Lonely Planet Canada: Country Guide (Travel Guide)

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The kids are sure to love the play spaces and toy shops found in the two-story Kids Market and the expansive spray park found up the road is a must on hot summer days. Then hop on an Aquabus False Creek Ferry and explore the stops found along the surrounding coastline while you take in city views from the water. 9. Stanley Park, British Columbia The Icefields Parkway – or the Promanade des Glaciers, as it’s romantically known in French – is the crème de la crème of Canadian drives. This 230km (143-mile) trip links the nation’s two most emblematic national parks, Banff and Jasper, leaving even the most verbose travel writers flailing for adjectives. If city escapes are more your speed, the metropolitan areas are also a must, with museums – like the Children’s Museum in the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa – and amusement parks – like Canada’s Wonderland near Toronto.

Imagine ancient indigenous burial grounds, 1000-year-old Viking remains, monumental icebergs, breaching whales and an almost supernatural national park whose trippy tablelands are a textbook guide to plate tectonics. Welcome to Newfoundland’s epic Rte 430, which links a patchwork of fog-cloaked coves, snow-capped mountains and stormy fjords. Known as “The Green Devil” in English, Au Diable Vert is an enchanting mountain retreat that offers all of the summer outdoor activities that kids love, including water sliding, tubing, stand-up paddleboarding, and stargazing. Sleep in a treehouse, retreat to a sustainably-built pod, or camp in style in an airstream while enjoying the outdoors in the Green Mountains of Québec. Planning tip: Whether by foot, plane, canoe, snowshoe or even dog-sled, you’re best off aurora hunting with a local tour operator who can provide expertise on viewing conditions as well as a toasty beverage to temper the arctic chill. 3. Dine on the ocean floor in Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy Seeing the northern lights is always an awe-inspiring experience. 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. Canada is making progress when it comes to easing the everyday challenges facing people with disabilities, especially the mobility-impaired. Many public buildings, including museums, tourist offices, train stations, shopping malls and cinemas, have access ramps and/or lifts. Most public restrooms feature extra-wide stalls equipped with hand rails. Many pedestrian crossings have sloping curbs.

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. Ontario weekenders love hiking these trails, so be sure to book your parking beforehand. Weekdays are less busy, and you can usually just show up. The Bruce Trail Conservancy has a comprehensive online guide covering how to get passes for the various trailheads. Seasoned hikers can challenge themselves on the Long Range Traverse, a 34km (21-mile) trail that provides the most epic views of the Western Brook Pond Fjord from its near-vertical mountaintops soaring 610m (2000ft) into the sky. 11. Savor the wine and design in Prince Edward County

The trail was built at enormous monetary and human cost during WWII to transport oil to Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon Territory – “Canol” is shorthand for “Canadian Oil.” This huge project was abandoned in 1945, with the war nearly over, as cheaper sources of oil were found. In the east, fall foliage can last well into November while, in the west, wet and windy weather has led to a growing interest in storm-watching, particularly on Vancouver Island. As the freeze prevails, the Canadians put on plenty of winter festivals to keep warm. The Family Day weekend (third weekend in February) can see a mass rush to the ski slopes.Throughout Canada there are festivals, walking tours, and street events that will give you a taste of the region’s flavor without the high entry fees. Equally as captivating as Lake Louise is nearby Moraine Lake, set in the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Open from May to October, it also attracts a lot of tourists – 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. 15. Hit the slopes in Whistler Approaching Thunder Bay, you'll pass the jagged Sleeping Giant Peninsula – a series of flat-topped ridges that resemble a large reclining man. The rugged, forested terrain here is characterized by cliffs, hiking trails and plentiful fauna, including moose, wolf and lynx. Ferry services are extensive, especially throughout the Atlantic provinces and in British Columbia. Walk-ons and cyclists should be able to get aboard at any time, but call ahead for vehicle reservations or if you require a cabin berth. This is especially important during summer peak season and holidays. Accessible travel in Canada

When to visit Canada: the best festivals, activities, and weather throughout the year 9. Parc d'Environnement Naturel de Sutton, Quebec Canada’s best feature by far is its natural beauty, so why not embrace the outdoors and go camping, hiking, biking, boating, swimming or strolling through the country’s most amazing natural landscapes.The train passes through Mt Robson Provincial Park and Jasper National Park, where it stops for 90 minutes in the mountain town of Jasper. The scenery from here on flattens out with the line bisecting vast prairie land that continues for hours – across Alberta , Saskatchewan and Manitoba , also known as the breadbasket of Canada. Québec's capital is more than 400 years old, and its ancient stone walls, glinting spired cathedrals and jazz-filled corner cafes suffuse it with atmosphere, romance, melancholy, eccentricity and intrigue on par with any European city. The best way to soak it all up is to walk the old town's labyrinth of lanes and get lost amid the street performers and cozy inns, stopping every so often for a café au lait and flaky pastry.