First visit to Canada - lots of questions!
 

Hi Frequent Flyers/ Travellers, I'm hoping you'll be able to help me in my quest to finalize plans for my first trip to Canada. I'm looking for info on places to stay and logistics such as how to get from place to place (i.e. What public transport is available, how frequent it is and how much roughly the fares are), and recommendations for places to stay and lastly, what to see and do. The first bit of my trip is planned - I'm spending a week in Calgary with friends July 8 - 15. Then I'm picking up a hire car on the 15th to get to Vancouver by the 21st. I'm driving up to Jasper where I'll spend 2 nights - accommodation booked. Then back down the same highway as far as Lake Louise or Banff (17th) and on from there to Glacier National Park. I have not yet booked accommodation in that area eg. Golden or Revelstoke so would welcome recommendations. I'm going on from there to Kamloops (Hwy #1), from there to Hwy#99 and down to Vancouver via Whistler. I have no accommodation booked between Jasper which I leave on the 17th and Vancouver where I am booked for the 21st & 22nd only. So, I would love to hear people's recommendations of how long to drive for and where to overnight on that part of my trip.

I'd like to spend 4 more days in Vancouver (depart for Toronto on 27th). I would like to go whale watching and to see bears in the wild. I think if possible I'll avoid Vancouver Island as I may visit it on another occasion in the future. I need 4 nights accommodation in Vancouver but don't know if maybe I should go back up Hwy99 to get on trips for the whale watching and bear 'watching'? I'll walk or cycle around Stanley Park and hope Vancouver has open top bus tours of the city and other ways to get oriented with an overview of what's there.

Plan to fly from Vancouver to Toronto on 27th but not yet booked. Debating whether it would be best to stay in Hamilton as a mid point between Toronto, Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake. Departing Toronto on 31st. End of trip:-:
Would love suggestions for how to ideally logistically pack in the Falls, a winery or two, all there is to see in Toronto and not miss my flight on the 31st!:confused: thank you.

Sounds like an ambitious itinerary! Your timelines don't strike me as unrealistic though... a week in Calgary, a week getting to Vancouver, half a week in Vancouver, half a week in Toronto/Niagara Falls.

The only suggestion I'd make is at the back end of your trip... I'd make it a Toronto stay and then do Niagara Falls as a long-ish day trip where you set out early in the morning and come back late in the evening. Unless there is something particular you want to see that will take longer, I think a day trip to the Falls and the Niagara on the Lake area would probably suffice if you only have 3 full days in the region.

Bon voyage!!

It's nice to see Niagara Falls at dusk and at night.

No need to overnight in Hamilton. Leave early in the morning from Toronto, arrive 1.5 hours later in Niagara Falls. Walk around and look at the falls in the morning before it's too busy. Get back in your car at lunch and travel towards Niagara-on-the-Lake and take in a few wineries (just be careful how much you sample). Pick up a bottle or two (or pick up lots and have it shipped). Have supper in Niagara-on-the-Lake, then head back to the Falls to see them illuminated in the evening. Get back in car, 1.5 hours back to Toronto.

It's a long day, but it will be awesome for your first time in the Niagara area.

Again - don't stay in Hamilton.

I think Stampede will still be on around July 8 so make sure you have your YYC accommodation sorted out soon.

I agree that the itinerary is ambitious but it's not unrealistic. Banff / Jasper in particular are beautiful places so do plan on slowing down to take it all in.

Enjoy the seafood in YVR. :)

For Niagara Falls, you can check out this link to get a few ideas on wineries. One of my favourites is Le Clos Jordanne which is owned by Jackson Triggs. I rather enjoy the restaurant at Peller Estates but there are certainly many others to choose from. If you want to really enjoy wine country, consider a hotel in Niagara Falls or a B&B in Niagara-on-the-Lake. You'll have the time to take it all in, perhaps rent a bike and ride the Niagara Parkway / wine country, and see the Falls lit up at night.

Thanks to everyone who replied. I am pleased to see that you all have made positive comments about my itinerary. But, none of you have given me any recommendation for hotels or B&Bs! In the cities of Vancouver and Toronto could you give me names of places to avoid or if its easier, places to look for accommodation? Feeling a new zest now to get cracking at this task again.

For Toronto. The Intercontinental Toronto Centre and the Fairmont Royal York are nice hotels with good service. Both are walking distance to Union station so you can easily take the train to and from the airport. Also close to many tourist attractions.

Sheraton Centre is not bad either. A bit further north and well located. Close to many tourist attractions, major shopping centres and easy access to most transit lines.

I don't know if you will see bears in the wild around Vancouver unless you head up towards Whistler. You will probably have better luck seeing them when you are in the Rockies.

As per the rest of your Western itinerary I would consider staying two nights in Banff if you can swing it as there is a great deal to do and see if you are based in either Lake Louis or the town of Banff. When you are in Calgary you can always do day trips to Banff if your friends have a car as it is only a bit over an hour from the western fringes of Calgary. A day trip to Drumheller and the dinosaur museum is also worth it--about 90 minutes east of Calgary.

As per Niagara Falls you certainly don't need to stop in Hamilton. There is also Go Train service from Union Station in Toronto to Niagara Falls on weekends and holidays in the summer. You might consider this as opposed to driving. In the summer the traffic between Toronto and Hamilton always seems to be worse for some reason. You might even look into taking the train and then renting a car for the day at the Falls if you are interested in seeing other sites in the region--i.e. wineries and Niagara on the Lake. Alternatively, you can also take bikes onto the train from Toronto or perhaps can find a place to rent them in Niagara. Parking can be a nightmare and a bike would be much easier. There is really nothing worth stopping at between Toronto and the Niagara region from a "must see" perspective.

I'm not very familiar with hotels in Vancouver or Toronto. Perhaps let people know what you want to do and see in both cities so that they can get an idea of what a good location for you would be.

First time Canada trip - lots of questions
 

Thank you so much "Spurr". My friends are taking me to Banff and Lake Louise during my week in Calgary and to Drumheller (he's a geologist!) in addition to the Stampede. My hotel requirements are modest (limited budget) and central for all the touristy stuff. Thanks for the tips about not driving from Toronto -
It does sound more appealing to get a train to the Falls and hire a bicycle there.

Hi there -

Just got back from my own cross-country road trip, which covered many of the same sights you're planning on seeing.

I echo the comments about Niagara Falls - main attraction there is walking along the boardwalk/roadway to catch a look at the falls. There are also the 'Maid of the Mist' boat tours that you could do as well. The falls are definitely doable as a day trip only, if you home base it out of Toronto and take the train out. Another bonus to taking the train - you can hit up as many wineries as you like ;)

Also went through Lake Louise, Banff, and Jasper National Park on our way back to BC, and they were definitely highlights of the trip. You mentioned you were doing Banff as a day trip out of Calgary, which is certainly possible. What we did was stay in Banff, and took trips outward to see the glaciers in Jasper and to Lake Louise. Not sure if it's necessary to stay in Lake Louise as much of it can be seen/accomplished in a day (unless you want to spend $$$$ at the Fairmont).

Personally haven't seen any bears on the Sea-to-Sky or along 99 up to Whistler, but it's possible. I'd say the Rockies are your best bet for wildlife. We had a grizzly cross the road right infront of our car on the morning drive from Banff to the Jasper icefields! Lots of mountain goats and rams along the drive as well.

Hope this helps!

As a typical American, I am accustomed to the freedom of having my own car, but I was delighted to part with it in Vancouver - where the Canadian line took me from YVR into town and my transit day pass (which I bought at the 7/11 in the airport) allowed me to use buses and ferries. I really didn't need or want a car in Vancouver, because mass transit there is THAT good. I stayed at the Sheraton Wall Center, which was quite nice.
If you want to use a car to visit areas outside Vancouver, you might want to stay outside the downtown at a hotel that has cheap parking and access to mass transit. Vancouver itself has no freeways in downtown and great transit options.

Toronto is another place with excellent transit options. We stayed at the Toronto Hilton, which was right on the Red Rocket and an easy walk to the train station. Take VIA Rail to the falls, avoid the traffic and partake of the vineyards and the wine tastings and enjoy the falls at night. Take the last train back to Toronto, and stay at a hotel within walking distance of the train station.

There's plenty to do in downtown Toronto, which is walkable, but remember Toronto is a city of neighborhoods. Someone on this site recommended a restaurant called Le Paradis to us. It's a couple blocks from the TTC stop in Egington, has a sidewalk cafe, is reasonably priced and the food was wonderful. Toronto is full of places like that. Traffic can be crazy bad, especially on the Gardiner, and I've never felt like a wanted a car in Toronto.

As far as your western B&B's, I can't help out, but I'd certainly take my time going through the Rockies and the high desert in BC. Life is sort of like the road to Hana. Hana's a nice little place at the end of the road, but the drive getting there is the best part. By far.
Enjoy the journey.

I'm in Whistler now. The bears are out - lots of bear crap on my lawn. I saw one crossing our street yesterday and there are always one or two on the golf course. Bears are easily seen here in Whistler, on trails, in residential neighborhoods, etc. And there was a close encounter with a cougar last week as well, although those are much less common.
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-n...mountain-trail

Thanks to Homerjay and Finkface for their tips and especially the latter's story about the cougar. That was a little too close for comfort I'd say! Regarding accommodation in Toronto, I've booked myself into university accommodation for two nights at the Chestnut Residence and Conference Centre (University of Toronto) so am hoping that's convenient for transport. Anyone know it?

I'd check out AirBnB for Vancouver accommodations as hotels there can be quite pricey. When I'm on a budget and still want a hotel I like staying in Richmond close to a train station and then I can just jump on the Canada Line to downtown.

Just for you, brennajm, in my backyard here in Whistler around dinnertime tonight. We back onto the golf course so it seems that's where he was heading.