Canada can satisfy almost any family holiday dreams, often in just one province.
It’s the country with several of the world’s leading ski resorts, the impressive Canadian Rockies, hundreds of vast lakes, thousands of islands and an indigenous cultural heritage that dates back 10s of 1000s of years.
Immense forests and endless wilderness spaces are the definition of the great outdoors and fantastic modern cities with lovely historic quarters are never far away from the coast or countryside.
Visit with kids and they’ll probably never want to go anywhere else except Canada, ever again.
Direct flights all year round from London to Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and Calgary.
Canada has 47 National Parks, six of which have World Heritage designation.
16 UNESCO World Heritage cultural sites include Quebec’s enchanting historic quarter and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump just over an hour’s drive south of Calgary.
Whistler Mountain, home to North America’s No.1 ski resort ‘Whistler Blackcomb’, is under two hours drive north of Vancouver.
Mont Tremblant, Eastern North America’s No.1 Overall Best Ski Resort, is less than two hours drive from Montreal.
Beautiful Vancouver Island, home to the Pacific Rim National Park, is one of Canada’s top whale spotting areas.
Quebec City Winter Carnival, Toronto Cavalcade of Lights and Vancouver Festival of Lights are annual Christmas events usually enhanced by plenty of snow.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It’s a big country and everyone drives, so hiring a car for the holiday is an essential. Park and ride is big in cities and public transport is varied and very high standard. Inter-state domestic flights are the best option for longer journeys.
Discover more
