Jamie in Bytown/Flickr
Planning a trip to such a vast and diverse country can present you with a bewildering array of choices. We’ve scoured all of Canada in search of the best places and experiences. Here we share our very personal and opinionated choices.
(Pictured: The Toronto skyline)
When the Earth’s land masses broke apart and shifted 500 million years ago, a piece of the mantle, the very shell of the planet, was thrust upward to form awesome tableland mountains of rock here. Spend a week or more trekking coastal trails, venturing to scenic waterfalls, and strolling alongside landlocked fjords.
Sure, Toronto likes its blockbuster shows, which are usually housed at the Royal Alexandra or the Princess of Wales theaters. However, the offerings from the CanStage, Soulpepper, Opera Atelier, Tafelmusik, and the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People are innovative and consistently excellent, too. And seeing the Canadian Opera Company or the National Ballet of Canada onstage at their new home—the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts—is breathtaking.
This wildly scenic driving loop around Cape Breton Highlands National Park delivers a surplus of dramatic coastal scenery. Take a few days to explore the area. You can hike blustery headlands, scope for whales on a tour boat, and dabble around a cove or two in a sea kayak.
There are few better place to while away a few hours than at a street cafe in Quebec. Among our favorites is La Marie–Clarisse. Perched just overlooking the pedestrian-only rue du Petit-Champlain, the terrace of this restaurant offers a catbird seat to the world. In winter, cocoon by the stone fireplace inside: The rooms are formed of rafters, brick, and 300-year-old walls, and evoke the feel of a small country inn.
In October or November, travel by train or plane to Churchill and the shores of Hudson Bay to view hundreds of magnificent polar bears, which migrate to the bay’s icy shores and even lope into Churchill itself. In the evening, you can glimpse the famous aurora borealis (northern lights).
(Pictured: The Toronto skyline)