Facts for the travellers to America USA
When to travel to America
Events
Money and Costs
Attractions
Most people's conception of Canada goes little beyond appreciating its vastness, recognizing its flag and identifying a few well-known physical
features. And while it's true that the majority of travelers are attracted by the opportunity to explore Canada's wilderness areas, natural wonders and low-key
rural charm, there is a lot more to Canada than maple trees, Niagara Falls and wide open spaces.
It's the edginess between Canada's indigenous, French and British traditions that gives the nation its complex three-dimensional character. Add to this a
constant infusion of US culture and a plethora of traditions brought from Europe, Asia and Latin America by migrants, and you have a thriving multicultural
society very much in the process of forming its own identity. Those expecting Canada to be a blander counterpart of the USA should check their preconceptions
at the door - Canada's wild northern frontier, which has etched itself into the national psyche, and its distinct patchwork of peoples have created a country
that is decidedly different from its southern neighbor.
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Facts for the Traveller
Visas: Most western visitors don't need a visa to visit Canada. Travelers from South Africa, China, North Korea, Taiwan, Eastern European and developing countries do require them. Entry stamps for visits of up to six months are free.
Health risks: None
Time: There are six time zones ranging from Newfoundland Standard Time in the East (GMT/UTC -3.5 hours) to Pacific Standard Time in the West (GMT/UTC -8 hours). During Daylight Saving Time (Apr-Oct), the range is -2.5 to -7)
Electricity: 110/120V 60Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Tourism: 50 million visitors (approx) per year, 90% of whom are US citizens
When to travel to Canada
Spring, summer and autumn are all ideal for touring, though if you want to ski you'll naturally have to come in winter or early spring. For campers, and those who want to visit the far north, the summer months of July and August are best. Note that the peak tourist season is between mid-June and mid-September. Although spring and autumn have less crowds, lower prices and a more relaxed pace than the summer months, some visitor-oriented facilities and attractions may be closed during these shoulder seasons..
Events
The Quebec City Winter Carnival, which takes place during the last two weeks of February, features parades, ice sculptures, a snow slide, dances and music. Ottawa's three-week Winterlude fetes all things snowy in February. The Montreal Jazz Festival at the end of June and the Ottawa International Jazz Festival in July both attract international and local players. Two major events in Toronto held in June are Caribana, a cultural exchange offering ethnic music, dance and food, and the Gay Pride Day Parade through the downtown area. In September, there's the Toronto International Film Festival. Calgary hosts the popular Calgary Stampede in July, the highlight of which is the chuck wagon race and rodeo. In the west, Victoria celebrates the First Peoples' Festival in August with traditional craftwork, dancing and war-canoe rides.
Money and Costs
Currency: Canadian dollar
Meals
Budget: US$5-10
Mid-range: US$10-30
Top-end: US$30 and upwards
Lodging
Budget: US$15-30
Mid-range: US$30-45
Top-end: US$50 and upwards
It's best to change money at companies such as Thomas Cook, which specialises in international transactions. If you can't find a money exchange office or booth, try a bank. American Express and Thomas Cook are the best travelers' checks to have, and you should make sure they are either in US or Canadian dollar denominations. Credit cards are widely accepted, especially Visa, MasterCard and American Express.
A 7% Goods & Services Tax (GST) is applicable to all transport, accommodation, restaurant meals and just about anything else you're likely to purchase,
including newspapers. On top of this, in most of Canada, a provincial sales tax also must be paid. This can, in some provinces, add 15% to the quoted price,
so factor it into your expenses so you don't get a nasty surprise at the cash register.
It's considered normal to tip 15% of the bill. Tips are usually given to waiters, cab drivers, hairdressers, hotel attendants and, by savvy drinkers, bar staff.
Attractions
Ottawa
Canada's capital sprawls along the southern bank of the Ottawa River, on the eastern tip of Ontario. As you'd expect it's a government town, dominated
physically and spiritually by the neo-Gothic Parliament Buildings. You'll hear a fair amount of French spoken here, as federal government workers are
required to be bilingual. There's not a heap of exciting things to do in Ottawa - other than marvel at being in a national capital - but the air's clean, the streets are wide, there are lots of public parks and the people seem happy and healthy as they jog or cycle their way to work. The city has the usual plethora of impressive buildings common to capital cities: the War Museum (with a life-sized replica of a WWI trench), the Royal Mint, various grand old homes inhabited by ministers of state and a swag of museums to do justice to the country's icons: nature, aviation, science and technology, skiing and agriculture. Ottawa is also home to Canada's premier art collection, the National Gallery, displaying an enormous array of North American and European works. In summer the city is dotted with the familiar red coats of the Royal Canadian Mounties.
Ottawa's downtown district is divided into eastern and western portions by the Rideau Canal. The eastern section has a very useful pocket of central
guesthouses, most of them with heritage details of some sort. Motels are clustered along Rideau St in the east, and along Carling Ave on the western
side of town. Byward Market, east of the canal, has a stack of cheap eateries, and western downtown is the place to go for more upmarket eating.
Toronto
Canada's largest city has long since shrugged off its frightfully proper, goody-two-shoes tag, thanks to a healthy dose of multiculturalism. You'll hear a
babble of more than 100 languages spoken on Toronto's streets, and it's estimated that 40% of the population was born overseas - no wonder UNESCO
voted it the world's most diverse city! Toronto's most obvious symbol is the CN Tower, the world's tallest freestanding structure. Harbourfront, the (perhaps overly) renovated docklands area lining Lake Ontario, is a fine place for an outdoor wander or meal in a refurbished warehouse. For indoors entertainment the city has a clutch of great museums, from killer clodhoppers at the Bata Shoe Museum to the Hockey Hall of Fame, housed in a beautiful old bank building. Some of Toronto's best-preserved historic buildings can be found in York Old Town, and there's a peerless collection of fine Victorian domestic architecture in Cabbagetown. And a mere two-hour's drive away there's one of North America's top tourist attractions, Niagara Falls.
Montreal
Passion and pride run as deep as the waters around this stylish, bilingual island city. Founded on religious zeal and a mountain of skinned animals, Montreal has seen its
fair share of bloodshed, but these days the battle between French and English is left to the increasingly sluggish referendum ballot. Dubbed one of the world's most livable
cities, Montreal's charm lies in its relaxed atmosphere rather than its star attractions, and a quiet amble can be as memorable as a visit to the sights. The city is named for park-covered Mont Royal, a striking 232m (760ft) geological structure that's often mistaken for an extict vocano, which towers over the city's central neighborhoods. The cobblestone streets of Montreal's old precinct are lined with stone houses, Paris-like cafes and architectural beauties like the 18th-century Pointe à Callière (Museum of Archaeology & History). The city's downtown boasts a stash of churches and some fine museums focusing on Amerindian art, history, architecture and stuffed animals. And when the weather turns sour (January in Montreal is infamous), head for the underground city - a massive complex of climate-controlled shops and eateries, complete with its own Métro stop.
Vancouver
Canada's most beautiful city wins hearts without even trying. Its hilly terrain and many bridges offer stunning views of the ocean, bays and Vancouver itself.
The mild climate (by Canadian standards) and breezy Californian-style atmosphere mean that even US neighbors rave about the place. Downtown Vancouver offers
a busy patchwork of attractions, from the renovated Victorian charm of the old Gastown area to the emerald expanses of Stanley Park - one of the world's
great city parks. Then there's famed strips of sand and surf like Wreck Beach and numerous hiking, rafting and picnicking oases within easy reach of the
city proper. Nearby Vancouver Island has plenty of natural wonders, including whale watching. Needless to say, summer in Vancouver can get a bit squeezy.
Quebec City
Quebec City is the beating heart of French Canada - its virtually intact European appearance and ooh-la-la ambience leave Montreal and New Orleans looking
pretty patchy. The entire old section of town is North America's only walled city, and has been designated a UN World Heritage site. With its cliff-top
position overlooking the St Lawrence River, its old stone buildings and narrow streets, its citadelle and old port, it's no wonder Quebec City is a must-do
town. The city is divided into Upper and Lower segments. The walled Old Upper Town is dominated by the fort and its parklands, and has a bunch of museums
documenting the city's military and cultural history. The busy, narrow streets of Old Lower Town are reached by break-neck staircases or a funicular from Upper Town's heights. Place Royale, the lower town's hub, is surrounded with restaurants, galleries, cafes and the Church of Notre Dame des Victoires - dating from 1688, it's the oldest stone church in the province.
Halifax
The capital of Nova Scotia, Halifax sits beside one of the world's largest natural harbors, on the south Atlantic shore. Not
surprisingly it's a very busy port, though often fog-bound, and is home to Canada's largest naval base. The city is hilly and green with parks,
and the waterside historic center is pleasingly compact. The former warehouses of the original commercial district - known as the Historic Properties - have been restored and transformed into shops, boutiques and restaurants. Nearby there's the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, chock full of seagoing memorabilia, including painted figureheads and a Titanic display (Halifax was the base of rescue operations for the tragedy and so nabbed much of the highly sought-after flotsam). There's an aquarium and several vessels are moored at the city's wharves, including the beautiful Bluenose II. The city's past importance as a British military base is brought to mind by the Citadel, a Halifax landmark and Canada's most visited National Historic Site.
Winnipeg
Canada's wild west begins in the prairie province of Manitoba, and Winnipeg is its capital. But this culturally alive city is anything but provincial: with
its US ambience and architecture, it's often compared to its grain-handling, transportation counterpart, Chicago. The similarities don't end there, as
Winnipeg is said to have the windiest downtown corner on the continent (steer clear of the Portage Ave and Main St intersection). Downtown is the place to
head for the historic sites and museums. The Museum of Man & Nature is a sight, sound and smell-fest of dioramas that bring the lives of Plains Indians and 1920's Winnipegians alive. The meeting place of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers has been a people magnet for 600 years and these days it's know as The Forks, a riverside recreation area of redeveloped warehouses and factories. The Exchange District is one of the city's most interesting areas, crammed with Victorian commercial buildings and featuring distinctive old advertising signs. Across the Red River, the residential district of St Boniface is one of Canada's oldest French communities, and is well worth an atmospheric wander.
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of Alberta, the most westerly of the prairie provinces. While Calgary milks the wild west image, Edmonton prefers to hit the
headlines for housing the world's largest shopping and entertainment mall. The city enjoys an attractively wooded riverside setting, with parklands following
the snaking rhythm of the Saskatchewan River. The province's famed mineral legacy is explored in the Provincial Museum, and there's also Canada's largest planetarium, unsurprisingly accompanied by an IMAX theater. The gem south of the river is Old Strathcona, a residential area of gorgeous old buildings dating from 1891, interspersed with cafes, bookshops and buskers. Which it appears you won't find in all 48 hectares (118 acres) of the West Edmonton Mall, aka the mall that ate Edmonton's retail life. The 800 shops are tacky and repetitive, the chains are too-well represented, and the 'entertainment' includes an artificial beach and skating rink - but the climate is controlled, and for the frost-bitten denizens of the Canadian Plains that's probably reason enough for the mall's success.
Charlottetown
As the capital of Canada's smallest province (the delectable Prince Edward Island), it's only fitting that Charlottetown comes across as an old, quiet country
town. The issue of Canada's unity was first officially discussed here in 1864, and nowadays the tiny capital is known as the birthplace of Canadian
confederation. The pace is slow, the atmosphere still colonial, and the tree-lined Victorian streets are very easy on the eye. The oldest part of town is clustered around the waterfront area, with the usual renovated buildings and recreation dollar-chasing facilities. A strident note is sounded by the 1960s modern structure that houses the Confederation Centre of the Arts, which highlights the work of Canadian artists. Prince Edward Island's main claim to fame, however, is the town of Cavendish, the setting for Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, followed by the island's tradition of whopping big lobster suppers.
St John's
Newfoundland & Labrador's rugged island capital is St John's, North America's oldest city (1528). The hilly town is splendidly located on a series of
terraces rising up from the waterfront - there are stairs, stairs everywhere, leading to narrow, winding streets lined with multicolored clapboard houses.
St John's has a quaint, homey feel, and reminders of its fishing village origins are never far away. Not coincidentally, the number of drinking
establishments in town is huge. The legacy of the extinct Beothuk tribe who once lived here is explored at the Newfoundland Museum, as are the exploits of the Vikings who used to visit. Many of St John's old buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1892, but those that remain include the Murray Premises, a renovated warehouse from the 1840s. Signal Hill, overlooking the town to the east, is the site where Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless message back in 1901. On the other side of the hill is the picturesque fishing port of Quidi Vidi, complete with microbrewery and historic fort.
Nunavut
The immense Northwest Territories were subdivided in 1999 to create Canada's newest territory, the eastern Arctic Inuit region of Nunavut. It's a wild and i
solated place, stretching north above the tree line from Hudson Bay up to Ellesmere Island National Park, within spitting distance of the North Pole. The
provincial capital is Iqaluit, formerly called Frobisher Bay, on the east coast of Baffin Island. It's more a stopping-off and supply spot than an attraction
in itself, though there are hiking trails in the vicinity. Most visitors pass through en route to Auyuittuq National Park, Canada's third largest
national park, and one of only a few in the world north of the Arctic Circle. The pristine wilderness of mountains, valleys, fjords and meadows is a
spectacular must for experienced hikers, and climbers flock to Mount Thor (1500m/4920ft), the tallest uninterrupted cliff face on earth.
Disclaimer: We've tried to make the information on this web site as accurate as possible, but it is provided 'as is' and we accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information. You should verify critical information like visas, health and safety, customs, and transportation) with the relevant authorities before you travel. Information updated on 25th Februray 2003
