Let’s get one thing straight from the offset: Canada is big. Not just big, in fact, but huge. Covering nearly 10 million square kilometers (about the size of Europe), only Russia is bigger. So picking five Canada travel ideas was never going to be easy…
1. City Hop
For the sheer variety of its cities, Canada’s pretty hard to beat. From the bustling capital, Ottawa, with its proud political institutions, to Montreal – all quaint historical neighborhoods – multicultural Toronto and groovy Vancouver, with so much to see and do, traveling in Canada has to be all about hopping from one city to the next.
2. Hit the Slopes in Whistler
Winter temperatures in Canada can get a little on the chilly side – to say the least! And if that can be bad news for the city traveler, it’s very good news indeed for someone else – skiers. Make no mistake, Canada has some of the best skiing and snowboarding in the world.
Although right across the country there are some great skiing options, Whistler Blackcomb wins hands down. 5,000 acres of downhill slopes (catering for all abilities) and excellent snow might make it seem attractive, but its proximity to Vancouver really makes it the logical choice for the traveler looking to go skiing in Canada.
3. Watch a Whale!
To be honest, this was a toss-up between any number of animals and natural phenomena. It could have just as easily been trying to catch a calving glacier or go polar bear-spotting, but finally whale watching was decided upon!
Whether it’s vast Humpback Whales off Newfoundland, or Killer Whale watching excursions from British Columbia, what really could match the spectacle of the world’s largest mammal, rising for air – like a leviathan from the depths – before, with a flick of its vast tail, returning there again?
4. Learn a Language
Doing an English course in Canada is one of the best things that any non-Anglophone traveler could possibly do. Prices are a bit lower than in the States, and quite apart from actually learning the language, you get the chance to spend weeks – even months – in any one of Canada’s fabulous cities: Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa… the choice is a tough one!
And it doesn’t have to be English, either: in Montreal (and the rest of Quebec), you could of course learn French, too!
5. Try Trekking in Algonquin Park
Whether it’s trekking in Canada, walking, hiking, rambling… whatever you want to call it, there’s simply nowhere on earth like Canada for being outward bound. Wherever you look a vast, untouched landmass stretches away, a haven in every sense of the word for the outdoors enthusiast.
And in this respect, Algonquin Park is perfect. Unlike some parts of rural Canada, while it’s a remote and staggeringly beautiful national park (that covers nearly 8,000 square kilometers) nearby Toronto and Ottawa stop it from being inaccessible. Walking in its woods, admiring the stunning scenery and breathing in the cool, crisp mountain air, is to experience the very best of what Canada has to offer.
