23 ReviewsSeriously, this city is a very safe one. I'm a young woman and I live here, and I've always felt completely comfortable. One exception was when I was walking home with a drunk friend and was...
60 ReviewsIt's good to go to these places to experience what they're like. You can't close your eyes to the east side of Vancouver because it would leave you ignorant and inexperienced in your knowledge about...
5 ReviewsEven though Quebec is very much a tourist-orientated city, it is still a working city. As such it has its residential neighbourhoods, which, despite being in the city centre, are just that little bit...
4 Reviewsi live in niagara falls but actually in a good neighborhood. 1/5 nieghboorhoods are good in the falls. but i know all about highland and hyde park and downtown and lasalle its not as bad during the...
12 ReviewsOttawa is generally a fairly safe city; the federal presence within the capital makes the city heavily policed and patroled. However, it's always best to be on the look out--just in case. The areas...
8 ReviewsMany of Victoria's street intersections are at strange angles, rather than being 90 degrees intersections between strict east-west and north-south streets. Instead, most of the streets fit with the...
7 ReviewsHalifax is a very safe city overall. Areas to stay clear of include Gottingen (only at night...during day is not horrible at all and there is a major police detachment right there), Uniacke Square...
13 ReviewsI've lived in Edmonton a year now and in my experience as long as you keep to yourself you will be okay. I've been in some scary areas late at night such as Coliseum & Abbotsfield, but never felt as...
3 ReviewsEthical tourists should know the underpinning of the Calgary Stampede is a rodeo which exploits domestic livestock for entertainment and profit. Not unlike bull-fights, tame animals endure needless...
22 ReviewsThey may be cute and thy may look friendly but DO NOT feed the animals. This little guy has obviously been acclimitized to human contact which is not a good thing. These are wild animals. Sooner or...
5 ReviewsAs a native Winnipegger of 41 years I had to respond to "Asthewindblows"
Mosquitoes ARE a HUGE problem EVERY year.Except for 2 years ago that had a milder than normal mosquitoe infestation. The ONLY...
5 ReviewsWell I was reading on here that only the Mountain Lions, and Bears are dangerous. I just want to let people know that Elk cause the most injuries in the park. They may look docile, but they are a huge...
15 ReviewsThe biggest danger to bears and other wild animals in the National Parks is tourists.
I was in the parking lot at Miette Hot Springs last summer, when a couple of young Swiss tourists came up to me,...
31 ReviewsWe drove our car up to Montreal from NY. The driving up there is a little different, so I recommend walking or taking the metro if you can. A lot of the streets are one way, but there aren't huge DO...
36 ReviewsIt is hard to not feel disgusted when you see all those proceedings on Vancouver's Dontown-East side.
Now you can, as mostly here you guys did, claim that the bastards got what they wanted to.
I can...
5 ReviewsIF YOU ARE COMING FROM ANOTHER PART OF THE WORLD AND ARE PLANNING TO VISIT QUEBEC IN THE WINTER..BRING A REALLY WARM HAT. AS I DISCOVERED THE FIRST YEAR I CAME TO QUEBEC..YOU REALLY NEED A HAT. ESP...
5 ReviewsWhen taking a ride on the Maid of the Mist you will most definately get soaked. I saw some folks with some pretty wet digital cameras. Not the best idea if you ask me. We had brought along a little...
10 ReviewsSnow can be used for building snowmen, snow for us suburbanites, dependent of the 4 wheeled cars to commute, driveways need to be cleared; oh yes, the snow clearers aka graders, do push heavy loads of...
5 ReviewsI was just in Victoria, went to Robbins Parking Lot, nice looking and seemed like they would have security.....they don't and when I came back for my car the window was smashed and mine lap top...
5 ReviewsDriving in Halifax is rather easy. You have to be aware which lane to choose well in advance and at some crossings the traffic lights are located behind the crossing; at other spots before the...
17 ReviewsEdmonton hasn't always been as bad as it is today about 10 years ago it was almost the opposite of what it is today some conjestion around rush hour but then people started flocking here more and more...
1 ReviewIt amazes me how often I see tourists get out of their cars to photograph or feed wild animals. Do so if you like. Just remember the incident this year (2001) of a man who put peanut butter on his...
2 ReviewsIn summer, there seem to be a lot of mosquitos, especially on the campgrounds. You should wear a net over your face, to be protected of mosquito bites. West nil virus is spreading more and more in...
4 ReviewsIt can get extremely cold in Winnipeg. When this happens, advisories are issued to avoid outdoor activities if possible. Dress warmly in the winter, especially if you are going to be outside for long...
8 ReviewsWinter in Montreal is very cold (sometimes less than minus 15 degrees Celsius), so do be prepared especially the thick winter clothings including gloves and headgear.
When I was at Montreal in Feb...
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members
Danger! High cell phone charges
by surbon514
Due in part to a relatively small market in a huge country, cellphone data and voice rates are astronomically high throughout Canada. Bringing your own phone with you from another country will cost you $1.50 a minute for voice calls and $10 MB of data if you're lucky!Note to American visitors: Don't forget, your 'unlimited plan' doesn't work at all in Canada. Verizon does have a Canada plan, but you must specifically ask for it or you will still be roaming at the highest rates in the world.The good news is, payphones are still found throughout Canada and there are many cheap phonecards depending on what country you want to call. Any convienience store (dépanneur in Québec) can help you pick one!
TAKE BEARS SERIOUSLY
by davidjo
While camping be careful of bears who are found in most parts of Canada. The common brown bear can be dangerous although some people approach them and give them apples, which is kind of stupid. The grizzly bear is deadly and shouldn't be approached. Camp grounds will have warning signs up, also tamper proof trash cans, but remember not to keep food in your tent as you might find a bear ripping the tent apart during the night. If you don't have your own car it is better to hang the food up a tree by using a rope.
Canadian Winter's
by mickeyboy07
Winter in Canada can be very hard and cruel and extremelly cold.The Eastern provinces of Ontario and Quebec as well as the Prairy Provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba can see snow as early as October and sometimes it lasts well into the spring,with severe temperatures on the prairies reaching minus 20 and below.Thankfully British Colombia doesent get half as much snow as the rest of Canada due to the warm Pacific current.Never the less bad winters still do occur here as well.The scenery in the winter can be spectacular with snow covered mountains and trees.The photos below are a just a few that i took on the East coast of Vancouver Island during the winter of 1995-96.If you are travelling by car in the snow in rural areas be sure to be well prepared,even on short journeys,the weather can turn nasty within a few short minutes so always carry these important items.A...
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NUNAVUT CANADA – TRAVELERS BEWARE!!!
by garyback
For those considering traveling to Nunavut through a licensed tour operator or outfitter, I recently read a rather disturbing newspaper article in the Kivalliq News (August 25, 2010) involving a case where the Nunavut Government pulled the operating license of a long-term eco-tourism operator right on their opening day and without notice, and subsequently ruined the pre-paid holidays of nearly 40 people booked. I am scheduled for a tour to Nunavut in 2011, so this definitely caught my attention. From what I have been able to find out, this unprecedented maneuver appears to have been done without any solid basis or as result of any investigation. What's even worse, this may have forced the tour operator into insolvency, and the Government of Nunavut is apparently not intending to pay back the tourists whose holidays have been wrecked by their actions. Having traveled to the Canadian...
TTC (Toronto Transit Commision) subway
by Lipstic
Caution should always be used when on public transit, however the subways are not dangerous as some other posters have stated. No mater what public area you happen to be in there is always the threat of someone mugging you or random homeless people talking to you. Its a fact of metropolitan cities.With that stated keep these safety tips in mind:Follow directions announced in stations and posted on signs.When entering stations look around, be aware of your surroundings and the people in the stations.Look for help buttons; in the stations they are usually highlighted with a blue light, on the train it self press the yellow strip.If you feel like someone is following you or you just feel uncomfortable with the people around you wait until the next stop and move to the next car.On the side of the train you will see a round light sticking out if this is on it indicates there is a driver in...
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Annoying tourists
by MichaelFalk1969
No danger, but a real annoyance. Though our Canada journey was great, one thing really put us off: The behaviour of foreign tourists in the national parks (less so the local visitors). There really are only a few rules on how to behave there, but even those are constantly ignored. A few examples: 1. On the Mt. Edith Cavell meadows - hike three tourists (from the accent I`d say they were from Switzerland) were having a lunch in the mountain meadows. Now almost every 500 meters along the path big signs show that the alpine vegetation is fragile and easily destroyed and hikers must stay on the path at all times. The signs also reminds all hikers - with photographs - that because of visitors strolling off the path, much plants had been destroyed in recent years, so that the park authorities had to lots of path-rebuilding and re-planting. For those who can`t read English, icons show that it...
Because, yeah, it's a foreign country
by bocmaxima
As an American, you often don't think about the fact that Canada is a different country. I mean, sure they use the metric system, have different money and some pretty wacky accents, but it looks and feels very, very similar to the US.A few things that surprised me, in that I just didn't think about them, when coming into Canada:- Cell phones: If your cell phone works, you're likely going to have to pay an excessive roaming charge for use of it in Canada. It doesn't matter who you call, it's the fact that you're on the Canadian networks. My provider charges $0.70/minute. If I pay an extra $3 per month though, that goes down to $0.20/minute.- Debit cards: I was worried about paying fees at ATMs but determined that I could use my debit card and get cash back at supermarkets, like I usually do. Nope. For whatever reason, this does not work, and your debit card is seen as a credit card. It'll...
The Canadian hooded villain
by MichaelFalk1969
Canada has many scenic yellow traffic signs that warn you of moose, elk, big-horn-sheep and other wildlife crossing, but this sign has to be the most hilarious of all. On many public parking lots, this warning says that valuables in cars should be kept out of sight of potential thiefs, but the cartoonlike figure of the hooded, "Zorro"-like villain breaking and entering the car wins the price for weirdest traffic sign in my humble opinion.
Bedwells Falls Hike - Strathcona National Park
by MichaelFalk1969
This hike (trailhead at the end of Buttle Lake) which is often recommended can only be reached by a 5 km gravel road. In most guide-books, it says "four wheel-drive suggested", so you could get the wrong impression that this road is manageable with a normal vehicle. It is not. The way is steep, dotted with deep potholes and sharp stones, and without a suitable vehicle you run a great risk of breaking your axle or getting a flat tyre. We gave up halfway, because we feared our car would break down in the middle of the wilderness. We didn`t see too many other vehicles along the way, so it would take some time to get help in case you need it. Better try this road only if you trust your vehicle or if you have a 4WD-car.
Downtown Eastside Vancouver
by MichaelFalk1969
Do not go there - rather take a taxi or a bus if you want to go from Gastown to Chinatown and vice versa. Several other readers already commented on this ill-reputed neighbourhood, so I`ll keep it short. The distance between Gastown and Chinatown is only a few blocks, but those are full with seedy characters, street bums, drug addicts and prostitutes. Even in daylight the Downtown Eastside is considered unsafe. Apart from this area, Vancouver felt pretty safe to me.
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