One city in Canada. Which to visit? Why? (1 Viewer)

[Tom Skerritt]

Want to plan a 10 year anniversary trip in June with the wife. London is a possibility. I've never been outside the states except for Mexico. But also thinking of Canada.

Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto. Any others? Looking for fun, relaxing, and slightly adventurous.

 

[Koya]

Montreal. Hands down if you want a more urban experience. Food, arts, culture, bars, clubs, strippers and French girls if you all want to play.

Nova Scotia and the East Coast for pure natural beauty and romance.

Toronto for a nice boring clean city.

 

[Osaurus]

Vancouver for me. Beautiful city with all kinds excursions to natural wonders. Not to mention the great food and beer and other attractions. I did a Rocky Mountaineer train trip from Vancouver to Jasper and then on to Lake Louise and Banff. It was first class and awesome. Can't go wrong with the Canadian Rockies IMO.

 

[Koya]

Vancouver for me. Beautiful city with all kinds excursions to natural wonders. Not to mention the great food and beer and other attractions. I did a Rocky Mountaineer train trip from Vancouver to Jasper and then on to Lake Louise and Banff. It was first class and awesome. Can't go wrong with the Canadian Rockies IMO.

Vancouver is beautiful, but a bit sterile and lacking cultural bite. Would rather live there than visit (again)

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Vancouver or Montreal, depending on what you are looking for.

 

[Osaurus]

Vancouver for me. Beautiful city with all kinds excursions to natural wonders. Not to mention the great food and beer and other attractions. I did a Rocky Mountaineer train trip from Vancouver to Jasper and then on to Lake Louise and Banff. It was first class and awesome. Can't go wrong with the Canadian Rockies IMO.

Vancouver is beautiful, but a bit sterile and lacking cultural bite. Would rather live there than visit (again)

Spot on with Toronto comment. It was really dull when I was there in May

 

[Parrothead]

Yellowknife, Yukon.. Just because it would be cool to say you were in Yellowknife, Yukon

 

[Eephus]

Montreal. The closest you can get to Europe without crossing an ocean.

 

[Parrothead]

Montreal. The closest you can get to Europe without crossing an ocean.

Quebec City down?

 

[Tom Skerritt]

Montreal. Hands down if you want a more urban experience. Food, arts, culture, bars, clubs, strippers and French girls if you all want to play.

Nova Scotia and the East Coast for pure natural beauty and romance.

Toronto for a nice boring clean city.

Does one need to be able to speak French in Montreal? I think the wife would appreciate the arts and cultural experience. And she would be incredibly turned on if I spoke French while we were there. Je parle français un peu.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Edmonton: Detroit of the north

Calgary during stampede is pretty awesome. Then you have Banff an hour away.

 

[Koya]

Montreal. Hands down if you want a more urban experience. Food, arts, culture, bars, clubs, strippers and French girls if you all want to play.

Nova Scotia and the East Coast for pure natural beauty and romance.

Toronto for a nice boring clean city.

Does one need to be able to speak French in Montreal? I think the wife would appreciate the arts and cultural experience. And she would be incredibly turned on if I spoke French while we were there. Je parle français un peu.

Not at All. Everyone either speaks English or pretends not to. (Seriously very few don't speak English)

Quebec City which I've not been to is supposed to be literally wonderful. More French, more romantic. A lot less cosmopolitan though

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Vancouver for me. Beautiful city with all kinds excursions to natural wonders. Not to mention the great food and beer and other attractions. I did a Rocky Mountaineer train trip from Vancouver to Jasper and then on to Lake Louise and Banff. It was first class and awesome. Can't go wrong with the Canadian Rockies IMO.

Vancouver is beautiful, but a bit sterile and lacking cultural bite. Would rather live there than visit (again)

 

[Mr. Pickles]

Really liked Vancouver and Victoria.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

I have been to Montreal twice and TO twice. (Had a chance to go to Vancouver for free (agh!) but was dating a girl yadayada so missed that).

Montreal by a mile but TO is great too.

I would do Montreal and go up to Quebec City if you can.

 

[Eephus]

Montreal. The closest you can get to Europe without crossing an ocean.

Quebec City down?

No, it's kind of up and over to the left.

Quebec City is beautiful, quaint and has lots of atmosphere but there's really not that much there. Montreal is a real city, not an 18th century theme park.

 

[cosjobs]

Really liked Vancouver and Victoria.

Victoria is my favorite, but Banff and Montreal are both great in entirely different ways. Vancouver is good but very expensive.

 

[=Smackdown=]

Another vote for Victoria

 

[The General]

Montreal has best food for sure and does feel cool with the French vibe. Women there as mentioned before are spectacular.

Honorable Mention: Whistler

 

[Barry]

Vancouver or Montreal.

 

[hxperson]

Depends on the time of the year. I'd say Vancouver for most of the year, but Montreal is great for the summer especially around F1 season. Toronto is a better place to live than to visit. Banff/Jasper is another good choice all year round, particularly if you like outdoors activities like skiing or mountain biking.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

And Montreal has great beer.

And hockey, hit the Habs at the Bell Centre if you can. - Well not in June but try a concert, it's a great facility. I've seen concerts at the Big O (home of the Expos) and the Bell.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Calgary during stampede is pretty awesome. Then you have Banff an hour away.

Stampede starts July 3rd this year. No, you don't have to like rodeo to have a good time at it. Lots of concerts, beer and great food.

 

[cstu]

Montreal. The closest you can get to Europe without crossing an ocean.

Quebec City down?

No, it's kind of up and over to the left.

Quebec City is beautiful, quaint and has lots of atmosphere but there's really not that much there. Montreal is a real city, not an 18th century theme park.

If only they were close enough you could visit both.

 

[cstu]

Vancouver or Montreal.

Twist my arm and I'll go with Vancouver.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Montreal. Hands down if you want a more urban experience. Food, arts, culture, bars, clubs, strippers and French girls if you all want to play.

Nova Scotia and the East Coast for pure natural beauty and romance.

Toronto for a nice boring clean city.

Does one need to be able to speak French in Montreal? I think the wife would appreciate the arts and cultural experience. And she would be incredibly turned on if I spoke French while we were there. Je parle français un peu.

If you can do it, do it, but they totally are bilingual (though some may ignore the English).

 

[Koya]

Vancouver for me. Beautiful city with all kinds excursions to natural wonders. Not to mention the great food and beer and other attractions. I did a Rocky Mountaineer train trip from Vancouver to Jasper and then on to Lake Louise and Banff. It was first class and awesome. Can't go wrong with the Canadian Rockies IMO.

Vancouver is beautiful, but a bit sterile and lacking cultural bite. Would rather live there than visit (again)

Montreal is more exciting, more bombastic - better club culture style nightlife. But it's cold as balls for half the year, and very, very french. Again, LOVE visiting, but wouldn't want to live there 24/7

Vancouver is beautiful. Clean, better weather, utterly amazing natural surroundings. Much, MUCH more of an asian-pacific influence as well. However, as I mentioned, it's sterile a bit. Because of well intended and fantastically environmental minded zoning, the buildings are in many ways barely distinguishable downtown and the surrounding areas. Ever see a really beautiful, well matched to nature glass building with a lot of greenery (green roofs, gardens, etc)? They are beautiful. But when EVERY building sorta looks the same, it becomes dull, even as it's green and beautiful.

Vancouver would be a great place to live, imo. But to have a fantastic few days? Montreal, by a mile. Unless it's winter.

 

[avoiding injuries]

Lynn Lake is beautiful in June.

 

[Atomic Punk]

I'm from Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada and have been to every city mentioned thus far. The only options I could recommend are Montreal, Vancouver and Halifax. All have their pros and cons, but you would have an awesome time at any of them. It really depends on what you are looking for in the trip. Twist my arm and I would say Vancouver.

PS - although Yellowknife is a beautiful place for a short visit, it is in the Northwest Territories, not Yukon. If you wish to visit an awesome northern town, go to Whitehorse, Yukon.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

I'm from Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada.

Ouch.

 

[Atomic Punk]

You got that right. It has been so cold this past week, skin freezes in less than one minute.

 

[McGarnicle]

Montreal is one of my favorite cities ever.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

You got that right. It has been so cold this past week, skin freezes in less than one minute.

Yep. I'm from Manitoba as well.

 

[ShamrockPride]

The Yukon for sure. Whitehorse is the obvious choice there. Even at that, as the most populated "city", if you want any privacy, you'll easily find it. No better a spot left on the planet to see earth's untouched beauty than the Yukon. I'd recommend a summer trip however, when the weather is actually...you know...pleasant. I mean you're talking wayyy up there in Canada not too far from the Arctic.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Been to Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Vancouver. I really like Toronto, but it is a big city like others you can visit. Vancouver is most adventurous but less of a city and not a ton of culture. Quebec City probably has the most culture, but it's smaller and has more of the ####ty French attitude. Montreal is the perfect mix of culture, city size and adventure for what you are looking for, IMO. Think of nice French people.

 

[Chaz McNulty]

Vancouver for me. Beautiful city with all kinds excursions to natural wonders. Not to mention the great food and beer and other attractions. I did a Rocky Mountaineer train trip from Vancouver to Jasper and then on to Lake Louise and Banff. It was first class and awesome. Can't go wrong with the Canadian Rockies IMO.

Vancouver is beautiful, but a bit sterile and lacking cultural bite. Would rather live there than visit (again)

Montreal is more exciting, more bombastic - better club culture style nightlife. But it's cold as balls for half the year, and very, very french. Again, LOVE visiting, but wouldn't want to live there 24/7

Vancouver is beautiful. Clean, better weather, utterly amazing natural surroundings. Much, MUCH more of an asian-pacific influence as well. However, as I mentioned, it's sterile a bit. Because of well intended and fantastically environmental minded zoning, the buildings are in many ways barely distinguishable downtown and the surrounding areas. Ever see a really beautiful, well matched to nature glass building with a lot of greenery (green roofs, gardens, etc)? They are beautiful. But when EVERY building sorta looks the same, it becomes dull, even as it's green and beautiful.

Vancouver would be a great place to live, imo. But to have a fantastic few days? Montreal, by a mile. Unless it's winter.

I live in Vancouver and can agree with this. I would go Montreal for sure.

 

[zoonation]

Live in Calgary.

The best cities, in order, are:

Montreal

Toronto

Vancouver (no soul. Have spent 2 years there. Great food though)

Then the rest is meh. If I was a US tourist i would go Halifax or PEI in the summer and then Calgary/banff/Lake Louise for stampede ( move it up close to van if you like skiing.)

 

[zoonation]

You got that right. It has been so cold this past week, skin freezes in less than one minute.

Yep. I'm from Manitoba as well.

I spent two weeks last jan in Winnipeg for work. OMG. I don't know how you guys live there. Worst fairmont in the entire chain and you cant even go outside!New airport is sweet though. They did a great job with that.

 

[jamny]

Vancouver is my favorite so far.

IMO, Montreal is overrated and Quebec is underrated. Toronto is like a mini-Manhattan. Really liked it.

Glad to see the Victoria votes, heading there in August.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

You got that right. It has been so cold this past week, skin freezes in less than one minute.

Yep. I'm from Manitoba as well.

I spent two weeks last jan in Winnipeg for work. OMG. I don't know how you guys live there. Worst fairmont in the entire chain and you cant even go outside!New airport is sweet though. They did a great job with that.

It doesn't matter if it is -20 or -40 to me; you aren't doing anything outside at either temp. I was in Calgary for 6 years. The randomness of the weather there was more of a piss off than the extreme cold here. Plus, Manitoba summers >>> Calgary.

 

[zoonation]

You got that right. It has been so cold this past week, skin freezes in less than one minute.

Yep. I'm from Manitoba as well.

I spent two weeks last jan in Winnipeg for work. OMG. I don't know how you guys live there. Worst fairmont in the entire chain and you cant even go outside!New airport is sweet though. They did a great job with that.

It doesn't matter if it is -20 or -40 to me; you aren't doing anything outside at either temp. I was in Calgary for 6 years. The randomness of the weather there was more of a piss off than the extreme cold here. Plus, Manitoba summers >>> Calgary.

Lol. Right. I would rather know it is going to be -25 all winter than have it randomly go up to +6 for a few days.As for the summer bit, will just take a pass on that. As long as you think so, that is great!

Edit: you know that -20 in calgary happens maybe 5-10 days all winter, right?

 

[Gator Shawn]

My wife wants to start travelling over Christmas Break to go "wintery and christmasy" places then (we live in Florida.) How would Montreal be at Christmastime?

 

[chet]

I've lived in both Montreal and Toronto and have visited every city listed except Whitehorse and Yellowknife.

I'd choose Montreal for sure but you need to be cognizant of the F1 (usually the 3rd weekend in June I think). If it attending the race isn't a priority, then avoid F1 week. Restaurant and hotel reservations are very tough and prices are very high for everything.

If you decide on Montreal, PM me with your email address, and I will send you a city guide that my friend put together.

 

[chet]

My wife wants to start travelling over Christmas Break to go "wintery and christmasy" places then (we live in Florida.) How would Montreal be at Christmastime?

Possibly very cold and snowy. Think about going to Quebec City for the Winter Carnival in February. We went last year and had a blast.

 

[PIK95]

You could do a lot worse then being in Halifax for the summer. If I was single I would probably move there right now. It's like Newport R.I. but with no tourists and a MUCH more cool mellow vibe. I can't wait to go back.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

You got that right. It has been so cold this past week, skin freezes in less than one minute.

Yep. I'm from Manitoba as well.

I spent two weeks last jan in Winnipeg for work. OMG. I don't know how you guys live there. Worst fairmont in the entire chain and you cant even go outside!New airport is sweet though. They did a great job with that.

It doesn't matter if it is -20 or -40 to me; you aren't doing anything outside at either temp. I was in Calgary for 6 years. The randomness of the weather there was more of a piss off than the extreme cold here. Plus, Manitoba summers >>> Calgary.

Lol. Right. I would rather know it is going to be -25 all winter than have it randomly go up to +6 for a few days.As for the summer bit, will just take a pass on that. As long as you think so, that is great!

Edit: you know that -20 in calgary happens maybe 5-10 days all winter, right?

Yes, I'm well aware that the winters are mild and don't get down to -20 very often. Just as the summers stay very mild and come with the odd blizzard.

 

[HellToupee]

Montreal. The closest you can get to Europe without crossing an ocean.

Quebec City down?

I love Toronto & Montreal but the best time we've had in Canada was in QC.

 

[Gator Shawn]

My wife wants to start travelling over Christmas Break to go "wintery and christmasy" places then (we live in Florida.) How would Montreal be at Christmastime?

Possibly very cold and snowy. Think about going to Quebec City for the Winter Carnival in February. We went last year and had a blast.

I think Cold and Snowy was the goal. Trying to get that Christmas vibe. Looking for something that lights up for Christmas well. Given the European vibe of Montreal, I was thinking it might be lit up like some of the German cities we've been too that time of year, like Rothenburg in Germany

 

[wilked]

No brainer, Montreal

 

[Jefferson the Caregiver]

Montreal certainly does have a seedy side to it and when you go out, it feels a little too young, as there are so many 18 year olds in the bars.

Maybe I need to go there other than to see strippers to experience a more mature side of it as I'm kind of surprised at all the recommendations. Haven't been there in a long time however.

Personally I am more interested in seeing Vancouver at this point.