Canada: the 10 Tourist Attractions Not to Be Missed

10 Top Tourist Attractions in Canada

Canada is a country that has a great deal to offer visitors, from island scenery to spectacular mountain waterfalls. Stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts, this former French and British colony boasts a rich heritage from the Indians of the northern coast of British Columbia to the French explorers of Quebec. Since both French and English are national languages, a visit to Canada is like visiting two countries. Indeed, Canada has an appeal for travellers who are interested in nature and cosmopolitan cities.

An overview of the top tourist attractions in Canada:

1Lake Moraine

Lake Moraine, in Banff National Park, is one of the most photographed places in western Canada. This glacier-fed lake is a splendid blue-green surrounded by the mountains of Alberta. It lies in the Valley of the Ten Peaks at an altitude of 1,885 metres. The Rockpile Trail is popular with tourists. This alpine lake once featured on the Canadian 20-dollar bill, earning it the nickname Twenty Dollar View. Other hiking trails offer a spectacular view of the lake; visitors who want a different panorama can try their hand at canoeing, fun guaranteed.

2Vieux-Quebec

Vieux-Québec, or Old Quebec, is a historic district of Quebec City. This is where the French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded Fort Saint Louis in 1608. The military presence here was strong for both the French and the English, with the area heavily fortified. Today it is a tourist district with many small boutiques and hundreds of points of historic and photographic interest. Visitors will want to take in the Citadel, known as the "Gibraltar of the Americas", because of its strategic position dominating the St. Lawrence River. Visitors will also want to visit the iconic Chateau Frontenac and enjoy the charm of European-style shopping on Rue Saint Jean.

3The Canadian

Travellers looking for a relaxing way to cross Canada might want to consider the train, in this case, the Canadian. Connecting Toronto and Vancouver, this is one of the most famous train journeys in the world, travelling through the lakes of northern Ontario, the prairie provinces and the Canadian Rockies including Jasper National Park, to end in the cosmopolitan city of Vancouver. It takes 3 days to cover the 4,466 kilometres linking the two cities. Via Rail recently spent 22 million dollars to modernise the train.

4Niagara Falls, Ontario

Many Americans think that Niagara Falls is just a waterfall in the United States, when in reality Niagara Falls is on the border between the United States and Canada. Horseshoe Falls is the largest waterfall and lies mainly on the Canadian side, while the smaller American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls are mostly on the US side. Combined, the three falls have a greater flow than any other in the world. Around 20 million people visit them every year, many of them taking a boat ride on the Maid of the Mist, the oldest attraction at the falls.

5Churchill

It may be just a small town of 1,000 inhabitants in the province of Manitoba on the coast of Hudson Bay, but Churchill attracts large crowds every year to see its most famous inhabitants, the polar bears. Nicknamed the "polar bear capital of the world", it is one of Canada's main tourist attractions. Besides polar bears, Churchill is also a popular place for watching beluga whales, birds and the northern lights.

6Athabasca Falls

Athabasca Falls

Jasper National Park, in the province of Alberta, is the largest of the Canadian Rocky Mountain parks, with wide valleys, rugged mountains, glaciers, forests, alpine meadows and wild rivers. One of the main attractions is Athabasca Falls, a beautiful waterfall that thunders through a narrow gorge. Even when the water level in the upper Athabasca river is low, enormous quantities of water pour over the falls. Several observation platforms and trails where it is safe to photograph the picturesque scene are found around the falls. Motorists can cross the falls by taking Highway 93A in the town of Jasper.

7Bay of Fundy

The Bay of Fundy, located on the Atlantic coast in eastern Canada, is famous for its high tide. Because of the unique shape of the bay, the difference in water level between high tide and low tide can be as much as 16 metres. One of the best places to observe the tides is the Hopewell Rocks, a series of sandstone towers topped by trees. The base of the rock formations is covered in water twice a day and can be seen from ground level at low tide.

8Victoria's Inner Harbour

Victoria's Inner Harbour on Vancouver Island is a lovely place to visit. There is water on one side and majestic government buildings on the other, since Victoria is the capital of British Columbia. The city hosts a classic boat festival on Labor Day in September, with the harbour filling up with wooden boats. Visitors can also navigate the harbour by kayak or tour boats. Take a little time to enjoy a traditional British tea at the Empress Hotel, a Victoria landmark since the early 1900s; it is right opposite the harbour.

9Calgary Stampede

The Calgary Stampede, one of the most famous rodeos in the world, traces its origins back to the travelling wild west shows of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Stampede has grown over the years, today attracting the best cowboys in the world who compete for $ 2 million in prize money. Other activities include live concerts, a carnival, plenty of food and dancing, as this Canadian city hosts the best in the West. A 4 km parade opens what Calgary calls "the greatest outdoor show on earth". The 10-day event takes place every July.

10Gros Morne National Park

Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland is important to the world, geologically, because the ancient rocks help people understand how the oceans and continents were created. The park is a paradise for nature lovers with plains along the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the alpine environment of the Long Range Mountains. The park is popular with wildlife watchers who will see everything from small songbirds to giant whales; black bears, moose and deer are common. Most visitors come here during the short summer season. The exception is at the winter peak (from February to April), when the park experiences another mini-boom in snowmobiling and cross-country skiing.