What to see in Canada: 12 must-sees
Discover what to see in Canada: 12 must-see destinations, from Banff National Park to Jasper National Park. Predominantly national park and city; each entry includes the best time to visit and the link to its official source.
National Park(5)
Walk through Canada's oldest national park, founded in 1885 in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Follow the trails around Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, whose turquoise waters mirror snowy peaks and spruce forests. Spot grizzly bears, moose, and eagles in their habitat, and hike among glaciers and alpine valleys. Follow the rules of each trail and keep your distance from wildlife: conservation is what has kept this landscape intact for over a century.
Explore the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies and head to the Columbia Icefield, where ice still sets the rhythm of the valley. Cruise Maligne Lake to Spirit Island, walk among waterfalls and limestone canyons, and watch moose, bears, and mountain goats in their habitat. Choose marked trails to suit your level, from short strolls to multi-day routes, and respect the rules that protect threatened species and fragile areas. At night, look up: Jasper is a dark-sky preserve, and the stars shine without light pollution.
Hike trails that wind through cedar forests to Lake Agnes, where a mountain tea house waits by the water. Admire Takakkaw Falls, among the tallest in the country, and get close to the glaciers that give the park its name in British Columbia. Watch birds, mountain goats, and bears in their habitat as you explore valleys shaped over millions of years. Respect the conservation signage during your visit.
Walk on the bay floor at low tide and return hours later to see it covered by up to 16 meters of water—the greatest tidal range on the planet, with two full cycles a day. Explore the trails among Nova Scotia's cliffs and forests, watch migratory birds, and learn about the threatened species the park protects. Here, conservation isn't a slogan: rangers work every day to preserve fragile coastal habitats that have taken millions of years to form.
Explore Kluane National Park in the Yukon, where the Valdez Glacier shares its territory with grizzly bears and caribou. Hike among mountains, watch birds, and gaze at glacier fronts marking the edge of the Canadian Arctic. Mount Logan, the second-highest peak in North America, crowns a park that is a World Heritage Site for its ice fields and wildlife. Between marked trails and open valleys, the northern wilderness shows itself unfiltered, with long silences and horizons that seem never to end.
City(4)
Explore Vancouver, the Canadian city where the North Shore mountains frame the harbor and the glass skyline. Walk or cycle the 9 kilometers of Stanley Park's seawall among giant cedars, then head across to Granville Island to taste fresh salmon and local products at its public market. Watch floatplanes take off from the Coal Harbour docks and explore Gastown, the city's founding neighborhood with its steam clock. With Asian neighborhoods, urban beaches like English Bay, and specialty coffee shops, this is a city to enjoy outdoors all year round.
Explore Parliament Hill, home of Canada's government, then head down to the Rideau Canal, which in winter becomes the country's most famous skating rink. Visit the National Museum, cross over to the ByWard Market to try a BeaverTail, and wander among Gothic buildings and neighborhoods full of cafés and murals. Ottawa blends institutions, history, and everyday life at an unhurried pace, and many of its museums and activities are free or very affordable for visitors.
Ride up the CN Tower to see Toronto from 553 meters and instantly grasp the scale of Canada's largest city. Then head down to the Fashion District, where former textile workshops now house shops and bars, and make your way to Lake Ontario to stroll the harborfront promenade. Devote one morning to the Royal Ontario Museum and another to the Distillery District, with its cobblestone streets among restored Victorian distilleries. In Kensington Market you'll see how food stalls from half the world capture the blend of cultures that defines the city.
Wander through Old Montreal among cobblestone streets and gray stone facades, step inside the Notre-Dame Basilica to see its blue and gold interior, and have crepes for breakfast at a café where you'll hear French and English at the same table. Buy bagels, cheeses, and blueberries at Jean-Talon Market, head up Mount Royal for the downtown view from the Kondiaronk lookout, and end the night in the bars along Saint-Laurent, where French tradition coexists with North American modernity.
Natural(2)
Take in the turquoise water of Lake Louise, fed by the Victoria Glacier, as Banff's peaks reflect on its surface. Walk the lakeshore trail to the viewpoint, rent a kayak in summer, or skate on the frozen lake in winter. Head up toward the Plain of Six Glaciers and rest at the historic tea house before watching for mountain goats and marmots among the rocks. In front of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, you'll understand why it's called the Pearl of the Rockies.
Watch 2,832 cubic meters of water per second plunge 51 meters at the most powerful waterfall in the Northern Hemisphere, with a roar you hear before you even arrive. Get close to the edge of the Canadian Horseshoe, get soaked aboard the Maid of the Mist, and walk the park trails among maples and lookout points over the gorges of the Niagara River. In Ontario, the water of Lake Erie begins its descent toward Lake Ontario right here, and the permanent mist paints rainbows on almost every sunny day.
UNESCO Heritage(1)
Walk through the only walled city north of Mexico and stroll cobblestone streets among stone houses, churches, and the silhouette of the Château Frontenac above the St. Lawrence River. Head down to Lower Town, where New France was born, visit the Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral, and climb the fortifications for a full view of the old town. UNESCO declared this ensemble a World Heritage Site as a testament to the French colony founded here in 1608.
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