Canada Attractions

Toronto

Although the famous Niagara Falls are nearby, Toronto isn't a city with a checklist full of attractions. But its summer festivals, the spicy corners of its markets, the beachfront boardwalks and the music pouring out of its neighbourhood eateries will slowly and surely seduce you.

This is Canada's business capital and largest city: a clean, safe and vibrant metropolis where real estate prices are high and blood pressure levels are low. The centre of Anglo-Canadian culture and media, it's also one of the great ethnic melting pots of the world.

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of Alberta, the most westerly of the prairie provinces. While Calgary milks the wild west image, Edmonton prefers to hit the headlines for housing the world's largest shopping and entertainment mall, but still enjoys an attractively wooded riverside setting.

The province's famed mineral legacy is explored in the Royal Alberta Museum, and there's also Canada's largest planetarium, unsurprisingly accompanied by an IMAX theatre. The gem south of the river is Old Strathcona, a residential area of gorgeous old buildings dating from 1891.

Vancouver

There aren't many cities in the world that offer Vancouver's combination of big-city lifestyle and outdoor fun in such cheek-by-jowl proximity. Ski in the morning, sail in the afternoon and still make it back to town in time for a cocktail or three.

Vancouver is still a city of new immigrants - wander the streets and you'll hear a dozen different languages. The city also attracts young professionals and artists from the eastern provinces who come here to enjoy its recreation and laid-back sophistication.

Nunavut

The immense Northwest Territories were subdivided in 1999 to create Canada's newest territory, the eastern Arctic Inuit region of Nunavut. It's wild and isolated, stretching north above the tree line from Hudson Bay up to Ellesmere Island National Park, within spitting distance of the North Pole.

Halifax

Perched on one of the world's largest natural harbors, fog-bound Halifax has gone from old-salt port to deluxe destination, with its historic areas gussied up into sleek tourist precincts. More and more travellers are setting course for Nova Scotia's capital.

Ottawa

Canada's capital bearhugs the southern bank of the Ottawa River, on Ontario's eastern tip. It's a government town, dominated physically and spiritually by the neo-Gothic Parliament Buildings. While not exactly excitement central, the air's clean, the streets are wide and the people are friendly.

The city has the usual plethora of impressive buildings common to capital cities: the Canadian War Museum, the Royal Canadian Mint, various grand old homes inhabited by ministers of state and a swag of museums to do justice to the country's icons: nature, aviation, science and technology, skiing and agriculture.

Montreal

Montreal's charm lies in its old-world atmosphere rather than its star attractions. Nonetheless, this city of immigrants has managed to carve out a place for itself as Quebec's economic and cultural centre. That it's friendly and easy to get around helps.

Quebec's largest city keeps one foot in the past and one in the present, with 19th century churches nestled in the shadows of soaring modern skyscrapers. During the day, the city has a typically North American bustle - while French-speaking Montreal takes pains to retain its linguistic heritage.