Curious about how prices differ in Toronto vs. Vancouver? Or Ottawa vs Montreal? This fun infographic shows the prices of various basic living expenses in 5 of the most popular cities in Canada. Whether you’re looking to move to the land of Maple Syrup or just vacation there, you’ll need to have at least a couple of these costs covered before you start looking for cool things to do or fun attractions to check out.
If you’re hitting the road this summer, especially if you are taking the kids along with you, you might be wondering how best to go about planning your exciting trip but also ensuring you’re going to have a stress-free time and lots of opportunity to make the most of your time away. If you’re heading to the vast country of Canada especially, hiring a car is perhaps the most useful thing you can do to ensure flexibility and freedom given the wide open spaces and distances between points of interest. Here we look at a few of the great drives you can do throughout Canada, and why renting a car is much more convenient.
The east coast of Canada is alive with numerous provinces, all clumped together in a small, and drivable area. From Quebec City to Sydney, Nova Scotia, visitors to this side of the country are in for a treat while they drive through three fantastic provinces – each with their own unique blend of tastes, sights, sounds and culture. French culture and historical architecture is prominent in the cities of Montreal and Quebec City, both being within a few hours driving distance of Edmundston in New Brunswick and then further on to Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton before hitting the still very quintessentially Scottish feeling province of Nova Scotia. Of course, this is a lengthy journey, and should be done only if you have time, but with many of these areas, fly and drive holidays are ideal, allowing you to pick and choose several locations and have an enjoyable time checking out the sites. Many of these locations offer brilliant activities for children from beaches to forests and everything in between.
The Prairies are home to some fantastic scenery – particularly throughout southern Alberta, where there are a number of interesting locales to visit, except many require a brief drive from the main cities of Calgary or Medicine Hat. With places near the Rocky Mountains such as the Crowsnest Pass, the Frank Slide, and Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump, you are sure to find something to delight everyone in the family on south west side of Calgary. To the east, you have the dinosaur-filled town of Drumheller, placed in a strange but picturesque canyon, prime for hiking, viewpoints and exploring nearby ghost towns of Rosebud and Wayne. If you have more time you can drive up the Icefields Parkway, from Canmore, through Banff and into the town of Jasper to the north, a scenic drive that is known for taking people’s breath away and plays host to a number of amazing stop offs, campsites, a glacier that you can walk on and more. The kids will love being able to say they have actually walked on a glacier – and what’s more fun than a snowball fight in the summer?
Don’t take it from me though, check out some of the other amazing adventures to be had all throughout Canada by car, and enjoy the freedom and flexibility that comes with renting a car and moving at your own pace. All the places mentioned are fantastic for kids and will help them really get back to nature and help everyone soak up a bit of the numerous pockets of culture and wonder that make up Canada. Renting a car will help keep the kids relaxed and happy too, to make sure everyone has the best time possible. Enjoy!