10 destination swaps for travellers who want to stay in Canada this summer

A weak dollar and an unpredictable world have more Canadians looking closer to home.

“Canada is having its moment, and frankly, it’s long overdue. Domestic bookings are up 17 per cent this peak season, and that ‘Canada Strong‘ momentum isn’t slowing down into fall,” says Anita Emilio, executive vice president of Flight Centre Canada. 

According to Flight Centre Canada, domestic travel now accounts for roughly one-third of its bookings, with peak season departures up 17 per cent over last year. It’s easy to see why. Canada has no shortage of places to visit that scratch the same itch as some of the world’s biggest bucket-list destinations. Here are 10 travel swaps worth making. 

Trade Iceland for the Columbia Icefield

People travel to Iceland to stand beside glaciers that have shaped the landscape for thousands of years. The Columbia Icefield in Alberta’s Jasper National Park delivers that same awe factor, with the Athabasca Glacier, one of the largest accumulations of ice south of the Arctic Circle. Visitors can take in the views along the Icefields Parkway or, better yet, ride on an all-terrain Ice Explorer onto the 10,000-year-old sheet of ice.

New this summer is an Electric Ice Explorer that’s testing lower-impact operations in this dramatic alpine environment. Indoors, the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre offers engaging exhibits on glacier science, climate change and the crucial role the icefield plays as a freshwater source for communities and ecosystems across Western Canada. 

Trade Patagonia for the Sunshine Coast Trail

Patagonia is legendary among hikers for its rugged backcountry and multi-day treks. British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast Trail deserves a spot on that same wish list. Spanning 180 kilometres, Canada’s longest hut-to-hut trail winds through old-growth forest, climbs mountain ridges and drops into serene stretches of Pacific coastline along the way.

Trade Norway’s fiords for Gros Morne National Park

Norway earns its reputation for having Europe’s most photographed landscapes — glacier-carved fiords that plunge straight into the North Atlantic Ocean. Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland was shaped by the same geological forces, with Western Brook Pond delivering nearly identical cliff walls and reflections.

Best explored by boat, where waterfalls tumble hundreds of metres down the surrounding cliffs, the Western Brook Pond Tourcosts less than half what the Norwegian equivalent runs. Afterward, head to The Tablelands, also in Gros Morne National Park, for the rare chance to walk along the Earth’s mantle. 

Trade Scotland for Cape Breton

Golfers make pilgrimages to Scotland for links courses that hug the coast. Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton offers the same windswept challenge. Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs consistently rank among the world’s best courses, pairing rolling fairways with sweeping views of the Atlantic coastline and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Cape Breton boasts more fiddle players per capita than anywhere else in the world. Its valleys and windswept highlands provide the same opportunities for rambling as Scotland does and, perhaps best of all, oatcakes are just as plentiful. The green fees run lower, too. 

Trade Vermont for Charlevoix

Vermont has long attracted U.S. road trippers with its rolling hills, farm-to-table restaurants and oh-so-cute small towns. Charlevoix, Que. offers a French-Canadian take on that formula. Follow Canada’s oldest agritourism route, the Flavour Trail to cider makers, cheesemakers and family farms.

Baie-Saint-Paul is every bit as picturesque as any New England town, featuring cosy inns and the sophisticated Hôtel & Spa Le Germain Charlevoix steps away from downtown’s boutiques and galleries. The drive from Quebec City is quicker than heading south across the border, and it’s pretty clear which country’s maple syrup reigns supreme. 

Trade Ireland for the Iles-de-la-Madeleine

Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way has long lured travellers with its colourful fishing villages, jagged cliffs and seafood fresh off the boat. Iles-de-la-Madeleine captures much of that same experience in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Red sandstone bluffs meet windswept beaches, brightly painted homes dot the landscape and fishing remains a way of life. For live music and a pub atmosphere that rivals what you’d find in The Emerald Isle, look to Café de la Grave, celebrated for its seafood chowder, island-brewed beers on tap and spontaneous evening jams led by local musicians.

Trade Napa Valley for the Okanagan

California’s Napa Valley built its reputation on world-class Cabernet Sauvignon and polished wineries. But you’ll find a similar experience in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley — with better value and warm lakes at your disposal. The region’s warm, dry climate nurtures many of the same grape varieties in a comparable desert landscape, with the added bonus of producing aromatic whites like Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris, which Napa typically doesn’t grow as well. 

From Osoyoos, near the U.S. border, to the northern tip of Okanagan Lake by Vernon, these wineries hold their own in blind tastings against California’s best, while tasting room flights run a fraction of Napa prices. 

Trade a Rhine River cruise for the Thousand Islands 

A river cruise along the Rhine River through the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and France is famous for riverside castles and leisurely days on the water. Ontario’s Thousand Islands provides its own fairy tale backdrop. Here, views are similarly impressive, even if the accents are different.

Cruise past Boldt Castle and Singer Castle before tucking into French classics like beef tartare and steak frites at The Ivy while overlooking the St. Lawrence River. If you don’t have your own boat, take a sightseeing cruise with 1000 Islands & Seaway Cruises past Singer Castle for a glimpse of Golden Age grandeur.

Trade Albuquerque for Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

Every autumn, hundreds of hot-air balloons rise over Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the world’s biggest hot air balloon festival. Meanwhile, Quebec’s International Balloon Festival in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu brings the same burst of colour each August. During Canada’s largest hot air balloon gathering, balloons drift over the Richelieu River while concerts, food vendors and family activities keep the celebration lively below. 

Trade Sardinia for the Bruce Peninsula

Sardinia’s calling card is water so clear it barely looks real over pale sand. The Bruce Peninsula has its own version. Georgian Bay flaunts the same striking turquoise shade over limestone shelves near Tobermory, surprising first-time visitors. Spend the day hiking the shoreline, paddling sea caves or cooling off in the transparent water. This Canadian dupe may not be famed for fresh shellfish like Sardinia is, but there’s hearty pasta at Gigi’s Italian, and we all know a butter tart trumps torrone (Sardinian Nougat) any day of the week.