We are planning a first visit to Canada this summer. Family of 4, with old children.

Need advise on where to go. Have about 10 days.

Current plan is: Niagara Falls (1 day); Toronto (2 days). fly to Calgary and take a car. Banff (1 day); Jasper (2 days). keep driving to Vancouver (3 days in Vancouver).

Would this be the best we can do or would anyone help with better suggestions.

Thank you.

I am not sure if this is a serious posting, given the extreme distances involved (have you looked at a map of Canada to figure out the logistics of this?) You cannot cover Canada in one trip unless you take several months.

Assuming this is serious, I have to point out to you that the drive from Calgary to Banff takes 2 hours, it is 6-7 hours (of the one of the most beautiful drives in the world) from Banff to Jasper, and over 500 miles from Jasper to Vancouver (I havent driven it but at least 10 hours and that is not taking into account some of the roads are slow, thorough mountains etc.).

The comparison is (Calgary-Vancouver alone) similar distance to New York City - Orlando and that does not take into account actually stopping and seeing or doing anything or eating on the way.

The Calgary/Banff/Jasper area is great for 10 days. If you like the outdoors just do this area this trip and save the others for other trips.

Do some searches on this board for the area to get an idea of what is possible and then the board can give you help once you have a more specific itinerary and know what kind of activities you may be interested in.

This itinerary is not impossible, but it would be very rushed. I assume that arrival and departure days are in addition to the 10 days for travel in Canada, giving 12 in all

Day 1: Arrive in Toronto
Day 2: Visit Niagara Falls
Days 3 and 4: Visit Toronto
Day 5: Toronto to Calgary, drive to Banff
Day 6 Visit Banff
Days 7 and 8: Banff to Jasper, Visit Jasper
Day 9: Drive Jasper to Vancouver (a very long day's drive)
Days 10 and 11: Visit Vancouver
Day 12: Depart Vancouver.

An early flight from Toronto to Calgary and an hour and a half drive to Banff could get you there shortly after noon, so you could visit the Banff attraction that afternoon and head to Jasper the next day if you wanted to use the day elsewhere.

nkh is right on the distance and times from Jasper to Vancouver (800km and 9-10 hours with stops), but way off on the comparison with New York to Orlando, which is over twice the distance (1750km).

While it is doable, it's a lot of driving with not much time to see the attractions along the way. 10 days starting at Calgary and ending in Vancouver would be much better. Alternatively, if you wished to see something of Eastern Canada, 10 days based on visits to Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal and Québec would be a good choice.

Oops - yes sorry. Darned miles - km conversions...... I forgot to convert the New York - Orlando one (I thought something seemed odd when I wrote it since I remembered it being a much longer drive....)

I had assumed your 10 days included your travel days - if you have 12 days it is rushed but not quite as hectic, but I still think you will end up trying to do too much. For example, in the Banff area there is much more to do than you can do in one day since you can canoe on Lake Louise, visit Moraine Lake, go horseback riding, take a gondola ride, go on a hike (or many....) etc. etc. - I tend to think of Banff itself as a base to do these things - as a town itself it isnt really for visiting like Toronto or Vancouver.

I think laverendrye has an excellent suggestion - either focus on the western or eastern "halves" of your trip, they would both make good trips. Which you choose will probably depend on the type of activities your family enjoys.

I think you need to look at what you want to do in each of the cities you mention.

For example, Niagara Falls.

Do you want to do the Maid of the Mist? Journey Behind the Falls? Butterfly Conservatory? Welland Canal? Old Fort Erie? Niagara on the Lake? Do you want to visit the American side and see Goat Island and Cave of the Winds?

If all of that is on your wish list, then 1 day is NOT enough. If all you want to see is the Falls themselves, then you can do it as a day trip from Toronto.

If you get an idea of what you want to see and do in each city, you'll have a better idea of how long you need to spend in each.

Also, if you figure out what it is your family LIKES to do (i.e., outdoors, museums, etc.), you can pick the cities that will best match those interests.

Another conception of distance is that Toronto to Vancouver is about 100 miles further than Madrid, Spain to Oulu, Finland. That international trip has you driving through 7 countries. Or about 200 miles further than San Francisco, CA to Pittsburgh, PA. That US trip has you going through 10 states.

While Toronto to Vancouver ONLY goes through 5 provinces, they are a LOT bigger than European countries and US states.

I did something similar once, only I spent 14 days in western Canada.
There is a lot to see in the Canadian Rockies, probably more than you have taken into consideration.

My Canada includes Quebec.

Moi aussi, Que

but unfortunately with a ten day visit I should think this poster should skip the two day Toronto visit and focus on the Rockies. Next visit they should focus ten days on Quebec and the Maritimes. Then their third visit which I am sure they will make (if we all make them nice and welcome) will be to Ontario for Niagara, Toronto, Muskoka and perhaps Ottawa.

Thank you all for your thoughts. I guess I need to clarify ...

I have to enter Canada from Ithaca, NY from where my daughter graduates. So we thought of spending a day and a night at Niagara Falls and then drive down to Toronto. Spend 2 days at Toronto and then fly to Calgary.

Rent a car from Calgary airport and go to Banff. Spend a night a Banff and go to Jasper for 2 nights.

Then drive from Jasper to Vancouver. I believe it takes a whole day.

Spend 3 days at Vancouver before leaving for India.

Our entry and exit points (Vancouver) are fixed. The rest is flexible.

In light of this, some thoughts, please.

In that case, I would recommend:

1-2 days in Niagara Falls (depending on how much you want to do and see there)

3-4 days in Toronto (dependent upon how many days you spend in Niagara Falls)

fly to Vancouver

4 days in Vancouver

Save the Rockies for another time when you can really experience them, and instead put some time into really seeing the places you do visit.

We just did a cross country trip last year so have been everywhere you want to go...In my opinion( I know most of you disagree) skip Jasper all together and spend more time in Banff/Lake Louise area and slow down the drive from Banff to Vancouver and 1 less day in Vancouver.

I agree with Toedtoes; fly directly from Toronto to Vancouver and spend your extra time in that area. Come back sometime to see the Rockies.

No, Im disagreeing.
The Rockies are the gem.
The absolute gem.
Toronto and Vancouver are just cities.
Dont miss the Rockies.

I concur with jannieween, if you are still planning on seeing the Rockies, skip Jasper and definitely spend the extra time in Banff/Lake Louise area.

You are getting a lot of different suggestions on how to spend your time in your Canada. There are so many things to see in each region you are visiting. You need to take into account your family's interests and determine what they would enjoy more - more time in the cities or the beautiful scenery of the Rockies. I would suggest spending 2-3 days in Niagara Falls/Toronto and then flying to Calgary. Drive to Banff and stay for 4 days. I would leave Jasper for another trip because of your limited time. Drive to Vancouver, stopping overnight in the Okanagan (Kelowna/Penticton area). If you like wine, there are several wineries in the area you could visit. That should leave you with a couple of days in Vancouver before you leave. Whatever you decide, you will not see everything and that will give you an excuse to come back and visit again.

Strictly my opinion:
(BTW I live in Toronto and find it a great city to live in but to quote someone else "it is just another big city" and for a special first trip to Canada, I would spend time where the scenery is breathe taking.)

Niagara Falls - 1 day
Toronto - 1 night (or even less - go from Niagara Falls directly to the Toronto airport).
Fly to Calgary and drive immediately to Banff - 2 nights in Banff
Drive to Jasper (and take the day to do it - it is one of the most spectacular drives in the world - get out of the car many times and take pictures and breathe the mountain air)
Jasper - 1 night
Drive to Vancouver - stopping one night along the way in the mountains.
Any remaining time - Vancouver
This will be hectic and probably quite exhausting but you will see a lot of gorgeous scenery.

When you return to Canada, concentrate on another region - East Coast or Ontario/Quebec.

The problem with Canada is - vast size and many areas of gorgeous scenery - so you have to pick and choose unless you have the luxury of a REALLY long vacation. Have a great vacation!

I agree with those who recommend using your time in the Canadian Rockies.

Of course if you perfer cities, then stay with your plan.

I happen to prefer the Rockies and the Alps to all cities I have visited.

Usually I try to blend in a city with the mountains, but I also have more time available for the trip.

For example, this summer we are flying to Prague for a few days and then we are headed for the Berner Oberland in Switzerland.

Just wanted to make a correction to nkh's first post. The drive time between Calgary and Banff is just over 1 hour (not a big difference from your 2 hours) and between Banff and Jasper it's 3 hours (BIG difference from your 6-7 hours).

I definitely think the Rockies are well worth it, but for me, I'd rather have more than 4 days to see them so I could really enjoy their beauty.

I agree with Cathy that the OP needs to look at the interests of the family to decide where to go.

The main suggestion I see here is to reduce the number of places and increase the number of days in each place. Spending 1-2 days in each location isn't going to allow you to enjoy any of them really.

As ShelliDawn noted, it's about three hours driving from Banff to Jasper (assuming you are not stuck behind slow moving RVs) although most people make a day of it, stopping at the many scenic look-outs, waterfalls etc, along the way. The Icefield Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper is one of the most beautiful drives on the entire planet, so I would definitely recommend it.

Banff or Jasper to Vancouver can be done in one day, but it is very long and a lot of people break it into two days.

Your trip is definitely a "whirlwind", but if your up for that, go for it! It will give you a taste of many places, and you will know which ones you want to come back to, to "really" see, on another vacation when you have more time. Enjoy!