7. Ottawa
As Canada’s capital, Ottawa is home to some outstanding national museums and historic sites, as well as Parliament Hill, and it enjoys a beautiful setting along the Rideau Canal. It is also a small city, making it easy to navigate and fun to explore.
Summer is a wonderful time to visit, with a whole host of events held throughout the season, including the Tulip Festival in spring and the always lavish Canada Day Celebrations on July 1st.
In winter, when the weather is cold enough, the canal transforms into a 7.8-kilometer-long skating rink and in February, the annual Winterlude celebrations draw huge crowds. There is no bad time to visit Ottawa, and it is only a few hours by car or train from Toronto.
8. Victoria
British Columbia’s beautiful capital city has a quaint, small-town atmosphere, perhaps due to its island location. Set at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, the city has a mild year-round climate, with wet mild winters and warm, glorious summers. Victoria is one of the warmest places in Canada in winter, attracting Canadians from colder parts of the country from late fall until spring.
Views around the city are stunning in every direction, looking out over the harbor, south over the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Washington State, or across to the mountains on mainland British Columbia.
Most of the tourist activity is focused around Victoria’s Inner Harbour, where the Parliament Buildings and the historic Empress Hotel are located. A stroll along the waterfront on a sunny day is gorgeous. Just outside the city center are beaches and lovely coastal areas, as well as parks and hiking trails.
