Canada is a land rich with experiences, but for visitors short on time, organized tours are the best way to hit the highlights.
The number of tours and experiences that travellers can enjoy across Canada is countless, but some are more popular than others. If you don’t want to think too hard about what to do when you are vacationing in the Great White North, check out this province-by-province list of the country’s most-booked tours and experiences, according to 2018 booking data provided to Canada.com by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest social travel website.
British Columbia: Vancouver City Hop-on Hop-off Tour – 24 Hour
Stanley Park and Vancouver skyline.
Vancouver is a big city and there is so much to see and do that it can be overwhelming. Short-time visitors simplify their lives by taking a hop-on hop-off bus tour that takes them to the city’s top attractions, like Chinatown and Stanley Park. The tour provides an audio guide that explains the sites they see along the way and lets them get off the bus and reboard at any of the places they want to visit.
Alberta: Banff Gondola Ride Admission
The Banff Gondola delivers a view of 6 mountain ranges.
There are many ways to explore Banff National Park, the most visited of Canada’s 44 national parks, but there may be no better way to appreciate its mountain beauty than from up high which is why this round-trip gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain is so popular. Each gondola seats four passengers and their huge glass windows lets them soak in the views of six different mountain ranges. At the top, they can spend some time walking the ridge line boardwalk before returning back to town.
Manitoba: 5-Night Churchill Tour and Polar Bear Adventure from Winnipeg
Polar bears are a popular attraction in Manitoba.
Polar bears are one of Canada’s most iconic animals and immensely popular with tourists. There are few places in the world where they are more accessible than the Manitoba town of Churchill, on the shores of Hudson Bay. This tour flies visitors from Winnipeg to Churchill where they travel in tundra buggies to see these magnificent animals in their natural habitat. It’s not just bears that visitors get to see. There are lots of birds like ptarmigan and snowy owls and arctic foxes are also abundant.
Ontario: Niagara Falls Boat Tour: Voyage to the Falls with Hornblower Funicular
This boat tour takes you up close to the falls.
Niagara Falls is on the bucket list of every visitor to Canada and with good reason. This spectacular site looks incredible in postcards, but its mighty power can only be understood when you approach the base of the roaring cataract in a boat, like the ones provided on this tour by Hornblower. Visitors get up close to the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls on sailings that run throughout the day and night.
Quebec: Quebec City and Montmorency Falls Day Trip from Montreal
The Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City is possibly the most photographed hotel in the world.
A trip to Europe can be an expensive undertaking, but a visit to Quebec City, a mostly French-speaking city that is rich with history, can be the next closest thing. This guided tour takes visitors from Montreal to Quebec that includes stops in the UNESCO-listed Old City, the historic Plains of Abraham and nearby Montmorency Falls.
New Brunswick: Fundy Coast to Fundy Shore Tour
The Fundy coastline is spectacular.
The Fundy coast of southern New Brunswick is a rugged, rocky landscape that is popular with photographers. This five-hour tour takes them through fishing villages along the Bay of Fundy, which is home to the highest tides in the world, where they can stroll on the beach, visit lighthouses, explore sandstone sea caves, admire the Reversing Falls and explore St. John.
Prince Edward Island: Green Gables Shore Tour from Charlottetown
Anne of Green Gables continues to attract fans to Canada’s smallest province.
Discover the picturesque region of Prince Edward Island that inspired L.M. Montgomery’s classic 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables on this four-hour tour that takes visitors to the Green Gables House with a knowledgeable guide along with stops to appreciate the area’s sandy beaches and sandstone cliffs. The tour includes a visit to the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company, a riverside restaurant with artisan preserves, fine teas, local pottery and more.
Nova Scotia: Halifax Harbour Hopper Tour
Halifax’s skyline is best appreciated from the water.
The Halifax Harbour Hopper tour is a one-hour excursion aboard a renovated amphibious vehicle from the Vietnam War that drives passengers past Halifax’s key landmarks like St. Paul’s Cathedral, Citadel Hill and Halifax Public Gardens, then splashes into the harbour to give panoramic views of the city’s waterfront.
Newfoundland & Labrador: Newfoundland Puffin and Whale Watch Cruise
Everybody loves puffins and one of the best places in Canada to see them is at Witless Bay Ecological Reserve that is a short drive south of the capital, St. John’s. The reserve is home to more than 2.5 million seabirds and is the largest colony of Atlantic puffins in North America. Birders will also get to see razor-billed auks, storm petrels, black legged kittiwakes and other species, depending on the time of year. Whales and icebergs are also a possibility on this 90-minute tour if you’re there at the right time to see them.
Yukon: Arctic Day: Evening Aurora Viewing
If you’ve never seen the colours of the aurora borealis light up the night sky, then head north to the Yukon where they are visible most clear nights. Keep in mind that in the land of the midnight sun, nights mostly happen during the winter months, but this excursion from Whitehorse is designed with comfort in mind so they will whisk you from your hotel to a site beyond the city lights and provide snacks, hot drinks and restrooms while you capture photos of the Northern Lights.Northwest Territories: 4- to 6-Hour Northern Lights Tour from Yellowknife
Viewing an aurora is an experience that is on a lot of travellers’ bucket lists.
The Yukon doesn’t have a monopoly on the Northern Lights. They’re just as visible in the skies of the Northwest Territories, which is why there are similar tours out of Yellowknife to see them. This experience takes visitors to a number of isolated locations far from the lights of the city to ensure you have the best views of the night sky.
Unfortunately, TripAdvisor was not able to provide results for Saskatchewan and Nunavut, citing a lack of available data.
– Mark Stachiew is a Montreal-based freelance writer who shares travel news and tips at www.stachiew.com and curates a collection of cool travel gear at www.jetsetgeneration.com.
