Things to do in Canada

The 18 best things to do in Canada

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1. 1Banff

   Ride the shuttle to Moraine Lake and Lake Louise

   Moraine Lake and Lake Louise are among the most visited places in Canada, two turquoise lakes in the mountains about 55 km west of the town of Banff. Moraine Lake Road is closed to personal vehicles all year, so in summer the easiest way in is a Parks Canada shuttle from the Lake Louise Park and Ride, which covers both lakes in one day through the Lake Connector. At Moraine Lake, the short Rockpile Loop climbs to the classic view over the lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks, and an easy lakeshore trail leads toward Mount Fay. At Lake Louise, stroll the 2.3 km shoreline to the milky creek that gives the water its color, or go canoeing.

   Tip: Shuttle seats sell out well ahead: some are released when reservations open in spring and the rest at 8 AM Mountain time two days before each date, and Moraine Lake itself is only reachable from early June to mid-October.

   Park pass and shuttle needed
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Parks Canada (official); Parks Canada; Parks Canada; Parks Canada
2. 2Toronto

   Sail to the foot of Niagara's Horseshoe Falls

   Niagara City Cruises runs Canada's official boat tour to Niagara Falls, the Voyage to the Falls. The multi-level catamarans sail past the American and Bridal Veil Falls, then head toward the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, close enough to feel the mist and hear the roar of the water. Every passenger gets a recyclable poncho to stay dry. Up to 2,800 cubic meters of water a second pour over the edge of the Horseshoe Falls, so expect spray. From Toronto, GO Transit trains run between Union Station and Niagara Falls year-round, and the ride takes about 2 hours, which makes this an easy day trip with the other Niagara sights below.

   Tip: The boats sail seasonally from April to November, so check the dates before you plan your day, and book a timed ticket online for summer weekends.

   Voyage to the Falls, adult (13+), before 13% HST: CA$47.95 (about $34) · Buy a ticketFee changed?

   Last verified Nov 4, 2026

   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Niagara Parks; Niagara Parks; GO Transit (Metrolinx); Destination Toronto
3. 3TorontoBook ahead

   Look straight down from the CN Tower

   The CN Tower opened to the public on June 26, 1976, and stands 553.33 m tall including its antenna. It was the world's tallest freestanding structure from its completion until 2007. Six high-speed elevators reach the Main Observation Level, 346 m up, in 58 seconds. The glass floor lets you look straight down at the city from 342 m, and The Top, 33 storeys higher at about 446 m, is the highest observation platform in the Western Hemisphere, with views up to 160 km on a clear day. For a bigger thrill, EdgeWalk is a hands-free walk around the outside of the main pod, 116 storeys above the ground. The tower stands on land reclaimed from Lake Ontario.

   Tip: Book timed admission online and aim for late afternoon so you see the city in daylight and then lit up after dark.

   Timed General Admission, adult (14 to 64): CA$47 (about $34) · Book a timed ticketFee changed?

   Last verified Nov 4, 2026

   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Royal Canadian Mint (official); CN Tower (official)
4. 4Vancouver

   Walk or cycle the Stanley Park seawall

   Stanley Park is one of the largest urban parks in the world, a coastal rainforest right next to downtown Vancouver. A 10 km seawall hugs its edge, with views of the city skyline, the snowy North Shore Mountains and boats crossing Burrard Inlet. Along the way you pass the totem poles at Brockton Point and the quiet Lost Lagoon. Walking the whole loop takes about 3 hours; on a bike rented on Denman Street, it takes just over an hour. Inside the park there are more than 27 km of forest trails, sandy beaches, a rose garden and the Vancouver Aquarium. It is a 30-minute walk from Canada Place along the Coal Harbour seawall, or ride bus 19 into the park.

   Tip: Rent bikes in the morning before the seawall fills up, and finish at English Bay Beach just outside the park for the sunset.

   Free to visit
   Search tours on TiqetsSources: Destination Vancouver
5. 5BanffBook ahead

   Ride the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain

   The Banff Gondola lifts you from the edge of town to the summit of Sulphur Mountain, with views over six mountain ranges, the Bow Valley and the town of Banff below. At the top, a boardwalk runs about 2 km along the ridge to Sanson's Peak and the Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station, a National Historic Site of Canada. Inside the summit building, an interpretive center and theater cover the wildlife, weather, geology and history of Canada's first national park, and there is a cafe and two restaurants if you want to linger.

   Tip: Ride up in the morning for coffee on the summit boardwalk, or at dusk to watch the sun set behind the Rockies.

   Book online, C$[fee]Know the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Banff Gondola, Pursuit (official)
6. 6Banff

   Hike to Lake Agnes Tea House above Lake Louise

   One of the two most popular summer hikes around Lake Louise starts at the Lake Louise shoreline and climbs a well-kept trail through the forest to Lake Agnes, a small lake under towering peaks at about 2,135 m. Parks Canada lists the trail at 3.9 km one way with 495 m of climbing, about 2.5 to 3 hours round trip. At the lake, a small European-style tea house serves loose-leaf teas and food baked by hand every day, with no electricity. Strong walkers can add the switchbacks up the Big Beehive, 1.5 km beyond Lake Agnes, for a panorama over Lake Louise and the Chateau. Running shoes are fine; sandals and heels are not.

   Tip: The tea house is open in summer only and takes no reservations, so arrive early, carry at least 1 liter of water each, and skip this hike from November to mid-May when the trail is exposed to avalanches.

   Pay as you go
   Sources: Parks Canada; Lake Agnes Tea House; Parks Canada (official)
7. 7Banff

   Drive the Icefields Parkway toward the Columbia Icefield

   The Icefields Parkway (Highway 93 North) runs 232 km from Lake Louise to Jasper, following the Continental Divide past glaciers, turquoise lakes and wide valleys. About 30 minutes north of Lake Louise, Bow Lake has some of the best roadside views on the whole route. Further on, a short walk at Bow Summit, the parkway's highest point at 2,070 m, leads to the viewing platform above Peyto Lake. At 128 km from Lake Louise, the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre faces the Athabasca Glacier, and a short trail leads to its toe across rock scraped bare as the ice retreated. Services are limited, and snow can fall in any month.

   Tip: Fill the tank and buy your national park pass before you set out, and reach Bow Lake and Peyto Lake early, since their parking lots fill in summer.

   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Parks Canada (official); Parks Canada
8. 8VancouverBook ahead

   Cross the Capilano Suspension Bridge in the rainforest

   The Capilano Suspension Bridge stretches 137 m across a canyon in North Vancouver, 70 m above the Capilano River. Scottish civil engineer George Grant Mackay built a cabin on the canyon edge in 1888, and the first bridge of hemp rope and cedar planks followed in 1889; steel cables carry it today. The park also has Treetops Adventure, a walkway through the rainforest canopy, and Cliffwalk, a path that winds along the canyon wall, plus totem poles and history displays. A free shuttle runs from Canada Place downtown and takes about 20 minutes. Tickets come with an arrival window, and once inside you can stay as long as you like.

   Tip: Choose your arrival window when you book online, and note that the bridge, Treetops Adventure and Cliffwalk are not wheelchair accessible.

   Adult, online: CA$76.95 (about $55) · Book a timed ticketFee changed?

   Last verified Nov 7, 2026

   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Capilano Suspension Bridge Park (official); Capilano Suspension Bridge Park (official); Capilano Suspension Bridge Park (official); Capilano Suspension Bridge Park; Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
9. 9TorontoBook ahead

   Step behind the falls at Journey Behind the Falls

   Journey Behind the Falls takes you about 125 feet (38 m) down through the rock to tunnels that reach about 46 m behind the Horseshoe Falls, with portals where the water roars past just meters away. Visitors first came down here in 1832, when a staircase was cut into the Niagara Gorge, and the tunnels themselves date from the late 1800s. At the end, an observation deck at the base of the falls puts you in the spray, so you get a poncho. The visit takes about 30 to 45 minutes, starts from the Table Rock Welcome Centre beside the falls, and runs year-round, with mist in summer and ice formations in winter.

   Tip: Buy a timed ticket online for a one-hour entry window, protect your phone from the mist, and leave strollers behind, since they are not allowed inside.

   Adult (13+), before 13% HST: CA$33 (about $24) · Book a timed ticketFee changed?

   Last verified Nov 4, 2026

   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Niagara Parks
10. 10Banff

    Soak in the Banff Upper Hot Springs

    Visitors have soaked in the Banff Upper Hot Springs since 1886, and Indigenous Peoples bathed in these sacred waters long before. Today this is Canada's highest outdoor hot spring pool, set below the peaks of Rundle and Cascade mountains, with the water kept between 37 and 40 degrees C. The bathhouse, opened on July 1, 1932, is a federal heritage building restored to its original look, with exhibits on its history and on how hot springs form. Towels and swimsuits can be rented. From downtown, Roam Transit Route 1 runs up Sulphur Mountain every 20 minutes during opening hours.

    Tip: Entry is first come, first served with tickets sold only at the door, so bring a swimsuit or rent one there, and try a winter soak while snow falls around the pool.

    Pool admission, adult: CA$19.75 (about $14) · Buy a ticketFee changed?

    Last verified Nov 4, 2026

    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Parks Canada (official); Parks Canada (official); Parks Canada; Banff & Lake Louise Tourism
11. 11Vancouver

    Graze through Granville Island Public Market

    Granville Island was built in 1916 from mud dredged out of False Creek, and for decades its sheds housed factories serving the logging, mining and shipping trades. The six buildings of the Public Market once belonged to those companies; the island's first business, a machine shop opened in 1917, now holds part of the market. Today the indoor market is packed with produce stands, bakeries, seafood counters and stalls of locally made crafts, open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM. The most scenic way there is by the small Aquabus or False Creek Ferries boats, which run year-round from downtown stops along False Creek.

    Tip: Early birds can get coffee from 7:30 AM at a few market cafes, and note the market closes on December 25 and 26, January 1 and on Mondays in January.

    Pay as you go
    Sources: Granville Island (CMHC); Granville Island (official); Granville Island (official)
12. 12Toronto

    Shop and snack at St. Lawrence Market

    St. Lawrence Market has been the culinary center of Toronto since 1803. The South Market on Front Street East holds more than 120 specialty merchants and artisans, and on Saturdays the farmers' market in the North Market opens at 5 AM. Merchants are happy to recommend something new, so ask at the counters, taste something unfamiliar and put together a picnic. The South Market opens Tuesday to Sunday and is closed on Mondays.

    Tip: Come on a Saturday morning when both the South Market and the farmers' market are open, and avoid Mondays, when the market is closed.

    Pay as you go
    Sources: St. Lawrence Market (official); St. Lawrence Market
13. 13Vancouver

    Stroll Gastown's cobblestones to the Steam Clock

    Gastown is where Vancouver began: the neighborhood grew around a single tavern opened by John "Gassy Jack" Deighton. Its cobblestone streets and handsome brick buildings earned it designation as a National Historic Site of Canada in 2009. The Gastown Steam Clock, built in 1977, is one of only a few steam clocks in the world. Around it, the six-block area is full of independent boutiques, cafes and some of the city's favorite cocktail bars. Chinatown is about a 6-minute walk away, and Robson Street about 13 minutes, so it is easy to combine with other downtown sights.

    Tip: Come back after dark, when fairy lights glow over the streets and the bars fill up.

    Free to walk
    Sources: Destination Vancouver
14. 14Toronto

    Explore the Distillery Historic District

    The Distillery Historic District fills the 47 Victorian industrial buildings of the old Gooderham & Worts Distillery, a complex declared a national historic site. Developers restored the brick buildings using the original timber, stone and brick, and the district opened in 2003. Today its lanes hold one-of-a-kind shops, galleries, artist studios, restaurants, cafes and theaters, a mix of old industrial architecture and modern design. It is open 364 days a year, so it works for a morning stroll or an evening meal.

    Tip: Step inside the restored buildings, not just the lanes, to see how old timber and brick were blended with modern design.

    Free to walk
    Sources: The Distillery District
15. 15Toronto

    Meet dinosaurs and mummies at the Royal Ontario Museum

    The Royal Ontario Museum, known as the ROM, became a museum by law on April 16, 1912, and is now Canada's leading museum, with 18 million artworks, artifacts and specimens. Its two sides, world cultures and natural history, are carved by the Queen's Park doors. Inside you will find dinosaur skeletons, glittering gems and minerals, mummies, and galleries on cultures from around the world. The oldest object in the collection, the Allende meteorite, holds minerals from the formation of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago. The museum stands at Bloor Street West and Queen's Park, beside Museum Station on subway Line 1, so it is easy to reach from Union Station.

    Tip: Plan at least half a day, and save it for a rainy or very cold Toronto afternoon.

    Adult, from: CA$26 (about $19) · Book a dated ticket; price varies by day.Fee changed?

    Last verified Nov 7, 2026

    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Royal Ontario Museum (official); Royal Ontario Museum (official); Royal Ontario Museum (official)
16. 16Banff

    See where Canada's parks began at Cave and Basin

    Cave and Basin has been a special place for Indigenous Peoples for more than 10,000 years. In the fall of 1883, three railway workers, Frank McCabe and the brothers Tom and William McCardell, came upon its warm springs in a mist-filled cave on Sulphur Mountain and fenced them off to profit from them. That claim set off the events that led to the creation of Banff in 1885 as Canada's first national park. Today the national historic site has interactive exhibits, short films, bubbling thermal water in an underground cave, and an exhibit on the First World War internment camps. It is about a 30-minute walk southwest of downtown Banff.

    Tip: Check the opening days before you walk over, since the site does not open every day in every season.

    Adult (18 to 64): CA$10 (about $7) · Buy a ticketFee changed?

    Last verified Nov 4, 2026

    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Parks Canada (official); Parks Canada (official); Parks Canada; Parks Canada
17. 17Banff

    Cruise or paddle on Lake Minnewanka

    Lake Minnewanka is the largest lake in the Banff area, about 10 km northeast of downtown Banff. Guided cruises on heated, covered boats head out across the water with commentary on the area and a lookout for wildlife, or you can rent a canoe, kayak or small motorboat and set your own course. Back on shore there are picnic tables, a snack shop and interpretive panels. In summer, a bus on the Lake Minnewanka loop also stops at Two Jack Lake and Johnson Lake, two smaller, picturesque lakes. In winter, the area is used for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

    Tip: Take the bus in summer, since the lakeside parking lot fills, and check next season's cruise dates, which run from about May to October.

    Park pass needed
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Lake Minnewanka Cruise, Pursuit (official); Parks Canada; Parks Canada; Parks Canada
18. 18Vancouver

    Take the SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay Market

    The SeaBus is Vancouver's passenger ferry across Burrard Inlet, a public transit route with harbor views. Each boat seats up to 395 people, departs about every 15 minutes during the day, and takes just 12 minutes to cross from Waterfront Station downtown to North Vancouver. On the far side, Lonsdale Quay Market sits steps from the terminal: a waterfront public market with more than 60 locally owned businesses, a food hall and what it calls the best view of the Vancouver skyline. It makes an easy half day, or a stop on the way to the North Shore.

    Tip: Ride back across the inlet near sunset for the city lights, and check the last sailing time before you settle in at the food hall.

    Pay as you go
    Sources: TransLink; Lonsdale Quay Market

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