Attractions of Canada

Attractions of CanadaMontrealPassion and pride run as deep as the waters around this stylish, bilingual island city. Founded on religious zeal and a mountain of skinned animals, Montreal has seen its fair share of bloodshed, but these days the battle between French and English is played out around the referendum ballot boxes.Mont Royal is the peak that towers over the area and more or less gave its name to the city. Zooming in, Montreals old precinct has some 18th-century gems such as the Pointe-a-Calliere (Museum of Archaeology & History). And when the weather turns sour (January in Montreal is infamous), you can scuttle underground to the citys cosy subterranean rabbit warren of dining, browsing and carousing attractions.Montreals main motel district can be found just west of the downtown area - but be prepared for a battle for a bed come summer and Christmas time. Montreal nightlife is pretty damn bouncy and comes in two basic flavors, English and French. Its here that youll find Canadas longest opening hours too. Recently, some of the best club action has been found around the Plateau at the southern end of downtown.VancouverCanadas most beautiful daughter, this city wins hearts without even trying. The hilly terrain Vancouver is built on, and the many bridges, offer stunning views of the ocean, bays and city itself. A mild climate (by Canadian standards) and a breezy Californian-style atmosphere means that even the nearby US neighbors rave about the place. Downtown Vancouver offers a busy patchwork of attractions, from the renovated Victorian charm of the old Gastown area, to the emerald expanses of Stanley Park - one of the worlds great city parks. Then theres famed strips of sand and surf like Wreck Beach just round the corner and numerous hiking, rafting and picnicking oases within easy reach of the city proper. Nearby Vancouver Island has plenty of natural wonders, including whale watching. Needless to say, summer in Vancouver can get a bit squeezy.Rocky Mountains (The Rockies)Sprawled along the Alberta-British Columbia border, the Rocky Mountains are barely contained within two gigantic national parks - Banff to the South and Jasper to the north. Banff was Canadas first official wildlife sanctuary and these days the town that lent its name to the park is the nations No 1 resort spot in both summer and winter. But Jasper National Park has a larger, wilder and less explored landscape on show.Banffs glorious turquoise Moraine Lake, while in danger of suffering cliche overload, is one of Canadas most idyllic natural attractions. Connecting Banff and Jasper parks is the Columbia Icefield, a vast bowl of ice made up of about 30 glaciers and a remnant of the last Ice Age. For those not glacially inclined, the Rockies offer wildlife walks, swimming, caving, camping, hiking, canoeing, hot-spring soaking, mountain climbing and plenty of places to stay. Accommodation costs are generally lower at the Jasper end of this quintessential Canadian mountain playground.The PrairiesStarting at the foot of the Rockies and heading out long, wide and flat through Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba is Canadas heartland prairie country. Golden fields of wheat, or sunflowers, stretch forever in these parts, and locals might be heard to sigh the Rocky Mountains may be nice but they get in the way of the view. Albertas busiest prairie attraction is the quaintly named Blackfoot Indian heritage site - Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, near Fort Macleod. The 3000 sq km Riding Mountain National Park is a forested oasis in the Manitoba prairies, where bison and bike riders roam. Next door in Saskatchewan the prairies are scattered with evocatively named national parks, and canoe routes often outnumber roads. Eclectic surprises here include Yorkton - north of the Crooked Lake Provincial Park - where onion-dome