A photograph of Canada

Country guide

Up to 1 hour in Canada — page 3

Canada is the second-largest country in the world by area and has the longest coastline of any, running from the Atlantic to the Pacific and north into the Arct...

Photograph · Chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0

14,620 Places
4Cities

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Canada is the second-largest country in the world by area and has the longest coastline of any, running from the Atlantic to the Pacific and north into the Arctic across ten provinces and three territories.

Just over 41 million people live in it, and not evenly: the great majority are in urban areas while very large stretches hold almost nobody. Ottawa is the capital, and Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are the three largest metropolitan areas and the three realistic starting points. The federal government is officially bilingual in English and French, and which of the two a street is lived in changes as you cross the country.

Checked 2026-08-25

Cities

Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.

Practical information

Language spoken
English and French
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+1
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
Canadian dollar (CAD)
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
911
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type A and B · 120 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Not recorded
Water systems and advisories are managed by multiple jurisdictions

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

  1. St. Patrick's Basilica, Montreal St. Patrick's Basilica, Montreal
    51 30 min

    St. Patrick's Basilica, Montreal

    Saint Patrick's Basilica

    Saint Patrick's Basilica is a nineteenth-century Irish Catholic basilica in Montreal. Its local name is Basilique Saint-Patrick de Montreal. The building holds significance as a historic place of worship serving Montreal's Irish Catholic community.

    • High
    • Place of worship
    • Montreal
  2. VanDusen Botanical Garden VanDusen Botanical Garden
    52 1 hour

    VanDusen Botanical Garden

    VanDusen Botanical Garden is a cultivated Vancouver landscape where living plant collections are experienced through movement.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Vancouver
  3. Christ Church Cathedral Christ Church Cathedral
    53 30 min

    Christ Church Cathedral

    Christ Church Anglican Cathedral

    Christ Church Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in downtown Montreal and the seat of the Diocese of Montreal. The building remains an active place of worship, so its significance is both architectural and religious.

    • High
    • Place of worship
    • Montreal
  4. Mount Royal Cross Mount Royal Cross
    54 30 min

    Mount Royal Cross

    Croix du Mont-Royal

    The Mount Royal Cross is an illuminated summit monument on Mount Royal, the mountain that gave Montreal its name. It is one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks and a religious symbol linked to Montreal’s early Catholic history.

    • High
    • Place of worship
    • Montreal
  5. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
    55 1 hour

    Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

    Doctor Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

    Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is a purpose-built classical Chinese scholar’s garden in Vancouver’s Chinatown, where carefully framed views connect architecture, rock, water, planting and movement.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Vancouver
  6. Jericho Beach Jericho Beach
    56 1 hour

    Jericho Beach

    Jericho Beach is a public waterfront area on Vancouver's west side, facing English Bay. The location combines sandy beachfront with a sailing centre and open views across the water toward the North Shore mountains.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Vancouver
  7. Parc Jean-Drapeau Parc Jean-Drapeau
    57 1 hour

    Parc Jean-Drapeau

    Parc Jean-Drapeau is the Expo 67 park spread across two St. Lawrence islands, combining landscape, culture, beach, and major-event spaces. Its value lies in the specific collection, landscape, architecture, or public setting represented by that record.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Montreal
  8. Henry-Stuart House Henry-Stuart House
    58 45 min

    Henry-Stuart House

    Maison Henry-Stuart

    Maison Henry-Stuart is a preserved 1849 house and garden near the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City. It offers a close look at domestic life in a nineteenth-century residence, with the building itself providing the main historical experience.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Quebec City
  9. Jesuit House of Sillery Jesuit House of Sillery
    59 45 min

    Jesuit House of Sillery

    Maison des Jésuites de Sillery

    Maison des Jésuites de Sillery is a historic house in Quebec City's Sillery district and a surviving part of a former Jesuit estate established in the seventeenth century.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Quebec City
  10. Christ Church Cathedral Christ Church Cathedral
    60 30 min

    Christ Church Cathedral

    Christ Church Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral church in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. It serves as the seat of the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster.

    • High
    • Place of worship
    • Vancouver
  11. Leslie Street Spit Leslie Street Spit
    61 1 hour

    Leslie Street Spit

    Tommy Thompson Park

    Tommy Thompson Park occupies the Leslie Street Spit, a long waterfront peninsula extending into Lake Ontario from Toronto’s port lands. Its wetlands, meadows, forests and shoreline create an urban nature destination with important wildlife habitat.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Toronto
  12. Scarborough Bluffs Scarborough Bluffs
    62 20 min

    Scarborough Bluffs

    Scarborough Bluffs is a dramatic escarpment formation along Lake Ontario's shoreline in eastern Toronto. The bluffs rise prominently above the water, creating one of the most striking natural landscapes in the city.

    • High
    • Viewpoint
    • Toronto
  13. Dorchester Square Dorchester Square
    63 1 hour

    Dorchester Square

    Square Dorchester

    Dorchester Square is a historic public square in downtown Montreal, also known locally as Square Dorchester. It provides an open green pause between the cathedral district and the Golden Square Mile.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Montreal
  14. Kitsilano Beach Kitsilano Beach
    64 1 hour

    Kitsilano Beach

    Kitsilano Beach is a broad sandy waterfront in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood, facing English Bay with downtown Vancouver and the North Shore mountains visible across the water.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Vancouver
  15. Place du Canada Place du Canada
    65 1 hour

    Place du Canada

    Place du Canada is a civic square in downtown Montreal, Quebec. It adjoins Dorchester Square and stands near Mary Queen of the World Cathedral. The public space forms part of the central greensward running through Montreal's commercial core.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Montreal
  16. Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church
    66 30 min

    Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church

    Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste

    Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church is a Roman Catholic church located in the Saint-Jean-Baptiste neighbourhood of Quebec City. The local name is église Saint-Jean-Baptiste. This sacred building serves as a significant religious and architectural landmark within its district.

    • High
    • Place of worship
    • Quebec City
  17. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
    67 1 hour

    Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

    The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is a landmark downtown Toronto venue devoted to opera and ballet.

    • High
    • Art and culture venue
    • Toronto
  18. Palais Montcalm Palais Montcalm
    68 1 hour

    Palais Montcalm

    Palais Montcalm is a restored art-deco performance hall in Québec City, focused on classical and jazz music.

    • High
    • Art and culture venue
    • Quebec City
  19. Christie Pits Christie Pits
    69 1 hour

    Christie Pits

    Christie Pits Park

    Christie Pits is a large urban park in Toronto, Ontario. The park occupies a significant depression in the city's topography, forming a natural amphitheatre with a prominent hill at its centre.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Toronto
  20. Roger-Van den Hende botanical garden Roger-Van den Hende botanical garden
    70 1 hour

    Roger-Van den Hende botanical garden

    Jardin botanique Roger-Van den Hende

    Jardin botanique Roger-Van den Hende is a botanical garden operated by Université Laval in the Sainte-Foy district of Quebec City. It serves as both a public horticultural destination and an academic resource for the university.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Quebec City
  21. Saint-Louis Square Saint-Louis Square
    71 1 hour

    Saint-Louis Square

    Square Saint-Louis

    Square Saint-Louis is a compact Victorian-era public square in Montreal’s Plateau-Mont-Royal borough. Its identity comes from the combination of landscaped green space, mature trees, fountains, pathways, benches, and the colourful nineteenth-century houses that surround it.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Montreal
  22. Second Beach Second Beach
    72 1 hour

    Second Beach

    Second Beach is a public waterfront area in Stanley Park, Vancouver. It features a heated outdoor swimming pool, a sandy beach, and direct access to the city's famous seawall.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Vancouver
  23. Toronto Botanical Garden Toronto Botanical Garden
    73 1 hour

    Toronto Botanical Garden

    The Toronto Botanical Garden is a major public garden complex located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It occupies a significant site beside Edwards Gardens, forming part of an important horticultural destination in the city's northeastern area.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Toronto
  24. Mackenzie House Mackenzie House
    74 45 min

    Mackenzie House

    Mackenzie House is a compact historic house museum in downtown Toronto and the final home of William Lyon Mackenzie. Mackenzie was Toronto’s first mayor, a journalist, politician and reformer associated with Upper Canada’s democratic movement.

    • High
    • Historic monument
    • Toronto
  25. Jesuit Chapel Jesuit Chapel
    75 30 min

    Jesuit Chapel

    Chapelle des Jésuites

    Chapelle des Jésuites is a nineteenth-century chapel in Quebec City's Montcalm district. The heritage building has been adapted for concerts and cultural events, giving travellers a chance to encounter historic religious architecture in a contemporary setting.

    • High
    • Place of worship
    • Quebec City

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

Common questions

How long should a first trip to Canada be?

Ten to sixteen days is realistic for one Canadian region, not for crossing the country. An eastern cities route, a Rockies journey and a Pacific itinerary each work better as their own trip.

What entry documents are needed for Canada?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada lists visitor visa and electronic travel authorisation rules. The required document depends on passport, travel method and status, so complete the official eligibility check for the actual journey.

What is the best way to travel around Canada?

Toronto, Vancouver and Montréal are the principal air gateways. VIA Rail is most useful in the Québec City–Windsor corridor and on selected long-distance services; outside major centres, a car or domestic flight may be necessary.

When is a practical time to visit Canada?

May to September suits many city and national-park itineraries, but northern access and mountain conditions have shorter operating seasons. Winter is a separate travel plan with different road, daylight and activity constraints.

What money and payment basics apply in Canada?

Prices are in Canadian dollars (CAD). Payment fees and acceptance are Not recorded at national level here, so verify rental deposits, remote-area fuel payment and card conversion terms directly with each provider.

What practical safety details should I save for Canada?

Call 911 for an emergency in Canada. Electrical supply is 120 V through Type A and B sockets; the source set does not record one nationwide tap-water statement, so local guidance applies.