---
title: "Things to Do in Canada"
url: "https://viatravelers.com/things-to-do/canada/"
type: "archive"
---

# Things to Do in Canada

> 20 curated places in Canada, with what makes each one worth your time.Planning the trip? Read the Canada destination guide →

- [Museum of Anthropology](https://viatravelers.com/places/museum-of-anthropology-ubc/) — Arthur Erickson's concrete-and-glass building alone justifies the UBC trip. The totem poles inside the Great Hall seal it.
- [Citadel of Quebec](https://viatravelers.com/places/citadel-of-quebec/) — The Changing of the Guard here is the real thing — an active regiment, a live goat mascot, and views over the St. Lawrence that put the whole city in context.
- [Auberge Saint-Antoine](https://viatravelers.com/places/auberge-saint-antoine/) — Auberge Saint-Antoine put 5,000 artifacts in my hallway. My room had a documented relic on the wall. Quebec City history doesn't get more literal.
- [Moraine Lake](https://viatravelers.com/places/moraine-lake/) — Moraine Lake's turquoise water peaks in late June — that color is real, it's glacial rock flour, and it's worth rearranging your whole Banff itinerary.
- [Banff National Park](https://viatravelers.com/places/banff-national-park/) — Moraine Lake gets the photos, but the Icefields Parkway is where Banff actually earns its reputation.
- [Banff Springs Hotel](https://viatravelers.com/places/banff-springs-hotel/) — The Banff Springs has been calling itself a castle since 1888 — staying here once makes it hard to argue otherwise.
- [Park Distillery Restaurant + Bar](https://viatravelers.com/places/park-distillery-restaurant-bar/) — Park Distillery is Canada's only distillery inside a national park — glacier water, wood-fired meats, and house-made rye in downtown Banff.
- [Banff Park Museum](https://viatravelers.com/places/banff-park-museum/) — The Banff Park Museum is a 1903 log building frozen in time — Victorian cases, original specimens, and a conservation story most visitors walk right past.
- [Queen Elizabeth Theatre](https://viatravelers.com/places/queen-elizabeth-theatre/) — The QET's cantilevered balconies mean no bad seats — and Bill Reid's lobby sculpture alone is worth arriving early for.
- [Banff Gondola](https://viatravelers.com/places/banff-gondola/) — Eight minutes up, 2,281 meters high, six mountain ranges in view. The ridgetop boardwalk to Sanson's Peak is the part most visitors skip.
- [The Maple Leaf Grill & Lounge](https://viatravelers.com/places/maple-leaf-grill-lounge/) — Maple jalapeño duck wings and Alberta bison in downtown Banff — The Maple Leaf has been the local benchmark for Canadian cuisine since 2000.
- [Stanley Park](https://viatravelers.com/places/stanley-park/) — Stanley Park's 8.8 km Seawall costs nothing and outperforms every Vancouver tour package. Budget 3 hours minimum — most people need more.
- [Miku Restaurant](https://viatravelers.com/places/miku-restaurant/) — Aburi sushi — flame-seared, pressed, and torched tableside — is what Miku does better than anyone else in Vancouver.
- [Musée de la civilisation](https://viatravelers.com/places/musee-de-la-civilisation/) — The Musée de la civilisation sits steps from the Saint Lawrence and covers Quebec identity better than anywhere else in the city.
- [Gastown Steam Clock](https://viatravelers.com/places/gastown-steam-clock/) — Built in 1977, the Gastown Steam Clock looks Victorian but isn't — and that small deception makes it more interesting, not less.
- [Le District Saint-Joseph](https://viatravelers.com/places/district-saint-joseph/) — Old Quebec gets the crowds, but Saint-Joseph is where locals actually eat, drink, and make things worth seeing.
- [Vancouver Aquarium](https://viatravelers.com/places/vancouver-aquarium/) — The Vancouver Aquarium has rescued over 150 marine mammals a year since 1956 — and you can watch that work up close.
- [Lake Louise](https://viatravelers.com/places/lake-louise/) — That turquoise color isn't a filter — it's rock flour from the Victoria Glacier. Get there before 8am or accept the crowds.
- [Café La Maison Smith](https://viatravelers.com/places/cafe-la-maison-smith/) — Café La Maison Smith sits in a 1653 building at Place Royale — order the coffee, slow down, and let Old Quebec do the rest.
- [Plains of Abraham](https://viatravelers.com/places/plains-of-abraham/) — A 30-minute battle in 1759 shaped all of Canada. Walking these 98 hectares above the St. Lawrence, that weight is hard to shake.