Where would you travel in Canada if you could go anywhere? Swimming with beluga whales in Hudson Bay is just one adventure that’s on our radar.

What about you? Where would you go, and why? Best comment wins a brand new (and seriously stunning) coffee table book from National Geographic called ‘Journeys of a Lifetime – 500 of the World’s Greatest Trips.’

We’ll be wrapping up this contest by April 30. Hope to hear from you.

Contest update: Congrats to Mona for winning a copy of National Geographic’s ‘Journeys of a Lifetime – 500  of the World’s Greatest Trips.’

Your take on why you’d travel to Vancouver – “where new restaurants keep sprouting like bamboo shoots after a rainfall” –  was something else. We could almost smell the cherry blossoms!

Meanwhile, thanks to everyone for your thoughtful and seriously patriotic comments. Your words are gold to us so please keep them coming! Stand by because we are planning more contests for the near future.

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  1. tracy taylor commented:

    i would love to go to cape breton and newfoundland. i have never been east in canada. i have cancer and have had for the last six and a half years. i would really like to see eastern canada, it has been a dream of mine. now i feel it is kind of urgent to get there to see the incredible and beautiful scenery there. i have seen such beautiful pictures of that part of our country. i am so sick of fighting all the time with this disease and would love to get away from real life for awhile and just enjoy myself. thank-you for your time.

    Reply

  2. Catherine Ford commented:

    How can anyone choose just one of the amazing places to visit? Canada is like a giant bag of variously flavoured potato chips: Nobody can eat just one. There’s no comparison between slurping Malpeque oysters sitting by that bay in Prince Edward Island and eating Brome Lake duck (a l’orange) by Brome Lake, Quebec. Well, maybe butter tarts on a farm in Saskatchewan or Nanaimo bars in a Nanaimo diner. (I’m still mad at my driver aka, The Husband, for refusing to stop as we whizzed past Nanaimo on the highway, even when i pleaded that since I had sampled Shanghai noodles in Shanghai and Peking duck in what was once Peking, the least he could do is humour me in my quest to travel Canada based on my questionable taste in food.) But I digress. But only to point out that I’ve driven, flown, eaten and toured through most of Canada with one exception: The Canada above the 60th parallel. Alas, I’ve never ben north of 60, and thus, never north of the Arctic Circle. While my fantasy is to stand where every direction is south, I don’t believe I have the will to take up a gruelling trek to the North Pole. I’d be happy to visit the Land of the Midnight Sun and see it for myself: the midnight sun, that is. And there must be an eponymous dish I could brag about tasting.

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  3. Mona Yam commented:

    Being from Calgary, I find that I keep returning to Vancouver, not
    only because it is the one of the closest Metropolitan cities, but
    also because of my affinity for great Asian cuisine and seafood.

    My favourite restaurants are the many Japanese Izakaya along Robson
    Street and the Chinese hole-in-a-wall places in Richmond, BC.

    I also really enjoy Stanley Park and its Aquarium, which is home to
    the seemingly smiling Beluga whales and the Oceanwise Seafood program.

    Vancouver serves the best fresh tasting shellfish during its spot
    prawns seasons, what’s more is that it happens to coincide with Sakura seasons as well. I remembered walking along the cherry blossom trees besides the
    skytrain station next to the Hyatt Hotel, and the smell of the
    short-lived flowers reminded me of the time when I visited Japan. The
    bubble tea and Japadog I picked up across the street was a fantastic
    springtime lunch for a solo traveler, but I couldn’t help but shake
    off the pink petals that glided along my hair and shoulders.

    The Chinese restaurants at Richmond, BC are definitely world class,
    and the dim-sum rivals the ones I used to have in Hong Kong with
    friends. My favourite spot is Sea Harbour, where has-been stars and
    politicians can be spotted among Canadian families and tourists
    alike.

    How could I not choose Vancouver? I have returned over a dozen times
    throughout the years and I continued going back because of its amazing
    food, as new restaurants keep sprouting like bamboo shoots after a
    rainfall, and the chefs make excellent use of local ingredients for
    traditional and inspired meals.

    Reply

  4. Karen Briggs commented:

    I’m torn, because there are two provinces I’ve not yet visited, and I have an equal hankering to see both! The first is Newfoundland, and I have a very detailed plan in my head about starting in St. John’s and doing a driving tour all around the island, finishing up at Gros Morne (all I need is the wherewithal to execute it!). The other is PEI, and I have a very specific occasion in mind for that trip: Charlottetown’s Old Home week in August, culminating in the Gold Cup and Saucer, the Maritimes’ most historic, and over-the-top, harness race. Harness racing, which has been part of my life since I was a kid, is a huge tradition in the Atlantic provinces and in PEI especially, and the Gold Cup and Saucer is the highlight of the season. I’ve never been, and I think it’s about time!

    Reply

  5. Julie commented:

    In the last 9 years Canada has become my home, yet there is still so much that I haven’t seen. I have always wanted to do a good old fashion coast to coast but never had the time. Especially since I would like to do it on a bike! And now that I had to move away for a bit I think of all the places where I would like to go when I am back.
    There is one place that I have been wanting to visit: Newfoundland. The space, the landscapes, the light, the people… I have never been there but I feel like it would feel like home. I want to see the sun rise from each lighthouse, walk the colourful streets of St John’s, talk to fishermen in small towns, see icebergs, go diving, say hi to a whale, enjoy a beer with locals and much more.

    Reply

  6. April commented:

    Sooooo many amazing places – this years list is to hit hwy 16 corridor in BC – hopefully all the way to Haida Gwaii – definitely want to hike some of the great trails on route 🙂 thank you!

    Reply

  7. Julie commented:

    Hmmmm… swimming with beluga whales in Hudson Bay sounds pretty fab! But I’ve been meaning to head out east – PEI and Halifax.. I’ve never been!

    Reply

    • toque & canoe commented:

      Lots of comments about the East Coast here! We interviewed the band Spirit of the West recently about where in Canada they liked to the perform best. They said the East Coast – where people are the area’s greatest resource. Word is getting out! PEI is divine and Halifax is one cool town.

      Reply

  8. Christine commented:

    I love love love all of Canada and have spent most of my time in the west, BC, Ab, and Yukon. I have been lucky enough to work in beautiful and remote places. I also have never been to the east coast and would love for Tracy Taylor to go and experience it for me!

    Reply

    • toque & canoe commented:

      We hear you Christine. We’d all like to see Tracy Taylor go too! The Yukon is an extraordinary place to visit. Loved being out in the middle of the night under a sky that refused to fade to black!

      Reply

  9. Laranda commented:

    Of course I want to go everywhere in Canada, it saddens me to know I’ve seen more of the USA than of my own country.

    The top of my Canadian bucket list right now would probably be to go to Churchill. I would love to ride the train up there to see the majestic polar bears in their natural habitat along with the stunning aurora borealis and to partake in some dogsledding.

    Next would be a trip to Montreal and Toronto to see where our country started. Since I’m in the area I would take in Ottawa and Quebec City too of course, and can’t forget the Niagara region along with the Falls.

    Then I would want to do the east coast, never been anywhere near there before. I want to experience walking along the bottom of the sea at the Bay of Fundy, witness the magic of Magnetic Hill, try my hand at lobster catching.

    The call of the wild would take me up to the territories, and to see the history of the gold rush. I would definitely take in a trek through the Great Bear Rainforest in hopes of seeing such a beautiful place before it gets destroyed.

    Of course, after seeing all those places for the first time, I’d want to visit in more depth the provinces I’ve had a chance to visit already, there’s so much more to do in BC’s orchards, the Rockies in Alberta, the quiet dignity of the prairies in Saskatchewan and the sense of home in Manitoba.

    No list of places to see in Canada is complete without my two personal favourites, the Moose Jaw tunnels, which will have you howling in enjoyment while learning some fascinating history, or the Hermetic Code tour at the Legislature building in Winnipeg, probably the most secretive filled place around.

    I’m a proud Canadian and I can’t wait to see all that our great country has to offer!

    Reply

  10. Kate Gordon commented:

    I would love to go to the Maritime provinces. I am a lover of Celtic music and lifestyle. I can see myself sitting in on ceilidhs and maybe even playing my bagpipes.

    Reply

  11. Heather McLenaghan commented:

    Haida Gwaii. So much natural beauty, culture and wildlife!
    Off the beaten path, and the furthest Western point in Canada. Sounds epic!

    Reply

  12. Donna commented:

    We traveled west in 2009….two months on the road, sleeping in the van and taking in every historic site and so much beautiful scenery along the way. We would really like to do that again but heading east this time. We’ve never been east of Montreal.

    Reply

  13. Joanne Elves commented:

    One place? That’s easy. The best place in Canada…hands down, best place – bar none, no brainer is………………..doesn’t exist. That’s the beauty of this land. We are so lucky to be here. Yes it’s chilly in the winter but to see the seasons change – anywhere in Canada is beautiful. BUT if you want to know a few things I’d like to do that are soooo Canadian it would be running an arctic marathon and kayaking around the ice burgs, Watching a Blue Jays game in Toronto would be nice too. Oh, wait…I want to see the tide go out at the Bay of Fundy and hike the west coast trail and hang out with the polar bears and touch all the maritime islands and…..oh no…look what you’ve started.

    Reply