Inside: Planning a trip to Canada as a family. Collaborative post.
Planning a trip to Canada can be quite the job if you are travelling from Europe. With flights to book, an eTA form to arrange and an itinerary to plan out. If you aren’t organised you risk forgetting something major.
Canada requires visitors to have an eTa form, full vaccination status and a letter of consent from a parent of a child if only one parent is travelling. Having all of your documents prepared ahead of time will give you peace of mind and allow you to get on with the fun part – planning your stay!
This post will go through the various things to consider when planning your trip,
Who can travel to Canada?
If you are a Canadian national or have dual nationality then you do not require any documents and simply have to arrive with a valid passport. US nationals only need to arrive with their passport. Anyone else, if flying in, must apply for and have on their person an eTA for Canada as well as their passport ID.
You will need to apply for your eTA form before you travel. It can take as little as a few minutes to get approved and only costs CAD $7 per person. It is then linked to your passport and is valid for 5 years or until your passport expires (whichever comes sooner).
As well as the above documents, all visitors (including children) visiting Canada must have full vaccination status and so need to provide their vaccination passport upon entering the country. If you are exempt then you will have to provide a letter of exemption and submit negative tests before departure, on arrival and on day 8 of your stay. You will also need to isolate for 14 days on arrival to ensure you aren’t carrying the virus.
When to visit Canada
Depending on what you are looking to do on your trip, you’ll want to plan around the country’s seasons. As with the UK, Canada’s weather can change drastically from season to season with high temperatures of 30ºC in the summer and lows of -30ºC in the winter. The country is so large though that these are just the extremes, with some provinces being more temperate in climate than others.
The summer months are understandably the busiest, with tourists visiting from June to September to enjoy the good weather and higher temperatures – especially in the coastal regions with sandy beaches.
Spring (March – June) has cooler temperatures but is often quite wet, whereas autumn might be the best time to go (September -October) as it has cooler temperatures alongside the dry weather left over from the summer season. Autumn is also the time when you’ll see Canada’s famous golden leaves all around you – particularly in Ontario which boasts the best coloured foliage.
Winter (November – March) is something to behold in Canada, with many people choosing to visit and go skiing during the colder months. Some regions even have snow until May – extending the timeframe for a ski trip.
Things to see and do
Here are just a few of the best places to visit while you are in Canada. With it being such a vast country, I have listed everything by province, moving from western Canada over to Eastern Canada.
British Columbia
Whistler Blackcomb is home to one of the largest ski resorts in North America and is a must do during the winter months.
BC is home to the largest number of Canada’s national parks and Stanley Park is just one of them. Described as a green oasis in the heart of Vancouver, you can enjoy scenic views of water, mountains and rainforest along the famous seawall.
Vancouver Island is home to giant trees, idyllic beaches and is the perfect place to unwind. During the winter, it is also a great place to visit for surfing or storm watching.
Canadian Rockies
The Rocky Mountains stretch from New Mexico right up into Canada, sandwiched between British Columbia and Alberta. Known as the Canadian Rockies for the part within Canada, you can take a trip on the Rocky Mountaineer (or The Canadian as a cheaper alternative) to see all of their natural beauty up close.
Alberta
Jasper National Park is the largest park within the Canadian Rockies and people travel from all over the world to experience it’s beauty. The park contains glaciers, hot springs, lakes and waterfalls as well as the mountains – a highlight of any trip to Canada for sure.
The Icefields Parkway is a road that connects Jasper with Lake Louise and is, in itself, an attraction worth taking time over. You can even stop and go on an ice walk along a glacier – amazing!
Banff National Park is Canada’s oldest park and is home to forests, lakes and mountainous terrain. One of it’s most popular lakes is Lake Louise, which is famous for its turquoise water, It is part of one of those beautiful places you will never ever forget visiting.
Manitoba
If you’re in Canada in October or November then you might want to take a trip up to Churchill to see if you can spot any polar bears.
Ontario
Niagara Falls is of course one of the most popular places to visit if you are in Ontario (or in New York if in the United States side).
Just over Lake Ontario you’ll find the CN Tower in Toronto – one of the city’s popular attractions. It was the world’s tallest structure, standing at 1,815 feet (553 metres), until 2007 when it was overtaken by the Burj Dubai building in Dubai.
Travel north up to Algonquin Park, another of Canada’s beautiful parks and you might be in with a chance of spotting some Moose. Larger than expected, they are a sight to behold.
Quebec
Old Montreal is full of historic buildings and sites dating back to the 17th century which show the indigenous and colonial past. Visit Notre-Dame Basilica, walk down Saint Paul Street and enjoy the rich culture that surrounds you.
Nova Scotia
Visit the Bay of Fundy and take a boat ride and do some whale watching. Nova Scotia is also home to the Cliffs of Fundy, a UNESCO World Heritage site, that shows where the land of Pangea split apart 200 million years ago. It is one of six UNESCO sites there, also including Landscape of Grand Pré, Old Town Lunenburg, Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Bras d’Or Lake and the Biosphere Reserve.
Prince Edward Island
Famous for being the home of Anne of Green Gables, Prince Edward Island is also a popular destination for its gorgeous sandy beaches, hiking trails and world-class sea food offerings.
Travelling within Canada
(If you are arriving into Canada by land (from the US) you won’t need an eTA form, only your passport.)
If you want to travel between the provinces, the Trans-Canada Highway is the ultimate route for your Canadian road trip. Spanning from Newfoundland to British Columbia, it measures at 7,476 km along the main route.
Driving
Hiring a car is the best way to get around if you plan on venturing out of the major cities. If you are over 21 and carry a full license then you can drive around Canada. Renting a car will most likely require you to pay by card so be prepared to do so or risk being turned down.
Be sure to plan your road trip to account for petrol stations, making sure you don’t drive for too long between fill-ups. Make yourself familiar with Canadian driving laws and also parking laws such as not parking within 5m of a fire hydrant or risk having your car towed away!
Bus
An alternative to driving yourself is to take the bus which might be a better option if you plan on travelling vast distances and a great way to enjoy the scenic drive. This is because car rentals often charge you for mileage above a certain point. Greyhound Canada are the biggest players and run routes across the country and Megabus are another option with great price options available.
Train
If you haven’t considered travelling by train, you should definitely give it some thought. You can go to sleep in one part of the country and wake up in another province and time zone! Via Rail is owned by the government and is the only way to travel from the west to the east coast.
Alternatives
If you’re visiting any of the islands you will have to take a ferry ride and certain places such as Prince Edward Island have banned automobiles completely so you’ll need a bike to get around.
And of course, you can fly from region to region but this is expensive, not very earth-conscious and you’ll miss out on all of the scenery along the way.
Money saving tips
- If you plan to drive, book a flight & drive package or book ahead with a rental company to make use of competitive deals. Also, although counterintuitive, it is worth paying the additional fee for the Loss Damage Waiver as without it you would be liable to pay for even the smallest scratch to the vehicle.
- If taking buses, book ahead of time to make use of any online deals available.
- Embrace the outdoors by camping for part or all of your stay and make use of Airbnb’s instead of hotels that can be a big expense.
- Travel during spring or autumn when prices are much lower – you’ll also avoid crowds and extreme temperatures so it’s a great time to go!
- Limit how much you eat out and instead head to grocery stores to get basic food to cook yourself.
- Make sure you have travel insurance to cover any unexpected medical incidents.
Whenever you decide to go, wherever you choose to visit, be sure to check the national and local guidelines, have an in-date passport, your eTA and vaccines up to date. Getting organised in advance will ensure you have the best trip!