1180 Best Sights in Canada

The adjoining homes of a pair of shoe manufacturers, brothers Oscar and Marius Dufresne, provide a glimpse into the lives of Montréal's francophone bourgeoisie in the early 20th century. The brothers built their Beaux Arts palace in 1916 along the lines of the Petit-Trianon in Paris, and lived in it with their families—Oscar in the eastern half and Marius in the western half.

Worth searching out are the domestic scenes on the walls of the Petit Salon, where Oscar's wife entertained friends. Her brother-in-law relaxed with his friends in a smoking room decked out like a Turkish lounge. During the house's incarnation as a boys' school in the 1950s, the Eudist priests who ran it covered the room's frieze of nymphs and satyrs with a modest curtain that their charges lifted at every opportunity.

These days, kids and families are encouraged to play "Flair et Luminaires," a detective game activity in which participants are given clues to solve five mysteries within the château. Guided tours in English are available on Sat. and Sun.

Big cats and other exotic species are highlights of this charming 35-acre zoo, run as a nonprofit organization by its dedicated team. There are pleasant woodland trails, a waterfowl habitat with a boardwalk and floating gazebo, and an Aboriginal Medicine Wheel and Garden. The Discovery Center has touchable displays to engage and educate children. The zoo also has a monkey house, a miniature golf course, and the Vanished Kingdom Park, a display that focuses on extinct animals.

This 24-acre family-owned and -operated vineyard, one of the first licensed wineries in the Cowican Valley, is now the second-largest on Vancouver Island. The tasting room is open daily and features varietals including Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Ortega, Auxerrois, and Agria. The winery's highly rated bistro La Terraza serves lunch Thursday to Sunday from May to October.

If you look up at the cupola behind the main altar of Little Italy's most famous church, you'll spot Montréal's most infamous piece of ecclesiastical portraiture. Yes, indeed, that lantern-jaw fellow on horseback who looks so pleased with himself is Benito Mussolini, the dictator who led Italy into World War II—on the wrong side. The mural, by Guido Nincheri (1885–1973), was completed long before the war and commemorates the signing of the Lateran Pact with Pope Pius XI, one of Il Duce's few lasting achievements. The controversy shouldn't distract you from the beauties of the rest of the richly decorated church.

Chinatown Storytelling Centre, a cultural center on Pender Street, celebrates the Chinese-Canadian community's contributions to Vancouver and Canada with photos, artifacts, videos, and more. Highlights include a phone booth where you can dial a number to listen to personal stories in Cantonese and English, as well as the Yucho Chow photo studio, where you can take a free picture as a memento of your experience. There's also a fantastic gift shop, Foo Hung Curios, filled with stationery, candles, prints, and more.

Chinese people have a rich, grueling, and enduring history in British Columbia, and it's well represented in this Ming Dynasty-style facility. The art gallery upstairs hosts traveling exhibits by Chinese and Canadian artists, and an on-site military museum recalls the role of Chinese Canadians in the two world wars. Across the street is the Chinatown Memorial Monument, commemorating the Chinese-Canadian community's contribution to the city, province, and country. The monument, shaped in the Chinese character "zhong," symbolizing moderation and harmony, is flanked by bronze statues of a railroad worker and a World War II soldier.

The Ganong family has been making chocolates in St. Stephen since 1873 and their original candy factory now houses this museum. It explores the sweet history of candy making with hand-dipping videos, a collection of antique chocolate boxes, and hands-on exhibits. A Heritage Chocolate Walking Tour, available Monday to Saturday, July through mid-August, includes a guided tour of the museum and a stroll around town, where the guide points out buildings associated with the chocolate industry. There are occasional activities for children and a chocolate festival in early August. After all that chocolate talk and those tempting displays, there's a sweet finale: an on-site, year-round retail outlet selling the indulgent treats.

Built between 1889 and 1895, this is the oldest church in Vancouver. Constructed in the Gothic style, the Anglican church looks like the parish church of an English village from the outside, though underneath the sandstone-clad exterior it's made of Douglas fir from what is now south Vancouver. The 32 stained-glass windows depict Old and New Testament scenes, often set against Vancouver landmarks (St. Nicholas presiding over the Lions Gate Bridge, for example). The building's excellent acoustics enhance the choral evensong, and it hosts many concerts. Gregorian chants are performed every Sunday evening at 8 pm. The cathedral's Labyrinth makes for a meditative walk that's hard to find anywhere else in the city's core.

This gray-stone building, completed in 1853, is an excellent example of decorated neo-Gothic architecture. The cathedral's design was based on an English medieval architectural style, and the cathedral became a model for many American churches. Inside is some fine carved marble and a clock known as "Big Ben's little brother"—it was the prototype for London's famous timepiece, designed by Lord Grimthorpe.

Montréal's largest Presbyterian church—sometimes affectionately called the A&P—is worth a visit, if only to see the glorious stained-glass window of the risen Christ that dominates the sanctuary behind the white-stone communion table. It's a memorial to members of the Royal Highland Regiment of Canada (the Black Watch) who were killed in World War I.

A faithful replica of the former lighthouse and keeper's quarters offers incredible views and information panels, and if you'd like to go inside during the summer months someone at the visitor center will happily take you inside. The local university carries out bird-banding, tracking, and nesting projects here. Informative tours along the beach and guided nighttime walks are also available (C$25,  nuitstella.ca). Encircling the lighthouse and its hinterland, Le Petit Bois trail network threads through woodland, marshland, and along coastal paths.

The river cascading over a cliff into the St. Lawrence River is one of the most beautiful sights in the province—and at 27 stories high, the falls are almost double the height of Niagara's. The Montmorency River was named for Charles de Montmorency, viceroy of New France in the 1620s and explorer Samuel de Champlain's immediate commander. A cable car runs to the top of the falls in Parc de la Chute-Montmorency (Montmorency Falls Park) from late April to late October. During very cold weather the falls' heavy spray freezes and forms a giant loaf-shaped ice cone known to the Quebecois as the Pain du Sucre (Sugarloaf); this phenomenon attracts sledders and sliders from Québec City. Summer activities include three via ferrata trails built onto the cliff, as well as a zip line that shoots across the canyon in front of the falls.

The park also has a history. The British general James Wolfe, on his way to conquer New France, camped here in 1759. In 1780, Sir Frederick Haldimand, then the governor of Canada, built a summer home atop the cliff. The structure burned down in 1993, however, and what stands today, Manoir Montmorency, is a re-creation. Offering a stunning view of the falls and river below, it's open year-round, with a restaurant and terrace open in summertime.

At 343 acres, Canada's largest cemetery is not much smaller than the neighboring Parc du Mont-Royal, and, as long as you just count the living, it's usually a lot less crowded. You don't have to be morbid to wander the graveyard's 55 km (34 miles) of tree-shaded paths and roadways past the tombs of hundreds of prominent artists, poets, intellectuals, politicians, and clerics. Among them is Calixa Lavallée (1842–91), who wrote "O Canada," the country's national anthem.  The cemetery offers some guided tours in summer. Phone ahead for details.

The design for Toronto's modern city hall, just across the way from the Old City Hall building, resulted from a 1956 international competition that received 520 submissions from architects from 42 countries. The winning presentation by Finnish architect Viljo Revell was controversial—two curved towers of differing height—but logical: an aerial view of City Hall shows a circular council chamber sitting like an eye between the two towers that contain office space. Revell died before his masterwork was opened in 1965, but the building has become a symbol of the thriving metropolis. A remarkable mural within the main entrance, Metropolis, was constructed by sculptor David Partridge from 100,000 nails.

Annual events at City Hall include November's Cavalcade of Lights celebration, featuring fireworks and live music amid the glow of more than 525,000 lights illuminated across both the new and old city halls.

In front of City Hall, the 9-acre Nathan Phillips Square (named after the mayor who initiated the City Hall project) has become a gathering place for everything from royal visits to protest rallies, picnic lunches, and concerts. The reflecting pool is a delight in summer, and even more so in winter, when it becomes a skating rink. The park is also home to a Peace Garden for quiet meditation and Henry Moore's striking bronze sculpture The Archer.

This is undeniably the most crassly commercial district of Niagara Falls, with haunted houses, wax museums, and fast-food chains galore (admittedly, the Burger King here is unique for its gigantic Frankenstein statue). Attractions are typically open as late as 2 am in summer or 11 pm the rest of the year. One of the most popular attractions is the 175-foot SkyWheel, which has enclosed, climate-controlled compartments. The park's Dinosaur Adventure Golf combines minigolf, ferocious mechanical dinosaurs, and an erupting mini-volcano. Movieland Wax Museum has such lifelike characters as Harry Potter and Barack and Michelle Obama The Great Canadian Midway is a 70,000-square-foot entertainment complex with arcade games, a bowling alley, air hockey, and food. Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum is creepily fascinating. Hershey's Chocolate World is 7,000 square feet of truffles, fudge, and the trademark Kisses, marked by a six-story chocolate bar.

The grand house here was once home to Judge Thomas Chandler Haliburton (1796–1865), a lawyer, politician, historian, and, above all, humorist. Hugely popular in his own day, Haliburton inspired Mark Twain and put Nova Scotia on the literary map with The Clockmaker, a book that used a fictional Yankee clock peddler named Sam Slick to poke fun at provincial foibles. Although you may not be familiar with Haliburton's name, you surely know some of the phrases he coined. The Windsor wordsmith gave us expressions like "quick as a wink," "it's raining cats and dogs," and "the early bird gets the worm." Theme programs and events are offered throughout the summer.

Thomas Haliburton is also remembered for making the first recorded reference to hockey—the sport that was "born" here in the early 1800s. Fittingly, the Windsor Hockey Heritage Museum ( birthplaceofhockey.com/museum) resides at Haliburton House, and several rooms contain items from the collection. These include antique skates, hand-carved sticks, wooden pucks, trophies, team uniforms, and photographs.

The collection of First Nations jewelry, ceremonial masks, prints, and carvings at this gallery is impressive. If you're looking for more affordable souvenirs, check out the gorgeous books and art cards.

The geology, history, and culture of the Five Islands area are interpreted here with pictures, videos, and panels, and you can get a sweeping view of the countryside and the impressive tides from the World War II observation tower. Cobequid is home base for the Kenomee Hiking and Walking Trails, where hikers traverse varied landscapes ranging from forested valleys to coast and cliffs.

As you travel down the Trans-Canada Highway toward Port aux Basques, Routes 406 and 407 bring you into the small Scottish communities of the Codroy Valley. Some of the most productive farms in the province are nestled in the valley against the backdrop of the Long Range Mountains, from which gales strong enough to stop traffic hurtle down to the coast. Locally known as Wreckhouse winds, they have overturned tractor trailers. The Codroy Valley offers excellent bird-watching opportunities, and the Grand Codroy River is ideal for kayaking. Walking trails, a golf course, and mountain hikes make the area an appealing stop for nature lovers.

A major ongoing archaeological dig at Ferryland has uncovered this early-17th-century colony founded by George Calvert, later Lord Baltimore. The highlights of a visit here include six dig sites, exhibits of artifacts uncovered at them, two period gardens, and a reconstructed 17th-century kitchen. You can watch the conservationists at work in their laboratory, examining and restoring newly discovered artifacts, and take in living-history demonstrations that provide a feel for colonial times. Admission includes access to the Visitor Centre, and experiences range from self-guided tours to "Archeologist for a Day." 

Opposite the Athabasca Glacier, this facility houses interpretive exhibits, a gift shop, and cafeteria- and buffet-style dining facilities. It's also the place to book glacier treks and excursions as well as skywalk visits. The summer midday rush between 11 and 3 can be intense. The 32 rooms at the Glacier View Inn, on the center's second floor, are available from early May to mid-October.

This fully accessible, cliff-edge walkway leads to a glass-floor observation platform 280 meters (918 feet) above the Sunwapta Valley. From this vantage point, you'll get a bird's-eye view of the surrounding ice-capped mountain peaks and deep glacier-carved valleys of the Canadian Rockies. A five-minute shuttle from the Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Centre delivers you to the walkway.  You must book a tour to access this walkway through the Discovery Centre, but it's faster and less costly to book your tickets in advance online.

More than 180 km (112 miles) in length, the Columbia Valley Wetlands is one of the longest wetland regions in North America. It's also one of the few remaining intact portions of the "Pacific Flyway," a major north-south pathway for migratory birds in America, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. This protected ecosystem provides sanctuary for over 216 animal species, including birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, and more than 250 different migrating bird species. One of the best ways to explore the wetlands is via canoe or kayak. 

Kayaks and canoes can be rented from Far Out Gear Rentals ( see Multi-Sport Outfitters) in the village of Radium.

The residence and office of the British garrison's supply officer in the 1830s has been restored to reflect that era. Interpreters sometimes dress in period costume, and the videos and labels are engaging and informative. Guided tours and child-friendly activities are offered during the summer and fall. Visitors are welcome to use the green space on the grounds to enjoy a picnic.

This waterfront recreation area at the bottom of Great George Street occupies the site where the Fathers of Confederation famously landed in 1864. Walkways and park benches offer plenty of opportunities to survey the activity of the harbor, with the added attraction of banks of wild rosebushes behind. During summer, performers in period costume stroll about the area re-creating the events that led up to the Canadian Confederation. Peake's Wharf, right next to it, has casual restaurants and bars, souvenir and crafts shops, and a marina where boat tours can be arranged. 

This park is located at the confluence of the Columbia and Kicking Horse Rivers near the Golden Airport. The trail meanders along the wetland and forests along the eastern edge of the Columbia River. In the spring, during high waters, parts of the trail may be underwater.

A fine example of Greek Revival architecture, this is the former home of Honorable Charles Connell (1810–73), a politician active in many areas of public life, but perhaps best remembered for putting his own image on the five-cent stamp instead of that of the Queen when he was Postmaster General. The largely restored house, home to the Carleton County Historical Society, contains fine furniture, artifacts, musical instruments, and the Tappan Adney Room, honoring the man who is credited with saving the birch-bark canoe. His grave is in the Upper Woodstock Cemetery. Temporary exhibitions and occasional concerts are added attractions, and a Victorian High Tea buffet (C$20) is served from 11:30 am to 2 pm every Thursday in July and August.

On the lobby level of a modern apartment tower, this small nonprofit public gallery has regularly changing exhibits of contemporary local and international visual art. Events include artists' talks, lectures, and tours.

This day-use picnic area with accessible picnic tables and restrooms allows for the unique experience of standing on the dividing line between the Pacific and Atlantic watersheds. The trailhead for the Fireweed Loop trails is here, a ½-km (0.3-mile) and a 2-km (1-mile) loop trail with minimal elevation gain, where you can walk through a quiet forest and read the interpretive signs that tell the story of the region after the 1968 wildfire.