1182 Best Sights in Canada

Banff's architectural showpiece and a National Historic Site, this hotel south of downtown is easily recognized by its castlelike exterior. Heritage Hall, a small museum above the Grand Lobby, has exhibits describing the hotel's history. On guided tours you can learn additional details about the local area, the hotel's grand opening in 1888, the 1920s fire that destroyed the original structure, subsequent construction, and the many illustrious guests who have stayed here.

Opened in 1908 by the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Empress is one of the grand château-style railroad hotels that grace many Canadian cities. Designed by Francis Rattenbury, who also designed the Parliament Buildings across the way, the solid Edwardian grandeur of the Empress has made it a symbol of the city. The elements that made the hotel an attraction for travelers in the past—old-world architecture, ornate decor, and a commanding view of the Inner Harbour—are still here although they exude a fresh, contemporary air. Nonguests can reserve ahead for afternoon tea (the dress code is smart casual) in the chandelier-draped Tea Lobby, meet for Pimm's cocktails or enjoy superb Pacific Northwest cuisine at the Q Lounge and Restaurant, or enjoy a treatment at the hotel's Willow Stream spa. In summer, lunch, snacks, and cocktails are served on the veranda overlooking the Inner Harbour.

This cemetery is the final resting place of 121 victims of the Titanic. The graves are easily found, in a graceful arc of granite tombstones. One—marked J. Dawson—attracts particular attention from visitors. Alas, it's not the fictional artist played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 1998 film, but James Dawson, a coal trimmer from Ireland. Nineteen other victims are buried in Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery and 10 in the Baron de Hirsch Jewish Cemetery. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic has an exhibit about the disaster. Fairview Lawn also includes many graves of victims of the Halifax Explosion.

Canada's largest gaming and resort facility crowns the city's skyline, overlooking the Niagara Parks with picture-perfect views of the falls. Within the 30-story complex are a day spa, shops, two concert venues and plenty of restaurants. Gaming enthusiasts will find more than 100 gaming tables and 3,000 slot machines on one of the world's largest casino gaming floors. The Las Vegas–style Avalon Theatre and 5,000-seater OLG Stage have showcased talent from a wide range of talents and eras, like Jeff Dunham, The Killers and Kool & The Gang.

Mah-jongg, fan-tan, and dominoes were games of chance played on Fan Tan Alley, said to be the narrowest street in Canada. Once the gambling and opium center of Chinatown, it's now lined with offbeat shops (few of which sell authentic Chinese goods). The area's history is exceptionally well presented in the tiny Chinese Canadian Museum. Look for the alley on the south side of Fisgard Street between nos. 545½ and 549½.

It will take about an hour round-trip to walk the 2-km (1-mile) trail that slowly changes from marsh to dense forest. Watch for beavers, muskrat, and waterfowl. The trail is popular with joggers and cyclists. Easy.

Chemainus is famous for its bold epic murals. The Chemainus Festival of Murals Society started a revitalization project in 1982 that has since brought in international artists to paint more than 60 murals and 9 sculptures depicting local historical events around town. Follow the yellow footprints on the sidewalk around town for a self-guided tour of the murals. Or hop in a horse-drawn carriage for a narrated tour.

Immediately adjacent to the Field Visitor Centre parking lot, this day-use area is a popular family-picnic spot in the summer months. On hot days, the small lake is perfect for a refreshing swim. The large parking lot is suitable for RVs, and there are accessible washrooms and a shop that sells T-shirts and other tourist merchandise inside the visitor center.

Muskoka chairs beside the cedar-framed entrance set the tone for the warm and charming winery within. Inside the modern West Coast–style cedar building with a corrugated tin roof and massive stone chimney, Fielding Estate has envious views of vineyards and Lake Ontario from huge picture windows and a big stone fireplace for chilly days. A young team—husband-and-wife owners and two winemakers—has been making quick strides here. The mostly Chardonnay- and Riesling-producing vineyard has a low yield that enables flavors to be concentrated.

On the confluence of where the Porcupine Creek joins the Kicking Horse River, with a wildly scenic backdrop of towering Rocky Mountain peaks, this is a perfect spot for a picnic. There are picnic tables and outhouse toilet facilities. It's accessible by westbound traffic only.

A good rainy-day destination, this museum recounts the history of firefighting in the province through photographs, uniforms, and other artifacts, including vintage hose wagons, ladder trucks, and an 1863 Amoskeag Steamer. Kids will especially enjoy this spot—after checking out the toy engines, they can don a fire helmet and take the wheel of a 1933 Bickle Pumper.

This area has picnic tables and toilets nearby.

Alberta is known worldwide for its oil and gas production, and the first oil well in western Canada was established in 1902 in what is now the park. Stop at this National Historic Site to explore the wellheads, drilling equipment, interpretive signage, and remains of the Oil City boomtown.

On the shore of Minas Basin, the park has lofty sea cliffs, a beach for combing, trails for hiking, and mudflats for clam digging. Interpretive displays reveal the area's intriguing geology—semiprecious stones, Jurassic-period dinosaur bones, and fossils can all be found within the park's 1,500 acres. Because the water recedes nearly a mile at ebb tide, you can walk on the ocean floor, though you'll have to run back mighty fast when the tide turns. Amenities: parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

One of several wedge-shaped buildings found across North America, Toronto’s Flatiron Building sits on the triangular block bordered by Wellington, Scott, and Front streets. Built in 1892, it originally served as the head office of the Gooderham and Worts distillery. On the back, a clever trompe l’oeil mural by Derek Besant wraps around the windows, creating the illusion that part of the building has been tacked to the wall and is peeling away.

One of Kootenay's most popular hikes, this 21-km (13-mile) out-and-back hike is a mix of easy stretches and steep switchbacks, with 1,110 meters (3,642 feet) of elevation gain. The views along the way offer a bit of everything: meadows, burnt forest, glaciers, and peaks, with a large spectacular lake at the end. The lake has a backcountry campground, which is the most southern point for the Rockwall Trail, a multiday 54-km (34-mile) trail that stretches in a northerly direction from here through Numa Pass and beyond. Difficult.

Known for its spectacular setting on a glacier-cleared field close to the shores of Floe Lake, this cabin was constructed in 1960 along one of the patrol trails that formed part of the network established by the National Park Warden Service to enforce fish and game regulations and fight forest fires within the park boundaries. The one-story log structure on a lovely rubble stone foundation is a good example of the typical rustic architecture and design.

The 40-foot-in-diameter floral clock, one of the world's largest, is composed of 16,000 bedding plants. Its "living" face is planted in a different design twice every season—viola in the spring and Alternantheras and Santolina Sage in the summer and fall.

This 2-km (1-mile) round-trip trail passes through the montane forest above the Kananaskis River and has nice views of the mountains, the Kananaskis River, and a beaver pond. Interpretive signs describe the water cycle. Easy.

Inspired by a love of decadent Amarone, this winery is one of the few in Niagara to specialize in the small-batch appassimento method, where grapes are partially dried before fermentation to concentrate flavor and structure. The winery's lounge, CHZ PLZ, offers light Italian lunch options that pair with every sip. Don't mind the government buildings on the drive in; you are indeed at the right place.

Gazing over the grassy knolls, it's hard to believe that this fort qualifies as the "most attacked spot in Canadian history" or that those knolls are actually nearly 400-year-old earthwork ramparts built up, in part, with rubble and blood. First fortified in 1629, the site preserves what is left of the fourth military edifice to be erected here, an early-18th-century gunpowder magazine and officers' quarters. The latter now houses a small museum, and anyone who believes a picture is worth 1,000 words should be sure to see the massive Heritage Tapestry displayed inside. Its four meticulously detailed panels depict four centuries of local history and as many local cultures. Special events at the fort include reenactments and Mi'kmaq cultural presentations. 

Near the Nova Scotia border in Aulac and 12 km (7 miles) east of Sackville, the site holds the ruins of a star-shape fort that played a part in the 18th-century struggle between the French and British. The Deportation of the Acadians began here. The fort has fine views of the marshes at the head of the Bay of Fundy, and the visitor center has a fascinating collection of artifacts and interpretive exhibits.

The fort was established in 1875 at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers by the North West Mounted Police. Designed to stop Montana whiskey traders from selling alcohol to the locals, it remained in operation until 1914. The Interpretive Centre here traces the history of the First Nations people, Mounties, and European settlers with the aid of artifacts, audiovisual displays, and interpretive walks. Deane House Restaurant, next to Fort Calgary, is one of Calgary’s best restaurants and a nice place to stop for lunch or dinner. It's the restored 1906 fort superintendent's house. The Hunt House, directly behind the restaurant, was built in 1876 and is believed to be Calgary's oldest building.

This pedestrian bridge, also the city's first suspension bridge, crosses the North Saskatchewan River just below Fort Edmonton, connecting the city's extensive trail system on the river's north and south sides. It's a lovely walk and great for views of the river and the city.

Nestled on 64 hectares (158 acres) of wooded parkland in the River Valley, Fort Edmonton Park is an important destination for visitors who want to experience a late-19th-century life on the frontier. New since 2021 is a world-class multisensory exhibition of the history, culture, and perspectives of First Nations and Métis people in the Greater Edmonton region. There’s also midway, an old theater, and wagon and pony rides.

Despite a devastating fire in 1897, some evidence of Windsor's earliest days remains at Fort Edward, which, dating from 1750, is the oldest blockhouse in Canada.

An authentic reconstruction of the 1874 fort, the Fort Museum grants almost equal exhibitory weight to settlers, regional people, the old North West Mounted Police, and today's Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

This is one of Canada's oldest surviving lighthouses, located on the site where Samuel de Champlain and Sieur de Monts landed in 1604. Inside, the Port of the Privateers exhibit recounts the lighthouse's decades of stalwart service, from its completion in 1855 until 1989, when operations ceased. Even if the lighthouse isn't open when you arrive, there are interpretive signs outside, and the views of Liverpool Harbour from the park are splendid.