Halifax Pictures

Things to do in Halifax

Halifax’s main attractions are the ports and beaches. There has been a lot of tourist attractions built up around the ports. One port, The Waterfront, is home to many historic buildings, shops, restaurants, and other entertainment. You can also find a lot of harbor boat tours that launch from there during the summer. If you’re into canoeing then head down to the St. Mary’s Boat Club on 1641 Fairfield Road on Saturdays and Sundays to rent canoes. Do we have any hockey fans? Canada is known for its world-class hockey teams and Halifax is no exception! While Halifax doesn’t have a major league team they do have a major junior league team, the Halifax Mooseheads. These games are known to be great and near-NHL level while maintaining a $10 ticket price. A great idea for students on a budget!

Nightlife in Halifax

Halifax has a couple of great night clubs that you should definitely check out. The “Liquor Dome” is a great one located on Grafton Street. It features three different clubs: Dome, Cheers, and Attic, all linked together. You pay one fee and get access to all three. Cheers has live bands for those who love music. The Attic is a combination of bar and nightclub with a few small dance floors. The Dome is the premier dance club with many large dance floors and cheap drinks.

Dining in Halifax

For cheap eating in Halifax, walk along Spring Garden road, there’s a lot of different restaurants and pubs which also serve food. If you’re looking for upscale dining then there are many other options. Chateau Briand over on Granville Street serves up some great European cuisine. Italian lovers should go to Da Maurizio’s located on Lower Water St. inside the Brewery Market. Have your eye on seafood? Five Fisherman has you covered.

Shopping in Halifax

The best place to go would be the Farmers’ Market on Lower Water Street. It’s the oldest running Farmers Market in North America featuring a crazy maze of underground halls and passageways. Just make not sure not to haggle prices.

Halifax Travel Tips

• Be careful in the North End of the city where crime can be high.
• Watch for people crossing the road if you are driving as there are a lot of crosswalks in Halifax.
• Be careful of the ice if visiting during winter.

Edmonton Pictures

Things to do in Edmonton

Edmonton has seven main districts that each have their own culture and things to do. The Central part is also known as the heart of the city, and is home to many different festivals, great parks, Government offices, and lively residential community. There is also many concerts, plays, and art galleries, not to mention the best boutique shopping in town. Old Strathcona-University has the hottest shopping, nightlife, cuisine, and events, great for students looking for fun! The hottest strip is definitely Whyte Ave and is worth the trip. The West End has many different attractions like the West Edmonton Mall and the Edmonton Corn Maze. The Southeast has a lot of nice scenic areas like the Mill Creek Ravine, a nice spot for a picnic or weekend get away.

Nightlife in Edmonton

Edmonton has a lot of great pubs, clubs, lounges, and bars mostly clustered on Jasper Avenue and Whyte Avenue. Some of the most popular places are Filthy McNasty’s, Black Dog, Ceili’s Irish Pub, Vintage Lounge, Suede, and O’Byner’s. Hit up these places for great atmosphere, drinks, and prices. There are also some great coffee shops like The Coffee Block, a nice block of coffee shops between 103St. and 104 St.

Dining in Edmonton

Edmonton has some great food for anyone’s tastes. It is also home to Boston Pizza and Earl’s, with Canadian fare, which both got their start in Edmonton. Some other great places in the downtown are Lux Steakhouse, Hundred, Sorrentin’s, Famoso Neapolitan, Matahri, Japanese Village, Blue Plate Diner, La Ronde, Sabor Divinio, and La Tapa. Also, Whyte Ave. has some really trendy eating spots and, coupled with great nightlife, is a great place to hit up and spend a day.

Shopping in Edmonton

The best place for shopping is the West Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in North America. It has over 800 stores and tons of stores exclusive to the northeast such as Hollister Co., Abercrombie and Fitch, Bebe, Urban Outfitters, Roots, and town shoes. This mall is very high class and can get very busy on the weekends.

Edmonton Travel Tips

• There are a lot of homeless people in Edmonton and therefore a lot of panhandling to be aware of.
• Traffic is common especially in the first few snowfalls of the season.
• The “inner city” area to the east of the downtown is known to have prostitution and gangs.

Toronto Pictures

Things to do in Toronto

There are many spectacular Toronto landmarks. A must see is the CNN Tower, the world’s second tallest freestanding structure over 600 meters tall that defines Toronto’s skyline. Toronto is a great Christmas destination. If you get your student flight, you might want to check out other Canadian cities too. Visit Casa Loma, Canada’s majestic castle with its secret passages, and an 800-foot tunnel. Have you tried a sound proof tunnel or a balance testing machine? The Ontario Science Center is worth visiting, with its Omnimax (full wrap around) movie theater. Toronto has great museums, art galleries, and beaches. Time your visit for the Canadian National Exhibition, the world’s oldest annual fair, or the Caribana Festival, a spectacular street festival from July to August.

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Nightlife in Toronto

If you prefer clubbing to theater and performing arts, then Clubland or Adelaide and Queen Streets in the fashion district are for you. You have to try Circa, the hottest $6.2 M club in town, a known mecca for club lovers. Into hip art and music? Check out Parkdale. If you’re over 19, hang out in College Street for music, sidewalk cafes, and great grub.

Dining in Toronto

As one of North America’s top food cities, you’ve got to find favorites among the great variety of food in downtown Toronto. It’s renowned for its authentic cuisine and farmers’ market with extensive food courts. You have to try eating out to bite into cheap but superb meals in one of the food districts. College Street offers eclectic restaurants for students like you. Greektown boasts the most restaurants per kilometer.

Shopping in Toronto

Unique places and great deals can be found in any section of town. For tourist shopping, try Yonge Street, locally known as the world’s longest street. Check out trendy stores in the fashion district and Kensington market for bargains. Chinatown is a must visit for a taste of real China and great souvenirs. Want to escape the summer heat or winter bite? Try the PATH for underground shopping. But for elegant shopping and a glimpse of celebrities, Yorkville and Toronto Centre are the in places.

Toronto travel tips

• Toronto officially deals in 16 different languages.
• In June, Toronto holds Pride Week, one of the world’s largest LGBTQ festivals.
• In spring, Toronto holds the “Doors Open Toronto,” a free event showcasing the cities historic buildings.

Quebec City Pictures

Things to do in Quebec City

Old Town is the main highlight of Quebec City. In general, Quebec City does not boast a whole lot of touristy things to do, however this section of the city is oozing with tourism and fun. Chateau Frontenac claims to be the most photographed hotel in North America, and it is absolutely stunning. Many tourists enjoy walking through the lobby and browsing the luxurious shops. If you can afford to stay here, do it–it is breathtaking. Although many college students can’t really afford this, you can at least stop in for a drink at the swanky bar downstairs. The Citadel holds a changing of the guard ceremony every morning at 10:00 am. This is where the old City Wall meets up with Grand Allée. Plains of Abraham Battlefield Park was where the British conquered Quebec in 1759. Now a days it is a pretty park with leisurely events and sporting events. The Observatoire de la Capitale is the tallest building in Quebec City. And for $5 you can go up to the observation level and look out onto the whole city. Place-Royale is a very historic and not to be missed site. This is where Samuel de Champlain landed in 1608 and founded the first French settlement in North America. There is a mural covering the side of the wall of a building in the square. The square itself is quite beautiful to see. While in Quebec, it’d be fun to take a horse drawn carriage ride around the city and take in the sites that way. See the Choco-musee Erico, a chocolate museum. Or go cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on Plains of Abraham. It is free of charge and offers an incredible view of the St. Lawrence River.

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Nightlife in Quebec City

The nightlife in Quebec City is that of any other major city: very exciting. You will be able to hear music pouring onto the streets from any major club Thursday through Sunday. If clubbing isn’t really your scene, then browse the streets of Old Town. On weekend nights, especially in the summer, there are street events held with music and laughter. Visitors can enjoy the displays of street performers and peddlers. Many restaurants in the area also set up outdoor seating so you can enjoy the weather while you dine. Or maybe just a nice glass of wine. The drinking age in Quebec City is 18 and is strongly enforced. Be sure to have an ID or passport on you at all times when going out at night. If you don’t you most likely will not get served. The Grande Allée has most of the city’s clubs and draws in a youthful crowd. Many college students who visit come up for weekends or spring breaks. Enjoy Le Dagobert, Quebec’s oldest club; L’Ozone, which serves $5 pints; St. Patrick, an awesome multi level indoor bar with an outdoor terrace; and La Ninkasi, which has the largest selection of Quebec beers.

Dining in Quebec City

Dining in Quebec City is quite enjoyable, as they make an art of the activity. For these sudo-French, eating is something that should be slowed down and enjoyed with friends. Paring of foods and wines are important as they bring out the best flavors in both. Here you can enjoy a mixture of French cuisine and Canadian food, and other global foods as well. It is a perfect place to spend a few hours dining with those you love. In the Old City, menus will be posted on the outside of restaurants both in English and French. A table d’hote is a special fixed price menu that includes all the courses for the meal. Poutine is a French Canadian favorite and is served as both a side dish and a main course. This Quebec special is served as a heap of french fries or mashed potatoes, piled with cheese curds, and then doused with gravy. It is a delicious, stick to the bones kind of dish that can’t be missed. Cafes are usually the way most college kids go when looking for inexpensive eats. Because this city is so unique and touristy the prices for food are considerably high. To get a decent meal, many cafes offer lighter menus or sometimes even buffets served with drinks. The Champlain and Chateau area are good places to look. If you are willing to spend a little extra check out Cochon Dingue (known for their large portions), Moine Échanson where you will spend an average of $15, and Aux Anciens Canadiens. For breakfast or a snack try Casse-Crepe Breton, with their excellent crepe selections.

Shopping in Quebec City

Basse-Ville is probably your best bet for shopping in Quebec City. Although there is a lot of street and window shopping available in most sections of the city, this is where you will be able to actually afford something. You will also find here the touristy shops with souvenirs and various other nick-knacks. Leather goods and homemade crafts are pretty popular here. Also the French goods that are brought here or produced by locals are worth taking a look at. Place Laurier, Place de la Cité, Place Ste-Foy are the three shopping malls in the city and are all right next to each other. The shopping here is phenomenal and in fact Place Laurier is the largest shopping mall in Eastern Canada. So plan to spend quite some time here going from store to store.

Quebec City travel tips

• Learn a few phrases in French before you go to help get around.
• ZAP Quebec offers free wireless hubs and internet cafes around the city.
• Quebec City is in the Eastern Standard Time Zone.

Vancouver Pictures

Things to do in Vancouver

There are plenty of parks and attractions in Vancouver that you might want to visit while you’re there. One place you should definitely check out is Stanley Park, with the Vancouver Aquarium featuring marine life research, miles of walking trails, pitch and putt course, gardens and beaches. Want to get a view of the whole city? Try Queen Elizabeth Park and see a bunch of tropical plants and birds. You can also hang out on Wreck Beach or White Rock beach, and if you love fireworks, try to grab a seat at Kits or Sunset Beach for the annual Fire Works Competition in July. Vancouver is also a great place to go during the winter holidays, when you can ski or snowboard the world-famous Whistler Mountain, or take a trip to Alaska.

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Nightlife in Vancouver

Nightlife in Vancouver is not as intense or central to the area as other vacation destinations, and is mostly concentrated in the City Center along Granville Street. If you love beer, the Pacific Club is one place you can hang out with friends. There are also pubs in historic Gastown. If you’ve made local friends, then you’d find they’re into drinking Bubble or Boba tea in tea houses such as the Dragon Ball Tea House. Tuesday evenings you can view the West Coast native artifacts in the Museum of Anthropology or see a show in the Can Centre for Performing Arts in the University of British Colombia.

Dining in Vancouver

You’ll find Vancouver is a great place for satisfying your taste for ethnic foods, be it sushi, or Chinese dim sum, especially in the Sun Sui Wah. You might want to check out Richmond Night market where various ethnic foods can be made to order. Ethnic restaurants are predominantly in East Van, but most other restaurants can be found in Kitsilano and the City Center. You can certainly get good grub on a student budget.

Shopping in Vancouver

Vancouver has several great shopping areas. However, there are two local taxes charged on most goods. Robson Street in the City Centre is a great place to go where you can check out touristy shops. Dig underground shopping? Pacific Centre is just the place with 150 shops and restaurants. Get a load of historic buildings and hip shops in Gastown or go adventure shopping and people watching along Commercial Drive. Another thing to keep in mind: some of the best hidden delights are in East Hastings and Chinatown.

Vancouver travel tips

• For traveling convenience, Vancouver is subdivided into districts, with the city center holding most attractions, restaurants, and hotels.
• Vancouver is a great destination for outdoor recreation because it’s close to oceans, mountains, rivers and lakes.
• Vancouver is renowned for its ski hills; it boasts of Whistler Mountain, one of the best ski resorts in the world.

Montreal Pictures

Things to do in Montreal

There are various interesting activities that you can do when you’re in Montreal. These include winter ice skating, jet boating, and cross-country skiing. You can also try some water sports like river surfing and kayaking. You can also visit different museums and parks with different themes. It is also important to know the schedules of the different festivals in the city; Montreal has a bewildering variety of Festivals. The most famous are music festivals like the Montreal International Jazz Festival (the world’s largest jazz festival) and Les FrancoFolies de Montréal.

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Nightlife in Montreal

Montreal has an unparalleled nightlife. Every party person would totally love the liberty within the city. Most bars and clubs close at 3 A.M., and after partying you can proceed to many restaurants that stay open until the morning. Crescent Street is known as the “party central”, especially during the summer where it features different street fairs and festivals. The matchless nightlife of Montreal could be because of its large university population, the non-strict implementation of the drinking age of 18, and the excellent public transportation system.

Dining in Montreal

Montreal offers a huge variety of food options and cuisine from all over the world. As a matter of fact, Montreal was recently ranked 2nd best dining city in North America. Just around the city, different diners, fastfood chains, and low-cost ethnic restaurants are easily available. Some of the local specialties include huge smoked meat sandwiches – courtesy of the large local Jewish population – and “all-dressed” pizza. Most importantly, Montreal offers great budget dining. Most tasty and cheap ethnic food can be found around the Jean-Talon Market.

Shopping in Montreal

Montreal provides a wide range of options when it comes to shopping – from electric budget stores to high-end fashion. Most department and chain stores and a few major malls can be found in Rue Ste-Catherine, and there are also a good number of clothing stores and boutiques found in Avenue Mont-Royal. Moreover, a concentration of largely food-oriented business is found in Rue Sherbrooke, west of the Autoroute Decarie. But what remains to be one of the city’s prime shopping streets is St-Laurent where you will find just about anything.

Montreal travel tips

• There are available internet terminals in cafes, some bookstores, and even in photocopy shops.
• French is the city’s official language, yet people who work in the tourist and service industries are mostly bilingual.
• When you’re in restaurants, use “monsieur” or “madame” in calling a waiter and not “garcon” (French word for “boy”).

Calgary Pictures

Things to do in Calgary

The Olympic Plaza and Arts District is usually on the top of everyone’s list. Here you can see where the 1988 Winter Olympics took place. In the summer the water-filled plaza is a hub for waders and swimmers. In the winter it’s a perfect spot for ice skating. There are also many museums in this district. The Calgary Tower offers a great 360 degree view of the city. Prince’s Island Park is a nice spot for visitors to get a good view of the skyline of the Downtown Office Core skyscrapers. The Downtown Office Core itself is made up of a network of raised sidewalks and bridges, which connect the densely close buildings to each other. Quite the site to see. It is one of a kind in North America. Right outside of the city is the actual Olympic Park, where you can find the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and take a ride up to the top of the ski jump where you’ll get a fantastic view of the city. Finally if you’re interested in theater, this city has several wonderful theaters and districts that support the arts. EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts is the central hub and houses three major performing arts theaters.

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Nightlife in Calgary

Cover charges at nightclubs are at most $5 or $10. (Note these are in Canadian dollars so the amount may vary) Eau Claire Market is the home of the Garage, which is a hip warehouse style billiards club. There is live music most nights and a large bar. Warehouse nightclub and HiFi nightclub have the typical hip-hop and electric music and the dancing doesn’t stop until sunrise on the weekends. Looking for something different? The Elbow River Inn Casino is a nice alternative to the usual nightclub scene. There are a few others, and one grea thing to note about them is that a good amount of the profits go to charities. As with any urban city, there are many pubs and bars. Remember that Canada is known for its beer, so make sure you try an ice beer or microbrew. The most famous labels are Labatt Blue and Molson Canadian.

Dining in Calgary

Take note that while Calgary has no signature city dish, it considers the Albertan Beef Dish its own. The people here love beef and even invented a Chinese-Canadian dish: Ginger Beef. It goes without saying that most restaurants will serve you a wide variety of prepared beef dishes. In the theater district there are a couple wonderful dinner theaters. The Stage West Dinner Theater and Jubilations Dinner Theater have shows while diners eat an array of delicious food. There are some great restaurants in China Town, the third largest China Town in Canada. In the business core you’ll find the more upscale restaurants with a great selections of different types of food. If you are looking for a bite on the run or a cheap dish, grab something off of a cart. Calgary is considered to have the cleanest cart food.

Shopping in Calgary

Kensington, one districts in Calgary, is also a great place for shopping. Located along the Bow River on the north side of the city you can find many bohemian and creative shops. 17th Avenue has the more upscale shopping with top designer shops. Stephen Avenue Walk is noted as being a central local for shopping, eating, and relaxing. This is not a street to miss. Also while in Calgary, you might want to stop by a farmer’s market–especially if you are on a budget. The downtown farmer’s markets are scattered around the city and you can find some great deals.

Calgary travel tips

• The Caeser Cocktail got it’s start in Calgary–try one during your visit!
• If you’re in town during the Stampede–a celebration of western heritage and cowboy culture started in 1912–go! It’s a time when all the locals loosen up and have fun, and greatly represents the city’s diverse and interesting cultural past.
• Due to the cold temperatures and large amounts of snow, almost all of downtown Calgary is accessible through tunnels and enclosed skywalks. Enjoy taking in the sights from above!