Stay : A month on the Canadian roads, between British Columbia and Quebec
First, the traveler is introduced to the great Canadian West, with an arrival in Vancouver, then a journey that passes through the Whistler ski resort, the magnificent Vancouver Island and the town of Banff, gateway to the Rockies. We then take the train, for three and a half days, to cross the country towards the east and Quebec and finish on a touch of Quebecois in Montreal, then Quebec
Summary of the stay
Best time to go
30 days
€€ - Charm and comfort
Detail of the stay : A month on the Canadian roads, between British Columbia and Quebec - 30 days
Day 1: Arriving in the City of Vancouver
Dinner and overnight in the city centre.
Day 2: In the heart of Downtown Vancouver
Steps: Vancouver
Breakfast in Waterfront. Walking tour of Gastown, the oldest neighbourhood of the town with its famous steam clock. By taking Rue Water, drive along the waterfront to Place du Canada. Coal Harbour Quay, a charming quay that leads to Stanley Park within a few minutes starts on the west side of Place du Canada. Along the way, take your lunch on one of the terraces of Coal Harbour Quay. Guided tour of the Stanley Parkby sleigh and visit of the Vancouver Aquarium and its porpoises in the heart of the park. Walking back downtown and taking dinner at Granville Street.
Day 3: North Vancouver or Granville Island
Steps: Vancouver, North Vancouver, Grouse Mountain
Option 1: Take your breakfast in the city centre. Walk to Place du Canada to take the ferry to Capilano Bridge. Cross the famous suspension bridge and visit the First Nations' sculpture centre. Take the bus to Grouse Mountain. Take your lunch on the go in the waiting line of the cable car. Visit of various observation centres that the mountain offers and dine on the restaurant's terrace while watching the sunset over the city.
Option 2: Visit and its enormous public market, the Granville Island Public Market, which allows you to buy and enjoy the products of the regional gastronomy. Visit some of the many art galleries on the island. To get there, take the bus 50 from {1}Place du Canada{/1}.
CAPILANO SUSPENSION BRIDGE PARK
Day 4: Crossing to Vancouver Island and Victoria
Breakfast in the city of Vancouver. At the Central train station, buy a ticket at Greyhound towards Victoria; . The bus ticket includes the ferry transfer which, sometimes, allows you to watch whales. Lunch and stroll along Government and Douglas streets, the main shopping streets of the city
Day 5: In the heart of Victoria, Market Square and Chinatown
Steps: Toronto
Breakfast in Market Square in the city centre. Visit of the neighbourhood and its many historic buildings. Shopping and lunch in the inner courtyard of the square. Visit and dinner in Chinatown, next to Market Square. Overnight in the town centre.
Day 6: Vancouver Island, the nature island
Steps: Victoria, Brentwood Bay
Breakfast in the city centre of Victoria. 1st option: from the city centre, take the bus towards Butchart Gardens. This garden is probably the major tourist attraction of the city. Its neighbour, Victoria Butterfly Gardens, is also worth visiting. Dinner and overnight in the city centre. Second option: breakfast and lunch in the city centre. Whale watching cruise aboard a zodiac. Several companies offer different packages and all of them are located in the port of the city. Dinner on the port and overnight in the city centre.
Day 7: Discovering Nanaimo
Breakfast in Victoria and departure to the city of Nanaimo. Take the bus at the station on Terminal Avenue. Arriving in Nanaimo in the afternoon, take your lunch and dinner in the city centre, stroll on the quay. Overnight in Nanaimo.
Day 8: Excursion in New Castle Island
Steps: Nanaimo, Newcastle Island
Breakfast in Nanaimo. Take the ferry, in the port of the city, towards New Castle Island. A trail allows you to tour the island on foot and explore the flora and fauna. Overnight in one of the island's campsites, accompanied by bears and deers.
Day 9: On the way to Whistler
Steps: Nanaimo, Vancouver, Whistler, Stewart
Breakfast in Nanaimo. Take the ferry north of Stewart Avenue, towards Vancouver (1h30). In Vancouver, take the bus at central train station to Whistler, the world's most popular ski resort. Tickets can be bought at the terminal and there are several departures per day. Dinner and overnight in the village of Whistler.
Day 10: Whistler, an unusual summer and winter sports resort
Steps: Whistler
Breakfast in the village at the foot of the mountain. The resort of Whistler is world renowned for its winter ski slopes. The Whistler mountain also offers about 50 kilometres of hiking trails in summer. The place is perfect for a lunch picnic. Dinner and night out in the village that is always very lively.
Day 11: Blackcomb, in the shadow of Whistler
Steps: Whistler
Breakfast in the village of Whistler. In summer, the foot of offers a host of sporting activities of all kinds: golf, climbing, horseback riding ... Both resorts are connected by a cable car! You can also dine and spend the night in the village.
BLACKCOMB PEAK
Day 12: Towards Kelowna and Okanagan Valley
Steps: Vancouver, Whistler, Kelowna
Breakfast in the village of Whistler. No bus links Whistler and Okanagan Valley, so you have to go back to Vancouver to take the bus to Kelowna (journey of about 6 hours). Lunch in Vancouver train station and dinner in Kelowna. Overnight in Kelowna.
Day 13: The charms of Kelowna
Breakfast on a terrace on Rue Water. The city centre can be visited quite quickly. Knox Mountain is about a 40-minute walk from the city centre and offers a stunning view of the lake and the valley. Enjoy the summit for a lunch picnic. After so much exercise, the city-centre's beach is the perfect place to end the day.
Day 14: Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park and Osoyoos
Steps: Mission, Osoyoos, Kelowna
Breakfast in Mission, in the southern part of the city. The legendary Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park is located in this neihbourhood of the city; several trails in the park date back to the fur trade era, at least before the fire of 2003. Lunch in the city centre and departure from the terminal (north of downtown) towards Osoyoos at the southern tip of Canada. Dinner at the excellent restaurant of the vineyard and Spirit Ridge at NK'MIP Resort. Overnight in one of the many hotels on the beach of the lake
Day 15: Osoyoos Desert and journey to Banff
Breakfast on the shore of the lake. The town of Osoyoos includes a desert: the NK'MIP aboriginal tribe has set up a very informative site north of the city, where it is possible to venture into the desert while learning a lot about the environment of the region. At the bus terminal, at the entrance of the city (Husky Gas Station), Greyhound company offers three departures per day to Banff, in the Rockies (lasting about 15 hours).. Lunch at the terminal, dinner and overnight on the bus.
Day 16: Discovering Banff's site
Steps: Banff
Breakfast in the village of Banff. 4 kilometres south of the village, the cable car that climbs to the summit of Mount Sulfur is a great way to get in touch with the splendor of the Canadian Rockies. Bring warm clothing. Lunch in the restaurant at the top. After defying the temperature of the snow-capped peak, you can warm up in the natural waters of Upper Hot Springs, a complex adjoining that of the cable cars. To learn more about these waters and the history of Canada's national parks, the historic site of Cave and Bassin, southwest of the village, offers picnic tables and many trails. Dinner at the Cave and Bassin site and overnight in the village of Banff.
CAVE AND BASIN NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE / SULPHUR MOUTAIN - BANFF GONDOLA / BANFF UPPER HOT SPRINGS
Day 17: Around Banff's lakes
Steps: Banff National Park, Banff
Breakfast in the village. Northeast of Banff, Lake Minnewanka allows you to view wildlife and practice a host of nautical activities. Lunch in the village. Northwest of the city, by taking Rue Lynx, do not miss the sunset over the magical and typically Canadian landscapes of Lake Vermilion. Dinner and overnight in Banff's village.
Day 18: Leaving for Jasper via Lake Louise
Steps: Lake Louise, Banff, Jasper, Québec
Breakfast in the village of Banff. 57 km northwest from Banff, Lake Louise is one of the most photographed places in the world, but no photo can really give credit to the wild beauty of the place. Lunch at one of the restaurants of the famous Jasper by taking route des glaciers. Dinner and overnight in the village of Jasper.
Day 19: Ice fields of Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Falls
Steps: Athabasca, Jasper National Park, Jasper
The ice fields of Columbia Icefield cover more than 325 km2. Some companies in the village of Jasper offer guided tours of these vestiges of the ice age. Near the entrance to the site, via Highway 93A, the Athabasca Falls are worth travelling and the place is suitable for a family picnic. Lunch at the site of the falls, dinner and overnight in the village of Jasper.
COLUMBIA ICEFIELD
Day 20: On the tracks to Montreal
Steps: Jasper, Whistler, Montréal, Toronto
Breakfast in the village of Jasper. If the weather permits, Mount Whistler offers a stunning view of the Rocky Mountains. A cable car, which is located 7 km south-west of the village, goes to the top. You then join Jasper Railway Station, 607 Connaught Drive, to start a long journey to the east. The journey to Montreal, aboard the VIA Rail train, lasts 3 and a half days, with a change of train in Toronto.
WHISTLER MOUNTAIN
Day 21: Crossing Alberta and Saskatchewan
Plan for reading and music, the train trip is very long, but it allows you to rest, eventually to write your impressions on your trip. Inspiration comes by looking out the window!
Day 22: Crossing Saskatchewan and Manitoba
The landscapes parade...
Day 23: Evening arrival in Toronto
Dinner in Toronto and transfer to Montreal.
Day 24: Rest day in Montreal
Steps: Montréal
After your long journey, take a day for yourself in Montreal. Oversleeping at the hotel, lunch in the city and aimless walking in the afternoon. The visits will resume in the following day!
Day 25: Old Montreal and Plateau Mont-Royal
Steps: Montréal
Breakfast at the hotel. Stroll without hurrying through Place Jacques Cartier (public entertainers, artists...) and visit of Old Montreal and its most beautiful museum: Pointe-à-Callière, Museum of Archaeology and History. Breakfast in one of the many restaurants in the old city. Walk to one of the terraces of Rue Saint-Denis in the heart of Latin Quarter, undoubtedly the best place to contemplate Montreal and its inhabitants. Dinner and walk in this area and that of Plateau Mont-Royal. Overnight in Montréal.
POINTE-À-CALLIÈRE CITÉ D'ARCHÉOLOGIE ET D'HISTOIRE
Day 26: Walk on Mont Royal and Sainte-Catherine Street
Steps: Montréal
Breakfast in the city centre. From there Mount Royal is easily accessible on foot or by car. Its belvedere is the most charming place to contemplate the city and its surroundings. Plan a picnic for lunch. Enjoy the fresh air offered by the mountain and in the evening, stroll around the city centre by walking along Sainte-Catherine Street. Dinner and overnight in the city centre.
Day 27: Goodbye Montreal, hello Quebec!
Breakfast in Montreal. Breakfast in Old Quebec. Guided tour of the city. Dinner and overnight in Quebec.
Day 28: Visit of Old Quebec and the Plains of Abraham
Steps: Québec
Breakfast in Old Quebec. Stroll at Place Royale and in the picturesque Petit Champlain district. Visit of Musée de la Civilisation. Lunch in a restaurant near the museum. Relaxing on the Plains of Abraham seems to be a great way to end this busy day. Dinner on Grande Allée or in the St-Jean faubourg.
Day 29: Charlevoix and Baie-Saint-Paul
Steps: Baie-Saint-Paul, Isle-Aux-Coudres
Breakfast in Quebec. Lunch in Baie-Saint-Paul in the region of Charlevoix. Visit of the region's art galleries. Dinner, bird watching and overnight in L'Isle-aux-Coudres.
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