Canada is a relatively young state. There are no medieval castles here, but many houses and cities keep the memory of the times of the formation of this country. Yet the most important attractions of Canada are natural wonders, known for their untouched nature and pristine purity. National parks of the country have long gained fame around the world. Therefore, tourists from all over the world strive to admire the untouched nature of Canada and touch the history of the formation of the country.

Cathedral of Notre Dame Montreal

Among the historical buildings, the Cathedral of Notre Dame of Montreal, built in 1888 by a Protestant architect, is famous for its two twin towers, each of which has its own name. One tower is called Restraint and the other is called Perseverance. In addition, one of the largest bells, weighing up to 12 tons, is installed in the Notre Dame de Montreal Cathedral. In the cathedral, during the service, you can hear the sounds of the famous Cassavant organ, consisting of 7 thousand pipes.

The blue altar of this Catholic church strikes the imagination of those present with its unusual beauty. It is noteworthy that upon completion of the construction of the cathedral, its creator, the architect James O'Donnell, was amazed at the results of his labors and, shortly before his own death, converted to Catholicism.

Oratory of Saint Joseph

Among the places of worship in Montreal, the Oratory of Saint Joseph Mont-Royal is famous for the third largest dome in the world. The initiator of the construction of the church was brother Andre Bessette, who served here and won the favor of the parishioners, healing their ailments. Miracles of healing brother Andre dedicated to Saint Joseph.

Visitors to the basilica can see thousands of crutches left by the crippled, miraculously restored to their feet by Brother Andre. The church museum keeps the heart of brother Andre, so more than 2 million pilgrims annually strive to find healing in the temple today. To this end, true pilgrims overcome the 99 steps of the church exclusively on their knees.

Upper Canada Village

Upper Canada Village near Ottawa gives tourists the opportunity to take a trip to the 1860s and get acquainted with the lifestyle and life of the inhabitants of these places of those distant times. Houses, shops, mills, a forge, a bakery, a furniture workshop – everything corresponds to the spirit of America in the 19th century. Even the villagers are dressed in the fashion of that era.

In addition to the usual excursions, tourists can take part in the life of the village: take a walk in a horse-drawn carriage, taste a photo studio, taste village treats in an old hotel, or purchase cheddar cheese made at a local cheese factory and handicrafts from village craftsmen at a local store.

Capilano Suspension Bridge

Another attraction of Canada is Capilano Suspension Bridge, built back in 1889 from cedar boards and hemp rope. In 1956, the bridge had to be completely rebuilt, as for a long time it became completely unusable.

It should be noted that the locals do not use the bridge. But every year, 800 thousand tourists who want to tickle their nerves each time go to overcome 137 meters of the way along the bridge located at an altitude of 70 meters above the Capilano River.

On Vancouver Island, the Capilano Bridge is not the only attraction. On the west coast of the island grows Sitka spruce, famous for its 95-meter height and the title of the tallest tree in Canada. The Pacific coast of the island attracts many surfers who seek to curb the local high strong waves. From the windows of local hotels you can watch how killer whales and huge whales frolic in the ocean waters.

Bay of Fundy

You can also watch whales by visiting the Bay of Fundy, known to every schoolchild as the bay where the highest tidal waves occur. Therefore, every year kayakers and canoe enthusiasts gather here not only from Canada, but also from other countries of the world. More information in our article.

Wood Buffalo National Park

Since Canada is famous for its respect for the environment, it would be unfair not to say anything about the country's numerous national parks. One of the largest in the world and the largest in Canada is Wood Buffalo National Park Wood Buffalo Park, a World Heritage Site of the United Nations.

The name of the park was not chosen by chance. In 1922, it was created precisely for the sake of preserving these mighty animals. Today, the park has the largest herd of wild bison, numbering more than 2.5 thousand individuals.

Here, on an area of 44 thousand kilometers among coniferous and mixed forests, shrubs and grasses, there are excellent conditions for 47 species of mammals, including Canadian caribou and musky rats, American black bears and wolves, beavers and muskrats. The park is home to 227 species of birds, including the American Crane, Great Gray Owl and Snowy Owl. The national park receives visitors at any time of the year, and each season is a unique and amazing spectacle of the triumph of the untouched nature of Wood Buffalo.

There are many more unique parks in Canada, one of them is Banff National Park.

Cemetery of Notre-Dame-des-Niges

On one of the slopes of Mount Royal is the largest necropolis in North America, the dimensions of which are very impressive: the length of the paths is 58 km, and the area is almost 1.5 square meters. km. The cemetery in popularity and significance is not inferior to the Paris Pere Lachaise and Moscow Novodevichy: the most famous personalities of Canada are buried there – great artists, politicians, athletes. Cavalli – the author of the anthem of Canada, Georges Cartier – the founder of the confederation, E. Nelligan – Canadian poet of French origin and other celebrities have found eternal rest here.

The cemetery at first served as a burial place only for Catholics, but now representatives of other religions are also allowed to be buried there. Notre Dame de Neige is included in the list of National Monuments of Canada and is protected by the state. Here is the remains of the famous hockey player Maurice Richard ("Rocket"), who became a national hero of Canada for outstanding achievements in sports and for participation in the liberation movement in Quebec. The territory of the cemetery is very picturesque, well-groomed and impeccably clean. Lush crowns of trees respectfully overshadow strict monuments, devoid of excessive pretentiousness and pomposity.

montreal botanical garden

This wonderful "island" of a magnificent variety of wildlife was born in 1931 as a symbol of opposition to the Great Depression that swept America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. v. For the possession of a truly beautiful mini-reserve of plants and animals, Montreal is indebted to the then mayor Kamiyen Udo and a group of botanist enthusiasts, designers and architects who developed and implemented a bold project for those times.

Now the botanical garden, being updated and improved every year, is one of the best among its counterparts in terms of the number and variety of rare trees, shrubs and other vegetation. On 75 hectares there are thematic zones-gardens representing the flora of Japan, China, the Alps. Species-style areas have been designed: an English garden, aquatic plants, medicinal, poisonous, azaleas, rhododendrons and others – a total of 30 thematic gardens and 10 greenhouses-exhibitions. As a tribute to the memory of the natives of Canada, the Garden of the First Nations is equipped, in which trees typical of the north grow; plants that fed and treated the indigenous population.

The beauty and abundant variety of everything that is here amaze and delight, revealing a lot of new things from the world of flora and fauna. Tens of thousands of roses, orchids, rhododendrons have been planted (in total, 99% of all plants in half of Canada are represented). Squirrels, ducks, herons, turtles are found in abundance. On the basis of the Garden, there are research institutes of botany, an observatory, a petting zoo for children, and an insectarium.

Yoho National Park

Anyone who visits Yoho for the first time and learns the translation of the name from the Indian, completely agrees with him, because otherwise than “Wow!" can't say enough about these amazing places. The surrounding landscapes stagger the imagination of worldly travelers with their original originality and majestic beauty. Here, at every step, you can exclaim with admiration: “Wow!” Seeing a sparkling glacier or a rapidly flying waterfall, an emerald-colored lake or mighty Canadian pines.

Here, many names are associated with the indigenous population: it was the Indians who dubbed the treacherous mountain river with a dangerous course “The Kicking Horse”, and the seasonal waterfall, famous for its height (381 m), formed from the melting of mountain ice, “That's great!” No less wittily nicknamed another, 30-meter waterfall – "Laughing" for the sound of water, similar to devilish laughter.

The world of fauna here is unusually rich: deer, elk, bears, badgers, and roe deer are found in large numbers. A huge number of various birds (180 species) arrange bird colonies on the banks of reservoirs. For tourists, wide autobahns have been laid here, hotels have been built and modern infrastructure has been created that allows you to have a wonderful time among pristine nature.

Thousand Islands National Park

The one of a kind 1000 Islands National Park is located in an unusual place: among the St. Lawrence River, starting from Lake Ontario and occupying 80 km of the river channel. You can't call these extraordinary places otherwise than a miracle of nature. If you look at the reserve from above, it seems that someone's powerful hand took and scattered the picturesque islands, islets and islets among the river surface. Actually, the perspicacious Indians made up just such a legend, surveying the natural phenomenon from the surrounding mountains: God, angry with sinful people, decided to take the Earth from them, but, lifting it, dropped it, breaking it into pieces and pieces.

There is a completely scientific explanation for the origin of the 1000 Islands. According to geologists, the river, becoming more powerful and full-flowing, flooded the ancient rocky formations, leaving only their peaks on the surface, which became islands. Their sizes range from 100 sq. km to 100 sq. m. The unique archipelago is rightfully considered a priceless natural gift, declared back in 1914 by the National Park. Soon after that, the islands began to be sold, and houses were built on many of them, life “boiled”. Vacationers fell in love with coming here, eager to enjoy the peace and tranquility reigning here.

The largest and most inhabited is Wolf Island, where there is a well-developed infrastructure, quite a lot of people constantly live. Also remarkable is the slightly smaller Fr. Hut, with a unique architectural landmark – Bolt Castle. According to a romantic legend, a certain J. Bolt built it for his beloved wife, who suddenly died. Shocked by her death, he abandoned the construction site and left here forever. Not so long ago, the current owner (purchased the island for $ 1) completed the castle and opened an interesting museum in it, which tourists willingly visit. A visit to an unusually beautiful unique biosphere reserve brings a lot of positive emotions and unforgettable impressions. Read more about the Thousand Islands in our article.

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Peyto Lake – water turquoise among the rocks

Another natural phenomenon in Canada is Peyto Lake, named after its discoverer, located in a rocky gorge at an altitude of 1860 m above sea level in Banff National Park. The amazingly beautiful reservoir of bright turquoise color stretches for 1 km 800 m in length and 800 m in width and is a bewitching sight. Tens of thousands of tourists strive to admire the unique lake in order to see the colorful masterpiece of nature with their own eyes.

The steep shores are overgrown with dense coniferous forest, creating a beautiful frame for the unique lake. In winter, it is surrounded by a silvery necklace of pines and firs covered with snow; in the rest of the year – dark green velvet needles. The unusual color of the lake is due to the presence of special minerals that flow down along with glacial water from the surrounding rocks and color the reservoir in a beautiful turquoise color.

Photo enthusiasts have something to do here, shooting enchanting landscapes from different angles. Avid fishermen will not be bored either: despite the icy water, there are many fish in the lake, which are allowed to be caught only with a strictly regulated number of times with a fishing rod. (Canadians value ecological balance). Now, among this divine primevalness, comfortable camp sites have appeared, from where climbs to the mountains are organized for a view from the tops of the amazing panorama of Lake Peyto.

Sit de Havre park in Montreal

There is a man-made peninsula in Montreal, created at the end of the 19th century to protect the city from the restless, eroding current of the river. San Lawrence, threatening floods. It was called the guard cape or Makei pier, on which already in the 20th century. laid out a cozy park on the occasion of the industrial exhibition "Expo-67". The cape was expanded with bulk rubble, which was mined in large quantities during the construction of the subway and connected by a capital bridge "Concorde" with about. St. Helena.

Now the Sit-de-Havre park is a quiet green recreation area for Montrealers, where there is no annoying city noise, there are shady alleys for walking, excellent bike paths. The real attraction of the cape is the architectural residential complex, built as an innovative solution on the topic "Habitat-67". His project was developed by a little-known Canadian designer of the time, Safdie, and was intended to show modern urban trends in the construction of suburban housing in unity with nature.

The massive building consists of 354 block modules, forming 146 apartments with different sizes and layouts. Each of them is equipped with an individual terrace designed for green spaces. The unusual building became the sensation of the exhibition and the beginning of a brilliant career for Safdie. And the Sit de Havre park is becoming increasingly popular with vacationers.

Cathedral of Marie-Reine-du-Mont

This majestic temple is a younger brother, a reduced copy of the famous Roman Cathedral of St. Peter, built in Montreal on the initiative of Bishop Ignacio Bourget. The Italian cathedral impressed the bishop so much that he ordered instead of the burned down Cathedral of St. Jacob to build an exact copy of the Church of Peter. The architect, who was entrusted with the project, went to Rome, and, having examined the original, did not take over the construction. But still, the cathedral was erected and consecrated in 1894, having received the name Marie-Reine-du-Mont “(Virgin Mary, Mistress of the World).

Now a copy of the Roman Cathedral is the third largest church in the province of Quebec, declared in 2000 a National Historic Site of Canada. The temple conducts all religious ceremonies, including baptism, carried out in a unique marble font with a sculptural Crucifix, considered the standard of Quebec church sculpture. The magnificent building of the cathedral is crowned with 13 statues of the patron saints of Montreal, next to it, on a high pedestal, the initiator of the construction, the Bishop of Bourges, is immortalized in bronze.

The inner interiors of the temple are beautiful, decorated with 9 paintings with plots about the history of Montreal, depicting national heroes and the stages of the formation of the faith. A wonderfully executed statue of the Virgin (sculptor Sylvia Doust) is installed in the side chapel of the temple. The altar is equipped with a canopy – an exact copy of the Italian one, created as a work of art, from gold and copper sheets, decorated with statues of angels and papal paraphernalia.

Banff National Park

The very first and largest in terms of area of all subsequent national parks in Canada was organized in 1885 in the province of Alberta, the capital of which is the city of Calgary, famous for hosting the Winter Olympics. Banff Territory – Forested Rocky Mountains; snow-capped peaks, sparkling glaciers; wonderful mountain lakes with crystal water; picturesque waterfalls, alpine meadows. Banff – tens of kilometers of ski slopes, excellent roads, hundreds of classy hotels and campsites, the richest world of fauna.

Travelers from all over the world come here to see the unearthly beauty of northern nature; breathe, or rather, enjoy the clean air with the scent of pine needles; go canoeing and gondola rides, go skiing. The most beautiful lakes: Peyto, Moraine, Lake Louise, Crescent Lake, fed by glaciers, attract to themselves with their cosmic pristineness and watercolor cold beauty. The surrounding landscapes are breathtaking and heart-stopping: is such beauty possible on Earth?! The same beauty surrounds the Icefield Parkway, which links Banff with Jasper Park. It was laid back in the 70s of the last century among the most picturesque places.

The park is famous for its hot sulfur springs, which have healing properties. Based on them, there is a Canadian bath, where many tourists seek to get. A trip to Banff Park is a wonderful vacation and close contact with wildlife against the backdrop of magical paintings. Read more about Banff Park in our article.

Old Montreal

The very eloquent name speaks of that part of the city. which has been preserved since its foundation, when Montreal was still called Ville Marie (1642-1643). The future city began with a fort built under the leadership of the Frenchman Paul de Chaumedy, designed to convert the indigenous population of Canada to Christianity by French settlers. Gradually, the fort turned into a city with all the attributes inherent in it: houses, temples, a prison. Surviving numerous fires, the city survived; wooden houses were replaced by stone ones, streets and sidewalks were equipped.

Until now, the old medieval street cladding, architectural sights of the 17-18th century have been preserved here. in., which are carefully protected by society and the state: the old hospital of the Hotel-Dieu-de-Montreal, the Seminary of San Sulpice. The main architectural monument of Old Montreal is the Notre Dame Church, built in 1829, when the British owned Montreal, which was reflected in the style of the building. The cathedral, made not in a strictly Catholic spirit, but in a Gothic style, rises up with its towers. The whole building seems light and airy, graceful and colorful, thanks to the high stained-glass windows, sculptural decorations of the facade, and arched vaults.

The magnificent building of the Town Hall is also impressive – a beautiful architectural structure of the British era. Noteworthy is one of the oldest monuments of Old Montreal – Nelson's Column, installed in 1804 on the New Market Square. There is a Field of Mars in the old town, which stretches from the Town Hall to the Ville-Marie route, where the stonework of the fort has been preserved. Inspection of Old Montreal is a journey into the historical past of Canada.

Canadian Cordillera

This mountainous region is an invaluable treasury of wildlife, a receptacle of fantastic beauties, a rich variety of landscapes. It is here that the famous Banff, Jasper, Wood Buffalo and Waterton Lakes National Parks are located, a picturesque part of the Rocky Mountains with the highest peak – Mount Robson. In the Canadian Cordillera there is the richest pantry of natural wealth – the Whistler region; the huge Columbia Glacier (a square of 325 sq. km is occupied by ice fields – natural skating rinks for sports); deep canyons Fraser, Johnston.

Here you have the opportunity to see the most beautiful lake in North America – Lake Louise, the mighty Athabasca, Lower and others. Scientists have discovered multiple remains of dinosaurs, which played a significant role in interpreting the theory of terrestrial evolution. In ecologically clean waters of the Cordillera, by all accounts, the best fishing. The Canadian Cordillera is an unsurpassed beauty and rich diversity of nature.