Insight Guides - Insight Guides Explore Canada (Travel Guide eBook)

How To Use This E-Book

This Explore Guide has been produced by the editors of Insight Guides, whose books have set the standard for visual travel guides since 1970. With top-quality photography and authoritative recommendations, these guidebooks bring you the very best routes and itineraries in the worlds most exciting destinations.

Best Routes

The routes in this book provide something to suit all budgets, tastes and trip lengths. As well as covering the destinations many classic attractions, the itineraries track lesser-known sights. The routes embrace a range of interests, so whether you are an art fan, a gourmet, a history buff or have kids to entertain, you will find an option to suit.

We recommend reading the whole of a route before setting out. This should help you to familiarise yourself with it and enable you to plan where to stop for refreshments options are shown in the Food and Drink box at the end of each tour.

Introduction

The routes are set in context by this introductory section, giving an overview of the destination to set the scene, plus background information on food and drink, shopping and more.

Directory

Also supporting the routes is a Directory chapter, with our pick of where to stay while you are there and select restaurant listings; these eateries complement the more low-key cafs and restaurants that feature within the routes and are intended to offer a wider choice for evening dining. Also included here are some nightlife listings and our recommendations for books and films about the destination.

Getting around the e-book

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights mentioned in the text are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

Youll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of the destination. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.

2021 Apa Digital AG

License edition Apa Publications Ltd UK

Table of Contents

COVID-19 Updates

While travelling in Canada, be sure to heed all local laws, travel advice and hygiene measures. While weve done all we can to make sure this guide is accurate and up to date, be sure to check ahead.

Recommended Routes For...

CHILDREN

Vancouver has a vast aquarium and harbour whale-watching tour ().

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FOOD AND WINE

Red, white or ice? Uncork them all in Niagara-on-the-Lake () takes the crown for top cocktails and farm-to-table cuisine.

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HISTORY HUNTERS

The world of fur traders, whiskey traders and Canadian Mounties is brought to life at Fort Walsh National Historic Park ().

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PERFORMING ARTS

Get merry to the tune of folk musicians on ).

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ROAD TRIPS

Explore the beautiful and highly accessible east coast roads ().

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SNOW ACTIVITIES

Slide into the Snow Castle at Yellowknifes winter festival ().

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WILDLIFE

Fall means polar bear-spotting season in Churchill ().

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INDIGENOUS CULTURE

The Haidas close-to-nature lifestyle in a splendid setting beckons visitors in .

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Explore Canada

Some of the most astonishing scenery on Earth stretches across its second biggest country, embellished by cities that flourish with creativity and culinary clout. Its time to put all modesty aside, because Canada has a great deal to shout about.

Prince Edward Island

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Even for most Canadians, the immense size of the country is hard to appreciate. The nation spans over 5,500km (3,400 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific and over 4,600km (2,900 miles) from the northern tip of Ellesmere Island to the United States border.

This sprawling country is not, of course, fully inhabited: 89 percent of the land has no permanent population. Nearly 82 percent of the 35 million Canadians live in large urban centres located within a few hours drive of the southern border, mostly in Ontario, Qubec, or British Columbia.

Covid-19 updates

In early 2020, Covid-19 swept across the globe, being categorized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. While travelling in Canada, be sure to heed all local laws, travel advice and hygiene measures; flouting these means risking your own health but can also put a strain on local communities and their medical infrastructure. While weve done all we can to make sure this guide is accurate and up to date, permanent closures and changed opening hours are likely in the wake of coronavirus, so be sure to check ahead.

Geography and layout

Canada is dominated by its three principal cities: Toronto, Montral, and Vancouver, all near the border with the United States. Montral, defined by its old-world charm and new-age outlook, with massive modern and postmodern skyscrapers alongside gracious red-brick mansions; Toronto, teeming with street energy, theatres and ethnic restaurants; and Vancouver, on the far west coast, where individuality is a valued trait, and the pioneer spirit of a young culture pervades every aspect of life.

In between, and north of the cities, lies an expanse of cinematic scenery. At last count, there were 46 national parks, home to wild birds and grizzly bears, four national marine conservation areas, and 42 rivers totalling more than 10,000km (6,250 miles) in the Canadian Heritage Rivers System. Over half the countryside is forest, and trees soaring to a height of more than 60 meters (200ft) are not uncommon.