Canada Travelers Recommend

Vancouver is a city with a lot of things to do like shopping, fine dining, visiting museums, touring beautiful parks and so much more. It is also a city that has a lot of great options for day trips nearby. Here are some of the best day trips from Vancouver. Visiting Whistler is one of the most popular ideas for destinations to visit outside of Vancouver and is only a 78mile (125km) drive north, from the city. Known for its snowcapped mountains that are popular in the winter for skiing, snowboarding and similar winter activities it is also popular in the summer months for hiking and mountain biking. Whistler is additionally home to an award winning pedestrian village and is known as one of the top ski and snowboard destinations in North America.

The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, a medium-size town of about 350,000 some 60 miles (100km) southwest of Vancouver. Best known for its lush gardens and ornate architecture, the city is an easy day trip from Vancouver. Cruise to Vancouver Island for a full day guided tour. Spend the day exploring Victoria including world-famous Butchart Gardens and one of the city's several excellent museums. Covering 55 acres (22 hectares) in a former limestone quarry, the Butchart Gardens are one of the world's premier floral show gardens. Take a scenic seaplane flight to the famous island for a leisurely day of sightseeing before returning to Vancouver by ferry. Enjoy panoramic views of the city and its surrounds as you get a birds eye view of from the sky. Splash down and spend the day exploring Victoria's quaint antique shops and cafes, as well as the historic alleys of the oldest China town in Canada.

Not only is Toronto a fascinating destination in itself, it makes a great base for exploring Niagara Falls, just 80 miles (130 kilometers) away. This astonishing natural wonder straddling the US-Canadian border marks the dramatic halfway point of the Niagara River on its course from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. A day trip takes you through scenic Niagara Peninsula before you arrive at the thundering waters. Take in this awe-inspiring sight over lunch before you get more intimately acquainted with the Horseshoe Falls. Depending on the time of year, you can take an exhilarating ride on the Maid of the Mist boat, with their famous blue raincoats ensuring you stay dry(ish). Otherwise, experience the roar and mist from a different angle on a walk behind the cascade. Or if you really want to get your heart racing, take the afternoon Whirlpool Jet Boat tour. After a panoramic view over Whirlpool Rapids, toast the formidable falls at a local winery on your way back to Toronto.

Whales are perhaps the most fascinating creatures on earth, but unfortunately we don't have too many opportunities to get up close to these enormous aquatic animals. That is, unless you take a whale-watching cruise from Victoria, Vancouver Island! British Columbia’s whale-watching opportunities are legendary, as the waters off Vancouver Island are home to more pods of orcas than anywhere else on earth. You’ll also have the chance to spot humpback, gray and minke whales, seals, sea elephants and sea lions, plus the occasional bald eagle soaring overhead. Watching a frolicsome whale surface just meters from your boat is an awe-inspiring, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Eco-friendly whale-watching tours are led by professional naturalists who are experts in marine animal behaviour, and can help explain the meaning behind those playful dips, dives and splashes.