1182 Best Sights in Canada

Ships from many nations have been wrecked on the reef running northeast from here, necessitating the installation of the East Point Lighthouse in 1867. Guided tours of the towering edifice are offered mid-June through Labor Day. Books about life at sea, as well as local crafts, are available at the on-site gift shop, and there's a café. Because of the erosion, caution should be used when approaching the high cliffs overlooking the ocean here.

On a tiny island off the eastern end of Campobello, this distinctive lighthouse is marked with a large red cross and is accessible only at and around low tide, but it’s worth a look no matter the sea level. If you plan to walk to the lighthouse (also known as Head Harbour Lighthouse) be sure to get an update on the tides before heading out and note that climbing a few ladders are involved—be careful on the wet rocks. You may spot whales in the island-dotted waters off the small park on the rock-clad headland across from the light.

This half-day hike gives you a taste of the Willmore Wilderness. It's a 6-km (3.7-mile) round-trip hike from the Sulphur Gates parking lot to beautiful Eaton Falls. With 120 meters (394 feet) of elevation gain, the hike is relatively easy and one of the few day-trip options in the Willmore Wilderness. There's a viewpoint partway along the trail that is worth stopping for. Moderate.

Echodale Regional Park provides a riverside setting for swimming, boating, and fishing; it also has a 1900s farm and a historic coal mine.

Styled after the Empire State Building, this 17-story Art Deco structure was the city's first skyscraper when it was built in 1929. It served as headquarters of the Price Brothers Company, a lumber firm founded by Sir William Price, and today is an official residence of the premier of Québec, who uses the top two floors.

Starting at the Funicular, the walkway travels for 10 km (6 miles) through the North Saskatchewan River Valley ending at the Groat Bridge. Along the way, the path passes popular city landmarks like the Indigenous Art Park and the John Walter Museum. In 2024, the experience was enriched with nearly 50 new stories by Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers, and storytellers.

For an interactive experience, there's a downloadable app (available on the website) that helps you embark on the Quest for the Golden Key along the walkway. There are five storylines (Indigenous, history, family, river, and winter) to follow, and an icon appears on the app's virtual map when you get close to a clue. 

The zoo has seen some renovations and new exhibits over the last decade and is a wonderful place to take the family. The new Nature’s Wild Backyard exhibit, built to participate in the international Red Panda Species Survival Plan, holds up to four breeding pairs of these endangered species and allows visitors to get up close to these adorable Himalayan carnivores. You can also meet Lucy, a 47-year-old Asian elephant that is the zoo’s longest resident, and more than 300 other animals.

A bit off the beaten tourist path, the oldest church on the island, the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is found in Montréal North. It's not a must-see, but it is worth the trek if you have time and don't mind a little walking through some rather ordinary neighborhoods. The church had its stone walls raised in the 1750s, and the beautifully proportioned Palladian front was added in 1850. Ornamentation  lasted from 1764 until 1837, with stunning results. The altar and the pulpit are as elaborate as wedding cakes but still delicate. The church's most notable treasure is a rendering of the Visitation attributed to Pierre Mignard, a painter at the 17th-century court of Louis XIV. Parkland surrounds the church, and the nearby Îles de la Visitation (reachable by footbridge) make for a very good walk.

Built in 1734, St-François is one of eight extant churches in Québec dating from the French regime. At the time the English seized Québec City in 1759, General James Wolfe knew St-François to be a strategic point along the St. Lawrence. Consequently, he stationed British troops here and used the church as a military hospital. In 1988, a car crash set the church on fire, and most of the interior treasures were lost. A separate children's cemetery stands as a silent witness to the difficult life of early residents.

At the eastern end of the village sits a massive granite structure built in 1749, with large red doors and a towering steeple. The church resembles a ship; it's big, round, and appears to be sitting right on the river. Paintings of the patron saints of seamen line the interior walls. The church's cemetery is also intriguing, especially if you can read French. Back in the 1700s, piloting the St. Lawrence was a dangerous profession; the cemetery tombstones recall the many lives lost in these harsh waters.

The tall, inspiring church that stands next to the village marina on chemin Royal was built in 1860 on the site of an 18th-century church that had to be torn down. One of the church's procession chapels is a miniature stone reproduction of the original.

The oldest church on the island dates from 1717. It's no longer used for worship, but it was restored during the 1960s and is open to visitors. Many original components are still intact, such as benches with compartments below where hot bricks and stones were placed to keep people warm in winter. Félix Leclerc, the first Quebecois singer-songwriter to make a mark in Europe, is buried in the cemetery nearby.

The Church of St. Peter the Apostle, built in the Gothic Revival style between 1851 and 1853, is home to the Chapel of Hope, a symbol of unconditional love. Dedicated to the victims of AIDS, it is the only chapel in the world to pay tribute to those who suffered and died from the fatal illness.

This impressive church, constructed in 1749, is the only one in Québec to have three bell towers at its front. The ceiling was redone in the mid-19th century with elaborate designs in wood and gold. The church also holds a famous painting, L'Enfant Jésus Voyant la Croix (Baby Jesus Looking at the Cross); it was done in 1670 by Frère Luc (Brother Luc), who had been sent from France to decorate churches in the area.

This pretty lake is a good spot for a picnic hike. The 1.4-km (0.9-mile) one-way trail begins at the Elbow Pass Day Use Area and follows a wide road. If you're hiking, keep an eye out for mountain bikers and horses, as both are allowed to use the trail. There is a 120-meter (400-foot) elevation gain. Easy.

At this visitor information center, you can purchase a Kananaskis Conservation Pass, get advice on trails and activities, pick up maps or brochures, or just use the facilities---toilets, pay phone, and free Wi-Fi.

Although many vintners take advantage of the nearby orchards, this funky winery makes a specialty wine out of fruit. Using recipes that are generations old, it creates some delightful table and dessert wines from pears, cherries, and black currants. They also make grape wine and dry ciders. 

Elevation Place is a great place to spend a rainy day in Canmore. There's an aquatics center, a fitness center, a huge climbing gym, and a library.

Established in 1906 to protect elk in their southern boreal plains habitat, Elk Island has helped recover many species from the brink of extinction, including beavers, bison, and trumpeter swans. It's now home to the densest population of ungulates in Canada, including several hundred elk, plains bison, and wood bison. Beavers, once virtually eliminated from the area, now dominate the ponds and wetlands, where you’ll find large beaver dens the size of studio apartments. The park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week all year, and makes a perfect day trip or a multiday backcountry option. Hiking and biking are great ways to experience the park; in winter, cross-country skiing and pond skating are the preferred way to enjoy the colder weather.

This small estate vineyard on a south slope overlooking Somenos Lake is a labor of love for husband-and-wife team Mike and Robin Nierychlo. The pair purchased the property, which has some of the oldest Sauvignon Blanc vines on the island, in 2013. Since their first vintage the following year, the Sauv Blanc continually sells out. The property includes The Tractor Shed guest house, a 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom guest house, complete with a six-guest hot tub on the deck overlooking the lake. The tasting room is open three days a week or by appointment.

This 8.8-km (5.5-mile) scenic road briefly parallels the fast-flowing Kicking Horse River before passing the Natural Bridge and traveling through the forest where it ultimately ends at the bright, deep green Emerald Lake. Compared to Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Emerald Lake is most definitely under-visited. The road is open year-round, and the speed limit is slow (50 km/h [30 mph]), allowing you plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife.

The city's best-known beach, English Bay, lies just to the east of Stanley Park's southern entrance. A long stretch of golden sand, a waterslide, volleyball courts, kayak rentals, and food trucks keep things interesting all summer. Known locally for being gay-friendly, it draws a diverse crowd. Special events include summer Celebration of Light fireworks and a New Year's Day "Polar Bear" swim. The oversized A-maze-ing Laughter sculptures will make you smile. Amenities: food and drink, lifeguards, parking (for a fee), toilets, and water sports. Best for: sunset, swimming, and walking.

On the waterfront, this center has rotating exhibits of PEI history and fine arts on display in the main gallery: the variety of the exhibitions is one of the center's hallmarks. 

Located within Toronto's ravine system and centered around a repurposed century-old industrial brick factory, this sustainable public space/social enterprise/nature preserve can be hard to categorize but offers plenty of unique experiences in one place. It offers beautiful trails, lookouts and wildlife (including well-loved snapping turtles), food and music in the summer, a public skating rink in the winter, and one of the city's favorite farmers' markets on Saturday year-round. There's also lots of public art and children's educational programming.

Canada is the world's largest producer of ice wine, a specialty of Ex Nihilo Vineyards, a 25-minute drive north of Kelowna. This small but enterprising winery was among the first in the area to court celebrity endorsements, and struck a deal with the Rolling Stones to label its Riesling ice wine "Sympathy for the Devil." There is also a bistro on-site.

You can rattle around Canada's largest railroad museum in a vintage tram specially built for Montréal sightseeing tours in the 1950s, when the city still had a streetcar system. The museum has more than 120 train cars and locomotives, but if you're a steam buff, you won't want to miss CPR 5935, the largest steam locomotive built in Canada, and CNR 4100, the most powerful in the British Empire when it was built in 1924. To see how the rich and powerful traveled, take a look at Sir William Van Horne's luxurious private car. Of special interest to the kids will be the car that served as a mobile classroom. The museum is south of the city in the town of St-Constant. On weekdays Expo runs commuter trains from the Gare Lucien-l'Allier, next to the Centre Bell, to Candiac/St. Constant. Trains depart at 9:35 am and return at 1:27 pm.

This picnic site is located right next to the brilliantly colored Faedar Lake. On a stroll along the pathway that goes around the lake, you will have stunning views of the surrounding mountain peaks, and in the summer months, you'll likely see wildflowers. Outhouse toilets are available. Note that the parking area is not suitable for large RVs or trailers and is accessible only by west-bound traffic.