1182 Best Sights in Canada

Mt. Lorette and Mary Barklay's Mountain reflected in these beautiful ponds—which are looped by a paved, 930-meter (0.6-mile), wheelchair-accessible trail—provide a stunning backdrop for photos at this spot. There are also picnic tables, firepits, pit toilets, and a water pump here.

Located at the park's main entrance, this visitor center is the place to go for information, trail reports, informative brochures, detailed trail descriptions, and maps. You can watch informative natural history slide shows and participate in the evening interpretive program. It is open daily from mid-May to mid-October. There are bathrooms and a gift shop on-site.

Just 30 minutes from Downtown Vancouver, this 3,508-hectare (8,668-acre) wilderness park has hiking trails of varying length and difficulty and spectacular views of the Lower Mainland. Warm clothing—and caution—are advised. Popular routes include a scenic 1½-hour trip to Dog Mountain or a more intense four-hour climb to the three peaks of Seymour. You can also hike down to Deep Cove on Indian Arm. In winter, the trails are used for snowshoeing, and you can try tubing and tobogganing, too.

The highlight of this 6½-km (4-mile) route is the viewpoint over Banff from near the top. Bighorn sheep and mule deer are often sighted along the twisting road. Trailheads at the top lead to Stoney Squaw Summit and Cascade Amphitheatre.

If you have a taste for pastoral landscapes and formal portraits, you might want to stick with the Musée des Beaux-Arts, but for a walk on the wild side of art, head to the Musée d'art contemporain (MAC) and see what you can make of the jagged splashes of color that cover the canvases of the "Automatistes," as Québec's rebellious artists of the 1930s styled themselves. The works of the Automatistes form the core of this museum's collection of 5,000 pieces. The museum often has weekend programs and art workshops, some of which are geared toward children, and almost all are free. And for a little romance and music with your art, try the Vendredis Nocturnes (Nocturnal Fridays) with live music, bar service, and guided tours of the exhibits ( macm.org/en/activities/les-nocturnes-du-mac).  At the moment, MAC is housed in Place Ville-Marie (Métro McGill or Bonaventure) while a new building is under construction. The museum expects to unveil its new home in 2028.

This museum highlights modern and contemporary art created by Charlevoix artists from 1920 to 1970. It also has a robust collection from the province in general, with works from Georges D. Pepper, Kathleen Daly, René Richard, the Bolduc sisters, and others. For more than 30 years, the museum has been organizing a yearly modern art symposium, held in late July and early August.

The museum traces the region's history through a major permanent exhibit. Folk art, paintings, and artifacts help reveal the past, starting with the French, then the Scottish settlers, and the area's evolution into a vacation spot and artists' haven. Temporary exhibits change every season.

Fun and educational for the whole family, this natural history museum utilizes imaginative multisensory displays with state-of-the-art light and sound effects—the buzzing of mosquitoes may be too lifelike—and hands-on displays to enhance the experience. Long-running exhibits include Terra Mutantes, a geological experience portraying the birth of the Appalachian Mountains, and AlterAnima, a mythical forest featuring hundreds of animals and providing viewers a unique perspective on the world as these animals see and experience it, showing us that it's not always what you see, but what you don't.

This fine-arts museum has a permanent exhibit on the history of art in the region from 1800 to the present. More than 10 exhibits per year are staged in its three galleries, with an emphasis on artists from the Eastern Townships.

The nuns of the Religieuses Hospitalières de St-Joseph ran Montréal's Hôpital Hôtel-Dieu for more than 300 years, until the province and the Université de Montréal took it over in the 1970s. The first sisters—girls of good families caught up in the religious fervor of the age—came to New France with Jeanne Mance in the mid-1600s to look after the poor, the sick, and the dying. The order's museum—tucked away in a corner of the hospital the nuns built but no longer run—captures the spirit of that age with a series of meticulously bilingual exhibits. Just reading the excerpts from the letters and diaries of those young women helps you to understand the zeal that drove them to abandon the comforts of home for the hardships of the colonies. The museum also traces the history of medicine and nursing in Montréal.   From May to October, tours of the "secret" monastery gardens are available for C$17. Most tours are in French, but some are offered in English on select dates. 

Claude de Ramezay, the city's 11th governor, was probably daydreaming of home when he built his Montréal residence, now one of the UNESCO-listed "1001 Historic Sites You Must See Before You Die." Its thick stone walls, dormer windows, and steeply pitched roof make it look like a little bit of 18th-century Normandy dropped into the middle of North America—although the round, squat tower is a 19th-century addition. The extravagant mahogany paneling in the Salon de Nantes was installed when Louis XV was still king of France. The British used the château as headquarters after their conquest in 1760, and so did the American commanders Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold. Benjamin Franklin, who came north in a failed attempt to persuade the locals to join the American Revolution, stayed here during that winter adventure.

Most of the château's exhibits are a little staid—guns, uniforms, and documents on the main floor and tableaux depicting colonial life in the cellars—but they include some unexpected little eccentricities that make it worth the visit. Head outside, through the back door, and you'll enter gardens of 18th-century tranquility.

The Laurentians are one of the oldest ski regions in North America, and ski buffs will enjoy this little museum tracing the long history of this area with great photos, artifacts, and some interesting models of early ski lifts. It also houses the Temple de la Renomée du Ski (the Ski Hall of Fame).

This museum, housed in an old shipyard, commemorates the days of the St. Lawrence goélettes, the feisty little wooden freighters that were the chief means of transporting goods along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River well into the 1960s. Very large families lived in cramped conditions aboard the boats, some of which are part of the exhibits. To modern eyes, it doesn't look like a comfortable existence, but the folklore of the goélettes, celebrated in poetry, paintings, and song, is part of the region's strong cultural identity.

More than 40,000 objects represent fine arts, archaeology, ethnology, natural sciences, and photography, all highlighting the native Innu and European populations of the region. See prehistoric tools and arms, and photographs depicting the area’s iron ore mining operations. Taxidermy exhibits include birds, fish, and mammals, the black bear and Canadian lynx among them. Lots of local artists display their work here, too, in a collection made up of 85 prints, 375 sculptures, and 121 paintings from 98 Canadian artists.

Located in a former industrial building across the street from a working chocolate factory, the MOCA regularly hosts exhibitions from cutting-edge contemporary art stars from Canada and all over the world. The museum retains some of its ramshackle concrete past, making it feel anything but sterile. If you get hungry or thirsty, grab a coffee or pastry from local café Forno Cultura in the lobby. 

The former Pope's Museum now explores the peoples and cultures that shaped the area—First Nations, French, Irish, Scottish, and English, with a room dedicated to each—and how they formed the inclusive society they enjoy today. One exhibit that remains from the previous museum is the scale model of St. Peter's in Rome.

This small museum might not rival the city’s major art institutions, but it offers a fun escape—especially for families on a rainy afternoon. Its mind-bending illusions range from holograms to an antigravity room and a rotating room that makes it look like you’re standing upside down. It’s also a great place to snap a few photos.

Your own job may be the last thing you want to think about while vacationing, but if you're curious about those the industrious locals have traditionally held, Stellarton, just 20 km (12 miles) from Pictou, is worth a detour for this museum that brings our industrial heritage to life with daily demonstrations in the machine shop, sawmill, and print shop. Like factory and mine workers of old, you can punch in with a time card and then get straight to work. Hands-on exhibits will show you how to hook a rag mat, print a bookmark, operate a steam engine, or pack chocolates into a moving box on an assembly line. Interactive computer exhibits explore multimedia as a tool of industry, and some 30,000 industrial artifacts are on display, including Canada's oldest steam locomotives. The kids' train gallery is a hit with very young children.

A major attraction in the region, this longhouse-style edifice overlooking the waterfront contains one of the country's finest collections of coastal First Nations artworks, with superb artifacts portraying 10,000 years of Northwest Coast history. You may also have a chance to see artisans working in a nearby carving shed. Along with the permanent exhibit, there is a roster of temporary exhibitions on history and art. You can also purchase unusual local crafts at the museum gift shop.

From tributes to Canadian children's TV like Degrassi High and Mr. Dressup (think Mr. Rogers but with more puppets) to pop art renditions of influential women in Toronto's history, you never know which part of the city's eclectic history and culture might get featured. Exhibits are always interactive and user-friendly.

Vancouver's short-but-funky history comes to life at this seaside civic history museum. The 1930s-1940s Gallery remembers the Japanese internment during WWII, as well as local stories of the war effort. The 1950s Gallery has a 1955 Ford Fairlane Victoria and a Seeburg Select-o-Matic jukebox. The 1960s-1970s Gallery revisits the city's days as the hippie capital of Canada. Visitors can hear local bands from the '60s and poke around a re-created communal house. The museum regularly mounts intriguing temporary exhibits and hosts lectures and other public events.

It's a real treat to visit the award-winning brewery, tasting room, and retail store. While you're here, taste beers like the Mad Tom IPA, or seasonal brews like the subtly smokey Windbound Campfire pilsner or refreshing fruit-flavored hard seltzers. The summer season is best for taking advantage of the covered outdoor beer hall or patio, with pints and an indulgent smoked chicken or brisket platter and blooming onion from the Front St. BBQ food truck. There's also a smaller in-house snack bar menu in the off-season. The Muskoka Brewery is found halfway between Gravenhurst and Bracebridge, off Highway 11.

Learn about steamboat history in this museum with a rotating collection of historic boats that have included a 1924 propeller boat, a 30-foot 1894 steamboat, and gleaming wooden speedboats.

In warm weather, the best way to experience Muskoka Lake is aboard one of these historic vessels. The restored 128-foot-long, 99-passenger RMS Segwun (the initials stand for Royal Mail Ship) is North America's oldest operating steamship, built in 1887, and is the sole survivor of a fleet that provided transportation through the Muskoka Lakes. The 200-passenger Wenonah II is a 1907-inspired vessel with modern technology. Some cruises include a delicious lunch, dinner, or high tea. Reservations are required.

Located across the North Saskatchewan River from Downtown, one of Edmonton’s best-known landmarks consists of three city-operated greenhouses and public gardens, and four feature pyramids that display more than 700 plant species found across three biomes, as well as a seasonal display. A fifth minor skylight pyramid lights up the central foyer.  Wednesday evenings are for adults only.

Trails wind through displays of indigenous plant life, and the occasional whimsical garden sculpture may catch your eye at Naa'Waya'Sum Gardens (formerly Tofino Botanical Gardens). The 12-acre waterfront site, about 2 km (1 mile) south of Tofino on the Pacific Rim Highway, is also home to a café and an affordable ecolodge. The admission fee is good for three days.

This complex includes an opera hall, a theater, a studio theater, and a salon for readings and concerts. Inside and outside are sculptures by both Canadian and international artists.

The popular canal-side Le Café (613/594–5127) spills outside in warm weather. In winter it's a cozy vantage spot from which to watch skaters on the canal.

Family

A magnificent glass-tower structure engineered by Canadian architect Moshe Safdie holds the premier collection of Canadian art in the world. It also houses important European and American art collections and hosts major international traveling exhibits. Inside the National Gallery is the reconstructed Rideau Convent Chapel, a classic example of French-Canadian 19th-century architecture with the continent's only neo-Gothic fan-vaulted ceiling. The building also has two restaurants and a large art-focused bookstore. In the Artissimo area, children can produce their own masterpieces, which are hung along a corridor for several days, using provided arts-and-crafts materials.