Like its immediate neighbor, Canada too is a big country, the second largest by area in the world. Toronto on the East is over 3000 kms from Vancouver in the West, with a flight time of little over 5 hours.
Despite being a large country, there is nothing much for a general tourist between the east and the west. The eastern part comprises Niagara Falls, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec while the western part comprises Vancouver, Banff and surrounding areas. One exception though could be Churchill, located on the shores of Hudson Bay and close to being equidistant from Toronto and Vancouver. Churchill is called the polar bear capital of the world.
Travel into Canada
I flew into Toronto and flew out of Vancouver. Domestic fares are more expensive as compared to international fares for the same distance. Plan in a way you do not have to return to the city you flew into. Vancouver-Bengaluru was cheaper than booking Vancouver-Toronto as a domestic leg and then Toronto-Bengaluru. Both via Frankfurt. Canada has several international airports you can fly into or out but Toronto is the busiest and has the best connectivity, followed by Vancouver.
Internal travel
Given the internal distances, I travelled only by air except for Niagara Falls for which I hired a taxi from Toronto. But trains are also a convenient option in the eastern part, especially between Toronto and Ottawa/Montreal or Quebec city and Montreal/Ottawa. The journeys will take 5 hours or more. The journey between Toronto to Quebec city takes over 9 hours and hence not very convenient.
Point to point air connectivity in Canada was not great when I travelled. I did not find any direct flights from Quebec city to Calgary and connecting flights, say via Toronto, were quite expensive and time consuming. But I found direct flights from Ottawa to Calgary and had to modify my itinerary accordingly.
Car rental too may not be an option given the distances involved. But for shorter journeys or day journeys, possible.
My itinerary
Over a period of 15 days, I covered Niagara Falls, Toronto, Quebec, Ottawa with day trip to Montreal, Banff and Vancouver. Moderately rushed, would have good to add 2-3 days to the itinerary. Each place requires 2-3 nights at the minimum.
What did I miss
Watching polar bears in their natural habitat in Churchill. Canada is estimated to have 70% of the total polar bear population. If you desire to watch polar bears in their natural habitat, head to Churchill. However, I understand Churchill is not easily accessible.
Rocky Mountaineer train, one of the world’s most scenic train rides from Banff to Vancouver. The train has couple of other routes as well but would have required additional 3-4 days.
Several cruises run out of Vancouver ranging from few days to few weeks. I am keen on an Alaskan cruise but Seattle in USA may be a better starting point.
When to travel
By and large, Canada is a cold country and famous for all kinds of winter sports and activities. But if you wish to skip the cold weather, you have 5 months in a year to visit Canada.
The summer months of June, July and August are the best months if you are looking at comfortable temperatures with July and August being the peak tourist season. But even in summer, the average temperature are mid twenties or lower. May and September are relatively colder but comfortable and much less crowded than summer months.
I travelled in the month of May and I still had to dress in layers as weather changed by the day. Bright sunshine one day and the next day I would see cloudy skies and drizzle. On an average, more days had cloudy skies than clear skies.
How many days
If you want to cover both east and west in one visit, a minimum of 2 weeks is required.
Where to stay
In Toronto, Harbourfront has great views of Lake Ontario and would be my choice. Other option is downtown.
In Niagara Falls, any hotel that provides a clear view of the Falls.
In Quebec, the old Quebec area and the downtown area in both Ottawa and Vancouver. But overall, be prepared to walk around a bit.
Cost
Canada is a relatively expensive destination. Part because of the distances that need to be covered, hence be prepared to spend more on internal travel by air or train. Even otherwise, domestic air fares are comparatively expensive.
Car rentals can be cheaper if 3-4 people are travelling together but useful only for short journeys, which are not many!
I would budget a minimum of INR 5 lakhs(~8.5k CAD) for a couple for 15 days, excluding international air fare. This is assuming 4 or 5 star hotels with breakfast, 4-5 internal air travel, occasional taxis, vegetarian food and beverages, tours, entrance fees and other miscellaneous expenses.
Vegetarian Food
There are lot Indians living and working in Canada. So finding Indian food or vegetarian food is not a problem in major towns. Even the small town of Banff had more than one Indian restaurant.
Canadian cuisine is largely non-vegetarian. The only local dish I enjoyed was BeaverTails, a sweetish snack made of wheat. Goes well with coffee. And the only local item I brought home was Maple Syrup, a local speciality, which is somewhat like Honey.
Other matters
Currency is Canadian Dollars. Credit cards are widely accepted but I always carried some cash when heading out of town for day journeys.
Indian passport holders require a prior visa to visit Canada.
Tips are normally expected. I generally tip between 10-15%, sometimes higher if only to round off.
Canada is a safe destination for tourists. But as always, basic precautions must be taken during travel.