Ontario

Winderlude, Ottawa
Photograph Courtesy Ontario Tourism

Ontario offers the excitement of discovery in all its diverse regions, from polar bears and herds of caribou in the great Far North to festivals and world-class fishing in the Near North. In Ontario's cities and towns, there are new tastes to be savored, fine Ontario VQA wines to be sipped, unique shops and galleries to explore, and an explosion of live entertainment, including big-box musicals, major theater festivals, and intimate cabarets.

When you visit Ontario, you'll also discover our greatest asset: Ontarians themselves. Known as the most diverse city in the world, Toronto offers daily proof that a multiplicity of cultures can live, grow, and prosper together—especially when they share their cuisines! Torontonians have famously adventurous palettes, and a visit to the city can easily become a culinary trip around the world. Ottawa, Canada's capital, is also the nation's fully bilingual, bicultural city. Everything from conversations to architecture flows seamlessly from English to French. In Niagara you can explore one of the world's most famous natural wonders, the Horseshoe Falls, from the inside out—walk behind them, fly over them in a helicopter, or cruise right up to the thundering cascade of water on the Maid of the Mist.

One of your greatest discoveries will be the hospitality and culture of the First Nations peoples of Ontario. Leave the pressure and stress of industrial times behind and stay at the Cree Village Ecolodge in Moose Factory on James Bay, the only ecolodge property in North America owned and operated by First Nations peoples. Be dazzled by the dancing and drums at the annual pow wow on sacred Manitoulin Island or learn about some of Canada's greatest generals, doctors, politicians, and poets by visiting the Six Nations of Grand River.

Unlike most destinations there are travel routes throughout Ontario that let you leave the car at home and traverse the province through canals, rivers, and lakes, on bike routes, and by train. Ontario even has the longest member-maintained hiking trail in the world, the Bruce Trail, which stretches from the Niagara Escarpment just west of Toronto all the way to Tobermory on the tip of the Bruce Peninsula that separates Georgian Bay and Lake Huron.

While in Tobermory explore the depths of Georgian Bay without ever getting wet at Fathom Five National Marine Park where glass-bottom boats give you a diver's view of a century's worth of shipwrecks. You can explore and participate in history at living museums such as Fort William Historical Park, Upper Canada Village, and Fort Henry National Historic Site, or during the spectacular re-enactments of the decisive battles of the War of 1812. Explore the future at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto and Science North in Sudbury, and learn how to play your part today in caring for our biospheres' flora and fauna at one of over 200 Ontario Provincial Parks that dot the landscape. In Algonquin Park throughout August, you can join a silent caravan and learn to howl with the wolves. And in Muskoka's Torrence Barren Dark Sky Reserve you can explore the Milky Way with the naked eye and share the natural darkness with the nocturnal birds and other animals escaping the city's glare.

Ontario is a province of discovery. Start investigating now.

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Experience the Best of Ontario!

National Geographic's Digital Nomad, Andrew Evans, reveals his travel favorites in Ontario. From outdoor adventures to vibrant cities, discover the best of what Ontario has to offer.

Relive his journey