s Tale and Suits to Zoolander and Good Will Hunting, as well as Heated Rivalry. A dynamic metropolis on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario, with a population of nearly 3m, it might not have the Statue of Liberty, but Niagara Falls is just a short helicopter ride away.
Stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto in Yorkville for five-star style and a side of star spotting. It’s the luxury hotel brand’s flagship property – the first Four Seasons opened here in 1961. A 55-storey skyscraper with 259 rooms (all with great views), the service is impeccable – chef concierge Harry Hollywood will arrange everything from set-jetting tours to day trips to Niagara Falls. The 30,000sq ft spa is the best in the city (it takes up the entire 9th floor) and Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud is behind the hotel’s stylish Café Boulud and d|bar.
4. The Trans-Canada Highway
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Route 66, America’s famous highway, might be celebrating its 100th birthday this year, but those potholes need repairing! Hit Canada’s 4,860-mile-long Trans-Canada Highway instead for a road trip of a lifetime. It links Victoria in British Columbia on the west coast to St John’s, Newfoundland on the east coast, passing through all 10 Canadian provinces. Just be careful not to run out of gas!
5. Montreal
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It may not have the iconic Las Vegas strip, but it’s always showtime in Montreal, with some casinos open 24/7. Canada’s French-speaking city has a packed social calendar, with its international Jazz Festival – the world’s largest – starting in June and the Just For Laughs festival in July.
6. Nova Scotia
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When it comes to maritime history, whale-watching and autumnal leaves, it’s hard to beat Nova Scotia (New Scotland in Latin), which has over 13,000km of rugged shores, sandy beaches and fishing coves on the Atlantic coast. Famous for its pretty clapboard houses, lighthouses and lobster shacks, as well as the capital city of Halifax, don’t miss the dramatic Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island and the Bay of Fundy, which has the highest tides on Earth.
7. Vancouver
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British Columbia’s buzzy coastal city is officially the 9th most liveable city in the world, in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s top 10 for the second-year running. Visitors also fall in love with Vancouver for its sheer natural beauty. Rainforests, mountains and beaches are all within reach (even within a day), and you can take Harbour Air seaplanes from a pontoon in the picturesque harbour to places such as Victoria (British Columbia’s charming capital on Vancouver Island). Along the west coast, cycle along Stanley Park’s 17-mile Seawall, the longest uninterrupted waterfront path in the world, and hop on one of the dinky False Creek Ferries to Granville Island, a stylish food and shopping district, where you can also go seal and whale watching with Sea Vancouver.