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🇨🇦 15 Places in Canada That Feel Like Another Country

Who says you need a passport to experience another part of the world?

Here are some of the most surprising places from coast to coast that look and feel like destinations thousands of kilometres away.

PS: These comparisons are all in good fun. Some are based on the scenery, others on the culture or overall feel. You might agree with everyone—or you might have a few of your own.

🇫🇷 Old Québec, Québec → France

If someone blindfolded you and dropped you in Old Québec, you might think you'd landed somewhere in Europe. With its cobblestone streets, sidewalk cafés, stone buildings, flower-filled balconies, and centuries-old architecture, it's the closest thing to France you'll find in North America. It's also home to the iconic Château Frontenac, one of the most photographed hotels in the world.

🇮🇸 The Tablelands, Newfoundland & Labrador → Iceland

There aren't many places on Earth where you can literally walk on the Earth's mantle. The rust-coloured mountains of Gros Morne National Park look unlike anywhere else in Canada—and more like Iceland or another planet entirely. Formed hundreds of millions of years ago, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of Canada's most fascinating landscapes.

🇨🇭 Moraine Lake & Lake Louise, Alberta → Switzerland

Turquoise water. Towering snow-capped peaks. Dense evergreen forests. It's no wonder visitors from around the world compare Banff National Park to the Swiss Alps. Except many Swiss visitors will happily tell you Canada's Rockies are even grander.

🇺🇸 Drumheller, Alberta → Arizona

The rolling badlands, towering hoodoos, and endless desert-like scenery around Drumheller feel worlds away from the snowy Rockies just a few hours west. Add in one of the world's richest dinosaur fossil beds, and you've got one of Canada's most unique landscapes.

🇳🇱 Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan → Mongolia

Vast open plains stretching to the horizon, roaming bison, dark skies, and almost no development make Grasslands National Park feel remarkably similar to the steppes of Mongolia. It's one of the quietest and least-visited national parks in Canada—and one of the country's most underrated landscapes.

🇳🇿 Haida Gwaii, British Columbia → New Zealand

Remote, wild, and deeply connected to Indigenous culture, Haida Gwaii feels like another world. Ancient rainforests, dramatic coastlines, abundant wildlife, and rich Haida traditions create an experience that reminds many travellers of New Zealand's rugged beauty.

🇹🇭 Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick → Thailand

At low tide, visitors can walk among towering flowerpot-shaped sea stacks sculpted by the world's highest tides. At high tide, those same rock formations become tiny islands surrounded by water—creating scenery surprisingly similar to Thailand's famous limestone karsts.

🇮🇹 Tobermory, Ontario → Croatia

Crystal-clear blue water, limestone cliffs, hidden coves, and historic shipwrecks beneath the surface make Tobermory feel more Mediterranean than Canadian. It's one of the country's best places for kayaking, scuba diving, and boat tours.

🇺🇸 The Okanagan Valley, British Columbia → Napa Valley

With over 200 wineries, long sunny summers, rolling vineyards, and warm lakes perfect for paddleboarding, the Okanagan has become Canada's answer to California wine country. Just don't be surprised if you leave with a few bottles.

🇸🇦 Athabasca Sand Dunes, Saskatchewan → The Sahara

Few people realize Canada is home to one of the largest active dune systems in the world. Reaching heights of up to 30 metres along the shores of Lake Athabasca, these remote dunes create one of the most unexpected landscapes anywhere in Canada.

🇬🇷 Kalamalka Lake, British Columbia → Greece

Known as the "Lake of a Thousand Colours," Kalamalka's striking shades of turquoise and emerald are so vivid they almost look Photoshopped. Combined with the dry hillsides surrounding it, it's easy to imagine yourself somewhere along the Mediterranean.

🇦🇷 Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta → Patagonia

Wind-swept peaks, dramatic valleys, crystal-clear lakes, and abundant wildlife make Waterton feel remarkably similar to South America's famous Patagonia region. It's also one of Canada's quieter national parks, making the scenery feel even wilder.

🇸🇮 Maligne Lake, Alberta → Slovenia

Long, narrow, and surrounded by towering peaks, Maligne Lake is home to the iconic Spirit Island—arguably one of the most photographed places in Canada. It rivals Europe's most famous alpine lakes for sheer beauty.

🇲🇽 Long Beach, British Columbia → Mexico's Pacific Coast

Stretching for more than 16 kilometres through Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Long Beach offers endless sand, rolling surf, and some of Canada's best beach sunsets. While the water is definitely colder than Mexico's, the scenery is every bit as spectacular.

🇳🇴 Fogo Island, Newfoundland & Labrador → Norway

Perched along the rugged North Atlantic coast, Fogo Island combines colourful fishing villages, rocky shorelines, dramatic cliffs, and contemporary architecture in a way that feels distinctly Scandinavian. It's remote, peaceful, and unlike anywhere else in Canada.

International Departures

New Zealand: Canada's Adventure Twin

If Canada had a long-lost sibling on the other side of the world, it would be New Zealand.

Towering mountains. Glacier-fed lakes. Coastal rainforests. Fjords. Wildlife. Friendly people. It's no wonder travellers often compare the two countries. The biggest difference? New Zealand packs all that scenery into a country roughly the size of the UK, making it one of the world's greatest road trip destinations. Also, it has tropical beaches and volcanoes. But still!

Whether you're hiking through Fiordland National Park, cruising Milford Sound, or exploring Hobbiton, New Zealand delivers big adventures around every corner.

That stands on its own as a destination and fits your theme nicely.

Watch

We’ve explored a lot of Saskatchewan and one of our favourite places is Grasslands National Park. Although it’s Canada’s smallest National Park, it packs a punch. Take a look in our video below…

Beaver Bites

• Air Canada is betting big on a new plane. The airline just unveiled its first Airbus A321XLR — a jet that burns 20% less fuel and can fly up to 4,700 nautical miles, opening the door to new direct routes to Europe and South America. Good news, right? Mostly. The big push is premium — 14 lie-flat business class seats, fancier Dreamliners on the way, and a COO who openly admitted they're shifting to "more of a premium offering." More routes for sure. Just don't expect the economy to get any love.
  
  

• Vancouver is turning an empty office tower into a boutique hotel. Developers Reliance Properties and Germain Hotels are converting a 13-storey building in Vancouver's downtown core into 150-200 rooms, with construction starting later this year and doors opening in early 2029. It's a creative fix for a city that desperately needs it — Vancouver has the highest hotel occupancy rate of any major Canadian city, hitting 78% in 2024 and topping 90% in summer. Calgary actually beat them to it, completing its first office-to-hotel conversion last June with the 226-suite Element Downtown. More cities should be thinking this creatively.
  
  

• The best packing advice has nothing to do with rolling your clothes. Travel writer Lydia Mansel says the real trick is simple: only bring things you'll actually wear. Find a travel uniform — linen pants, white tees, an oversized button-down — and stick to it. Save hotel toiletry samples and Sephora freebies so you can "shop" your own stash before every trip. Click here for more tips.
  
  

• Canada just created two new protected areas — and they're stunning. Prime Minister Carney announced $3.8 billion in conservation funding earlier this year, and two new sites are now official: the Wiinipaawk Indigenous Protected Area and National Marine Conservation Area in eastern James Bay, and the Seal River Watershed National Park in Manitoba. The Seal River Watershed is one of the largest intact boreal landscapes left on Earth. Canada is on track to protect 30% of its lands and waters by 2030 — and for travellers, that means more wild places to explore.
  
  

• Americans are coming back to Canada — and spending big. After months of cross-border tension and declining US visitor numbers, new tourism data show Americans are heading north again. Road trips across the border are up, flights into Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal are strong, and the favourable exchange rate is making Canada an easy sell. Meanwhile, Canadians travelling to the US remain well below pre-tariff levels. Turns out "buy Canadian, travel Canadian" goes both ways.
  
  

• Indigenous tourism in Canada is booming — and the feds are doubling down. The federal government just injected another $6 million into Indigenous tourism experiences across Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and BC. Projects include a new cultural centre in Mi'kma'ki, Indigenous dining at the Québec City airport, and a thermal spa on Enoch Cree Nation lands in Alberta. The previous $9.5 million round generated over $78 million in revenue for Indigenous communities. If you haven't explored Indigenous-led tourism in Canada yet, the options are getting very good.

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