Highlights of Eastern Canada

“The tour we went on was basically a condensed version of our Highlights of Eastern Canada tour, and it’s clear why our customers love it. Of course, as everyone who visits will tell you, the most memorable bit was Niagara Falls. The sound is so intense, it’s a constant roar that just doesn’t stop. But that’s not the only draw – there are so many different things to see, from the little towns like Niagara on the Lake which was absolutely beautiful. It was like New England, filled with gorgeous little houses – that was a real highlight.”

Said to be the prettiest town in Ontario, Niagara on the Lake is home to several internationally award-winning wineries particularly renowned for the production of icewine. This sweetly decadent tipple is made from pressing grapes that have been left to freeze naturally on the wine over winter, creating a much more concentrated juice that turns into a deliciously fragrant, yellow-gold wine.

“We tried icewine, and it was amazing – it’s like a dessert wine, but tastes much crisper, like liquid crystal. In fact, wherever we went, we enjoyed Canadian wine, and it was all delicious. That, and the natural friendliness of the Canadians, is one of the only things each new place we visited had in common! Every city is totally different, especially when you go from the French-Canadian side to the Canadian side.”

With so many contrasts in one country, the best way to explore is definitely with someone who knows the best spots, and can explain all the aspects of Canada’s fascinating history, traditions and culture.

“Our Tour Guide, Petra, was fantastic and so knowledgeable. She was so passionate about Canada; she was just in love with the country, and everything came back to that. She said ‘The USA is a melting pot where everyone’s different identities influence one another, but Canada is a mosaic, where everyone keeps their own culture but fits together perfectly to create something beautiful”, which is a lovely way to sum the country up! It was so good to have her there because it’s so hard to understand everything you see without having someone there to put it all into context. She was really interesting and engaging, and just put everyone at their ease. Her passion was contagious, and when she spoke about Canada it made us love the country even more because she adored it so much.”

You might even find a few unexpected surprises, as Jen and Alice discovered, to their delight:

“In Montreal we stayed at the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, where John Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed. Jen is a huge Beatles fan, and she found 1742, the room John and Yoko stayed in, and begged the chambermaid to let us in – of course, she very politely refused as there were guests already in there, but the next day, the manager surprised us and let us in as a treat after the occupants had checked out – it was amazing! The Canadians are such friendly people, they really want to welcome you and make you happy, and this certainly made us happy!”

Perhaps experience it all for yourself on your own holiday in Canada