Sights and Activities in Canada
Major Cities
Toronto
Located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario is the city of Toronto which is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. Toronto has 2.5 million inhabitants making it the fifth most populous municipality in North America. Toronto is the economic capital of Canada and it is one of the top financial cities in the world and it is considered a global city. Majority of the corporations in Canada and the seventh largest stock market in the world, the Toronto Stock Exchange, are headquartered in Toronto. The city has one of the world’s most diverse populations and it is considered one of the most livable cities in the world since it has a generally high standard of living, a clean environment and low crime rates.
Toronto has over 4 million tourist arrivals in a year making it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The landmark of the city is the second tallest free standing land structure in the world the CN Tower, which also has the tallest observation deck in the world. Toronto has museums for you to explore such as the Royal Ontario Museum which is a key museum for natural history and world culture; and the Gardiner Museum which is the only museum in the country that is dedicated to ceramics from Europe, the Americas and Asia and is has a vast collection of more than 2,900 works. The oldest annual fair in the world, the Canadian National Exhibition is held every year at Exhibition Place in Toronto where almost 1.3 million visitors go and enjoy the event.
Toronto’s most elegant district for shopping and dining is Yorkville where on some occasions celebrities are spotted especially during the Toronto Film Festival. The top tourist attraction in Toronto is the Toronto Eaton Center which is one of the top shopping spots in North America, with over a million visitors every week. Greektown is also popular in Toronto because it takes pride in having one of the highest numbers of restaurants per kilometer in the world.
Montreal
Montreal is the second largest city in the country and it is the largest city located in the southwest of the province of Quebec. Montreal is located on the eastern and central portions of the Island of Montreal at the convergence point of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers. The city was named after the three-head hill Mount Royal which is the most prominent geographical feature on the island. Existence of nomadic native peoples in the island of Montreal for at least 2,000 years before the arrival of Europeans is backed by archaeological evidence. Montreal is a French-speaking town having French as its official language. Montreal, next to Paris, is the second largest French-speaking city in the Western world. More than 1.6 million people live in the Montreal city proper and French is the language most spoken at home next to English. Montreal was ranked as the 10th cleanest city in the world in 2007.
Nightlife in Montreal is mainly concentrated on Crescent Street. Festivals and street fairs are featured in the area and its bars and clubs attract lots of tourists and locals during summer. Throughout the year students from nearby Concordia University are the frequent guests of the clubs. Saint Laurent Boulevard is also one of the best places for nightlife activities. Restaurants, nightclubs and bars can be found in the area where the night spots offer a variety of entertainment such as different kinds of club music. For those who want a more posh nightlife atmosphere, Sherbrooke Street is the place to be. Montreal is also a lively shopping place since it has a lot of department stores and shops in the downtown streets offering the latest in international brands.
Vancouver
Vancouver is the third largest city in Canada and it is located on the mainland of southwestern British Columbia. The city was named after the British explorer Captain George Vancouver. The city has a population of more than 600,000 while the metropolitan area has more than 2 million inhabitants. The population in the city is diverse with more than half of the city inhabitants having a first language other than English. Vancouver is a major seaport and it exports more cargo than any other port in the North American continent. Its economy traditionally relies on the mining, fishing, agriculture and forestry sectors. Nowadays Vancouver has a thriving film production and tourism industry and has expanded in its high technology industries particularly in the development of video games.
Vancouver is one of the most livable cities in the world since it offers a high quality of life. It also has a lot of things for you to explore and enjoy during your stay such as theaters, museums, libraries and festivals. The magnificent Vancouver Public Library is one of the most distinguishable landmarks in the city because of its vast collections of books and manuscripts and its amazing architecture. Interaction with rare and common animals can be done in the Vancouver Aquarium while permanent collections of remarkable artworks can be found in the Vancouver Art Gallery. Creativity and artistic expression is encouraged in the city of Vancouver that is why there are a lot of activities you can choose from such as laughing to your heart’s content in comedy bars; watch a theater production or a film or a musical; or experience a concert, ballet or opera. You can also breathe fresh air in Vancouver as you stroll in its many parks among which the most notable are the VanDusen Botanical Garden which has interesting plants; Stanley Park which is one of the largest urban parks on the planet; or the Queen Elizabeth Park which gives you the opportunity to have a full 360 degree view of the city.
Calgary
Calgary is the largest city in the province of Alberta. It is the third largest civic municipality by its number of more than a million inhabitants in Canada. It is the largest metropolitan area in between the cities of Vancouver and Toronto and it is a popular destination for ecotourism and winter sports. Calgary has mountain resorts near the metropolitan area and near the city. Tourism, agriculture, and the petroleum and high tech industries contribute to the city’s rapid growth in economy. The city holds various major yearly festivals such as the Folk Music Festival, the One Yellow Rabbit Festival, the Calgary Stampede, the International Festival of the Arts, and the Lilac Festival. Calgary was the first city in Canada to host the Winter Olympics in 1988. Calgary was ranked by Mercer Quality of Living as the cleanest city in the world in a 2007 survey published by Forbes Magazine.
The attractions in Calgary are eclectic having a wide range of bars, restaurants, parks, shopping and cultural venues, and museums. The Telus Convention Center, the Glenbow Museum, the Calgary Tower, the Calgary Zoo, the Telus World of Science, the Devonian Gardens, and the Art Gallery of Calgary are just some of the many attractions in the city. One of the most popular places to go to in Calgary is 17 Avenue which is a thriving area for dining in its various restaurants, vibrant nightlife in its clubs and bars, and shopping in its stores and shops. Calgary is also home to 10 skyscrapers which are over 500 feet tall.
Ottawa
Ottawa is the fourth largest municipality and the capital city of Canada. It is located on the eastern edge of the province of Ontario and it lies on the south bank of the Ottawa River which is a major waterway that separates Quebec and Ontario. Ottawa houses an abundance of government buildings, official residences, heritage structures, memorials and national museums. One of the country’s premier art galleries located in Ottawa is the National Gallery of Canada which houses a diverse and large collection of sculptures, photographs, paintings and drawings.
Most of the artworks being focused on by the gallery are of Canadian artists yet it holds works by notable European artists such as Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Rembrandt, Chagall and Klimt. Works by Pollock and Warhol can also be found in the collection. Canadian masterpieces by Emily Carr, Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven are exhibited in the museum. If you want to go and visit a museum of natural history, you can go to the Canadian Museum of Nature which includes all aspects of the intersection of nature and human society.