Travel guide
Canada holidays: a travel guide for UK visitors
The Rockies at Banff and Lake Louise, the Pacific coast at Vancouver, and the old French cities of Quebec: a practical guide to Canada holidays and tours, with the best time to visit month by month.
Why visit Canada
Canada is too big to see in one go, and the first decision is which half. The west is the Rocky Mountains: Banff, Lake Louise and the glacier-fed lakes that give the postcards their improbable turquoise, joined to Jasper by the Icefields Parkway and to the Pacific at Vancouver, where the mountains come down to the sea. Vancouver Island, across the water, has Victoria and, on its far coast, rainforest and black bears on the shoreline at low tide. The east is older and more urban: Toronto and Niagara Falls, Ottawa, then Montreal and Quebec City, where the language turns French and the walled old town looks more like Normandy than North America. Beyond them lie the Maritimes, fishing harbours and lighthouses on Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Most first visits go west for the scenery; the east suits people who want cities, history and autumn colour. The distances are long, which is much of the case for a tour: someone else drives the mountain roads, and the rail journeys, the Rocky Mountaineer above all, turn the travelling into part of the holiday.
Best time to visit Canada
The best time to visit Canada for touring is June to September. In the Rockies, the high lakes are often still frozen into June, and the walking trails clear of snow through the summer; July and August are warm, long-days months and the busiest, and September is the pick for many, with smaller crowds, cool clear mornings and the larches turning gold. Summer can bring wildfire smoke to the mountains and British Columbia. In the east, Ontario and Quebec are comfortable from late May into October, and the autumn colour, from mid-September to mid-October, is the reason many people go, especially on tours that combine Canada with New England. The Maritimes have the shortest season, roughly late June to September. May and October are good shoulder months, with the touring season just starting or winding down. From November to April most of the country is in winter: cold, snowy and quiet for touring, apart from the Rockies, where specialist winter holidays run around Banff and Lake Louise.
Canada month by month
- JanuaryQuiet
- Deep winter nationwide; only specialist Rockies winter-sports tours run at this time.
- FebruaryQuiet
- Still firmly winter, with snow-based touring the main option in the Rockies.
- MarchQuiet
- Cold and often snowbound; most escorted touring has not yet started for the year.
- AprilQuiet
- A transitional month, with thawing roads and little touring activity before May.
- MayGood
- The main touring season begins as mountain roads clear and the Rocky Mountaineer starts running.
- JuneBest
- Long days and reliably warm weather nationwide; a strong month for both coasts and the Rockies.
- JulyBest
- Peak summer, warm across the country and the busiest month for the Rockies and the Maritimes.
- AugustBest
- Still peak season, warm and settled, though the best-known sights are at their busiest.
- SeptemberBest
- Crowds ease and days stay mild, with early autumn colour beginning in the north.
- OctoberGood
- Peak autumn colour in Quebec and Ontario, though the Rockies touring season is winding down.
- NovemberQuiet
- Cold arrives quickly and most escorted touring for the year has finished.
- DecemberQuiet
- Deep winter returns, with only a handful of specialist winter tours running before the new year.
Top things to do in Canada
- 1
See Banff, Lake Louise and the Icefields Parkway
The heart of most Canada tours. Banff is a mountain town inside a national park, and Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are the two lakes everyone has seen photographs of. Moraine Lake’s road is closed to private cars, so a tour or the park shuttle is the way in. North to Jasper runs the Icefields Parkway, one of the great mountain roads, past the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield.
- 2
Take the train through the Rockies
The Rocky Mountaineer runs between Vancouver and Banff or Jasper in daylight only, stopping overnight in a hotel, at Kamloops on the main routes, so that none of the scenery passes in the dark. Several of our tours are built around it.
- 3
Go from Niagara Falls to Quebec City
The classic eastern route: Toronto and the falls at Niagara, the capital at Ottawa, then along the St Lawrence to Montreal and Quebec City, the only city north of Mexico that still has its walls. It suits people who prefer cities and history to mountains, and it is at its best in the autumn colour from mid-September.
The cheapest Canada holidays right now
Lowest lead-in prices first, from live availability. Open one for its dates, and book directly with its operator.
Canada travel questions
- When is the best time to visit Canada?
- June to September for most tours. July and August are warmest and busiest; September is quieter, with the first autumn colour in the Rockies. For the east, mid-September to mid-October brings the autumn leaves in Ontario and Quebec. From November to April it is winter almost everywhere.
- Should I see the Rockies or eastern Canada on a first visit?
- Most first-time visitors go west, for the mountains, the lakes and Vancouver. The east, from Toronto and Niagara Falls to Montreal and Quebec City, suits people who prefer cities, history and food, and it has shorter distances between stops. Some longer tours cover both, flying or taking the train between the two.
- How long do I need for a Canada tour?
- Two weeks is a comfortable length for one region, such as the Rockies and Vancouver, or the eastern cities. Most of our Canada tours are between ten and sixteen nights. Coast-to-coast tours take longer, and fly or use the train to cover the distance.
- Is the Rocky Mountaineer worth it?
- It depends what you want from the journey. It travels by day only, with large windows and meals served on board, and stops overnight in a hotel so you see the whole route. It costs more than seeing the same mountains by coach, and you spend two days on the train rather than off it. Tour pages show whether the train is included and in which class.
- How much of a Rockies tour is spent on a coach?
- Some days are long: the distances between Vancouver, the interior of British Columbia and the national parks are large, and a travelling day can mean most of a day on the road, with stops. Others are spent in one place, often with two or more nights in Banff or Jasper. The day-by-day itinerary on each tour page shows the pattern.
- Are the lakes in the Rockies frozen in May?
- Often, yes. The high lakes, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake among them, usually stay frozen into June, and some trails are under snow until later in the summer. For the turquoise water in the photographs, go from mid-June to September.
- Do wildfires affect summer tours in Canada?
- They can. The fire season peaks in summer, mainly in the west, and smoke can haze the mountain views or close a road for a time. Operators change routes when they need to. Check the UK government’s advice for Canada before you go, and make sure your travel insurance covers disruption.
- Will I see bears and other wildlife?
- There is a good chance of elk, deer and sometimes black bears beside the roads in the Rockies, but sightings from a coach are never guaranteed. Tours that include a dedicated wildlife trip, such as bear-watching on Vancouver Island, give the best chance. Keep your distance and follow your guide’s advice.
- Can I combine a Canada tour with an Alaska cruise?
- Yes. Some of our tours pair the Rockies and the Rocky Mountaineer with a cruise along the Alaska coast, and others combine eastern Canada with New England and New York in the autumn.
- Is Canada a good place to travel solo?
- Yes. Many people travel alone on a group tour, which takes care of the distances and the driving. Just You’s tours are for solo travellers, and other group tours take single travellers too.
- Do I need cash in Canada, and how much should I tip?
- Cards, including contactless, are accepted almost everywhere, but a little cash is useful for tips. Tipping is expected in Canada, much as in the United States: in restaurants and for guides and drivers. Prices are usually shown before sales tax, which is added at the till. Ask your operator what tips are usual on your tour.
- Will my phone work in the Rockies?
- In towns, yes, if your plan includes roaming in Canada; check with your provider before you go, as charges vary. On long stretches of mountain road, such as the Icefields Parkway, there is often no signal at all.
- Do I need vaccinations for Canada?
- See your GP or a travel clinic at least eight weeks before you go to check your routine vaccinations. TravelHealthPro publishes the current advice for Canada. Medical treatment is expensive and there is no special arrangement for British visitors, so take travel insurance that covers it.
- Can I take my prescription medicines to Canada?
- The rules on some medicines differ from the UK’s. Check the UK government’s advice for Canada, and ask the Canadian High Commission in London if you take anything stronger than everyday medicines. Carry them in their original packaging with a copy of your prescription.