Sports and leisure activities - Canada in 2024

Practical information : Move & Laze around Canada

Budget & Tips

There are plenty of ways to stretch your legs without spending a penny. Town and village councils provide a variety of sports facilities, from swimming pools to baseball diamonds. Access is generally free or at a nominal charge. There's also a whole network of free multi-purpose trails in Canada, for hikers, cyclists and cross-country skiers. A few dollars, on the other hand, are required in national parks and certain nature reserves. For adventures such as rafting, heliskiing and snowmobiling, however, you'll need to budget accordingly.

What's very local

In winter, ice rinks spring up like mushrooms in parks and other large areas. Most of the time, you have to provide your own equipment, but some rinks offer ice skates for hire on site. And everything is beautifully maintained throughout the season! Another Canadian speciality: outfittingcamps or hunting & fishing lodges. Whatever the season, you'll find every outdoor activity you can think of, starting with hunting and fishing, the two big stars.

Your documents please

Some activities require certification or a valid license. For example, if you want to rent a motorized watercraft, go fishing or scuba diving. The same goes for driving a snowmobile, which requires you to have your driver's license with you. In short, find out beforehand what the requirements are.

To be booked

As places are often limited, it's advisable, if not essential, to make reservations for guided outdoor excursions, long hikes (such as the West Coast Trail in British Columbia and the Long Range Mountains in Newfoundland), multi-activity excursions, raids (snowmobiling, dog sledding, etc.), adrenaline activities (rafting, zip-lining, parachuting, heli-skiing, etc.), golfing or spa treatments and massages. The same applies to the games of the country's professional sports teams, especially when it comes to field hockey, Canada's beloved sport. Although tickets can generally be purchased on site, during the playoffs, reservations become essential to secure a seat.

Main events

There are many high-calibre sporting events in Canada, starting with the games of the country's professional sports teams (baseball, basketball, soccer, field hockey and soccer), but also those of the junior or university leagues that showcase the next generation of athletes. Several marathons are also organized in the country, as well as dog sled races such as the Yukon Quest, snowmobile races such as the Bonnechere Cup in Eganville (Ontario) and the Ski-Doo Grand Prix in Valcourt (Quebec), car races such as the Honda Indy Toronto (IndyCar) and the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal (F1), or the National Bank Open, which welcomes the cream of the world's tennis players to Toronto and Montreal on an alternating basis. Also not to be missed are the outstanding sporting events of the Arctic Winter Games and the famous Calgary Stampede rodeos.

Tourist traps

At sporting events, scalpers are omnipresent around the venue. While it is true that you can save a few dollars by buying from them, it would be a shame to waste your money on fake tickets. So go through the official ticket booths.

Sports and leisure activities Canada

STATION TOURISTIQUE PIN ROUGE

FOX HARB'R GOLF RESORT & SPA

SUN PEAKS RESORT

COOP AVENTURES MATAWIN

ÉQUINOX AVENTURE

ENTRE CHIEN ET LOUP

RAFTING MONTRÉAL

CIME AVENTURES

AVENTURES H2O

LA VALLÉE SECRÈTE

PORTAGE STORE

AUBE SUR MER

RAPID LAKE LODGE

LES GLISSADES DOMAINE DES PAYS D’EN HAUT

BROMONT, MONTAGNE D'EXPÉRIENCES

LE SENTIER DE LA PLATEFORME

PROPULSION RAFTING

SENTIERS DU MONT SAINTE-ANNE ET DU MONT BLANC

AÉROSIM EXPÉRIENCE

H2O EXPÉDITION

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