According to softwareleverage, Canada is the second largest country in the world (after Russia), located in North America. The name Canada is derived from the Indian word kanata, which means settlement. Canada borders the United States of America to the south and the US state of Alaska to the west. In addition, Alaska borders almost directly on Greenland in the northeast. The capital of Canada is Ottawa. Some major cities in Canada are: Toronto, Québec, Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Hamilton and Calgary.
Canada covers a large area and also thousands of small and larger islands. Only 10% of Canada is actually inhabited. Canada is best known for its clean nature. There are many national parks within Canada’s borders. Some recommendations are: the Yoho National Park, the Kootenay National Park, the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, the Muncho Lake Provincial Park, the Wells Gray Provincial Park, the Okanagan Valley and the Queen Charlotte Islands. In these nature reserves you will find many different natural phenomena. From white mountain peaks (Rocky Mountains) to snow plains, ice plains, waterfalls, lakes, rainforests and wildlife such as black bears, deer and moose. Canada is a must for both winter and summer enthusiasts. Small groups of Eskimos (Inuit) also live in Canada. In addition, there are still some Indian tribes to be found atVancouver Island (Vancouver Island). See healthvv for North America geography.
Canada provinces and territories:
Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Québec, Saskatchewan, and Yukon.
Where is Canada located?
Travel information of Canada
Official name: Canada
Continent: North America
Area: 9,970,610 km²
Capital city: Ottawa
Country code: CA, CAN
Population: 37,694,085 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: Parliamentary monarchy
Highest point: 5,959 m (Mount Logan)
Distance (Amsterdam – Ottawa): 5,651 km
Flight time: approximately 9 hours and 30 minutes
Travel advice
Current status: No special security risks.
Current color code: Green.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), there may be (temporary) measures in place in Canada that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs in Canada, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
On our travel offer page you will find an overview of reliable travel organizations that offer complete trips and holidays to Canada. In addition, you will find an overview of separate travel components (car rental, hotels and airline tickets) with which you can compose your ideal trip yourself.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, hiking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Canada?
Excursions, activities and day trips
With the help of Countryaah you can reserve an excursion, activity, tour, entrance ticket and/or day trip for your stay in Canada at a discount. This way you are assured of a place, in some cases you can skip the queue and you can already plan your travel program.
Weather and climate
Due to its size, Canada falls into four different climate zones. The east and west coasts have a maritime climate. The west coast has a temperate maritime climate. The northern part of Canada has a polar climate. The rest of Canada has a continental climate. In general, temperatures vary between -10 and 25 degrees throughout the year. Outliers towards -30 and 35 degrees also occur.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Canada can be found on our extensive weather page.
Detailed information about the climate of Canada can be found at Climate info.
Current snow depths in Canada can be found at Winter sports enthusiasts.
Best time
May, June, July, August, September and October are the best months to travel to Canada. This avoids the cold winter months. January, February and December are the best months for a winter sports holiday.
Language
English and French are both an official language in Canada. Other local languages are Gwich’in, Han, Kaska, Northern Tutchone, Southern Tutchone, Tagish, Tlingit, Inuktitut and Upper Tanana.
Do you want to translate from or to English/French for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is still valid when you leave Canada.
A visa is not necessary if you stay in Canada for less than 6 months.
Note: As of early 2016, you can only travel visa-free if you arrive by land or sea and are staying in Canada for less than 6 months. If you arrive by plane you must be in possession of an eTA (electronic Travel Authorization). You can apply for this online via the official website cic.gc.ca (credit card). The eTA is valid for 6 months over a period of 5 years.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in Canada: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Dutch Consulates in Canada: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Canadian Embassy and Consulate in the Netherlands: canadainternational.gc.ca.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
You do not need any vaccinations to visit Canada.
Money and Currency
In Canada, payments are made with the Canadian dollar (CAD).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs in Canada can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
Prices in Canada are slightly lower than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is -3% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (25% cheaper), food (24% more expensive), imported beer in catering (30% more expensive), cigarettes (35% more expensive) and public transport (20% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tip
In Canada it is customary to give a tip of approximately 10-15% of the total amount. If the service was very bad, you can give a little less. Giving nothing is very unusual and sometimes even indecent. Tip is not yet included in the bill by default.
Time difference
Canada falls into six different time zones:
– Newfoundland Time: 4.5 hours earlier.
– Atlantic Time: 5 hours earlier.
– Eastern Time: 6 hours earlier.
– Central Time: 7 hours earlier.
– Mountain Time: 8 hours earlier.
– Pacific Time: 9 hours earlier.
Summer time in Canada differs from that in the Netherlands.
Canada’s local times, dates, time zones, time zone map and exceptions can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
In Canada you must drive on the right.
You do not need an international driver’s license to drive and/or rent a motor vehicle in Canada.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Canada.
Electricity
In Canada you need a travel plug. In addition, in some cases you need an inverter.
More information about common plugs and sockets in Canada can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 911
– Fire Department: 911
– Ambulance: 911
With a mobile phone you can also use the international number 112.
Tap water
Tap water is safe to drink.
News and newspapers
The latest news related to Canada can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from Canada can be found on Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from Canada end in.ca.
Canada official websites: canada.ca and us.canada.travel.
Telephony
The country code (international prefix) to call someone in Canada is 001 or +1.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Canada? Then use the Dutch country code 01131.
(If you use a country code, you must omit the first 0 of the number to be called.)
All area codes for Canada can be found on Allareacodes.com.
Telephone numbers can be found in the Canada Telephone Directory.
Company details can be found in Canada’s Yellow Pages.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos from Canada.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Canada.
Holidays
Canada’s national holiday falls on July 1 (Canada Day).
An overview of all other holidays in Canada can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations in Canada, supplemented with photos, videos and points of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about Canada?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited Canada. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and World Heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in Canada can be found on Protected Planet.
An overview of the world heritage sites in Canada can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Canada? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol, food, money and perfume. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. You will also find the laws and regulations regarding the entry of pets on this website.
Entrepreneurship and doing business
If you intend to do business in or do business with Canada, it is wise to prepare well. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency can help you with this. On PaulSourcing.com you will find a large amount of information about Canada, including: opportunities, import and export regulations, trade figures, do’s and don’ts, product requirements, business partners and subsidies.
Studying and internship
Are you considering a study, internship or gap year in Canada? You are by no means the only one and certainly not the first. To help you on your way, Nuffic (the Dutch organization for internationalization in education) has set up the WilWeg.nl website. On this website you will find all the information that can help you on your way, such as admission requirements, forms of education, housing, scholarship, internships, health insurance, study costs and of course experiences.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant laws and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to Canada.
– Alcohol: Purchase and/or drink from 19 years old (Alberta, Manitoba and Québec 18 years old).
– Alcohol and traffic: The maximum permitted alcohol content is 0.5.
– Tobacco: Purchase and/or smoke from age 18 (British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Prince Edward Island age 19).
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Allowed
Did you know that…
…Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia?
…Canada has the longest coastline in the world (282,080 km)?
…At the Niagara Falls 6000 m³ of water comes down per second?
…The basketball, snowmobile and telephone are all Canadian inventions?
…Canada has a UFO landing pad in St. Paul (Alta)?
…The lowest temperature ever recorded in Canada was -63°C?
Our verdict on Canada as a travel destination
Canada is high on the bucket list of many Dutch people. For decades, the country has attracted peace seekers, adventurers and nature lovers. Canada is a country of extremes. You will find rainforests, but also vast beaches and ice plains! Much of the beautiful nature is housed in more than 45 national parks. The most famous are the Rocky Mountains, Banff, Jasper and Niagara Falls. In addition to the natural beauty, Canada also has a number of attractive world cities. The most famous are Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary and Ottawa. These cities will overwhelm you with many imposing historical buildings but also large modern skyscrapers. All this together with the friendly helpful people make it an excellent travel destination.
