The best things to do in Canada: be inspired by these 21 epic experiences

From sweeping coastal shorelines to craggy floating icebergs, glistening glacial lakes to the climbing canopy of ancient forests, Canada’s enthralling landscapes continue to beckon wonder-seekers from around the globe. 

The people spread across the world’s second-largest country are equally as diverse – a complex Indigenous history and growing immigrant population make for increasingly cosmopolitan cities, cutting-edge art and architecture, and creative cuisine.

These 21 bucket-list-worthy experiences will ensure you leave no ground uncovered on your next trip to Canada and return renewed by the experience.

During a brief window from October to early November, upwards of 1200 polar bears converge in the enchanting town of Churchill on their annual migration to the shores of the Hudson Bay. A polar bear tour is a must to make sure you don’t miss this quintessential Arctic experience. But even if you do, the “polar bear capital of the world” offers no shortage of wildlife year-round – from dog-sledding in the winter to bird-watching in the spring to kayaking with beluga whales in the summer. While you’re there, don’t sleep on the Northern Lights and hearty local fare, like elk meatloaf and bison stew.

Seeing the northern lights is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Canadians and non-Canadians alike. While the celestial spectacle can be spotted as far south as Banff, the most epic display is undoubtedly found in the “Great White North.” On clear nights between mid-August to mid-April, you can catch the light show all over the Yukon, with the most optimal viewing found outside the capital city of Whitehorse. Whether by foot, plane, canoe, snowshoe or even dog-sled, you’re best off aurora hunting with a local tour operator who adds ease to the experience by providing their expertise on viewing conditions and a toasty beverage to temper the arctic chill. 

Twice each day, 160 billion tons of water empty the Bay of Fundy, creating a rare window of opportunity to dine on the ocean floor. Chef-led lessons on the wild edibles of Nova Scotia are followed by a multi-course lunch or dinner topped off with a cozy campfire – all with the staggering Cliffs of Fundy as your backdrop.

Designated a Unesco Global Geopark in the summer of 2020, the 300ft cliffs overlook the world’s highest tides – cresting taller than a five-story building – which invite 12 species of whales to feast on plankton each year. For a deep dive into the region’s history, head to the nearby Fundy Geological Museum and stay tuned for the Indigenous Mi’kmaq cultural center under development. 

It’s not hard to find poutine – gravy-smothered thick-cut fries sprinkled with squeaky cheese curds – all over the country, but it’s in the chef’s town of Montreal where you’ll find the most creative interpretations of Canada’s signature dish. Head to the 24-hour, poutine-worshipping restaurant La Banquise for creative toppings, like guacamole and pulled pork, in an energetic space; or Montreal Pool Room (locally known as the “the Main”) for the greasy-spoon dish without the fuss.

Across the street from the Main, you’ll find another Montreal institution: Schwartz’s. For over 90 years, the famous deli has been sandwiching messy mountains of 10-day-marinated smoked meat between two slices of rye bread for the Montreal masses. The take-out counter will tempt you to skip the line, but dining-in is worth the wait to eat your sandwich shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers and the veteran staff. Don’t forget the pickle and cherry coke. 

Canada might be known for its winter sports, but its rugged coastlines and placid waterways make for equally as thrilling summer recreation too. With 22 miles of surfable beach, Vancouver Island’s Tofino is undoubtedly the country’s surf capital. Beginners will appreciate the gentle waves along Chesterman Beach and Cox Bay, while seasoned pros will want to hit the intense swells at Long Beach, the longest beach on the island. Not into surfing? The 10-mile beach is still worth visiting for whale-watching in the spring and autumn, and the surrounding Pacific Rim National Park, home to some of the oldest trees in Canada.

No longer a remote fishing village, Tofino’s laid-back surfer vibe attracts a large crowd in the summer. An off-season trip between November and February is best for fewer crowds and more nature, plus storm watching – an increasingly popular activity among photographers. 

Stretching over 60 miles along the southern shore of Lake Athabasca, Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park beckons seasoned hikers and environmentalists alike for its endemic flora and towering sand dunes – a rare sight in a province known for its flat, prairie landscape. Reaching nearly 100ft high, the world’s most northerly sand dunes are also the largest active sand surface in the country. As a result, the fragile ecosystem is seriously safeguarded – each of the park’s three management zones has its own visitor guidelines, and you’ll need to take a floatplane or boat to get there. With few on-site services and guided tours, camping in this remote landscape is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for hardcore wilderness enthusiasts. 

Church bells ring from regal cathedrals while contemporary takes on traditional Québecois fare – think, tourtière (meat pie) and maple syrup-infused brunch – are served in former factories and historic homes. It’s hard not to get lost in Old Québec’s charm. Designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1985 for its 400-year-old history, it’s the only fortified city you’ll find north of Mexico and a playground for history buffs. They won’t want to miss Le Château Frontenac. Since opening in 1893, the famous Fairmont hotel has hosted countless celebrities and notable political events, like the Québec Conferences of World War II.

While most visitors frequent the upper section of Old Town, the real “Old Town” is found closer to the water. With buildings dating back to the 17th century, locals will tell you Lower Old Town is the real birthplace of the city. 

Set on the shores of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay in Northern Ontario, Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island in the world. It’s also home to the Odawa, Ojibwe and Pottawatomi peoples that make up the Anishinabek Nation. While the island’s seven reserves carry a heavy legacy of residential schools, today, First Nations culture is celebrated with a proud embrace of Indigenous foods, music and storytelling. It’s best experienced on the Great Spirit Circle Trail, where a local guide will walk you through the island’s history and surrounding nature and provide a taste of Anishinebek culture, with Indigenous eats and a traditional Powwow ceremony. 

With more than half of the residents that make up Toronto’s 158 neighborhoods hailing from other countries – the city’s 7500 restaurants are arguably the most diverse in the world. In the absence of a clearly identifiable Canadian cuisine, collaboration and invention prevail in the kitchens of immigrant mom-and-pop shops and Michelin-starred celebrity chefs alike.

The urban core provides no shortage of foodie adventures: from globally-inspired fine dining (such as Sursur Lee’s famous 19-ingredient Singaporean slaw and Nick Bao’s big mac bao) to picturesque food markets (like Evergreen Brickworks nestled in the verdant hills of the Don Valley and St. Lawrence Market set in a light-speckled, century-old building). But the city’s best-kept culinary secrets lie outside the urban core, in the sprawling suburbs known as the “GTA” (Greater Toronto Area), where you’ll find unsuspecting strip malls churning up family recipes from seemingly every culture you can imagine. 

The signature red rock of the Tablelands in Gros Morne National Park reveals the earth’s mantle, formed by the collision of tectonic plates nearly 500 million years ago. It’s a geological masterpiece, best viewed by foot on one of Gros Morne’s many trails that take you on a journey through lush boreal forests, majestic waterfalls and jagged cliffs overlooking the wind-swept shoreline.

Seasoned hikers can challenge themselves on the Long Range Traverse, a 21-mile trail that provides the most epic views of the Western Brook Pond Fjord from its near-vertical mountaintops soaring 2000ft into the sky. While down at sea level, a calmer experience of the glacier-carved fjord is found aboard a Bon Tours boat, complete with local storytelling, toe-tapping musicians and East Coast fare. 

While British Columbia’s arid Okanagan Valley is Canada’s obvious wine destination, the largest wine region is actually found in Ontario, where hundreds of wineries, some dating as far back as the late 19th century, are spread across three Designated Viticultural Areas – Niagara Peninsula, Prince Edward County, and the north shore of Lake Erie.

With limestone-rich soil lending itself to grapevine varieties with a distinct taste, Prince Edward County in particular attracts some of the country’s most innovative winemakers. And a creative crowd with an eye for aesthetics has followed – the region is now teeming with chic accommodation and tasting rooms set in bucolic barns. The boutique Drake Devonshire Inn is a destination in and of itself for seasonal eats and creative cocktails overlooking Lake Ontario. Design aficionados will want to check out refurbished motels like the Drake Motor Inn and June Motel (as seen on Netflix’s Motel Makeover). 

Take in the dramatic highlands and rugged coasts of Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island – considered one of the most beautiful islands in the world – from its famed Cabot Trail. The 186-mile loop spans an 8-hour, non-stop drive, but hiking or cycling a smaller section allows for a more leisurely pace. Cape Breton Highlands National Park is where you’ll find the greatest selection of hiking trails, with the Skyline, Fishing Cove and Acadian trails being the most popular. Summer attracts the most visitors but the trail is most photogenic in the fall when its winding curves glow in autumn colors. 

You can visit Newfoundland and Labrador’s Fogo Island year-round, but it’s the warmer months that offer the most epic experiences. Every spring, staggering 15,000-year-old icebergs sail down “Iceberg Alley” while the season that follows sees the world’s largest population of humpback whales migrating off its storm-battered shorelines. Book a tour through Fogo Island Inn, but make sure to visit the architectural masterpiece in person. Perched on stilts overlooking the ocean, the 29-room retreat has gained an international reputation for its sustainability efforts, not to mention its remote location at one of the “four corners of the Earth.”

Outside the hotel, verdant rolling hills speckled with colorful wooden homes are ripe with hiking trails for every skill level while the 18th-century Irish-settled town of Tilting, a National Historic Site of Canada, exudes East Coast warmth with the sounds of sea shanties and smells of simmering chowder wafting from its few cafes and pubs. 

With its crystal turquoise water fed by the glaciers of the surrounding Rocky Mountains, Lake Louise is a picture-postcard destination that lives up to the hype. With a flat, encircling path, you can easily hike or bike around the lake, or rent a canoe from the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, where you’ll find pristine views of the lake and surrounding Bow Valley from the 1888 castle’s outdoor heated pool and some of its 12 restaurants. 

Equally as captivating as Lake Louise is nearby Moraine Lake, set in the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Open from May to October, it’s also equally as touristy – a peaceful sunrise visit avoids the crowds. Avid hikers can take in the glistening glacial waters and snow-capped peaks from the surrounding strenuous trails, and unwind afterward in a natural steaming bath at one of several nearby hot springs. 

Every winter, alpine enthusiasts from around the world flock to Canada’s Rocky Mountains for its soaring slopes and pristine mountain views. But it’s the ski town of Whistler that continues to draw the largest crowd. Set just two hours north of Vancouver, the former venue of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games straddles both Whistler and Blackcomb – two mountains teeming with ski trails for all levels of experience.

With varied elevations producing a diversity of terrains, each with their own unique seasonal attractions – think, eagle tours among the colorful fall canopy and paddle-boarding glacier-fed lakes in the summer – Whistler appeals to thrill-seekers year-round. And the less adventurous too – stylish accommodation, a blossoming arts scene and energetic après-ski bars have transformed Whistler village from a rustic ski town into a European-style retreat. 

Known as the “Dinosaur Capital of the World,” Alberta’s Dinosaur Valley is a dream destination for professional paleontologists and Jurassic Park fans alike. Home to the world’s richest dinosaur fossil site, Dinosaur Provincial Park is protected grounds, so you’ll want to book a tour. But feel free to get lost in prehistoric times on a self-guided tour of the Royal Tyrrell Museum, where you’ll encounter over 130,000 fossils and a giant, 67-million-year-old T-rex. The surrounding Badlands – with its mystical hoodoo spires and dusty, arid canyons – make for a scenic, wild west road trip. A stop in the nearby eccentric former coal town of Drumheller is a must to climb inside the mouth of the world’s largest dinosaur. 

The stereotype holds true: Canadians love their maple syrup. Mid-March to mid-April offers a short window of time to savor it in its best form – straight from the tree. Every spring, upwards of 200 sugar shacks surrounding Montreal and Québec City open their doors for the annual maple syrup harvest. Take your pick of quaint, family-run maple groves, where you can learn all about the sweet sap and make your own maple tacky by dropping the sticky syrup in the snow. The experience is topped off with a traditional Québécois feast of baked ham and beans, meat pies and hash browns, all smothered in maple syrup of course. 

Arguably Canada’s most touristy destination, Niagara Falls is worth braving the crowds for a view of the Horseshoe Falls: straddling the border between Ontario and New York, the largest of the three falls has the most powerful flow of any waterfall in North America. Immerse yourself in the fall’s majestic mist on the classic 20-minute Niagara cruise, or take in the views from the sky by way of helicopter, zipline or the Skylon Tower.

Gaming casinos and Clifton Hill’s many amusement attractions continue to be the main draw for entertainment-seekers of all ages. A short drive or shuttle ride north, you’ll find a calmer pace in Niagara-on-the-Lake, where horse-drawn carriages shuttle visitors between world-class wineries and local shops set in colonial buildings. 

Every winter, the 4.8-mile long river that cuts through the heart of Ottawa freezes over to become the world’s largest skating rink. As the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, the Rideau Canal dates back to 1832 and makes a wintery, picturesque backdrop for taking in the country’s capital city. The classic Canadian experience is rounded out with pit-stops for steaming hot chocolate and crispy beaver tails – fried dough pastry layered with sweet toppings like Nutella and cinnamon sugar. Visiting in the summer? Cruise the canal by boat, bike the Rideau Canal pathway or take to the skies on the new 1400ft Interzip Rogers, the world’s first interprovincial zipline. 

Adrenaline junkies can lean over Canada’s largest city in the open air on the EdgeWalk: a wide ledge set outside the CN Tower’s main pod. Standing 1800ft above the Toronto skyline, the CN Tower has long been one of the country’s most popular attractions for its unbeatable, 360-degree views. But the addition of the world’s highest hands-free external walk – a Guinness World Record breaker and the first of its kind in North America – has skyrocketed the tourist site to international attention. Feeling less adventurous? Take in the views from the CN Tower’s 360 Restaurant, where you’ll find award-winning Canadian-sourced cuisine served in a sleek setting, and the “cellar in the sky,” the world’s highest wine cellar. 

While you can easily walk or rollerblade sections of the two-way paved path, cycling is best to take in all the 14-mile-long route has to offer. Beginning in Coal Harbour and ending at Kitsilano Beach, the seaside path winds you through some of the city’s best destinations, like Stanley Park, English Bay and Jericho Beach. Make sure to make a refuel stop at Granville Island Public Market, where locals and visitors sample gourmet cheeses, butchered meat and fresh produce alongside eclectic art and tranquil harbor views.