Vancouver — days 1–3 (15–17 August)
- Day 1 · 15/08 – Arrival in Vancouver. Milan Linate → Paris CDG → Vancouver with Air France. Uber from the airport to our stay (about 20 minutes). First walk: False Creek, Yaletown with the Roundhouse and Engine 374, David Lam Park. Groceries for breakfast.
- Day 2 · 16/08 – Vancouver, Stanley Park and downtown. Stanley Park by rental bike along the Seawall: Brockton Point, Totem Pole Park, Siwash Rock, Prospect Point, Beaver Lake, the Rose and Shakespeare Gardens, Third and Second Beach, Lost Lagoon, plus the Vancouver Aquarium. Then Canada Place and the Waterfront, Gastown, Robson Street, Granville Street and the Orpheum, Granville Island Market, Chinatown and the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. Dinner downtown.
- Day 3 · 17/08 – Vancouver, nature and views. Capilano Suspension Bridge Park (entry booked online, free shuttle from downtown). Lunch and a wander on Granville Island, Queen Elizabeth Park with the Bloedel Conservatory and Quarry Garden, sunset at English Bay.
Sea-to-Sky and the Rockies — days 4–10 (18–24 August)
- Day 4 · 18/08 – Sea-to-Sky Highway to Whistler. Pick up the rental car in Vancouver. Porteau Cove, Shannon Falls, the Sea to Sky Gondola with the Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge and Summit Trail, Squamish and the Stawamus Chief, Brandywine Falls. In Whistler: the Village, the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, Olympic Plaza and Lost Lake. Dinner in the village and an evening stroll. Night in Whistler.
- Day 5 · 19/08 – Whistler to Kamloops. Nairn Falls, Pemberton, Joffre Lakes Provincial Park (free day pass booked online), Lillooet with its museum and the Old Suspension Bridge over the Fraser, Marble Canyon, Cache Creek. Arrive in Kamloops, dinner and a walk in Riverside Park.
- Day 6 · 20/08 – Kamloops towards Jasper. Helmcken Falls in Wells Gray Provincial Park, Mount Robson with the Kinney Lake hike, Maligne Canyon and Maligne Lake with a canoe and the Lakeshore, Mary Schäffer and Moose Lake trails. Night in Hinton.
- Day 7 · 21/08 – Icefields Parkway. Athabasca Falls, the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre, Peyto Lake from the viewpoints, on to Field in Yoho National Park. Night in Golden.
- Day 8 · 22/08 – Yoho, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Natural Bridge, Emerald Lake (loop and shoreline), Takakkaw Falls. Lake Louise with a canoe, a lakeshore walk and the hike to the Lake Agnes Tea House. Pre-booked shuttle to Moraine Lake and up the Rockpile. Night in Harvie Heights, near Banff.
- Day 9 · 23/08 – Banff and around. Lake Minnewanka, Two Jack Lake, Stewart Canyon, Cascade Ponds, Johnston Canyon, the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain and Banff Avenue.
- Day 10 · 24/08 – Banff to Calgary. Johnson Lake, Vermilion Lakes, Canmore's Main Street and lunch. In Calgary: Calgary Tower, Stephen Avenue Walk, Heritage Park Historical Village and the Calgary Zoo.
Toronto and Niagara — days 11–14 (25–28 August)
- Day 11 · 25/08 – Flight to Toronto. Return the car at Calgary airport and fly Air Canada to Toronto. Scotiabank Arena, Sugar Beach and Harbourfront.
- Day 12 · 26/08 – Downtown Toronto. Kensington Market, Chinatown, Roundhouse Park, St. Lawrence Market, Yonge-Dundas Square and the Eaton Centre, Nathan Phillips Square and the Toronto sign, then a Blue Jays baseball game at the Rogers Centre.
- Day 13 · 27/08 – Toronto, Casa Loma and the Islands. Casa Loma (booked online), the Royal Ontario Museum, Yorkville, and the ferry to the Toronto Islands: Centre Island and Ward's Island.
- Day 14 · 28/08 – Niagara Falls. A guided day trip with a boat ride, booked online.
Ottawa, Quebec City and Montreal — days 15–21 (29 August – 4 September)
- Day 15 · 29/08 – Toronto to Ottawa. Second rental car. Prince Edward County, Kingston with Fort Henry and the waterfront, the Thousand Islands. Arrive in Ottawa and dinner at ByWard Market.
- Day 16 · 30/08 – Ottawa. Guided tours of the Senate and the House of Commons (booked on the official site), Parliament Hill, the National Gallery of Canada, Kiweki Point, Notre-Dame Cathedral, ByWard Market, the Rideau Canal, the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau and the Ornamental Gardens.
- Day 17 · 31/08 – Ottawa to Quebec City. Parc des Chutes de Plaisance and the Petite-Nation falls, Trois-Rivières, then Quebec City and dinner in Petit Champlain.
- Day 18 · 01/09 – Quebec City. Vieux-Québec and the Château Frontenac, Petit Champlain and Place Royale, the Musée de la Civilisation, Rue du Petit-Champlain, the Plains of Abraham.
- Day 19 · 02/09 – Quebec City to Montreal. Montmorency Falls, Miller Zoo, then Montreal and dinner in the Old Port.
- Day 20 · 03/09 – Montreal. Old Montreal, Place d'Armes and Notre-Dame Basilica, Rue Saint-Paul, Place Jacques-Cartier, the Old Port, the Archaeology and History Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Mount Royal, the Quartier des Spectacles.
- Day 21 · 04/09 – Montreal and flight home. Jean-Talon Market, Parc Jean-Drapeau and the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Olympic Park. Return the car and fly Air Canada Montreal → Milan Malpensa, landing on 5/09.
What we spent: real trip costs
Source: our trip cost spreadsheet (15 Aug–4 Sep 2025), 2 travellers. Amounts in € as recorded.
| Category | Total for 2 € | Per person € |
|---|---|---|
| Flights (return Italy–Canada + Calgary–Toronto) | 3,886.00 | 1,943.00 |
| Stays (20 nights on Airbnb and Booking, 11 places) | 2,947.00 | 1,473.50 |
| Car rental (2 rentals) | 1,344.00 | 672.00 |
| Booked attractions & tours | 824.54 | 412.27 |
| Insurance | 175.00 | 87.50 |
| eSIM | 32.00 | 16.00 |
| eTA (electronic travel authorisation, 1 per person) | 8.74 | 4.37 |
| Subtotal | 9,217.28 | 4,608.64 |
| Category | Total for 2 € |
|---|---|
| Food | 1,122.70 |
| Gifts and souvenirs | 467.82 |
| Fuel | 178.99 |
| Car extras | 143.07 |
| Tickets on site | 140.12 |
| Local transport | 115.72 |
| Parking | 67.86 |
| Fees | 13.30 |
| Laundry | 1.88 |
| Subtotal | 2,251.46 |
Trip total: €11,468.74 for 2 people (about €5,734.37 each), 21 days.
Note: gifts are personal spending; without gifts the total is €11,000.92.
FAQ
How many days do you need?
We did 21 days, Vancouver to Montreal, with one domestic flight Calgary–Toronto.
Do you need a car?
Yes for the Rockies and Ontario–Quebec (two rentals); in Vancouver and Toronto we walked and used transit.
How do you visit Joffre Lakes?
You need a free day pass booked online at bcparks.ca (rule as of summer 2025).
How do you get to Moraine Lake?
By pre-booked shuttle from Lake Louise.
How much does a 21-day Canada trip cost?
It cost us €11,469 for two (about €5,734 each): €3,886 flights, €2,947 stays, €1,344 car rental; €2,251 spent on the trip, €1,123 of it on food.
Another real trip: China in 18 days
Canada trip cost
All our real costs: flights, stays, car, tours and on-trip spending.
18-day China itinerary
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