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Im thinking of going to canada for a vacation. I will only have a week to spend so Im going to be staying in one city. Can anyone tell me which of the three largest Canadian cities would be the most exciting to spend a week in. My first choice is Toronto but Ive heard alot of good things about Montreal and Vancouver.
Hard to answer without some details. All 3 are good destinations. People have quite different ideas of what they find exciting
what kind of things do you like to do/see?
what other cities have you visited , enjoyed and why?
I've lived in Vancouver and Montreal and visit Toronto frequently to see family and explore.
Vancouver is a gorgeous city that's quite nice to visit, but I think you'd find it a bit boring for a week. Essentially, Vancouver is all about its lush natural surroundings. It has great wild beaches and primeval forests. It has soaring mountains which are great to go skiing, hiking or paragliding from. It has beautiful modern architecture and lush gardens. But, as an urban experience, it doesn't offer all that much beyond beautiful things to look at. There's fun to be had, but aside from bars and restaurants there's not much for tourists to do. What sets it apart is that it's very beautiful, but it can be a bit of a sterile, no-fun kind of place sometimes. I could recommend it as a base to explore the surrounding parts of the province, and it's a great place for long weekend trip.
Montreal has my vote as the place that you should come visit. It just has a special kind of vibe. It's unpretentious, the cheapest city in Canada, and it just has so much to do. You can rent a bixi bike and explore the unparalleled Plateau Mont-Royal neighbourhood. Relax and have a picnic and a bottle of wine on Mount Royal as dozen jam at the Tam tams in the shadow of a hundred foot cenotaph. You can see all the four great museums at the Montreal Science Complex, like the indoor Biodome zoo where you can walk through artificially created environments like rainforest. There are countless great festivals to attend, in the summer, like the world famous Montreal international jazz festival and Just for Laughs comedy festival. There's the charm of the old port and Canada's old financial district on St. James street. It's just an old city with a great metro system and alot to do in small area. A perfect city for a tourist without a car and it's charms are obvious and accessible.
Toronto is a great city, but it has two strikes against it compared to Montreal. One, being such a large city, it's charms are not obvious to the uninitiated. There are things to do, but they aren't usually big and accessible to tourists, with the exception of the ROM and CN tower. It's difficult to find one's way around such a big city, and frankly, it's not all that fun without a Torontonian to show you where the fun is to be had. Two, it's a much newer city, and as such, its attractions are more spread out and it has less charming historic architecture. Toronto is, however, a vibrant city where on can have fun. It's also very culturally diverse and there's lots of great ethnic neighbourhoods to explore where you can find things from all over the world! It's like travelling the whole world in one city when you go to Toronto. But at the same time, it's an English speaking city and is a little less of a unique cultural experience than visiting Quebec, which is what tipped the scales in Montreal's favour for me.
Montreal has my vote as the place that you should come visit. It just has a special kind of vibe. It's unpretentious, the cheapest city in Canada, and it just has so much to do. You can rent a bixi bike and explore the unparalleled Plateau Mont-Royal neighbourhood. Relax and have a picnic and a bottle of wine on Mount Royal as dozen jam at the Tam tams in the shadow of a hundred foot cenotaph. You can see all the four great museums at the Montreal Science Complex, like the indoor Biodome zoo where you can walk through artificially created environments like rainforest. There are countless great festivals to attend, in the summer, like the world famous Montreal international jazz festival and Just for Laughs comedy festival. There's the charm of the old port and Canada's old financial district on St. James street. It's just an old city with a great metro system and alot to do in small area. A perfect city for a tourist without a car and it's charms are obvious and accessible.
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Montreal also has the advantage of being 230 km away from Quebec City which makes a great side trip as well.
It depends on what your interest are. When are you going? I would say generally Montreal would be best out of the 3 for a week vacation and there would be lot's to see and do there. It would be my first choice. There is a nice European feel there and there are a lot of cool sights to see. If you like architecture and lot's of culture and character, Montreal would be best. Vancouver is good if you are a nature lover, but for a few days only because it may get boring for a full week and the weather may be a little cool in the summer compared to the other places. Toronto is best if your looking for a large American type city with lots of shopping, entertainment and sights. But I would choose Montreal overall. It would be my favorite for me.
I've lived in Vancouver and Montreal and visit Toronto frequently to see family and explore.
Montreal has my vote as the place that you should come visit. It just has a special kind of vibe. It's unpretentious, the cheapest city in Canada, and it just has so much to do. You can rent a bixi bike and explore the unparalleled Plateau Mont-Royal neighbourhood. Relax and have a picnic and a bottle of wine on Mount Royal as dozen jam at the Tam tams in the shadow of a hundred foot cenotaph. You can see all the four great museums at the Montreal Science Complex, like the indoor Biodome zoo where you can walk through artificially created environments like rainforest. There are countless great festivals to attend, in the summer, like the world famous Montreal international jazz festival and Just for Laughs comedy festival. There's the charm of the old port and Canada's old financial district on St. James street. It's just an old city with a great metro system and alot to do in small area. A perfect city for a tourist without a car and it's charms are obvious and accessible.
Isn't Ottawa the cheapest? I heard that out of the big cities, Ottawa is cheapest. Montreal is 2nd after Ottawa I heard.
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