Canada Family Holidays

Places to visit in Canada

Quebec

Vancouver and British Columbia

Overview

Stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific and up to the North Pole, Canada is a vast country (the world’s second-largest) so has oodles of scope for family fun. From mountains to tundra, from forests to beaches and from glaciers to islands, its natural beauty is compelling, but there are also hip and happening cities, quaint towns, thrilling rail journeys, fascinating historical sites, themeparks to rival those in the USA and world-class museums. Couple that with all the opportunities offered by the great outdoors, from whale-watching to salmon-fishing with bears, some in the country's 41 National Parks, and you get a one of the world's best family holiday destinations.

The time and expense involved in covering the immense distances between places in Canada means it may be wise to confine your trips to one area surrounding a major city – perhaps Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver. That's unless you want to make the actual journey through Canada the main focus of your holiday with an epic train trip…

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Things to do with kids in Canada

Discover Ontario, Canada’s most southerly region, home to a large proportion of the country’s 30 million people, its largest city, Toronto, and its biggest tourist site, Niagara Falls. The great waterfalls straddle the border between Canada and the United States, and there is enthusiastic competition between the two to lay on the best tourist facilities – you can balloon over the falls, sail under them, or walk through behind or beside them. The famous Maid of the Mist boats operate from the USA but there are plenty of options on the Canadian side of Niagara, including helicopter rides, the Skylon Tower with its observation deck, the Skywheel and even zip-lining beside the Falls.

Drive about 90 minutes from Niagara to Toronto, a financial and industrial powerhouse but a good family city break destination in its own right, as well as a launchpad for exploring further afield. This vibrant, appealing city has some great family attractions. The CN Tower, the world’s tallest free-standing building, has glass-fronted elevators whizzing you up to its viewing platforms plus the opportunity for those aged 13 years and up to do the hands-free but harnessed EdgeWalk around the circumference of its roof. The Royal Ontario Museum, Centreville Amusement Park, Toronto Zoo and the outstanding themepark Canada’s Wonderworld are just some of the other things to do in Toronto with kids. Some of the city's attractions are on the Toronto Islands within Lake Ontario. Alternatively, about 90 minutes north of Toronto is lesser-known Georgian Bay, a beautiful waterscape of islands and lakes.

Explore another highlight of family holidays in Ontario, about 450km north-east of Toronto: the country’s capital Ottawa, which has changed enormously since a government spending spree. In the heart of the city is Mooney’s Bay, with a sandy beach with swimming in the river, volleyball, biking paths and cross-country skiing on illuminated trails, plus a ski school, according to season. In autumn people head here to see the beautifully coloured foliage.

Note that Ottawa is part of the National Capital Region together with neighbouring Gatineau, which is in the French-speaking province of Quebec. The Gatineau Hills themselves are a popular skiing destination among inhabitants of both cities and Ontario as a whole, as well as having nothing less, in winter, than the world’s biggest skating rink in the form of the two-kilometre-long Skateway on the UNESCO World Heritage listed Rideau Canal. The city of Gatineau, meanwhile, is home to the Canadian Museum of History, which contains the Canadian Children’s Museum, with permanent displays, temporary exhibitions and special events.

Venture into the Maritime Provinces – gorgeous, sleepy Nova Scotia, pristine Prince Edward Island and imposing New Brunswick. These areas are not for the fainthearted (and whatever you do, don’t come in winter), but those who appreciate spectacular natural beauty and don’t mind struggling a bit to find it will have a wonderful holiday here. Base yourselves in Halifax and take a boat to remote Newfoundland, the setting for The Shipping News, to admire floating icebergs.

Go west, far west, for the delights of British Columbia, a land of untainted wilderness, with mountains, forest, coastal fjords, giant ranches, plains and immense lakes – everything is on a large scale. Book a family holiday in British Columbia, which has more flora and fauna than the rest of Canada put together, and you can ski (especially at world-famous Whistler in the north of the province), hike or sail, or to try your hands at salmon-fishing. It’s more or less all about the coast here: the interior is hard to get to, and it’s hard to find somewhere to stay when you do make it. Discover beautiful Vancouver with kids; most of the BC population is based here and it has lots of family attractions.

Venture inland of BC to breathtaking Alberta to be bowled over by its Rocky Mountain landscapes and world-class ski resorts. Among its treasures are six UNESCO World Heritage Sites, five national parks, two of the biggest Dark Sky Preserves in the world and nearly 600 species of wildlife, including grizzly and black bears, moose and elk. Don’t miss Elk Island National Park, the only fully enclosed national park in Canada, with more than 700 free roaming bison.The dinosaur-filled scenery of the Badlands is the place for unforgettable outdoors adventures, while diverse, modern Calgary and the provincial capital Edmonton promise urban discoveries galore. When winter arrives, the Canadian Rockies are perfect for family adventures – head to Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise and Kananaskis Country for dog-sledding, snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding and ice-skating. Make sure to drive the Icefields Parkway, one of the world’s iconic road trips, with lots of glaciers to spot.

Head into the north (the provinces of Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut) – the final frontier. Its reputation as a land of perpetual winter, a frozen wasteland, means few people visit, but come in summer and find it transformed into a beautiful place of extraordinary sporting opportunities, fascinating cultures and wonderful landscapes, flora and fauna. Visit the Skeena Valley or the archipelago of Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands). Drive the 2240km Alaskan Highway, connecting the USA to its state of Alaska via Canada, camp out in the Nahanni National Park or take your kids glacier-hiking on Baffin Island in Auyuittuq National Park. If this is a little too ambitious to tackle independently, go with one of the many excellent guided tours.

Narwhal in Nunavut.

Eat

Big cities and larger towns in Canada provide all the child-friendly fare you can find around the globe, including pizzas and pasta galore, and there’s a lot of kid-pleasing ‘North American’ fare, from hot dogs from street stands to apple pie. Otherwise, as you’d expect in such a vast country, ‘Canadian cuisine’ varies widely, with a French influence predominant, naturally enough, in the province of Quebec, but British, Irish, Scandinavian, German, Polish and Ukrainian influences in other places, and Chinese food widely available.

Wild game is a mainstay in colder, more northerly parts, while in the Maritime Provinces salt-cured fish features heavily. Seal meat is also eaten on the Atlantic coast and in the north. If that’s beyond the pale for you, other local produce includes wild blueberries, salmon and maple syrup. And start a hectic day of sightseeing or outdoors activities with a 'lumberjack’s (or logger’s) breakfast': three or more eggs, ham, bacon and sausages, and several large pancakes.

In Montreal, don’t miss a smoked meat sandwich with coleslaw, crisps and half a pickle, or a local bagel. Another Quebec speciality (found all over the country) is poutine – chips with a topping of cheese curds and gravy.

An iceberg in Newfoundland.

When to go to Canada

When to take a family holiday in Canada depends on what sort of experience you’re looking for. The ski season typically lasts Dec–April, but if you’re visiting other places during this time you’ll find a lot of attractions closed for the winter months, which can be bitterly cold, so do your research. As in Europe, July and August tend to be the warmest months, with a temperatures of around 25°C in Vancouver and Toronto.

Zipwiring at Niagara Falls.

Cost

Accommodation and food have historically been cheaper in Canada than in the UK and remain relatively good value, making it a good-value family holiday destination depending on where you stay and what you do.