Top Canada hotels
Tipping Toronto
13 Reviews Think. Don't listen to ignorant people about tipping. 10% is an insult at a sit down restaurant. Remember, 15% is an average standard tip all over the world, and included in EVERY bill in most...
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Drugs & alcohol Vancouver
5 Reviews A clever new nickname for Vancouver that I just heard recently. Let me dispel the rumours somewhat. Yes the laws towards marijuana are somewhat less strict here (and everyelse in Canada) than other...
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Bilinguism Montreal
34 Reviews I was somewhat worried about communicating in Montreal, especially as most of the signs are in French, but I didn't have a problem at all. We didn't run into anyone who didn't speak english....
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Local food and drinks Quebec
26 Reviews Through our trip to the provences of Quebec and New Brunswick we would stop at a restaurant and see the mysterious word "Poutine" on the menu. Finally I was brave enough to ask, "What the heck IS...
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Drinking/Buying alcohol Ottawa
10 Reviews It happens for three days, once a year. The Ottawa Wine and Food Show is an excellent place to try different wines, food and other spirits prepared and presented by local businesses among others....
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Cultural/Historical Victoria
24 Reviews An artist and writer concerned with the culture of the First Nations of British Columbia, and thoroughly appreciative of the natural beauty of the place, Emily Carr is probably helped develop the...
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Cultural Mosaic Edmonton
4 Reviews The Festival usually takes place the first weekend in August . Hawrelark Park serves as the venue where all the different ethnic groups have their tents and stages up. You can learn about the...
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Calgary Stampede Calgary
8 Reviews One of Calgary’s symbols is a White Cowboy Hat. This is the home of the Stampede and of course you'll want to be one of the good guys wearing a white hat rather than wearing a black hat. White Cowboy...
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General city Information Winnipeg
1 Review The legal drinking age in the province of Manitoba is 18 years. If you look 20ish, you will be asked for ID when buying alcohol or entering a pub. It is illegal to drink alcohol in public other than...
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Birds/ Animals/Flowers Banff National Park
25 Reviews These cheeky little fellows popped up everywhere and were a joy to see. Please do not feed them although they will squeek for your attention = when tourists are thin on the ground they have to survive...
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Summer festivals Charlottetown
3 Reviews In August, there's Old Home Week at the Charlottetown Driving Park. The main event is the big horse race, but there's also a midway with carnival rides and games, as well as farm animal exhibits. All...
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People / Different cultures Toronto
37 Reviews Tastes of Thailand offered a wealth of activities that surely made a mark to event goers who like cultural dance and music. I have enjoyed the parade of native Thai costumes. It was colourful. You...
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Language, accents & slang Vancouver
8 Reviews Take note of Vancouver's proprietary geographical terms. “The Valley” is the Fraser Valley, roughly from Surrey to Hope. “The Island” is Vancouver Island. There are other islands, but this rule is...
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Français Montreal
18 Reviews If the red octogon isn't obvious enough, "Arrêt" is the French word for "Stop". Apparently the province of Quebec is the only place in the world where they have translated the word "Stop" on stop...
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Languages (French, English) Quebec
20 Reviews Outside the Old City, very few people speak fluent English, but in the tourist area, most everyone speaks English. Signs, however, are often only in French (unless the English is smaller), so take...
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French and English Ottawa
11 Reviews Canada is English speaking, apart from Quebec which has remained French speaking, with people of French origin. Ottawa and Gatineau are divided by Ottawa river, Ottawa being in Ontario on the English...
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Currency/Tipping Victoria
6 Reviews Please excuse me if you think this is a silly tip but I just wanted to point out that American coins (quarters, dimes, nickels etc) are NOT considered eligible for preferential exchange in stores or...
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Fort Edmonton Park Edmonton
1 Review Fort Edmonton Park, Canada’s largest open-air history park, is a recreation on the city’s early history. There’s an evocative reconstruction of the original Hudson’s Bay Company trading post of 1846,...
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Mountains Calgary
1 Review 1.Canadians in general are very friendly and helpful, if asked for information about locations or history (although in Calgary there is NOT MUCH history left... i mean places, older than 5-10 years)!...
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Winnipeg Festivals Winnipeg
2 Reviews Winnipeg is a cultural mosaic. There are people here from every part of the world. For the first two weeks of August each year, there is a two week long festival (called Folklorama) where 40 different...
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Presents/Souvenirs Banff National Park
5 Reviews All these wonderful items were found at the shops along Banff Avenue. I took these pictures because I've learned to curb my spending on decorative items. You wouldn't believe the amount of things I've...
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Liquor / Beer / Wine Toronto
10 Reviews The laws concerning alcohol consumption in Toronto follow mostly Ontario laws. The government regulates all sales of beer, wine and liquor, so you can expect prices to be expensive here. Even local...
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Multiculturalism Vancouver
9 Reviews Vancouver is often considered one of the most integrated cities in the world with more interracial couples and less racial segregation than any other city in Canada. Since its beginnings as a city in...
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Festival Montreal
8 Reviews Montreal is a city which takes pride in its summer festivals. I happened to be in town for the World Beer Festival: can you say "happy coincidence"? The "Mondial de la Biere" provides a space for beer...
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History, culture and politics Quebec
8 Reviews When walking through an old city you will always come across some nice brass monuments preserving the history of the district and the way of life. We found this brass monument whilst walking the old...
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While travelling with a delegation of German-speaking people in September 1999, we got a look at this native pictograph on the cliff along the Skeena River. We were travelling from Terrace to Prince Rupert, BC. Very neat!
Until not too long ago, grain crops grown in the 'bread basket of Canada' were stored in these "grain elevators" that appeared to sprout from the prairie across the central part of Canada. The move these days seems to be to more modern metal structures, so see these elevators while you still can. These were in Meadow Lake in September 1999.
Province(s): Canadese tijd Nederlandse tijdBritish Columbia & Yukon 08:00 uur 17:00 uurAlberta (en Saskatchewan*), westelijk Northwest Territories 09:00 uur 17:00 uurManitoba, Saskatchewan, oostelijk Northwest Territories 10:00 uur 17:00 uur Ontario, Québec, Nunavut 11:00 uur 17:00 uurNew Brunswick, Nova Stotia, Prince Edward Island 12:00 uur 17:00 uurNewfoundland & Labrador 12:30 uur 17.00 uur
Singing the national anthem is a very weird experience when you move to another country. I never thought of it, but I know the national anthem of The Netherlands so well, hahaha, at least enough to sing along with it in the first few verses ;-) But living in Canada now, I have to get used to another national anthem : "O Canada". The first time I had to sing along was at a graduation ceremony.... I have to admit I didn't know any of the words. It feels so weird, and it made me realize that I am so new to this country and that I have so much to learn about its local customs.°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°The National Anthem:O Canada!Our home and native land!True patriot love in all thy sons command.With glowing hearts we see thee rise,The True North strong and free!From far and wide,O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.God keep our land glorious and free!O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.O...
Although Canada is officially metric, this is not always the system that is used in every day life. I always think in metric, because that is the system in The Netherlands (where I used to live), so now I get confused very often in Canada with the weights and measurements when I go to the shops. The road signs are all in kilometers, so that is great for me. Hahaha, at least one thing I don't have to get used to. Here is a useful conversion of weights and measures :1 hectare - 2.471 acres1 inch - 2.54 cm 1 ft. - 30.48 cm 1 oz. - 28.57 grams1 lb. - 0.454 kg 1 cm - 0.39 inches1 meter - 3.28 feet / 1.09 yards 1 km - 0.62 miles1 liter - 0.26 US gallons 1 inch - 2.54 cm 1 foot - 0.39 meters 1 yard - 0.91 meters 1 mile - 1.60 km1kg - 2.2lb 1 gallon - 3.78 liters
Canada has two official languages-- French and English.There are immigrants who have become 'NEW CANADIANS' from every country in the world. We have a mixed culture and all religions are free to practice here. Free speech, Free press,Television in French and English seen even in the far north by the Indians and Eskimos,Inuits.Dress any way you wish no problem.See pages for 'VANCOUVER, VICTORIA, BANFF, JASPER all in our far WEST.
In these local custom tips I want to show you some things I noticed in Canada that are totally different than in my home country The Netherlands. The list will not be complete at all, just a few things that cought my attention. I think many of these things don't only apply to Canada and the Netherlands, but are in general things that are different between Europe and North America.After that I want to give you some practical information about Public Holidays, currency and the metric system.Provincial ParksI love the provincial parks in Canada. There are so many beautiful parks! This is Grundy Lake park in Ontario, one of the wonderful parks you can go to. Beautiful nature and beautiful campsites, that is what you find in these procincial parks. So much space compared to most campgrounds in Europe and always is a beautiful nature area! Make a campfire in the evening, have a drink, stare in...
Currency: The Canadian currency is in dollars. There are one dollar coins (called "loonies" because of the loon depicted on the gold colored coin); two dollar coins with a gold colored center and silver border ( called "toonies" because they are equal to 2 loonies); dime; nickel and penny. The paper currency comes in denominations of $5; $10; $20; $50; $100. The present exchange rate is between $1.42 and $1.50 Canadian for every US dollar. Rates vary widely depending on where money is exchanged. Banks give the best rate.
Public Holidays: Jan. 1 - New Year's DayMarch or April(varies) - Good FridayMarch or April(varies) - Easter MondayMay (Third Monday) - Victoria DayJuly 1 - Canada DayAugust (First Monday) - Civic HolidaySeptember (1st Monday) - Labor DayOctober (1st Monday) - Thanksgiving DayNovember 11 - Remembrance DayDecember 25 - Christmas DayDecember 26 - Boxing Day
We are not quite as patriotic as the Americans but just about.We say Eh at lot at the end of our sentences.Canadas birthday on July 1st is our #1 holiday other than Christmas.There are many events during the year that reflect on our many ethnic groups--the Scottish kilt dancers , the Ukrainian perogies,the Ojibwe dancers,the Italian restaraunts,the Chinese restaurants,Mennonites at the farmers Market and the Dutch reform community in Emo.Culturama -an annual event in May has ethnic dancers and food booths.
Residence Inn Toronto Downtown / Entertainment District Toronto
4 Reviews and 508 Opinions I like it really much. Very clean, personnel was very professional, the suites are like a real home...
Opus Hotel Vancouver
5 Reviews and 653 Opinions A contemporary hotel located in the very cosmopolitan Yaletown. Top-notch service from a very...
Le Square Phillips Hotel Montreal
5 Reviews and 696 Opinions The stay was unremarkable. The hotel was drab. Dark, old, office building appearance. Our bedroom...
Reviews and photos of Canada attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Canada sightseeing.
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Q: Hi, I'm traveling to Vancouver next week, and I wondered if anyone knows whether there might be a problem with withdrawing...
A: The only issue that you may run into is trying to withdraw money from a machine that is not part of the Visa network. Most Canadian banks are on this network; the only...
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