TRAVEL INSPIRATION
by Eden Luxury Travel
EDEN’S EAST CANADA ADVENTURE
Four distinctly different yet equally intriguing cities. A whole
lot of history, heritage, colour and culture - not to mention a
world of adventure. A thunderingly spectacular grand finale.
This is eastern Canada - Eden style.
The first question we get asked when creating a tour of Eastern
Canada is ‘Québec City or Montréal?’ We always say do both.
Why? Well they are just over 2 and a half hours away from each
other, offering two completely different experiences and are also
a great way to break up your epic adventure.
Starting with Québec City (smaller than Montréal with a
population of around 750,000 versus Montréal’s 38 million).
This is the cradle of French America. It’s Old Town is bigger
than Montréal’s and visually more appealing but it is a little
more touristy with close to 40 National Historic Sites of Canada
(though you are also just 20 minutes away from an abundance
of exquisite natural attractions which are particularly superb
come summer). The culinary scene here for a city that’s a little
on the smaller side is really quite remarkable.
Montréal on the other hand is big, vibrant, cosmopolitan and
has many more places to explore, eat and shop. While the
Old Town here isn’t as pretty as Québec’s, it’s actually more
interesting if you like architecture, as every neighbourhood
has its own personality and you can clearly see the French
and British influences. The larger inner core of older
neighbourhoods and great transit system make it easy to
discover the city without the car and whether your passion is
cuisine, contemporary art or vintage shopping, Montréal serves
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it all up with aplomb. Ottawa is a great city to explore on foot -
ideal when you have the lengthy drive to Toronto ahead of you.
Two of the city’s absolute must do’s are Parliament Hill and the
Rideau Canal. Acting as the anchor of Downtown Ottawa, the
three neo-gothic structures of Parliament Hill are pretty hard
to miss, with several areas open to the public, the most notable
being the Centre Block. From here you can head upward to the
observation deck of the Peace tower for a bird’s-eye view of the
city or pay tribute to the Canadians lost during their military
service in the Memorial Chamber.
Flooded with boats come summer (both private and
commercial), the Rideau Canal is a series of rivers, lakes and
connecting locks and canals that form a continuous waterway
from Kingston to Ottawa and one of Canada’s newest UNESCO
Heritage Sites with canal boat or canoe tours and hiking trails
that highlight some of the area’s most beautiful sights.
Töronto is as cosmopolitan as they come. To newcomers, it
may seem like just another big city; downtown is dotted with
skyscrapers, the city’s streets are bustling with people on the go
and the public transportation system is top-notch. But lift up
the hood of Canada’s biggest city and you’ll find there’s more
to the eye than an amazing skyline. Considered to be one of
the most culturally diverse cities in the world (more than half
the population are born outside of the city) Toronto is big... in
more ways than one. It’s home to one of the tallest freestanding
towers in the world - the CN Tower is the site of the world’s
largest underground shopping mall, PATH and is also where
you’ll find the longest street in the world: Yonge Street. But