1180 Best Sights in Canada

Allan Gardens has been a green oasis in Toronto for well over a century. A domed indoor botanical garden and arboretum, the conservatory is filled with plant, flower, and tree species from around the world, preserved and cultivated in six different climate zones. If you're a nature lover you can easily spend hours among the succulents, vines, orchids, hibiscus, and weeping willows, and all for free.

This moderately strenuous 13-km (8.1-mile) round-trip hike leads to a lovely alpine lake with beautiful views along the way. If you climb to the top of the peak near the lake you'll have a stunning view of Abraham Lake and the surrounding mountains. Moderate.

The small seaside village of Alma services Fundy National Park with restaurants that serve good lobster, a bakery that sells sublime sticky buns, and motels. There's plenty to do around here—from bird-watching and kayaking to horseback riding. Around Canada Day, events may include performances at the Alma Activity Centre and a (plastic) duck race on the Salmon River. In 2021, a new Connector Road opened, linking Alma directly with the Fundy Trail Parkway and reducing the driving time to get there by about an hour.

Aluminum is big business in Canada, where the metal has been processed for a century. With 1,000 workers, Aluminerie Alouette is Sept-Îles’ largest employer and North America’s major aluminum smelter. See the smelting process from start to finish in a two-hour tour that begins with a video presentation. This is an active work zone, and safety restrictions apply—long sleeves, long pants, and closed-toe shoes must be worn. Kids younger than age 12, pregnant women, and people with pacemakers are not allowed.

Just off Marine Drive at the foot of 13th Street, this long stretch of sand is West Vancouver's most popular beach. There are tennis courts, volleyball nets, and a water park in the summer, as well as superb views of Stanley Park from all along the seawall. There's also a pitch and putt course and a huge off-leash area for dogs. Just west of the park, the historic Ferry Building is now a small art gallery. A half-hour walk west along the seawall path takes you to another beach at Dundarave. West Vancouver's Marine Drive continues west to several quiet little beaches, including (from east to west) West Bay, Sandy Cove, Caulfeild Park, and Kew Beach. Amenities: food and drink, parking, showers, and toilets. Best for: sunrises, swimming and walking.  

Father-and-son duo Stephen and Jeremy Schacht built this craft distillery from the ground up, including designing and building their own unique stills. The award-winning gin and vodka they produce here are made with certified organic wheat from the BC mainland and botanicals from around the world, such as Albanian coriander, African grains of paradise, and juniper berries from Bulgaria. They now grow their own wild-harvested botanicals on the five-acre site. Don't miss the "Nocino!", a seasonal green walnut liqueur which was awarded best nonfruit liqueur in the 2019 Pacific Northwest Sip Awards.

This lively gallery hosts an eclectic series of exhibitions each year, showcasing Atlantic Canadian artists working in traditional and experimental media, as well as art and craft workshops, seasonal festivals, and children's events.

Stretching along the north face of Mount Edith Cavell, this glacier was named because it looks like an angel with wings. The best views of the glacier can be seen on the Cavell Meadows Hike.

Victorian wunderkind Anna Leonowens is famous for the time she spent as a royal governess in Thailand (then Siam), which inspired Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical The King and I, but she also spent two decades in Halifax, where she founded the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. It later returned the favor by opening the Anna Leonowens Gallery, with three exhibition spaces that focus on contemporary studio and media art, and serve as a showcase for the college faculty and students. The gallery mounts about 100 exhibitions a year and also has offshoots at the Port Loggia on the waterfront and in the Granville mall.

On Saturday morning from 8 to 1, the best place in Annapolis Royal to stock up on picnic supplies is the farmers' market, on lower St. George Street across from the King's Theatre. Expect artisanal bread, cured meats, homemade sweets, and preserves, plus fresh Annapolis Valley produce. Local artisans attend, too, and there's live entertainment. Many vendors accept cash only.

Like everything else in this town, the plants here are a blast from the past—17 heritage-theme acres represent different eras and include a glorious Victorian garden, a knot garden, a typical Acadian house garden, and a 2,000-bush rose collection with about 250 varieties. The main season is May through October, but the gardens are accessible year-round, although they are not maintained November through April.

The likable Springhill-born, part-Acadian pop singer spread her tiny wings and flew away to worldwide fame and fortune, but she still celebrates her roots—and her hometown pays tribute to her illustrious career—at this repository of costumes, gold records, photographs, and other artifacts. Diehard fans can record a (virtual) duet with Murray, providing instant bragging rights to having performed with a partner who has sold more than 55 million albums to date and received four Grammy and 31 Juno awards.

This was once home to Lucy Maud Montgomery's aunt and uncle. The writer also lived here for a time and was married in the parlor in 1911—in fact, that room serves as a wedding venue for modern-day couples. Inside the house, which is still owned by Montgomery descendants, are mementos such as photographs and a quilt Montgomery worked on. The site includes a gift shop jam-packed with licensed Anne of Green Gables goodies, and there is a Matthew Cuthbert look-alike on hand to take visitors on buggy rides around the pastoral 110-acre property. Trips for up to six passengers cost C$110 for a half-hour, C$175 for one hour.

Have breakfast with the walruses, lunch (carefully) with the polar bears, and spend the afternoon watching the seals do their tricks at this cliff-top aquarium overlooking the St. Lawrence and Québec City's two main bridges. When you tire of the mammals, check out the thousands of species of fresh and saltwater fish in the aquarium's massive, three-level aquatic gallery, or have some hands-on experiences with mollusks, starfish, and stingrays. Don't miss the jellyfish ballet or seahorse tanks. This is the only aquarium in North America with examples of all five species of cold-water seals. Experience the Arctic with the brand-new immersive projections of polar bear, narwhal, whale, polar fox, and more in their natural habitat. For an even more immersive experience, there is a re-creation of the feeling of cold, even in summer. Chill factor guaranteed!

This wonderful aquarium has a serious side and a fun side, with labs that are the backbone of marine research in the province and more than 1,000 specimens to see in more than 31 indoor exhibition areas, outdoor touch tanks, and the harbor seal pool. Feeding time for the seals (at 11 and 4) is always popular, as are the touch tanks, containing such species as sea stars, clams, sea cucumbers, and rare blue lobsters. Another exhibit illustrates the underwater world of the Acadian Peninsula and how fishing is carried out there, and there are various educational activities and a documentary film to see.

The 8.8 km (5½ mile) walking and cycling path, former railroad tracks that ran along Arbutus Street, runs the length of the West Side north to south from False Creek to the Fraser River.  There are places to sit and watch the action as well as easy access to the surrounding neighborhoods. The city's website has a downloadable map. 

This museum, named for an early settler from New England, is worth a visit. It recaptures late-1700s life with household items such as quilts and toys, plus fishing gear and information about shipwrecks and sea captains.

The Arches are a geological curiosity; the park contains arch-shape rock formations made millions of years ago by wave action and undersea currents. The succession of caves through a bed of dolomite was later raised above sea level by tectonic upheaval. This is a good place to stop for a picnic.

The Port au Choix National Historic Site is 97 km (60 miles) farther north. The remains of Maritime Archaic and Dorset people have been found along this coast between the Arches Provincial Park and L’Anse aux Meadows. Archaeologists digging in the area uncovered an ancient village, and this site has an interesting interpretation center with exhibits about what's been uncovered to date.  Ask at the center for directions to it.

More than 60 upcycled shipping containers containing a diverse collection of eateries, local vendors, and bars create this unique, and fun, spot that opened in 2022. Visiting is a great way to sample the best of Saint John, and get a little taste of what makes this historic port city so unique—stop by for a local brew, an ice cream, or hyper-local meal. There's also a performance space, and you can often catch live music throughout the summer and this is where some of the city's biggest festivals happen. 

Just south of Ptarmigan Cirque, this 5-km (3.1-mile) loop trail actually has more larches than its better-known neighbor. The trail begins by passing through a forested area and then opens up into a wide meadow. There's 274 meters (899 feet) of elevation gain, but it's a relatively easy hike. Easy.

Housed in a repurposed shipyard boasting 80,000 square feet of exhibition space, Arsenal Art Contemporain dedicates itself to the support, promotion, and development of contemporary art and has been credited with helping revitalize the old industrial area of Griffintown. The largest private art center in Canada, it was originally founded in Montréal in 2011 but also has locations in Toronto and New York City.

Located across from City Hall, this exquisite building is wrapped with silver ribbons to reflect the importance of the northern lights and the North Saskatchewan River to Edmonton’s identity and culture. With several galleries spread across three floors, AGA has welcomed exhibits of some of the greats including Degas, the Dutch masters, and an Andy Warhol retrospective. The in-house collection primarily focuses on Canadian abstract painting and sculpture since the 1950s, and the Children’s Gallery on the main floor provides an interactive experience for families to immerse themselves in art. Don't miss the great city views from the rooftop patio.

In an 1867 Italianate-style building that previously served as a post office, bank, and the headquarters of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, this provincial art gallery has an extensive permanent collection of more than 17,000 works—so many that there are also two floors of gallery space within the neighboring Provincial Building. Some are primarily of historical interest; others are major works by contemporary Canadian painters like Christopher Pratt, Alex Colville, and Tom Forrestall. The gallery's heart, however, is an internationally recognized collection of maritime folk art by artists such as wood-carver Sydney Howard and painter Joe Norris. The Provincial Building annex also contains the actual home of the late painter Maud Lewis (Canada's answer to Grandma Moses), whose bright, cheery paintings cover the tiny structure inside and out. The gallery is currently closed but is expected to reopen in spring 2025.

This pull-off along Cavell Road offers views of the Astoria Valley and the glaciers at its head.

Both amateur stargazers and serious astronomers head to this observatory, located in a beautifully wild and mountainous area that in 2007 became the first-ever International Dark Sky Reserve. The observatory is at the summit of the Townships' second-highest mountain (3,601 feet above sea level and 1,890 feet above the surrounding landscape), whose northern face records annual snowfalls rivaling any in North America. A joint venture of the University of Montréal and Laval University, the observatory has a powerful telescope, the largest on the East Coast. In the Astrolab's welcome center at the mountain's base, there is an exhibition and multimedia display to provide visitors with information about the night sky. Hours vary depending on the season, so check the website for updated information.

Québec legends are the theme for the wood sculptures showcased at this "economuseum," a workshop, gallery, garden, and boutique. Visitors may watch and interact with artisans at work and spend anywhere from a few hours to a full day enjoying the unique experience provided here. The grounds are ideal for strolling, picnicking, and discovering the fascinating characters of Québec's history and culture that have inspired the artists at this charming atelier, off the beaten path but well worth the quick trip from Québec City.

This large area has a shelter and is ideal for family reunions because it can be reserved ahead for a fee of C$149.25. It has beautiful views of the river and mountains.

At 23 meters (75 feet), these falls are not the highest in the Canadian Rockies, but they are the most powerful. The Athabasca River carries more water than any other in the Rocky Mountains, and all of it is funneled over this cascade and into a narrow gorge, creating a powerful surge. The falls are especially dramatic in late spring and early summer when the river is at its highest. Trails and overlooks provide good viewpoints. Do not climb past the guardrails: the rocks and vegetation are very slippery, and people have died trying to get a photo of themselves standing closer to the falls.

Fairy-tale characters such as Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, and Alice in Wonderland wander the grounds, playing games with children. Small fry may also enjoy the petting zoo, amusement rides, wading pool, and puppet show. A ride called Le Petit Train des Merveilles (the Little Train of Wonders) is a nod to the historic train that launched the tourism industry in the Laurentians. There are 45 activities, enough to occupy those aged two to eight for about half a day. Check the website for discount coupons. The theme park is completely accessible to strollers and wheelchairs.