Here, eyes must adjust to ever-changing light; a kaleidoscope assembled by colors previously unknown. In the Great White North, you don’t simply hear the grunt of a hunting polar bear, the adrenaline throbs and echoes in your ears. Throughout the country, cultures coexist in culinary unity, creating exotic aromas tempting the epicurious. In Canada, you don’t just feel the heartbeat of a city, your entire body rattles to its rhythm.
Vancouver
No other city in North America (perhaps no other city on the planet) balances the natural world with urban energy as harmoniously as Vancouver. Here, skyscrapers and the sea converge, offering a dazzling array of options for adventure, recreation, and metropolitan sophistication.
Rendezvous with the wildlife—curious orcas and humpbacks are known to hop near charter boats. In Stanley Park you’ll find the longest non-interrupted seafront walkway in the world, the perfect vantage point for marveling at the park’s half a million trees rising nearly 300 feet towards the sky. Vibrant public art, theatre, and live music are equally captivating. No Vancouver itinerary is complete without crossing the Capilano Suspension Bridge, a 450-foot bridge floating 230 feet above the riverbed.
Montreal
If you had to sum up Montreal in one word, it would be: Bienvenue! The French-speaking city is known for its welcoming spirit almost as much as its maple syrup. Here, European influence meets Canadian friendliness.
The city’s historic district, Old Montreal, is lined with cobblestone streets featuring 17th- century buildings and the iconic Notre-Dame Basilica, a stunning Gothic Revival-style church and the site of the country’s grandest events and ceremonies. Throughout Old Montreal, the urban multimedia experience, Cité Mémoire, projects dozens of images showcasing the city’s most famous, and infamous, characters. It’s the largest outdoor video-projection installation in the world, which complements the city’s reputation for unbridled creativity.
Toronto
The largest city in Canada is also the most diverse. In fact, Toronto has one of the most multicultural populations in the world, perhaps best witnessed at Kensington Market. This food-first neighborhood offers enough international cuisine to make the United Nations blush.
Toronto’s multi-ethnic makeup is also reflected in the city’s vast number of museums. You’ll find everything from contemporary art to European masterpieces. The Royal Ontario Museum boasts a 13-million-piece collection while the Bata Shoe Museum is a one-of-a-kind shoe shrine. It should come as no surprise Toronto also boasts the Hockey Hall of Fame, where visitors can channel their inner Wayne Gretzky and hoist the Stanley Cup over their head.
Also located in Toronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is one of the largest art museums in North America. The AGO’s collection of nearly 95,000 works ranges from contemporary art to works by established and emerging Indigenous Canadian artists. Indigenous art at the AGO currently includes works from the First Peoples of North America, namely First Nations, Inuit, and Metis. The collection also includes global Indigenous Art from Africa, Australia, and the Torres Strait Islands.