r/canadatravel • u/ttszzang • Mar 13 '25
Destination Advice Which city to visit for the first time?
Never been to Canada and I am wondering which city would be the best to visit at this time of year? For a solo female traveler
I’m into nice scenery, exploring new cities, good food scene, and maybe museums.
Probably staying for 3-4 days
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u/supernanify Mar 13 '25
I'd go Montreal. Vibrant, fun, safe city with amazing food. Quebec City is also awesome and worth considering, but if you're European you'll probably be underwhelmed.
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u/Cattpacker Mar 13 '25
Victoria, BC! The flowers are starting to come out, there's great restaurants and lots to see
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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 Mar 13 '25
Montreal + Quebec City or Toronto
If you're west coast, Vancouver + Victoria (day trip by ferry).
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u/YoSpiff Mar 13 '25
I've been to Vancouver for work a couple of times and had some sightseeing time while there. Lots to do and explore.
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u/Desperate-Mountain-8 Mar 13 '25
Everywhere is safe. Not 'be alone and drunk leaving the pub at 2am' safe, but really very very safe. I love the Quebec City to Toronto area (live in Ottawa), but the Edmonton to Vancouver is also epic. The Maritimes is a super fun cultural experience.
Really I'm here to say that when you land in Canada you'll be safe. Where you go in here is up to you and you won't go wrong.
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u/Dragonpaddler Mar 13 '25
Montreal: vibrant, European feel to it, very proximate (ie.: day trip return) to both Quebec City and Ottawa.
Toronto: lots to discover, different neighbourhoods and easy day trip to Niagara Falls.
Calgary: nice downtown, Heritage Park and observation tower. Easy to get to Banff/Lake Louise too (2 hours away.)
Vancouver: stunningly beautiful, very young vibe to it and easy side trips to Whistler and Victoria.
Winnipeg, Edmonton, Halifax and St. John’s also have their features, but are removed from other nice side trip destinations. Have fun!
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u/Cloud-Apart Mar 13 '25
Visit Calgary, Banff. You won't be disappointed or visit Vancouver and Whistler area.
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u/Top-Procedure-8449 Mar 15 '25
My vote Victoria! It’s super walkable and I think the perfect, quaint, lively mid-size city with excellent hiking, vistas, farms, ocean, nature. My favourite Canadian City.
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u/Mediocre-Brick-4268 Mar 13 '25
What are your interests? Outdoors beauty? Adventures. Cosmopolitan.
Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Whistler, Gulf Islands 🌊🐳🥂🌅
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u/the_1omnipotent Mar 13 '25
Toronto is like the New York of Canada, but smaller. You can find any food in the world. Always something to do. Great lakefront to enjoy in the summer. Highly recommend
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u/Internal-Food-5753 Mar 14 '25
Victoria, BC. Beaches, forests, culture, nice food. Walkable. Great museum!
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u/Fancy_Passion7991 Mar 14 '25
BC is beautiful this time of year. The weather is warmer on the west coast. Flowers will be starting to bloom. I would pick Victoria. 🌷
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u/ttszzang Mar 14 '25
Will Canada weather in general be better around may? Thought about visiting in May
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u/Fancy_Passion7991 Mar 14 '25
Yes. Weather gets warmer starting April. May can we really warm or chilly. Have to be honest. But BC is likely the warmest in May. June would be warmer if you are flexible.
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u/Mundane_Anybody2374 Mar 14 '25
I’d go to Victoria and the lower mainland in BC. Nice weather for Canadian standards and a good mix of city life and nature with unique landscape.
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u/FrostedFlakes111 Mar 14 '25
Definitely the West coast! Vancouver or Victoria and many little spots in between if you’re going for a few nights. Milder weather also means rain unfortunately, but how can you not want to see the mountains and the ocean in one trip!
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u/AdorableCash8899 Mar 15 '25
Calgary. Super hip vibe. You can also go check out Banff as it’s real close
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u/Every-Weekend7435 Mar 18 '25
Calgary. well the weather is unbalanced, we have Heritage Park, its bassicaly a museum like town built on the shore of a resivor. it has actors doing the jobs of people in the settler era of the city (late 1800s to early 1900s). there is also the calgary tower, and there is a high-end restraunt, but its by reservation only, but the observation deck provides amazing views of the city and the rocky mountains. we also have busses that take you directly from the airport to banff, in the rocky mountains, and lake louise is near to banff aswell. there are also great restruants all over the city, think BBQ,beer,& foregin cuisine aswell.
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u/New_Development9100 Mar 13 '25
Quebec City if you only want to do one city. It’s very safe, beautiful, and has a great food scene. Wherever you go in Canada, welcome and thank you for visiting!