Canada – quick travel guide

Huge country somewhat similar to America (with English-speaking and lots of nature)…but friendlier people, cheaper costs, many things to do, French culture on the east coast, and its own unique vibe!

Canada may not seem high on your tourism list, and many see it as America’s less cool little brother…it does have several places worth visiting and offers its own cool vibe. A highly desirable country to live and visit. I did both…visiting there as a tourist but also living there for 3 months.

What stands out to me about Canada is that it seems very similar to America. But with friendlier people, slight differences on their English (on the east coast), much colder winters, and the French province of Quebec. The French part alone is super cool. If you’re in America, Montreal will feel like a super fast trip to Europe. Also Canada’s main sport is hockey, unlike America with football and basketball. Sports is a big thing in North America and seems like the only culture those countries have (hahaha)…since they aren’t old enough to have their own culture, and also since those countries were taken from the original native Americans (indigenous people) who actually came from there.

You can do a short tour on the east coast covering 2 nearby powerhouses, Montreal and Toronto within 1 week. Can add 1-2 extra days for Quebec City (which is more than just “tiny Montreal”). And another 3-4 days for Vancouver if you want to venture into the west coast. Then add more days to that if you want to visit national parks and nature stuff.

General tips for traveling in Canada:

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• Transportation – Canada’s public transportation is decent.
• Rideshare – Lyft, Uber.
• Carpool apps – Poparide. It really works and is a great way to get around from city to city. Costs are slightly cheaper than a bus. And maybe you’d still prefer a bus to get around, but car is faster and pickup/dropoff locations may be more convenient.
• Weather – do not mess around. Canada can get brutally cold, especially on the east coast. I recommend coming to Canada only between April and November. The shoulder months are probably best in terms of weather (not too hot or too cold). But during the hot summer can be nice since there are many events/festivals going on.

Miscellaneous tips:

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Safety tips:

• Canada is very safe and also feels very safe. Less weirdos and crazy people than its next door neighbor, America.

Foods to try:

• French Canada:
  • poutine

Customs & Language:

• Mostly same food as America.
• In the French region (Quebec province), try poutine and french stuff.

Canadian cities (* = recommended, ** = must see):

• Montreal** – French metropolis. It’s really cool that they speak French and it feels like Europe. Amazing city, beautiful, and with many things to do. Rich in activities. The center has a huge park that has a festival seemingly every weekend. I’d say Montreal is the coolest city in Canada, and one of the coolest in the world.
• Quebec City* – smaller, charmier, and even more picturesque than Montreal.
• Toronto* – kind of like the New York of Canada. Diverse, and many things to do.
  • Hamilton – small university town. Really not the greatest place when I lived there in 2010. But perhaps some things have changed since.
• Vancouver* – beautiful nature.
• Winnipeg – many people say this is the most Canadian city in Canada. Diverse and has everything and every part of Canadian culture here (weather, politics, mentality, culture, history, important figures, etc). Under-appreciated because of its cold weather.

Nearby countries:

• America* – many non Americans might feel America is a highly desirable place to visit. But personally, I don’t see the point. If not for all the media and decades of pop culture brainwashing, America isn’t all that it’s glorified to be. For outsiders, it can seem immensely big, inconvenient to get around (long distances via car/plane and lack of public transport), expensive as heck, and beautiful public spaces are often heavy commercialized. It lacks culture, charm, and vibe. With that said…you may still find it very cool and indeed there are many beautiful things…such as the wide range of activities and interesting things for tourists, incredible beautiful nature and national parks. If you liked Australia, you’ll probably like the US.
• Greenland – I’ve never been. But the idea of it sounds interesting to me. If you’re already in east coast Canada, then New York and Boston ain’t far away. If you’re already in west coast Canada, then Portland and Seattle ain’t far away.

Unfiltered notes: