Summer is officially here, and with the loonie at a low point on the global market, now might be a good time to spend your Canadian dollar visiting some of the best vacation spots in Canada.
With beaches, prairies, mountains, glaciers, small towns and big cities, Canada is full of possibilities for your summer getaway. A Canadian vacation is also relatively cheaper than a close-to-home visit to the U.S.
In fact, fewer Canadians are travelling south of the border than in years' past, according to numbers from Statistics Canada. The number of Canadians residents who spent a night in the U.S. between January and March of this year decreased by 13 per cent over 2015, and matched a low set in 2010, StatsCan said. At the same time, American visits to Canada have been on the rise, with a 20 per cent increase in the first three months of the year, compared to 2015.
So as Americans flock to Canada to enjoy its many tourist offerings, why not check out our home and native land for yourself?
For those eager to take in Canada's natural beauty, check out our list of the 13 Canadian sights to check off your bucket list.
Alberta's Banff-Lake Louise area is one of the hottest destinations in the country, with an estimated four million visitors stopping in each year. Niagara Falls, Cape Breton, Quebec City and Whistler are also popular places to go.
Or if you're looking to visit one of Canada's smaller cities on a budget, consider booking a flight with NewLeaf, the low-cost airline that is expected to run flights among Kelowna, Hamilton, Abbotsford, Halifax, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg. The travel company has had some hiccups with getting its business off the ground, but it's expected to start selling tickets for flights sometime this summer, at prices as low as $89 a seat.
Kelowna, B.C.'s wine country is shown in this file photo.
Canada also has a wide variety of exciting places to stay through Airbnb. In Ontario, for instance, former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Wendel Clark has put his Muskoka cottage up weekend rentals on Airbnb. And on the other side of the country, a "hobbit house" on Mayne Island, B.C. was recently identified as one of the most-desired Airbnb destinations in the world.
A unique cottage on Mayne Island, B.C. is shown. (Courtesy Airbnb)
The Toronto-area getaway of Caledon, Ont. is also an option this summer, for those looking to have a quaint country experience. The rural community offers hiking trails, orchards, antique shops, art galleries and a wide variety of restaurants for food-lovers to enjoy.
One of the stately brick farmhouses that line the Forks of the Credit Road in Caledon, Ont. is shown on Sunday, June 19, 2016. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lee-Anne Goodman)
