Destination Canada has developed two “packages” – one for Vancouver and one for Toronto – that encourages travellers heading to the World Cup this summer to explore the towns and regions within easy reach of host cities Toronto and Vancouver.
Focused on easy trip extensions, each package highlights nearby destinations accessible by one- two-hour drives, short flights, or longer getaway options, and are designed to appeal both to those visiting during the World Cup and those planning future trips to Canada.
The content leans towards being “product-focused”, with a listicle-style format offering practical, trip-ready ideas that are tied to the World Cup.
Trips from Toronto
For Toronto, recommendations that fall into the one- to two-hour drive category include Niagara, with its world-class ice wine, helicopter rides over Horseshoe Falls, a zipline that sees riders plunge 671 metres over the Niagara Falls river gorge at speeds of up to 64 km/hr, and the Niagara Parks Power Station, a historic hydroelectric station that features a 2,200-foot tunnel leading to a riverside viewing deck.
In early 2027, it will debut the Toronto Power Hotel, the region’s first five-star hotel.
Another recommendation is Muskoka, known as “Canada’s Classic Lakeside Escape”, known for its lakeside cottage communities, farms and wineries and a historic train that travels along the scenic river.
Alternatively, rent a canoe and paddle in Algonquin Provincial Park, through more than 2,100 kilometres of interconnected routes, portages, and backcountry campsites.
Suggestions a short flight away include Ottawa, Canada’s capital, where travelling tips include touring its many character-filled neighbourhoods, including ByWard Market, climbing into the open cockpit of a restored vintage biplane and soaring above the Ottawa Valley, taking a canoe along the Rideau Canal in an eight-metre Voyageur canoe once used by French-Canadian fur traders, and stepping inside Parliament Hill to see where Canada’s federal leaders –including Prime Minister Mark Carney – debate and pass laws.
Thousand Islands National Park is suggested for guided paddling tours weave through an archipelago of more than 1,800 islands dotted along the St. Lawrence River.
There are also suggestions for Québec City, Montréal and even Newfoundland and Labrador, a three-hour flight from Toronto, that is one of the best places on earth to see icebergs.
Trips from Vancouver
Those heading to Vancouver have a range of short and longer excursions out of the city.
These include Vancouver Island, the largest island along North America’s west coast, where activities include cold-water surfing in a UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve, paddling with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, or chasing orcas on a coastal road trip.
Or hike the West Coast Trail, a 75-kilometre “bucket list odyssey” through tangled rainforests, tidal surges, and sea caves carved by the wild Pacific.
Also available here are Indigenous-led journeys that offer guests the chance to discover how the Sechelt, Coast Salish and Squamish peoples have used the land for food and technology for thousands of years.
Options within a one- to two-hour flight of Vancouver include bear watching in the Great Bear Rainforest, the world’s largest intact coastal temperate rainforest. The Spirit Bear, also known as the Kermode bear, is a rare, white-coated variant of the black bear, found only in British Columbia. With only an estimated 100 to 500 in existence.
Spirit Bear Lodge is BC’s most remote wildlife viewing lodge, where the Kitao ai’xais
At Klahoose Wilderness Resort, pair grizzly sightings in Toba Inlet with cedar weaving and other crafts shared by the Klahoose First Nation. To get there, it is a 35-minute flight from Vancouver to Powell River and then a one-hour shared transfer to Lund.
Or take the one-hour flight to Kelowna, Canada’s Culinary Capital and the country’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy, recognised for its bounteous landscapes, sustainable food systems, and over 500 dining establishments.
DestinationCanada.com
