{"id":8388,"date":"2017-07-09T16:04:44","date_gmt":"2017-07-09T20:04:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/?p=8388"},"modified":"2020-06-23T11:59:12","modified_gmt":"2020-06-23T15:59:12","slug":"canadian-self-drive-holiday-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/canadian-self-drive-holiday-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian Self-Drive Holiday Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re captivated every time you see pictures of Canada\u2019s vast, beautiful landscapes and the vibrant cultural events in the cities, or hear about some of its rich and fascinating history, then what are you waiting for? Summer is the best time to visit most regions of Canada, especially with the freedom of a self-drive holiday. The snow and slush has melted from the highways (well, most of them) and temperatures average a comfortable 74 degrees. If you\u2019re stuck when it comes to picking a location, here are a few of the best ideas for Canadian self-drive holidays.<\/p>\n

Vancouver \u2013 Okanagan \u2013 The Rockies (700 Miles)<\/h2>\n
\"Vancouver\"
Vancouver<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Banff\"
Banff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This 700-mile journey starts with history and culture, and ends with the stunning natural beauty that puts Canada on the map. To start, spend a few days in the unique, cosmopolitan city of Vancouver<\/a>, eating their delectable seafood and soaking in stunning views of the Pacific. Then, drive five hours towards your first stop at Okanagan, staying overnight at one of the area\u2019s incredible wineries, such as the Villas at Hester Creek or Burrowing Owl\u2019s hotel. Just make sure you\u2019re in an okay condition to leave the next morning! The next evening, stay in style at Sparkling Hill; a glamorous retreat commissioned by the Swarovski crystal family. This beautiful, modern building is one stop you certainly don\u2019t want to miss. Your journey towards Banff will show an incredible shift in landscape, taking you through the only dessert in Canada, and towards the country\u2019s towering, rocky peaks. When you reach the mountains, stop at Lake Louise, for one of the most romantic and photogenic picnics you\u2019ll ever have. Then, make your way into Banff<\/a> to your final stop; the historic Fairmont Banff Springs hotel. After visiting, you\u2019ll know exactly why this place is called the \u201ccastle in the Rockies\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ottawa \u2013 Montebello \u2013 Montreal \u2013 Quebec City (290 Miles)<\/h2>\n

If you think there\u2019s a better way to see French Canada than this 290-mile crawl, then we\u2019re all ears! A trip for people who feel at home anywhere urban, this will take you from Canada\u2019s capital, through one of the nation\u2019s largest cities, and finally to the historical, cobblestoned roads of Quebec City<\/a>. Spend a few days in Ottawa, learning about the history and culture of the nation\u2019s capital, then, drive a couple of hours past quaint local poutine stands, then stop to check out Fairmont Montebello, the largest log cabin ever constructed. As long as you didn\u2019t watch The Shining when you were too young and wound up scarred for life, you\u2019ll find this incredible hotel to be very serene! About an hour and a quarter from here, dive right into the beautiful bohemia of Montreal<\/a>, and eat your way through some of its delectable and world-famous restaurants. There are over 5600 of them, and Montreal\u2019s known as a foodie\u2019s paradise, so do some research in advance! Once you reach Quebec City, you\u2019ll probably be pretty tired, so recline on the picturesque banks of St Lawrence river, right next to the most photographed hotel anywhere on earth: the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac.<\/p>\n

\"Quebec
Quebec City<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Halifax \u2013 Peggy\u2019s Cove \u2013 Bay of Fundy \u2013 Charlottetown (361 Miles)<\/h2>\n

The Canadian Maritime provinces get onto countless travelers\u2019 bucket lists, and once you visit them yourself you\u2019ll know exactly why. This region has beautiful vistas that you won\u2019t find anywhere else in North America. Think tall, waving grass, white, sandy beaches, and seaside communities painted in pastel colors. Spend the night in one of Halifax\u2019s many hospitable B and B’s, making sure you plan a tour of Alexander Keith\u2019s, one of the oldest breweries in the whole continent. From there, speed over to Peggy\u2019s Cove, wandering past the quaint fishing boats moored up at seaside homes at the very end of St Margaret’s bay. Next, drive across Nova Scotia<\/a> towards New Brunswick, and witness the incredible tidal flow of 100 billion tonnes of water at the Bay of Fundy. Your last stop on this trip will be Prince Edward Island<\/a>, accessible via Confederation Bridge, an astounding engineering feat stretching 8 miles, built in a curve to keep drivers\u2019 attention on the road! When you reach Charlottetown, wander around the tiny isle, and get some good snaps of the place\u2019s iconic, colorful lighthouses. As a finishing touch, ask the locals about some good seafood restaurants, and dine on some of the best fish caught in the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

\"Peggy's
Peggy’s Cove<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There you have just three of the best self-drive holidays for anyone planning to see Canada. However, for anyone thinking of travelling in this wonderful country via other means, there is also the train and cruise ship holidays amongst others catered for by tour operators such as Canadian Sky<\/a>. What is guaranteed is that a holiday to Canada will be special whatever the mode of travel \u2013 enjoy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re captivated every time you see pictures of Canada\u2019s vast, beautiful landscapes and the vibrant cultural events in the cities, or hear about some of its rich and fascinating history, then what are you waiting for? Summer is the best time to visit most regions of Canada, especially with the freedom of a self-drive holiday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_type":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1244,1242],"tags":[994,886,991,995,885,992,993],"class_list":["post-8388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-canada","category-road-trips","tag-banff","tag-canada","tag-driving","tag-halifax","tag-nova-scotia","tag-self-drive","tag-vancouver","entry","has-media"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-30 03:22:28","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8388"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11356,"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8388\/revisions\/11356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}