Canada
Seven cities I explored, four routes that actually work, and the practical page. I wish someone had handed me that the first time.
Updated September 2026
What nobody tells you before you land
Canada is not a country you can 'do' in one trip — it's a continent. The east (Toronto, Niagara, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City) and the west (Banff and Vancouver, out in the Rockies and on the Pacific) are a four- or five-hour flight apart, and the single biggest mistake I see is people trying to string both coasts together on a week they don't have.
So the routes below pick a side. A week is one region done well; two weeks lets you fly across once and see both without living in airports. Give the Rockies room — the mountains are the whole point — and don't underestimate the distances between anything out west.
Fact sheet
Everything practical, on one page
Itineraries
Four routes that actually work
Seven days is one coast, done properly. Twenty-one is the whole country — one flight across, both coasts, the Rockies included.
One week, one side of the country. Toronto to warm up, a day trip to the falls, then the train east to Montreal for the food and the French. No flying.
The extra days add the capital, Ottawa, and old Quebec City — the most European corner of North America. Toronto to Quebec City is one clean line east by train.
The east first, then one flight west (Montreal or Toronto to Calgary) and straight into the Rockies at Banff before finishing on the Pacific in Vancouver. Two weeks, one hop.
The one I'd take. All five eastern cities by train, then a flight west for a slow week in the Rockies — Banff, Lake Louise, a run up to Jasper if you have the legs — and the Pacific finish in Vancouver.
City guides
Seven cities, walked one street at a time
Banff
The mountain town for Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and the Icefields Parkway.
4 days · Coming soonVancouver
Sea and mountains in one city — Stanley Park, Granville Island and Gastown.
3 days · Coming soonToronto
The big multicultural one — the CN Tower, Kensington Market and the islands.
3 days · Coming soonNiagara Falls
The falls up close — the boat, the mist, and how to do it as a day trip.
1 day · Coming soonOttawa
The quiet capital — Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal and the national museums.
2 days · Coming soonMontreal
French flair and great food — Old Montreal, the Plateau and the bagels.
3 days · Coming soonQuebec City
The walled old town — cobblestones, the Château Frontenac and pure Europe.
2 days · Coming soonAsked every week
Questions I get about Canada
How many days do I need?+
Seven is enough for one coast — either the east (Toronto, Niagara, Montreal) or the west (Banff and Vancouver). Ten rounds out the east; fourteen crosses to both coasts with one flight; twenty-one is the whole country without rushing.
Do I need a visa?+
Most European travelers need an eTA — CAD$7, applied for online in minutes, valid up to five years. US citizens don't need one to fly in. Always check the rules for your own passport before you book.
Can I do both coasts in one trip?+
Not comfortably in under two weeks. The east and the Rockies are a four- to five-hour flight apart, so pick one side for a week and fly across only if you have fourteen days or more.
When should I go?+
June to September for warm days and everything open — best for the Rockies. September and October bring the fall colors in the east. Winter is beautiful but cold, and mountain roads need care.
The podcast
I walked this before I wrote it
Every guide starts as an episode. Listen to the Canada introduction — the context, the distances and the honest bits — then come back for the routes.