Planning a Trip to Canada

Beerbistro is a must visit for anyone who loves beer with food. Too much time and effort has been spent on pairing wine with food, when what one really wants is a beer. At Beer Bistro, they use their pallets to choose which beers got best with each meal. An AMAZING selection of beers (and their Frites are great, too)! Their lunch menu is reasonably priced for those on a budget.

If you want to splurge on a meal in a nice restaurant in Toronto, watch for special events called Summelicious and Winterlicious. During these times the best restaurants all offer special fixed price menus at a substantial savings from normal dining costs. Great way to sample the best of Toronto.

Summerland is a quaint town in the Okanogan. It has a German village feel. It is the home of the Sumac Ridge winery and located on the edge of Okanogan Lake. The best time to visit is early December for the Lighting of the City or the Summer Street Fair. Check our Zia's for fine dining in a quaint stone home.

Penticton is an amazing summer town, not much to do in the winter months. If you visit you need to spend a lazy day floating down the canal, it is worth it. The two beaches in town are the best I have been to, besides the lakes in Ontario. There is so much to see and do while on vacation there and never enough time. If you live adventure try the parasailing they do at Okanagon Lake, it is a blast.

This is an amazing little town. It's been a few years since I was there, but I absolutely recommend it to anyone. The best time to visit is certainly for the Highland Games. A nice escape from everything hustle and bustle.

take your friends to the Loose Moose on Front Street, and when your girl friends are a bit tipsy take them into the toilet!!

Gatineau is to tourism what a toilet is to Elvis.

'nuff said.

New bar to watch out for: Telephone Rouge on Wellington St S., featuring shows by interesting local indie bands, all sorts of cultural happenings and a young friendly staff! ...things are happening in Sherbrooke right now!

Carcross is a small Native American village with a great gift shop and ice cream parlor. The visitor center was being remodeled when we were there so we did not get to visit, but the Retirement Home is a must see. You can also get your passport stamped at the Post Office. Carcross is also home to the world's smallest desert... quite literally... most ppl don't think of a desert in the Yukon but there is one, made up of glacial sand. Caribou Crossing is just outside of Carcross and open during the tourist season. The most fantastic BBQ chicken and all-you-can-eat homemade donuts are served up along with hot drinks to ward off the Yukon chill. There's an ice cream parlor here, as well as a museum, sled dogs puppies, horses (watch your backpack) and ATV rides into the desert. This place was the highlight of all the places we visited during our Alaskan cruise... made me want to come live up here in the beautiful Yukon Territory.

High speed wireless internet free for the city of Fredericton! Bring your laptop...

Vancouver, BC is one of the most beautiful cities in the world with an insane number of things to see, people to meet and experiences to have. I would encourage any and all travellers to hit me up with any questions they may have when visiting this gorgeous place as it is my home city!

Accessing/ Exchanging money: There are dozens of places this can be done all over downtown, the airport, banks, etc. Simply use the internet or a phone book to make this happen.

Activities: My biggest recommendation here will be to take a walk along the Sea Wall... it's stunning and you're able to capture a lot of scenery... that being said, to place all activities here would take me hours, perhaps days!

Sightseeing/ attractions: Just to highlight a few-- The planetarium's spectacular; Any number of beaches and my favorite's Spanish Banks; The Sea Wall; English Bay; Cypress Bowl; Grouse Mountain; Telus World of Science which is subsequently also the former home of EXPO '86; The Vancouver aquarium; HSBC celebration of lights... And the list could go on for hours.

Nightlife: The nightlife here is lots of fun with most clubs downtown staying open until 4am. Bear in mind that most clubs have a zero violence and obnoxious behavior tolerance policy as well as a dress code- So try to look your best :) My favorite club downtown Vancouver would likely be the Roxy... great for a good time and the dress code's a little bit relaxed.

Food Resto's: Vancouver pride's itself on a world class variety of food. My top recommendations are: The Boathouse, Vij's, The Mongolian Grill, Tsunami Sushi... and oh man, sooo many more!

Health: All Canadians have medical health care provided to them as part of their citizenship... As a visitor, you'll be happy to hear that Canada has wonderful doctors and hospitals. There is generally a bit of a lengthy wait at a hospital if you need care, so I will recommend a clinic if it's possible for you. Always make sure you have medical insurance before you come to Canada from abroad!

Transportation: Vancouver, unlike most metropolises does not have a subway, instead we have a skytrain. This monorail train runs very frequently and encircles the majority of the city. For your other transportation needs, we have a decent Bus transit system (translink.bc.ca), as well as a Seabus and taxi's if need be. With the exception of the taxi, the rest are all connected and one can purchase a pass to use them all. If you're staying for a shorter period of time, please use the translink site quoted above to determine how much change you'll need to ride transit- oh, and make sure it's exact change! Vancouver is a health conscience, environmentally friendly city, so bicycle riding is encouraged, so feel free to buy, bring, or rent one of those!

Danger Annoyances: No city is without these! Just like every other city in the world beware of pick pockets, and homeless people asking for donations (which isn't too bad, because they'll ask for the donation, you say no and they leave you alone). Also, keep away from East Hastings as it's home to the largest homeless/ drug addict population in Vancouver.

Gay/Lesbien Travellers: Vancouver's a very homosexually friendly city! For a pride filled time, head up to Davie and Denman streets downtown. Every August long weekend is also Pride Parade time which is complete with a Pride Dinner cruise around the Vancouver Harbour! The entire city gets involved with this wonderful event. I recommend my favorite book store in the city called Little Sisters which also has a plethora of information on events in the city aimed at our gay and lesbien population!

What to bring: Ahahah! Bring an Umbrella! Or don't and head down to the Umbrella shop on Granville Island and choose a fun and funky one! Vancouver is located in one of the rainiest parts of the world as BC is home to a natural rainforest! Also bring a small back pack or carry all that allows you to stroll the city hands free. Bring sunscreen, a map, a smile and a great attitude!

Hotels accommodations: As for where you're gonna stay... if you can't couch surf like myself, might I suggest any number of super fun hostels around the city! If you're looking for something far more upscale and fancy, we have several hotels for you to choose from: The Hotel Vancouver, The Westin Bayshore or the Hyatt. For something somewhere in the middle, there are tons and tons of hotels to choose from... just use google!

Lastly, Interacting with locals: Just be nice, smile and try to speak English! So, if English is not your first language, bring a phrase book and try to muddle through it. Most of the time we think it's simply adorable when people at least try! Also don't be surprised if someone doesn't speak to you... sometimes, they don't speak English either or they're in a hurry to run off! But 99% of the time, people will stop and offer what help they can. Oh, also, if you need help in a hurry, feel free to just walk into a store and ask! They normally know the area and again, will do what they can.

Good luck and I hope to hear that you've visited my fair wonderful city that I hold so very very close to my heart :)

Toronto è una città dove, se si tiene un stile di vita spartano, si possono spendere anche meno di 20 euro al giorno! Basta dormire in posti come i Dowtowner Inn (117 Pembroke street sales@downtownerinntoronto.com) a 12 euro a notte per un posto letto in camerata da 6, colazione e internet wi fi compresa. E' pulito e tranquillo, la colazione è composta da caffè e ciambelle a volontà, nulla di eccezionale, ma per riempirsi la pancia va bene. Vicino, in Dundas street ci sono ristorantini dove si pranza con due euro (panino con carne e verdure o zuppa ) e si cena con 4/6 (piatto di carne verdura e riso) Ne segnalo due Kabul Express 126 Dundas Street e Ali Baba's 100 metri più avanti verso Dundas Square.

Cape Sable Island. I great place to spend a day and explore the seaside. If your traveling through Nova Scotia and you are thinking of doing the drive from the Annapolis Valley through to Yarmouth and then to Shelburne and Liverpool, or vice versa, you should think about stopping by Cape Sable Island. This is a cute little fishing village where the people will invite you into their homes and ask you to stay for supper.
Cape Sable Island is just that, an island connected to the mainland by a causeway. It takes only a short time to drive the entire island so you have ample opportunity to get out and take photos or explore. Your going to be surrounded by short stumpy coniferous trees and salt sea air. The landscape is unique and always holds your attention.
If you want to meet some of the locals there are various little shops and stalls around where you can pick up folk art or native crafts. You may want to find someone you can understand and hold onto them for a translator as you drive further into the heart of town :) You might notice that the local English Accent is a little tricky to catch at first but in no time you'll notice yourself talk just like dem :)

ever wondered what life is like for menonites? head to kitchener! 2 hours from Toronto is this hub for menonites /community. They have a market where you can see their trading skills in action and the famous carriages, they also have a museum that explains their history and which is quite fascinating. Loved this place, however beware that photography though accepted, can be percieved as quite intrusive. be clever and pack a good set of lenses so you wont be killed by a flying coliflower. enjoy this town!

Pourquoi ne pas faire de la voile sur ce lac d'un noir profond et peut-être prendre une photo légendaire d'un monstre marin!!!

Regardes où tu mets les pieds pour ne pas écraser mon appareil photo qui a décidé de refaire sa vie là-bas !

Je vous recommande vivement d'aller passer un journée au zoo de St Félicien: les loutres, les ours polaires, les élans (orignaux), les rennes (caribous).... Il faut partir tres tot pour profiter de toutes les beautés de la nature. Avant de vous y rendre aller voir les superbes photos du site: http://www.zoosauvage.com/page.php/fr et mes photos....

Summerland is a quaint town in the Okanogan. It has a German village feel. It is the home of the Sumac Ridge winery and located on the edge of Okanogan Lake. The best time to visit is early December for the Lighting of the City or the Summer Street Fair. Check our Zia's for fine dining in a quaint stone home.

Victoria Express is the fastest ferry to get here; no cars allowed so you can make the trip in less than half the time it takes one of the larger ferries. It also docks in Victoria's Inner Harbour, just a few blocks from the restaurants and shops of downtown. I recommend the Brazilian restaurant just across the street from the Customs building you go through at the Inner Harbour (all martinis are standard 3 oz. and the deep-fried cheesecake is to die for); also, farther downtown on Government Street, there is a fantastic Irish pub where you can wash down a lamb burger with a pint of Guinness from the tap. You won't need a car to get around Victoria; I've backpacked and walked each of the 4 times I've visited. Taxis and rental scooters and bikes are abundant. If you plan on staying overnight, though, I recommend making reservations ahead of time, as the hotels here fill up rather quickly. Within walking distance of the harbor there are several museums, lots of shopping including a mall with a liquor store, and so much history evident in the gorgeous architecture. Taxis are available if you wish to venture out a bit farther to visit the famed Butchart Gardens (which, during the summer, have a fireworks show every Saturday) and Craigdarroch Castle.

order a poutine here....but make sure its made with real cheese curds!

When flying to the USA from Canada, be aware that you clear US immigration and customs IN Canada, and NOT the United States. It's bizarre, I know. This can pose very long queues as there are no separate lines for US citizens vs foreigners. At the Calgary airport, you need to allow at least 2 hours to get through immigrations, security, etc. if you are taking a morning flight. This is especially true on Friday mornings as lots of people are leaving for the weekend. US customs opens at 4:30 AM. I arrived at 4:35 for my 6:30 AM flight and there already was a long queue that took me a half hour to get through. While I was in line, the queue grew quickly. It was at least an hour long.
In the afternoons, it's not usually an issue but morning flights can be hellish.

If you need to rent a car in London, Ontario don't use Enterprise (and certainly not the one on Wharncliffe Road South). From experience they have poor comprehension of customers needs and poor communication skills. Vehicle insurance is an additional cost which they fail to explain is charged at a daily rate, not the total cost, even when you speak with the staff in the branch. They don't understand the situation that foreigners find themselves in as the staff assume that the credit card they insist one uses offers vehicle insurance, which appears to be the case in Canada. Their insurance add on costs are exorbitant.

10 am every Thursday July 1 to August 22. Meet at the Lighthouse to join a naturalist guide. By donation.

Rue St. Paul, a great visit. Loved the architecture, cobblestone streets and the bistros....FANTASTIC.

It's a nice city if you go there during summer. The way to there is wonderful full of eye catching scenes.

It's not just the museum here, there are a lot of sites in town to check out- like the giant trex and reptile world, there is a coal mine site and some settler histric sites as well. There is nowhere in town to eat though, so be prepared to hunt something down or pack a lunch.

home of our parliament, what more can i say?