Travel guide Ontario
From Ottawa, Canada's capital, to Toronto, the great economic centre of North America, from the lush countryside to the countless lakes, there are a multitude of attractions open to tourists who come to discover the most populated of Canada's provinces each year. Sharing its borders with Quebec, Manitoba, the United States and Hudson Bay, its positioning alone makes it a choice destination, as a tourist guide to Ontario will want to show you. Its name comes from Lake Ontario, which comes from the Iroquois Skanadario, meaning "beautiful lake" or "sparkling waters". Of course, it takes time to appreciate such a variety of landscapes and experiences. Niagara Falls has been attracting tourists for more than a century, and Toronto has become a world-class cultural capital over the years. But Ontario, with its license plates bearing the slogan "yours to discover", is also the "land of the great freshwater seas", with fine sandy beaches and large lakes whose end is not seen. This region is an exceptional compromise between modernity and authenticity, urban landscapes and exuberant nature. Let yourself be charmed and discover a province like no other, whose tourist offer is constantly improving, including in French, and which has unique charms to offer to those who meet it.
What to see, what to do Ontario?
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- The most beautiful cities Ontario
When to go Ontario ?
When to go to Ontario? Each season is unique and interesting. It is therefore your own interests that will guide your choice of period. Ontario is beautiful all year round, but depending on your interests, there are times of the year that you should focus on.
Nature lovers: ! Nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts will certainly find their happiness at all times, but summer and winter are more suitable for outdoor activities. However, the magic of autumn colours (September and October) is worth a visit.
Festive spirits: In the summer, Ontario lives to the rhythm of festivals of all kinds, especially in June and July in Ottawa and Toronto. Even if many major festivals offer year-round programming, summer becomes a pretext to transform streets, esplanades and parks into real open-air popular festivals.
Avid of Canadian traditions: : to live a total experience at the heart of the purest Canadian traditions the winter is the perfect time to do so. Snowshoeing, dog sledding or snowmobiling, ice fishing, hockey... It is also the ideal season to taste traditional dishes such as meat pie, straw, meatball stew and other hearty dishes that will help you hold out during the cold. As early as March, a trip to the sugar shack is a must.
Suggested addresses Ontario
Travel Ontario
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There's no shortage of ideas when it comes to planning your trip, but there's no shortage of time. And it's important to remember: Ontario's territory is huge, truly huge. That said, the most important cities, towns and points of interest are concentrated in the southwestern part of the province. But don't be afraid to think outside the box.
It's worth checking out the website of Ontario Travel, the provincial tourism office. It allows you to explore each of the tourism regions, discover a whole host of good addresses by theme, build your own personalized itinerary online or order tourist brochures. To top it all off, the site has a very complete French version (ontariotravel.net/en). Allow us also to intervene and make a few suggestions so that you don't miss anything about the destination, with a few essential themes.
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How to go Ontario
How to go alone
Ontario is a very welcoming region. The language barrier (a large number of French speakers) is not necessarily a problem and the cultural codes are not very far from ours, which facilitates contacts and exchanges. You will have to rent a car and take into account the great distances between the sites, but the trip by yourself is very easily feasible.
How to go on a tour
Ontario is a very popular destination for French tour operators. Several types of stays are offered, including large cities such as Ottawa and Toronto, large natural parks or Niagara Falls. The stays are often centered around a season and the activities that correspond to it: dogsledding, snowshoeing and sugar shack in winter; music festivals, kayaking and fishing in summer.
How to get around
Domestic flights work very well in Ontario, but the fares are not cheap at all. However, if you want to fly to Toronto or another major Canadian city, the fares are much more affordable. Ontario has an extensive ferry system. The Ontario system is well organized, but recently many smaller municipalities have been left out of the system.
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Discover Ontario
From Ottawa, Canada's capital, to Toronto, North America's major economic center, to Niagara Falls, Ontario's undisputed star, and from the lush countryside to the countless lakes, there are a multitude of attractions available to the increasing number of tourists who come to discover Canada's most populous province. Ontario, whose license plates bear the slogan "yours to discover", is also, after Quebec, the second province in terms of the number of Francophones (and Francophiles), not to mention its undeniable status as the "land of the great freshwater seas", with fine sandy beaches and the Great Lakes whose end is not in sight, not to mention the Thousand Islands archipelago, which is home to luxurious summer homes. This beautiful region is an exceptional compromise between modernity and authenticity, urban landscapes and exuberant nature.
The 12 keywords Ontario
1. Asia
Toronto's Asian community is one of the largest in North America. The Chinatown neighbourhood is home to one of the most exotic Asian mosaics, not to mention East Chinatown, which is smaller and less diverse than its neighbourhoods. Ottawa also has its own Chinatown, located mainly along Somerset West.
2. Automotive
The automobile industry first came to Ontario in 1904 when Ford Motor Company of Canada built its first plant in Windsor. Since then, several manufacturers have set up shop in the corridor between Windsor and Oshawa. Despite the setbacks of the past few years, the Ontario industry is now focusing on intelligent transportation.
3. Broadway
While Toronto has one of the widest ranges of cultural events in the world, the Broadway-style musical is the most prominent. After London and New York, Toronto is the city most likely to please the fan of musical tales such as Les Misérables and Anastasia.
4. Falls
This is a must-see pilgrimage for any self-respecting visitor: to get a close-up look at the famous Niagara Falls, a legacy of the last ice age and one of the country's best-known natural wonders. To see this force of nature up close, boats offer river trips to the foot of the falls.
5. Convenience stores
These small shops open very late at night and every day of the week. Some even operate day and night. You can buy newspapers, cigarettes, beer (not everywhere), milk, canned goods, some fresh produce, sweets, etc. The prices are higher than at the supermarket but, as the name suggests, it's a convenience store.
6. Francophonie
Ontario is one of the provinces governed by the French Language Services Act. Several institutions, media and cultural venues also cater to Francophones, such as the Théâtre français de Toronto (theatrefrancais.com), TFO (télévision francophone - tfo.org) and, since 2021, the Université de l'Ontario français à Toronto (uontario.ca)
7. Lakes
Ontario has approximately 250,000 lakes and thousands of rivers, including the 980 km long Albany River alone. The province also has access to four of North America's Great Lakes: Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron and Superior. All of these bodies of water make up about one-fifth of the province's total area.
8. LCBO
Fancy a homemade beer, Niagara Ice Wine or local spirits? The LCBO is the place to go! This provincial government enterprise, which acts as the Liquor Control Board, has a network of more than 660 branches and nearly 400 express counters across Ontario. A must for alcoholic nectars!
9. Parliament
As the nation's capital, the city of Ottawa is home to the Parliament of Canada, a magnificent complex of three buildings (Centre, West and East) designed in the Gothic Revival style. However, the Centre Block and the Library of Parliament are closed to the public for several years in order to carry out major restoration work.
10. Skyline
It can be seen from as far away as Highway 401 north of the city. According to a report by CEOWORLD magazine, Toronto is among the top 10 cities with the most skyscrapers in the world (there are about 300, a number that is constantly rising). From the Toronto Islands, the skyline view is downright sublime.
11. CN Tower
Built between 1973 and 1976 by the brutal Australian architect John Andrews, the CN Tower is undoubtedly the emblem of the city. For its 42nd birthday, in 2018, it has been given a well-deserved facelift on the observation deck. On a clear day, the 360-degree view captures the excesses of the city and Lake Ontario.
12. Vineyards
Ontario is the province of wine par excellence, and very good wine at that. Don't miss a visit to the Niagara Peninsula wineries, especially for their highly regarded ice wines. Prince Edward County and the north shore of Lake Erie also benefit from a wine route. A must see!
You are from here, if...
Your last visit to the top of the CN Tower or Niagara Falls was on a school or family outing.
You've become a multilingual person, with all the countries of the world around every corner, Ontario being the most multicultural province in the country.
You have at least one of the following items in your wardrobe: fleece jogging pants and a Roots hooded sweatshirt, any clothing or accessories bearing the logo of one of the professional sports teams in Ottawa, Toronto or Hamilton, and clothing with the words "We the North" on it.
You don't have to go to sea to enjoy white sandy beaches and turquoise waters, with four of the Great Lakes at your fingertips.
The weather is your main topic of conversation. In fact, you're the first person to sit shirtless on a deck when the mercury hits 10°C in the spring. However, you put on your best woollen clothes in the fall when the temperature reaches 10°C...