Canada Budget Travel Guide is written specially to showcase the places of interest in Canada to travelers who are planning a budget trip there. All the major cities in Canada are described, along with their places of interest.
Discovering Canada
Canada is the second biggest country in the world in terms of area. Yet it shares border with only one country, the United States. Canada is divided into 10 provinces, namely British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan; and three territories, namely Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Two official languages are recognised in Canada. English is spoken in most places in Canada except Quebec, which is predominantly French speaking. In such a huge country, there is certainly a lot to see in Canada, from its cities, towns to unspoilt wilderness.
Canada, generally speaking, is cold. Nevertheless, as the majority of the population stays in the southern parts of Canada, visitors are also likely to visit destinations within 2-hours drive from the US border. Hence, the climate in most Canadian cities are just a bit cooler than the cities in United States. There is a tendency for extremity in the temperature, with summers having temperatures that reach over 35 oC while winters being reaching as low as -40 oC. Coastal cities in British Columbia enjoy the mildest climate with very little snow, while on the Atlantic side, there is likelihood of blizzards in winter.
What to wear in Canada
A jacket is necessary at time of the year. Lightweight clothing for summer, mediumweight for spring and autumn, and warmer clothes for winter.
Getting into Canada
International visitors to Canada usually enter through Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Smaller airports also has international flights, mainly to US cities within their proximity. These include Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Moncton, Ottawa, Regina, Saskatoon, Victoria and Winnipeg.
Nationals of the US, Britain and Australia do not require a visa to enter Canada. Citizens of EU, except for the nationals of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and the Slovak Republic, do not require a visa to enter Canada.
Where to stay in Canada
There is countless hotels available through out Canada that suits every budget and level of comfort. Click here to look for the best room rates in hotels in Canada with online booking facilities. If you are looking for budget accommodation in hostels, guesthouses and budget hotels, click on hostels in Canada to view list of establishments with online booking.
Budget Travel within in Canada
The two most practical way to get around in Canada is by plane and by bus. Air Canada has an extensive network of domestic flights. Low cost carrier WestJet has flights between major cities. Generally Canadian airports do not have public train or bus connecting them to the city. You need to use a taxi or rent a car to take a privately operated bus.
Another option for exploring Canada is by bus. Greyhound Canada, operates the major routes supported by smaller local operators. In addition, you may also book a packaged tour to visit some of the major sights.
Money matters in Canada
The currency used is the Canadian dollar (CAD, symbol C$). C$1.00 = 100 cents. Banknotes come in denominations of C$5, C$10, C$20, C$50 and C$100 while coins are in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25 cents and C$1 and C$2. Banking hours are from 9:30am to 4:00pm, with extended hours to 5:00pm at some locations.
At time of writing (Oct 2007), US$1.00 = C$0.97, €1.00=C$1.28 For the latest exchange go to the Oanda Currency Converter.
Principal Cities of Canada
The following cities are arranged according to the 2006 estimate of their population size, rounded to the nearest thousand. This does not take into according the population of the entire metropolitan area.
Before booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?
The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations!
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Our engine will return you a list of possible flights that you can take. You can compare the fare of different airlines for your trip. Click on your selected airline, and we transfer you to the airline website.
