Hostels in Canada

Kelowna is a great place -- the Okanagan has the most beautiful scenery of anywhere I've been in the world, crystal clear lakes perfect for swimming on hot summer days and amazing desert and mountain scenery. Too many people pass straight through on the way to places like Banff, but make sure to give yourself a few days here. One point -- the cops are very active in Kelowna, don't get caught with drinks on the street or they'll make you tip them away (or worse), and don't get too drunk or you could get picked up on the way home and spend a night in the cells/drunk tank like I did (which wasn't really that bad in my case as it was better accommodation than where I was staying -- a motel room shared among eight people).

I lived in Squamish for almost a year and loved it! The climbing is amazing, the people are friendly! Also, for great food and drinks, check out the Brew Pub!

Quebec City is a lovely city!!!

You'll have the time of your life in Whistler!

The Okanagan is the most beautiful place I've been to on the planet. Crystal clear lakes perfect for swimming in the hot summer days and spectacular desert and mountain scenery. It is too often passed up for the tourist traps of the rockies, but make sure to include at least a few days here, and Penticton is the best place to see it from. The drives south to Osoyoos and north to Kelowna are both truly spectacular.

Vancouver has got to be one of the best cities on earth. Too many people stop here for just a few days on the way to other places -- give yourself a little longer here and you won't want to leave. The best thing I did here was a speedboat trip up Indian Arm from Deep Cove on the North Shore -- get six other people interested and it works out at only $25 to $30 each including bus fare for three hours rental of a seven-man boat, plenty of time to get to the top and back with stops to look at stuff. Also make sure you climb up Grouse mountain, the views from the top are incredible and you can get a bus right to the bottom of the trail. It's quite a climb but I've seen everyone from five year old kids to grandparents climb up, and you can get the cable car back down for $5.

If you like to party and are in need of a place with a very happening night life then Montreal is the place for you.

There are plenty of fun things to do in Ottawa, regardless of the time of year (though it's a little chilly for those who are used to warmer weather -- make sure to bundle up if you visit in the winter!). The ByWard Market has a lot of nice restaurants. The clothing shops in the Market are pretty expensive, so I'd suggest heading to the Glebe for shopping. Bank St. has a lot of great stores. There are some great used book stores as well -- the Book Market in ByWard Market and the Book Bazaar on Bank St. The street vendors in the Market sell real wool hats, and alpaca wool hats as well! The National Gallery is worth a visit, as well as the Notre Dame across from it.

Must sees in Calgary are the Stampede (if you're in town in early - mid July), Prince's Island Park, Glenbow Museum, Heritage Park, Glenmore Resevoir/Weasel Head, Bowness Lagoon. Calgary is close to the mountains, beautiful city, friendly people.

Wow! Algonquin Park is the best place to eat sleep party and play!!! If you ever get into some hard core camping, with serious scenery, go to Algonquin, it's worth the drive!

The skimboarding at Roberts Creek is amazing.

Edmonton is a fun city all year round. They have a huge river valley for running, biking, blading etc. It's better to come in the summer when there are loads of festivels and concerts. It's a sports city. They love their hockey (Oilers), their football (Eskimos), and lots of other sports. So if you want to see great sports, Edmonton has it. If you want to do shopping, Edmonton has the biggest shopping mall in the world, West Edmonton Mall. There's quiet a bit to do, but the city is at it's best in the summer.

Fernie is simply a great place to get away from all of the garbage. The town has a wicked ora to it and is very laid back, great mountain biking and hiking. Both Same Sun and the Raging Elk hostels rock and keep the town cool. Have fun... and I'm coming back.

I am from Germany and I visited Nelson this year with my whole class for 2 months. It was the graetest time I ever had. Thank you. I really enjoyed the trip and love this small town. I live in Hamburg, that's a really big town, with 2 million people. So I hope I can visit Nelson again!!!

Yes, Dawson City is a heck of a place. If you like truly amazing music in a great setting Dawson City is the place to be. But also do not forget to get a look at the Gold fields around Dawson City-- they are the reason why Dawson is on the map. Best would be to rent a bike and not take a tour because then one can stop to watch gold mining operations from the road...seems like a messy business but that "yellow" stuff has got to come from somewhere. And hike up to the Midnight Dome! There is a road up too, but the hike is way better with great views all the way.