Canada, our adopted home. We both love this country so much and would love to show you around. Being the 2nd largest country in the world, there’s so much stunning beauty just waiting for you to discover.

From the lush Pacific Coast of British Columbia province, through the great outdoors of the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, tundras and prairies in the middle, to the metropolitan cities and charming coastal towns of the east.

We invite you to plan your Canadian trip with our comprehensive travel guides focusing on outdoor adventures. Northern lights, amazing wildlife, and friendly Canadians are waiting for you.

Fun facts about Canada

• Canada has a lot of epic turquoise lakes and overall more lakes than the rest of the world combined
• One-tenth of the country is covered in forests
• Canada has the longest coastline in the world
• Famous Canadian celebrities are Jim Carrey, Celine Dion, Ryan Gosling, Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne, Bryan Adams, Nelly Furtado and Nickelback
• It’s true that Canadians are incredibly friendly and do apologize a lot
• Chinook winds are a common occurrence in Calgary, Alberta (where we live), and temperature can rise by 20 degrees in one day (which we do love during winter)
• One dollar coins are called loonies, and two-dollar coins toonies
• Canada has 48 national parks and national park reserves

Are you intrigued to visit? Read below how to plan your trip and what to expect in Canada.

Outdoor adventure travel guides

Best things to do in Canada

Whale watching and hiking in rainforests

Visit the lush rainforests of Vancouver Island and enjoy the quietness. Its dreamy landscapes will invite you to hike along the coast with a beach stop to watch whales. Small towns of Ucluelet and Tofino are great for camping right on the beach or a surfing session.

Take advantage of the winter

While you might have heard of cold Canadian winters, there are so many fun activities you can do. Ski in the world’s best ski resorts of Whistler and Lake Louise, ice skate on frozen lakes, visit the winter wonderland of frozen waterfalls in Johnston Canyon or go fat biking in the Winter Olympics Centre in Canmore.

See the amazing wildlife

One of the most common reasons many visitors come to the Canadian Rockies is the wildlife. You can expect to see grizzly bears, black bears, deer, elk, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, moose, bison and of course beavers, Canada’s national animal. Plan your visit to spring to see cubs playing with their mama bear; it’s truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Hike to the most spectacular views

Whether you like to climb the mountain peaks, dip in ice-cold lakes, get sprayed by bustling waterfalls or see glaciers, you can find here a lot of adventures. Our favourites are bike & hike trip to Aylmer Lookout in Banff National Park, hiking the Iceline Trail above the 2nd highest waterfall in Canada in Yoho National Park or hiking the Wilcox Pass to see Athabasca Glacier from above in Jasper National Park.

Fly above the Rockies

While wildlife watching is just as popular as hiking, nothing compares to seeing the majestic Rockies from the sky. I highly recommend taking a scenic flight over the mountains and lakes you visit during your trip to get a perspective on the vastness of the Canadian wilderness.

Take a road trip

The best way to explore the most out of the country is taking a road trip. Distances in Canada are huge, just covering Vancouver’s distance to Calgary takes 10 hours, but the secret here is to take your time. Plan two weeks for an epic road trip through the finest landscapes of Western Canada. We have plenty of suggestions for you.

Road trips

How to get around

Getting to Canada

Canada has several international airports from the west to the east coast, including Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. If you’re visiting the Canadian Rockies, the closest airport is in Calgary. The later you book a flight, the more expensive it will be. Best deals on flights are usually at least three months in advance.

You can cross the border via land by bus or car or by ferry from the US. A train is also an option either on the west coast or the east coast.

Flying

Distances between major cities are enormous, so if you’re not road-tripping and you’re pressed on time, consider flying.

For example, Calgary to Vancouver is almost 1,000km and about 10 hours of driving (even more with sightseeing stops). However, the flight is only 1,5 hours long, which you can find for as low as 60 CAD one-way when booking in advance.

The low-cost airline operating in Canada is Flair. Other airlines are Air Canada and West Jet, which usually cost more but offer more routes.

Train

Train service VIA Rail runs several routes between cities on the East Coast, but generally, train travel isn’t cheap or widely used due to limited options.

A scenic Rocky Mountaineer train runs from Vancouver to Toronto. It takes several days with stops along the way and costs thousands of dollars. On the other hand, a regular passenger train costs around 500 CAD.

Bus

There’s plenty of local, long-distance bus operators in each province. For bus travel on the east coast, use Greyhound or Megabus. Rider Express operates buses within Alberta province and between Calgary, Alberta and Vancouver, British Columbia, for around 150 CAD. Both cities have public bus transportation.

In the Canadian Rockies, Parks Canada runs several shuttle services to popular attractions costing 2-10 CAD. For bus service departing from Banff, see this website. For accessing other places than Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, Canmore or Johnston Canyon, you need to arrange your transportation.

Car rental

All major car rental companies are located at airports with branches in the city as well. For cheaper rates, consider renting outside the airport.

Depending on the company, the minimum age is either 21 or 25. US travellers can use their license, but Europe’s drivers need to apply for an international driving license. Even though rental companies often don’t ask for it, it’s required by law.

Use DiscoverCars to compare car rental companies and find the best deal. Prices start at 45 CAD/day (+insurance and GST) for a small vehicle.

Campervan

Campervans are the most popular mode of transport during summer. This option provides you with incredible freedom and thousands of campgrounds across Canada to take advantage of. It’s the most convenient way to travel if your budget is limited (as you see below, prices for hotels and even hostels are high).

If you’re planning an adventurous trip, book a Smile Campervan from us. It’s a budget-friendly option to see the Canadian Rockies.

Ride-sharing

An option often used by budget travellers to split the cost is widely popular. You can find rides through Couchsurfing or Facebook groups.

Hitchhiking

Plenty of couchsurfers we’ve hosted used hitchhiking to get around. It’s legal in Canada and considered safe. Check out Hitchwiki for tips and hitchhiking resources. We’ve personally used this website when hitchhiking for the first time.

Cost & budget tips

Transportation

If you’re visiting Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal or any other major Canadian city, you can count on using the public system of buses or trains. It gets more complicated once you visit the famous national parks.

The only national park in the Canadian Rockies with shuttle services is Banff, with fees ranging from 2 to 10 CAD. If you want to visit Jasper, Yoho, hike a lot or visit other attractions than the most popular ones in Banff, you need to rent a car.

If you rent our Smile Campervan, you have transport and accommodation sorted out. You would pay 1,400 CAD for a week (200 x 7 days), including bedding, kitchen utensils, 200 km/day, insurance, and roadside assistance.

Gas is usually around 1 CAD per litre in Alberta (a bit more in British Columbia). For a week in Banff, including a drive from Calgary to Banff and back, expect to pay around 70 CAD.

Accommodation

The most budget-friendly accommodation is usually a hostel. I don’t know about you, but 40 CAD per night for a dorm (example from Banff) doesn’t seem very appealing.

In the case of the Canadian Rockies, the most budget-friendly option is a campground. Small mountain towns and national & provincial parks have plenty of campgrounds where you can choose what suits best your comfort level.

Basic first-come-first-serve campgrounds cost 15,70 CAD – 21,50 CAD per night per campsite, and campgrounds with showers cost 27,40 CAD – 32,30 CAD per night per campsite.

For a more luxurious stay in a campground, you can stay at oTentik. It’s a little wooden hut with beds, electricity, heating, showers, and cost 122,64 CAD per night.

For travellers preferring a hotel or lodge, always check nearby towns to get the best deal. Canmore usually has lower prices than Banff, and it’s only 15 minutes drive away. If you’re visiting Yoho National Park, check out Golden, and for visitors of Jasper National Park, check out Hinton.

Food

Small towns in the Canadian Rockies have supermarkets, but you have better prices and variety in the cities. So if you’re visiting Banff, stock up on food in Calgary. We recommend grocery shopping at Canadian Superstore. Install a Flashfood app where you can find plenty of items with 50% discounts.

Cooking your meals in our Smile Campervan with a 2-burner stove, small sink, and all utensils will save you many dollars. The total budget for a week worth of food ranges from 105 CAD (when cooking in a campervan) to 165 CAD/person for groceries with a few dinners at restaurants.

Beer and other alcohol can be purchased in liquor stores only. Expect to pay 30 CAD on average for a 12-pack of beer.

When visiting Banff, Calgary or Vancouver, we highly recommend Old Spaghetti Restaurant. Their menu includes an entrée, salad or soup, main course, coffee, and ice cream. Most of their meals are under 20 CAD for the whole menu.

Secret tip for Banff: Vistas Dining Room in Banff Centre offers a daily breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. Expect to pay 37 CAD/person for a buffet-style dinner.

Activities

Major cities, including Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal, have free walking tours. It’s the easiest way to get to know the place. Guides usually have a lot of recommendations for other budget-friendly activities.

The Canadian Rockies offer plenty of outdoor activities! Our recommendations include hiking, wildlife watching, and stand up paddleboarding or canoeing.

You can find our comprehensive hiking guides below. A great example of a budget-saving activity is hiking up the Sulphur Mountain vs. taking the gondola.

Once you have your transportation, all hiking trails are free to use, including parking at the trailhead. The only inevitable expense is purchasing a Discovery Pass (you can find the current fees here). It gives you access to 80 national parks and historic sites, such as Cave and Basin in Banff.

There are plenty of tours that can take you wildlife watching, but you can easily manage this on your own. Our post about wildlife in Canada includes different animals you can see, where to go, what to expect and tips from our encounters.

Exploring the countless turquoise lakes in the Rockies is a very popular activity. While you can rent a canoe on the most popular ones (Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Emerald Lake), you can also rent a canoe or stand-up paddleboard in the closest town. An inflatable canoe or SUP’s daily rental fee is usually what mentioned lakes charge for an hour. With your own, you can hit all three lakes on the same day. You don’t need any permission and are free to explore any lake you’d like.

Canadian Rockies on a budget

Hiking in the Canadian Rockies

When to go

Canada is great to visit any time of the year, and there are pros and cons of every month. Summer is the best season for hiking in the Rockies and summer festivals in major cities or even small towns.

Even though people think Canada is cold, summers are hot, get up to 30C in the Rockies, and even more in the cities. That being said, you can get caught in a snowstorm during summer so bring warm clothes to the Rockies whenever you’re visiting.

For hiking, mountain biking, camping and visiting the famous turquoise lakes, the best time is between June and the end of October. You will see beautiful wildflowers in June and July and can expect warm days till October. It’s also the season where Canadian lakes are thawed and beautiful.

Skiing is usually best between December and March, while conditions for wild ice skating on frozen lakes are best from November to January. It must be cold enough for several days or weeks for lakes to freeze and be safe for ice skating. Before they get covered by snow, you can enjoy the perfect glass and reflect the mountains on ice.

Winter temperatures in Banff, sitting at 1,383 meters (4,537 ft) above sea level, average between -5C and -14C (5F to 23F). But because the air is so dry and it’s usually sunny, you can still enjoy the outdoors (but also beware there are weeks with -20C during the day).

Banff National Park

Booking resources

Below are companies we personally use whenever we travel and recommend our readers.

• Skyscanner – the most used search engine for flights. I like their option to select a destination as “everywhere”. It populates different locations around the world sorted from the lowest price.
• Google Flights – similar search engine to Skyscanner as you can leave the field for “where to” empty and it will show the map of different locations and the flights’ price
• Booking – in my opinion, the best search engine for accommodation. They often have a 0$ cancellation fee and offer excellent customer support. From personal experience – when our hotel in Cartagena, Colombia, was overbooked over New Years’, I called customer service. I was quickly offered a voucher for the trouble and assistance in finding other accommodation.
• Hostelworld – a popular website for booking hostels.
• DiscoverCars – a huge search engine that compares prices of different car rental companies
• Bookaway – a website for booking bus travel. They offer a huge selection of routes all around the world.
• Get your guide – you can book different tours and activities, lets you compare prices from different providers and offers free cancellation within 24 hours before your activity starts.
• HeyMondo – travel insurance company we use for our trips. Our readers get 5% off when using our link. They offer coverage for an extensive list of activities, and the policy can be extended from anywhere. We never travel without insurance.

Small Canadian mountain towns

Recommended gear

Merino t-shirt

Sun protection

Fun adventures & inspiration

Our Canada videos