Country guide
Canada
The Rockies' turquoise lakes, whale coasts on both oceans and cities that empty into wilderness an hour out.
Currency
CAD
Language
English
+ French
English
Everywhere
Payment
Cards everywhere
Power
Type A / B
120 V, 60 Hz
Dialing
+1
Destinations
Banff
Canada's first national park, and still the one everyone pictures: turquoise lakes, glaciers and a Rockies town you can walk across in ten minutes.
✓ best May-SepCalgary
A prairie city with a cowboy streak, the Stampede every July and the Rockies on the skyline.
✓ best May, Jul-SepCape Breton (Baddeck)
One of the great coastal drives in North America, with fiddle music waiting at the end of each day.
✓ best Jun-OctChurchill
The polar bear capital of the world, with a river full of belugas each summer and no road in.
✓ best Jul-AugHalifax
A harbour city with a star fort on the hill, Titanic graves, Canada's front door for immigrants, and more pubs than it seems to need.
✓ best Aug-SepMontreal
North America's most European city: Old Montreal's cobbles, Mount Royal's lookout and bagels straight from wood-fired ovens.
✓ best May, Jul, Sep-OctNiagara Falls
The side of the border that gets the view: the Horseshoe Falls head-on, a garden parkway along the gorge, and neon nonsense right behind it.
✓ best May-AugOttawa
Parliament Hill above the river, the Rideau Canal through the middle, and a winter when the whole canal becomes a skating rink.
✓ best May-OctQuebec City
North America's only walled city north of Mexico: French-speaking, four centuries old, and crowned by the Chateau Frontenac on its cliff above the St. Lawrence.
✓ best MaySaskatoon
The Prairies' river city: Wanuskewin's ancient bison valley, the Remai Modern and miles of trail along the South Saskatchewan.
✓ best May-SepSt John's
North America's easternmost city, where icebergs drift past Signal Hill and the pubs play fiddle till late.
✓ best Jun-SepToronto
Canada's biggest and most varied city: the CN Tower over Lake Ontario, island ferries, and a food scene drawn from every corner of the world.
✓ best May-OctVancouver
A big city with rainforest, beaches and ski slopes all within half an hour of downtown.
✓ best May-SepVictoria
Canada's mildest city, where floatplanes land in front of Parliament and orcas swim just offshore.
✓ best Apr-OctWhitehorse
A frontier capital on the Yukon River, with midnight-sun summers and northern lights winters.
✓ best May-AugWinnipeg
Canada's prairie crossroads: The Forks, the Human Rights museum and a winter city that skates its rivers.
✓ best May-SepClimate zones, month by month
Canada has 16 distinct climate zones. The right month depends on where in the country you're going.
Banff Canadian Rockies →
✓ Best May-Sep · ✗ Avoid Nov-Mar
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
Calgary Alberta →
✓ Best May, Jul-Sep · ✗ Avoid Nov-Mar
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Cape Breton (Baddeck) Nova Scotia →
✓ Best Jun-Oct · ✗ Avoid Dec-Apr
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Churchill Hudson Bay →
✓ Best Jul-Aug · ✗ Avoid Oct-May
Watch for Nov-Mar extreme cold risk
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Halifax Nova Scotia →
✓ Best Aug-Sep · ✗ Avoid Dec-Mar
Watch for Jun-Nov cyclones & hurricanes risk
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Montreal Quebec →
✓ Best May, Jul, Sep-Oct · ✗ Avoid Nov-Mar
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Niagara Falls Ontario →
✓ Best May-Aug · ✗ Avoid Dec-Mar
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Ottawa →
✓ Best May-Oct · ✗ Avoid Nov-Mar
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Quebec City →
✓ Best May · ✗ Avoid Nov-Mar
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Saskatoon Saskatchewan →
✓ Best May-Sep · ✗ Avoid Nov-Mar
Watch for Dec-Feb extreme cold risk
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St John's Newfoundland →
✓ Best Jun-Sep · ✗ Avoid Dec-Mar
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Toronto →
✓ Best May-Oct · ✗ Avoid Dec-Mar
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Vancouver British Columbia →
✓ Best May-Sep
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Victoria Vancouver Island →
✓ Best Apr-Oct
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Whitehorse Yukon →
✓ Best May-Aug · ✗ Avoid Oct-Mar
Watch for Dec-Feb extreme cold risk
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Winnipeg Manitoba →
✓ Best May-Sep · ✗ Avoid Nov-Mar
Watch for Jan-Feb extreme cold risk
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