10 things to do in Canada

So, you’ve finally moved to Canada. Do you want to make every day count, squeeze the most out of every season, go exploring and find the best things to do in Canada?

Then you’re in the right place. This land is many things, but it is never boring, and don’t let others tell you otherwise — find out for yourself.

1. Attend a hockey game

The Air Canada Centre in Toronto, home of the city’s beloved Maple Leafs. Credit: Tourism Toronto

Hockey (ice hockey, for those of you unacquainted with North American speak) is unambiguously the most popular sport in Canada.

With seven National Hockey League (NHL) teams spread across the country in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, getting to at least one game in the season in a must.

Who knows, you might even become a firm enthusiast? If the ticket costs for the NHL are out of your league, check out junior teams playing in the Canadian Hockey League, for a sample of the atmosphere at a fraction of the price.

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2. Try skiing or snowboarding

Whistler by Tom Koehn. See more of Tom’s Canada winter photos here.

It’s expensive and painful (at least at first), but boy is it fun.

The major cities of Canada are all within an hour or two of some of the finest ski resorts on the continent, and when it dumps, it’s time to hit the slopes.

The feeling of finally “cracking it”, and staying upright while hurtling down a mountain with the wind whizzing past your ears, is an adrenaline rush you’ll want to experience over and over again.

Soon enough you’ll be praying for the end of autumn and for the first thick blanket of snow. The winter may yet bring you your favourite things to do in Canada.

3. Head to the water

Boating on Moraine Lake, Alberta. Outdoor enthusiasts will find plenty of things to do in Canada.

No matter where you are in Canada, you’re never far from the water.

This is the country with the longest coastline in the world, as well as the most lakes (indeed, more than half the world’s lakes are within Canada’s borders).

Add to that some of the most enticing and wild river networks on Earth and you have a gigantic, watery playground spanning six time zones.

You could see the highest tidal range in the world at the Bay of Fundy, snorkel in the Great Lakes, go white water rafting in the Rockies, or surf off Vancouver Island.

4. Get into the festival spirit

Montreal International Jazz Festival (photo courtesy of Tourisme Montreal / Canadian Tourism Commission)

Festival lovers will have no shortage of things to do in Canada. This is festival country, from coast to coast and even in the North.

Each July, Montreal hosts its annual Complètement Cirque, or circus festival, along with the largest jazz and comedy festivals in the world. It’s the perfect time of year to visit Quebec’s metropolis.

Toronto has Caribana and The Ex. Calgary, the heart of the new west, showcases its Stampede — the perfect place to get your rodeo on (yee haw!).

Edmonton is simply known as ‘Canada’s Festival City’. Further west on the Pacific coast, you have Vancouver’s Festival of Light, and these photos give you a flavour of how amazing it is. There are also smaller music and culinary festivals on Vancouver Island.

No matter where you are and no matter what time of year it may be, you’re pretty much guaranteed a good time.

5. Eat Canadian

Poutine. Maple syrup. Peameal bacon. BeaverTails. Butter tarts. Nanaimo bars. Wild salmon. Oysters. Alberta beef. Montreal-style bagels. Saskatoon berries. Smoked meat. Oka cheese. B.C. spot prawns. Atlantic lobster.

Just as there are lots of things to do in Canada, there are lots of things to eat in Canada. Indulge.

6. Drink Canadian

Rows of grape vines on the hillside above Okanagan Lake, British Columbia.

Ceasars. Craft beers. Maple whiskey. Ice wine. Okanagan Valley wine. Niagara on the lake wine. Wine, wine, wine. More wine.

Drink responsibly, but drink Canadian.

7. Skate on a lake

Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa, courtesy Ottawa Tourism.

After learning to walk and talk, the third thing a Canadian learns is how to skate.

Unless you live right by the ocean, you’re likely to have a frozen lake nearby for at least a couple of months each winter.

Yep, it’s cold out, so what are you going to do? Stay in and keep up with Coronation Street on an unreliable internet stream, or put on some skates and be prepared to fall on your backside repeatedly?

When you’re old and grey and sitting by the fire (and those bruises on your backside are long gone), make sure you don’t regret missing opportunities to try new things to do in Canada when you were young.

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8. Go camping

Camping on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario.

The quintessential Canadian pastime.

Pack up the car with a tent and marshmallows, find a lake somewhere, bring some refreshments, and spend the night looking up trying to find all the star constellations you used to know all about, but forgot because you’ve spent the last few years of your life being too busy to leave the city.

It’s time to really discover Canada.

9. Take a hike

Hiking in the snow at Moraine Lake

While you’re off camping, why not combine two of the great things to do in Canada together and go for a hike at the same time?

Each province and territory across this great country provides some amazing terrain for hiking.

From the Rockies of BC and Alberta, to the Prairies and the Great Lakes region, and all the way to the Atlantic coast, you always have somewhere to walk, something to climb, and someone to meet and share the time.

Just be sure if you’re heading out in mid-winter or mid-summer weather that you know what you’re doing, where you’re going, and that someone knows where you are.

And if you’re hiking in winter, be sure to follow this advice.

10. Find things to do in Canada that scare you

You could skydive in Saskatchewan, bungee jump in Quebec, go ice diving in Banff, ride a ski-doo in the North . . . or you could learn a new language, start a new career, date someone from a completely different background to your own, play a new sport or eat strange food.

You’re living in one of the most geographically and demographically diverse countries in the world, and there are so many things to do in Canada. Embrace them.

Hugo is an Irish journalist living in Montreal, Quebec, where he merges writing with cursing the everlasting snow of “la belle province”. Hugo first moved to Canada in January 2011.

More things to do in Canada

Did you know our city guides are packed with lots more destination-specific information? We’re here to help you find lots of fun things to do in Canada.

• Things to do in Toronto
• Things to do in Vancouver
• Things to do in Calgary
• Things to do in Edmonton

Make the most of Canada. Read our guides.

• How to get a working holiday visa in Canada
• Where to buy travel insurance for Canada

Our recruitment agency, Outpost Recruitment, finds great jobs in Canada for suitable construction candidates. Since 2012, we’ve helped people get work across civil, infrastructure, and buildings projects. Visit Outpost Recruitment for job postings.