Canada

Traveling

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service: Consult the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website
Diplomatic representations: Consult the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada website

Organizing your trip

Means of transport recommended in town

Recommendation: Many cities have a network of public transport services which includes a bus network, and also streetcars, sea buses and trains in some cities. The major cities have a subway/metro or a light rapid transit service including Vancouver (skytrain), Calgary (CT train), Edmonton (LRT), Toronto (subway), Ottawa (O-Train), and Montreal (metro). Suburban trains run frequently at rush hours. Driving around is often difficult and it is sometimes preferable for a foreign visitor to take a taxi.
Maps of urban networks: Map of the Montreal metro
ATM suburban train network
Map of the Toronto subway
Map of the Ottawa network
Map of the network of the Capital of Quebec

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Recommendation: Air transport: there are many daily domestic flights between Canadian cities. They are generally punctual, except when weather conditions are bad. In Quebec, several airline companies have domestic links between most of the large urban areas.
Rail transport: Via Rail has several journeys a day between large Canadian cities and even flat-fee tickets to cross Canada from one ocean to the other.
The bus network works well and has links between the towns of each province.
Rail companies: Via Rail

Airlines

Name	Type	Domestic flights	International flights
Air Canada	Traditional	yes	yes
Westjet	Low cost	yes	yes
Air Canada Jazz	Traditional	yes	yes
Zoom Airlines	Low cost	no	yes

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation: Urban areas in Canada are very far apart. In some fairly uninhabited parts, it is not unusual to drive for 100 km without finding a service station, a store or a motel. The roads are generally very good but when you venture into remote rural areas, you often find roads which are not asphalted. The average speed drops then from 90 to 50 km/h. The highway code and people's driving habits are somewhat particular and it is in your interest to have them explained to you before you start driving.
Road maps: Greyhound Road maps
Find an itinerary: Via Michelin
Maporama

Visiting

Different forms of tourism

Historical: There are more than 154 historical sites listed in Canada.
Parks : 34 national and 82 historical national parks.
Montreal : the old quarter; the Cathedral-Basilica of Mary Queen of the World which is a copy of St Peter's in Rome; the Olympic park.
Cultural: Canada has more than 2900 museums. There are also many festivals and events , about 267 a year spread over all Canadian cities.
Nature: Canada is so immense that it overflows with natural beauty. More than 42 national parks, marine conservation areas, especially in the St Lawrence river, the Great Lakes, Niagara Falls and the Chutes de Montmorency (Montmorency Falls). For further information, consult the Parks Canada website.
UNESCO has named 14 Canadian jewels World Heritage Sites, see the list on the Canada Culture website.
Religious: Canada's religious heritage is concentrated especially in Quebec where the Catholic religion had a strong foothold. Some of its churches are part of the religious heritage. Please consult the website of the Corporation du Patrimoine et du Tourisme Religieux de Québec (Corporation for religious heritage and tourism).
Thermal: The hot springs of the Canadian Rockies are very well-known and managed by Parks Canada.
Beach: There are many kilometres of beaches on the Pacific coast, the Atlantic coast, the Bay of Chaleur, the Gaspé Peninsula, Georgian Bay, the Thousand Islands region in the St Lawrence river, the Magdalen Islands.
Winter sports: Thanks to our climate, our chains of mountains, our vast expanses of land and frozen lakes, you can practise downhill skiing, cross-country skiing or ski touring, snow boarding, ski-pulka, sledding or tube sliding, paraski, skating, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, etc.
To practise skiing you can go to British Columbia in the Rockies, or to Quebec in the Laurentians and the Appalachians.
Outdoor activities: There are plenty of outdoor activities all year round in Canada. Winter and summer there are many festivals or events: Festivals and events in Quebec ; Festivals Alberta.
Possible summer activities are: whale and beaver watching, sea and river canoeing, rafting, black bear watching, contact with wolves, Quad bike riding, horse riding, fishing, hunting, diving, canoe, rowboat, motor boat or sail boat trips.
Shopping: Tourists especially want to taste and buy our famous maple syrup. They also like to taste the renowned "Smoked Meat", and "Ribs", or "BBQ Chicken".

Top 10 highlights of the capital city
Parliament
National Library
Rideau Hall
Supreme Court
Rideau Canal Ice Rink
Château Laurier
Outaouais museums
Ottawa tulip festival
Canada Day - Parliament Hill
MacKenzie King Estate

Top 10 highlights of the country
Niagara Falls (Ontario)
Montmorency Falls(Quebec)
Château Frontenac (Quebec)
The Thousand Islands (Ontario)
The Rocher Percé in Gaspé
The Saguenay Fjord (Quebec)
CN Tower (Toronto)
The Rocky Mountains
Calgary Stampede (Calgary)
Georgian Bay- 30 000 islands Ontario

Tourism organizations: Canadian Tourism Commission
Canada Keep Exploring
Travel Guide To Canada

Living conditions

Health and safety

Health precautions: No requirements.
International hospitals: The staff in Canadian hospitals speak English and French.
For further information on sanitary conditions: Canada Border Services Agency
The World Health Organization
For further information on safety conditions: Statistics Canada
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Natural Resources Canada

Emergency numbers

Police, firemen, ambulance	911
North America Directory Assistance	411
Relay services for hearing-impaired people	711

Time difference and climate

Time and time difference: It is %T:%M %A in Quebec, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa (GMT -5 in winter, GMT-4 in summer)
It is %T:%M %A in Edmonton, Calgary (GMT -7 in winter, GMT -6 in summer)
It is %T:%M %A in Whitehorse, Vancouver (GMT -8 in winter, GMT -7 in summer)
Summer time period: Summer time from March to November.

Map of the time zone

Fuseau(x) horaire

Type of climate: The summer period begins with spring weather in April or May, when the snow melts. The hottest months are from the end of June to the beginning of September. As for the autumn, it is the most beautiful season in Quebec, when natural beauty is magnificent for walking in the mountains.
The months of April and November are the 2 least interesting months for visiting Canada. April because spring has not completely come, the snow has sometimes not totally melted, road cleaning and repairs are not finished. November because the trees have lost all their leaves, the weather is grey, it often rains and sometimes it snows already.

For further information: Environment Canada
Authentik Canada

Average annual temperatures and rainfall

Climate

Eating

Culinary specialties: Inspired by French, British, American or Native American cooking, typical Canadian cuisine adapts to the seasons. Each region has its unique recipes, made with local products: from the tourtière (meat pie) to the pain banique (Native American bread), from maple syrup to the poutine (see further on). Places like le Saguenay, and Lac St-Jean in Quebec are known for their tourtières called "cipâte or cipaille", made of game or beef and pork, covered in pastry. One of the traditional dishes is the pâté chinois (sheppard pie), made of cooked, seasoned ground beef, with sweetcorn and mashed potatoes. For about 30 years the Quebec dish par excellence has been the "poutine", made of fried potatoes, gravy and cheese curds. In the Maritime Provinces as well as Quebec, fish and seafood are very popular. From May to July, people enjoy the lobster from the Magdalen Islands and New Brunswick. Alberta and the Great Plains Provinces are well-known for the quality of their beef, served grilled or braised. There is a great variety of dishes in addition to all this, thanks to the arrival of the many immigrants who brought their culinary traditions with them and learned to adapt them to the country's tastes.
Drinks: The production of local wine is growing: vineyards and orchards in Quebec, in the region of Niagara and in the Okanagan Valley where several types of wine are produced, as well as our specialties: ice wine and ice cider.
Dietary taboos: There are no dietary taboos in the country.

Paying

Domestic currency

Canadian dollar

ISO Code

CAD

To obtain domestic currency

There are bureaux de change in all airports and in town centers. Credit card companies automatically take a percentage of exchange transactions. ATMs are being used more and more instead of travelers cheques.

Possible means of payment

The following credit cards are commonly taken: American Express, Diners Club, Mastercard and Visa. Most stores will take the American dollar, with a % fee or exchange rate which is higher or lower according to the value of the Canadian dollar.

Prices displayed do not include taxes, and this is also true for restaurants.

Speaking

Official language: There are 2 official languages, English and French.
Other languages spoken: Chinese is the third most widely spoken language in Canada. More than 100 different languages were declared when an inventory was made of mother tongues. The list includes: German, Italian, Ukrainian, Dutch, Polish, Asian and Middle Eastern languages.
Business language: English is used most. All government departments must be bilingual in English and French.
Getting some knowledge: Please consult the following website for French-speaking Quebec expressions.
Free translation tools: Voila - Translator of phrases, words and websites
La toile du Québec - Free on-line translator of texts and Internet pages (to French from English, German and vice versa)
Foreignword - Portal for languages