3 weeks in Canada

[Selfcarequeereyestyle]

Just booked 3 weeks in Canada for next summer!!! We will be flying in and out of Vancouver.
I think we are likely to do a couple of days in Vancouver then over to Victoria and Tofino, then back to the mainland and visit whistler, Kamloops, Jasper and Banff before heading back to Vancouver.
Have I missed out anywhere obvious to visit? Are there any must do activities? The kids will be 10 and 7.
I am so excited, I last went to Canada when I was 12 and had the best time. We are hoping to meet up with my cousins whilst we are over there.

Telegraph cove ?

Be sure to take in the vineyards of the okanagon valley

Whistler too?

Thank u - we have added Kelowna to the itinerary. Just need to find affordable places to stay now!

Just back. Will put a full reply up shortly.

i'm in kamloops should you have any specific questions

Lake Louise (between Jasper and Banff). And the Bow Valley Parkway from there to Banff is exceptionally scenic!

Revelstoke, BC is a fun place for DCs to break up the drive. They have a coast down the mountain (will cost about $70 cad) for two riders with two passengers. There's also Sky Trek Adventure Park just south of the town - wonderful outdoor climbing area amongst the trees.

I really liked Kelowna - close to vineyards and there s Lake Okanagan too. Various walks and woodland trails to explore.

If you go to Vancouver, head over.to North Vancouver and you can visit the suspension bridge at Lynn Valley canyon. It's free! Lovely walks. Or there is the big suspension bridge at Capilano (we didn't Go, h terrified of heights!).

I literally did this exact holiday this summer plus a few days in Manitoba. It was brilliant and I'm so jealous of you! Would love to go back! Make sure you make good use of the gondola in Whister and in Banff and go up the mountains. The views are spectacular! When you are in Jasper, head out to the ice field and visit the glacier and do the sky walk. It was amazing! Also on the way from Jasper to ice fields are a few waterfalls. Please visit the Athabasca falls, it was absolutely stunning!
When in Vancouver, we hired bikes and cycled round Stanley park. It took us a few hours and it was so much fun! You get to see so much on the way around too! When we were in Victoria we stayed at the Fairmont empress, and across from there to the left waste BC museum. It was definitely worth a look, very interesting history! Are you driving to each of these places?

Oh that sounds wonderful we loved Canada when we went with DS a few years ago. Couple of places to stay - Crystal Cove in Tofino is wonderful, I got told off on another Canada thread for recommending it as it's expensive, but it's just so lovely and right on Mackenzie beach. At Tofino there is a seaplane to hotsprings that's amazing, plus we did a kayak to a nature reservation.

I'd echo stopping at Revelstoke we stayed at the Sutton Place Mountain resort and got a package that included breakfast at the top of the gondola- amazing.

For a bit more off the beaten track, try Yoho National Park in British Columbia. We are shortly going up to the Great Bear Rainforest and that’s quite remote in BC.

We are looking at Canada for next summer too! Can't decide between the West and the East - anyone done both and can compare?

Whistler is nice

We really loved Golden. we stayed in smiley wolf cabin and did water rafting, fantastic walks and there are lots of bike trails in the area too. we think it was the best place we stayed in when we did our 3 week tour of western canada.

Where would you go in Eastern Canada Debunked? I really like Quebec - Montreal has some nice museums and things to do, Quebec City is very cute and charming (if a bit twee and touristy!), and I like that it's French-speaking too. Toronto I thought was bland and boring - just a modern city of skyscrapers and nothing much to do.

As for the west, others have detailed above far more than I could, as I've only been to Vancouver and Victoria - both of which were really nice. I'd love to go up to Banff and Lake Louise and see some of the Canadian Rockies - some friends of ours did that trip this summer and said it was amazing. Lots of driving though and they said their kids (aged 11 and 14) got fed up of being in the car so much. All in all, I think I'd go west, but I'd keep to maybe 4 stops and spend a few nights in each so it's not all about driving on to the next place.

Thanks Zafferana yes was looking at Toronto Quebec and Montreal maybe with a few days in NYC at the end. Kids at quite small still so the shorter flight time is quite appealing!

We’re also going for three weeks next summer. We lived in Vancouver for a year about 16 years ago and are going back with our 3 kids. We’ll be staying 8 nights in Vancouver because there are so many places we want to revisit. Then we are heading to Telegraph cove via Parksville for whale watching, and then over to the Sunshine Coast.

Places in Vancouver to visit include Stanley Park, the Aquarium, Grouse Mountain, Kits area and pool (we’re staying in this neighbourhood) as it’s my favourite, Squamish sea to sky gondola, Granville market - there’s loads more! Check if your dates fit in with the Celebration of Light fireworks - they are amazing!

We did lots of whale watching (kayaked with killer whales) and felt the best place to see them is Telegraph Cove and it feels less intrusive than around the San Juan islands (where you’ll be if you go from Victoria).

We’re going to the Sunshine Coast as we love kayaking and paddle boarding and we found a lovely lodge in the woods right on the water.

There’s so much to do - I wish we could have longer. Tofino is also fab. It was a weigh up though between doing too much travelling. Try not to attempt to squeeze too much in or you’ll spend most of your time in the car.

Exciting stuff!

Sorry to hijack this thread but we are going to Canada in June/July. We are doing a road trip. Can anyone recommend accommodation on Whistler please? 2 adults, 2 kids 13 & 10

Gutted that Covid put paid to this trip in 2020. Hoping to be able to do it next year, the kids will be 16 and 13 - dread to think how expensive it will be now! I hope you have a great time @Sockmate123.

I'm not sure on your budget but we stayed at the Fairmont Chateau in Whistler and it was really nice. It's located at the bottom of the Blackcomb mountain and there are lifts to go up and down if you are biking as well as the gondolas. The hotel was lovely. I'm so jealous you're going on a road trip there, we did it years ago and I still think about it often.

Thank you very much. Getting v excited 😊

If you can take a small detour south of Kamloops to the Oakanagan valley, it beautiful. We stayed at Harrison Hot Springs on Harrison Lake just like an inland seaside.
i agree about the Fairmonts Chateau, we spoiled ourselves and stayed at Fairmonts, on our trip.

We have done both, we did the Calgary to Vancouver and surrounding area and on another trip did the Eastern Seaboard. Both quite different. The west side as you would expect, commercial in a nice way and full of experiences.
The Eastern Seaboard, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick are quite rural, full of Canadian History, wildlife and Geology. Sometimes things are very far apart, with long drives.
We loved both and were privileged to have been able to travel there. Hoping to do the major Eastern cities next.

Penticton in the Okanagan Valley is also lovely, and the drive from Kelowna along the whole southern shore of Okanagan Lake is beautiful. You can float down the river between Lake Okanagan and Skaha Lake in giant tubes, go winetasting on the Naramata Bench, and rent bikes to cycle round Penticton and get ice cream from Ogo’s (named for Ogopogo, the famous but shy lake monster). There are also mustangs roaming around free (with “Beware of Wild Horses” road signs to match!)

I love the Okanagan in the summer, it’s a Mediterranean climate in the heart of British Columbia.