Canada

Overview

Canada is the world's second largest country by area, behind only Russia . Nicknamed the Great White North , Canada is renowned for its vast landscapes of outstanding natural beauty and its multicultural heritage. While there are cosmopolitan cities, much of Canada consists of forests, it has more lakes than any other country and it features the Rocky Mountains , the Prairies , three oceanic coasts and a sparsely populated archipelago extending into the Arctic .

Indigenous cultural symbolism is also generally more visible in Canada than in the U.S., and there are plenty of opportunities for tourists to engage with Indigenous cultures. Indigenous issues occupy a prominent role in mainstream Canadian political discourse.

Places to explore

Visiting Canada all in one trip is a massive undertaking. The Trans-Canada Highway is about 8,000 kilometres (5,000 mi) from St. John's , Newfoundland to Victoria , British Columbia (about the same distance as Cairo to Capetown, and more than three times Napoleon's march from Paris to Moscow). Crossing the country with any ground transport takes at least a week, even if you do not stop to sightsee. A flight from Toronto to Vancouver takes over 4 hours.

Sights and landscapes

Canada is a nation with many places of interest all across the country. Each province and territory is unique with each one containing its own special attractions. North American wildlife can be found all across the country.

British Columbia has much to offer ranging from Vancouver , one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities, to Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), an ecologist's paradise of pristine wilderness, and Vancouver Island . In the interior of the province, the towering Western Cordillera and Western Rocky Mountains provide stunning scenery and two of the famous Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO World Heritage Site , Yoho National Park and Kootenay National Park . South-Central British Columbia is famous for the Okanagan , nationally renowned for its year-round mild climate and fine wineries. Some of the best skiing and snowboarding in Canada is to be found all across British Columbia, both at established resorts or backcountry, with Whistler being the most famous. BC has the greatest number of provincial parks in the country, and many are visited by fewer than 1,000 a year.

Experiences

Canada is a country with a rich cultural heritage. In Canada, festivals and events are held annually to celebrate the multicultural landscape of this great nation. Each festival represents a single cultural facet belonging to the diverse population of Canada. These festivals are easily identified by season.

In some parts of the country, April and May mark the beginning of Canadian music festival season. Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories celebrates spring with the Cariblues Festival, Halifax showcases chamber music with the Scotia Festival of Music and Ottawa highlights concerts, flowers and history at the Canadian Tulip Festival.

Canada is also renowned the world over for its theatre festivals such as the Stratford Festival in beautiful Stratford and the Shaw Festival in scenic Niagara-on-the-Lake , both of which begin at this time and continue through to the fall. There are also a number of children's festivals including the Calgary International Children's Festival and the annual Saskatchewan International Film Festival for Young People.

June 21 to July 1 marks 10 days of celebrations in Canada. The festivities begin on June 21 with National Aboriginal Day and celebrations across the country continue on June 24 with Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, in honour of the patron saint of French Canadians, on June 27 with Canadian Multiculturalism Day, and culminate with Canada Day with parties everywhere on July 1.

Culture and food

English Canadians may be mystified if you ask where you can get Canadian food. English Canadian cuisine varies radically from region to region. Some specialties include maple syrup , Nanaimo bars (chocolate-topped no-bake squares with custard or vanilla butter filling and crumb base), butter tarts (tarts made with butter, sugar, and eggs), beaver tails (fried dough topped with icing sugar), fiddleheads (curled heads of young ferns), peameal bacon (a type of back bacon made from lean boneless pork loin, trimmed fine, wet cured, and rolled in cornmeal; eaten at breakfast with eggs or for lunch as a sandwich), and Halifax donairs (sliced beef meatloaf wrapped in pitas and garnished with onions, tomatoes, and a sweet condensed milk sauce). They are an important, if somewhat humble, part of the Canadian culinary landscape. In other respects, English Canadian cuisine is similar to that of the northern United States.

Planning your route

Canada is huge – the second largest country in the world by area after Russia; this means that you will need several days to appreciate even a part of the country. The distances involved will boggle many travellers, though perhaps not those from other large countries.

For comparison, the distance from St. John's, Newfoundland to Vancouver (over 5,000 km or 3,000 miles as the crow flies) is considerably more than that from London to Moscow, or from Delhi to Shanghai or Istanbul.

The span of Canada's population is actually very small, however: 90% of Canada's population resides within 160 km of the southern border with the United States, and 57% of Canadians reside south of the parallel on which Seattle resides. As such, getting around in Canada is almost completely restricted to the southern "Canadian corridor", and travelling to or getting around northern Canada often requires flying.

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.