Family Holidays to Canada

Big city excitement, mountain adventure, seaside fun and just about everything else from theme parks to world class museums, outstanding skiing and fascinating history, Vancouver is a great all-round family holiday. Almost just a hop across the border from Seattle, Vancouver’s weather doesn’t go to the extremes of northern Canada, even in winter. And in summer, it’s sunny, warm, big on beaches and a great place to do some day-to-day island hopping.

• Gateway for Whistler, the Canadian Rockies, Victoria and Vancouver Island.
• Home port for Alaskan cruises during summer.
• Mild weather year-round but excellent snow for winter sports at very accessible mountain ski resorts.
• Vancouver city has 21 very different neighbourhoods including Chinatown, beachy Kitsilano and historic Gastown.
• Don’t miss: Vancouver Aquarium, Granville Island Waterpark, Grouse Mountain Cable Car and Capilano Suspension Bridge.

Founded almost 400 years ago, Montreal is Quebec’s oldest city and the second largest French speaking city in the world. It’s also young, fresh, energetic and great for kids – it even has its own International Children’s Film Festival. It’s also home territory for Cirque de Soleil and Montreal Complètement Cirque, famous for year-round ice skating and within easy reach of most of Quebec’s 70 plus ski resorts including legendary Mont Tremblant.

• Visit Old Montreal with kids for the Old Port Skating Rink, extreme sailing on Lachine Rapids, Montreal Science Centre and heritage fun at Château Ramezay.
• Head to Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (HoMA) for outdoor freedom at Olympiad, huge Parc Maisonneuve and the Olympic Park Esplanade.
• Montreal’s less than 35 minutes’ drive from Mount Saint-Saveur for city-based family ski holidays.
• Summer temperatures of 27 – 30˚C in July and August. December to March lows can be as low as -12˚C, so pack warm for winter.

Canada’s biggest city is a true icon from its CN Tower dominated skyline to the make-or-break Toronto Film Festival. New and shiny at first glance, Toronto has an old heart and, as haunted tours of the historic districts prove, more than a few tales to tell. It’s a lively city for kids with an endless parade of activities indoors and out, amazing zoos, enormous parks and the powerful attraction of Canada’s Wonderland – the country’s biggest and most thrilling theme park.

• The city skyline’s defined by the CN Tower, it’s not the world’s tallest anymore but it’s still a spectacular 457m high and the views from the top are breathtaking.
• Toronto is just 90 minutes drive from Niagara Falls.
• The 90m high Scarborough Bluffs run for 15km along the coast just 40 minutes from Toronto.
• Summer temperatures of 20 – 25˚C in July and August drop to -5˚C from December to February.

Canada’s first national park sits right in the heart of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains but just over an hour’s drive from Calgary. 6641km² of the type of natural splendour that could only be Canadian, this is the ultimate outdoor adventure holiday for kids. Visit in winter to ski the Big-3 (Lake Louise, Banff and Sunshine). Spring and summer are the seasons for hiking, climbing, walking and exploring. Banff is one of the loveliest places to go camping but there’s no shortage of fantastic hotels tucked into the wild and unbelievable grandeur of this magnificent national park.

• Calgary’s less than 120km from Banff National Park.
• Families can get involved in a range of interpretative programmes across Banff, combining learning and outdoor activities for kids.
• Banff’s wildlife includes wolves, bears, elk, caribou, wolverine and lynx. Over 260 species of wild birds have been recorded here.
• Activities in the park range from walking and driving to winter sports, cycling, swimming, sailing, ice-diving, skating, horse riding and fishing.