Canada: In the Country

Accommodation

Bed & Breakfasts, Country Inns: All price categories. Usually propose bed and breakfast.
Youth Hostels: Very economical, for teenage and young adult travelers. Bedroom and shared communal areas such as bathroom, sitting room, kitchen.
Hostelling International Canada
Motels: Economical, generally located on the edge of towns and villages.
Hotels: 1 star (economical) to 4 or 5 stars (luxury)
Hotel Association of Canada
Furnished Apartments Rentals: Short term apartment rental, temporary housing or vacation rentals.
My Studio Montreal
Chalets, Cottages, Houses in the country: Can be rented weekly, monthly or for the season
Homelidays
Camping & Caravanning: Canada has many camping and caravanning sites, either private or governmental, located in the provincial parks. Depending on the equipment, tent or camper, prices vary.
Fédération québécoise de camping et caravaning
Canadream
Hotel Rules: Rates are per night, or per room and vary according to the number of people. Tax is not included. Added taxes are 5% GST (federal goods and services tax) or HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) + provincial tax + a lodging tax which varies from province to province. In Quebec, taxes are 2 CAD per overnight stay or 3% of the rental price of the unit.
It is customary to leave a tip for the chambermaid when you depart, and to give the porter a tip, about 1 CAD per suitcase.
For Further Information: Canada Revenue Agency
Lodging Tax

Price Indications

Economy Room	23 CAD to 70 CAD
Medium Price Room	80 CAD to 150 CAD
Good Quality Room	150 CAD and +

Source: Lonely Planet

Eating Out

Categories of Restaurant
Fast Foods: Fries, hot dogs, hamburgers, subs, sodas, coffees, muffins, doughnuts, sandwiches, etc.
Breakfast and dinner (lunchtime) specialties: Egg-based dishes, with fruit, toast, pancakes, muffins, etc.
Brasseries: Cooked food, steaks, beers and wines.
Family Restaurants: Daily menus, set menus noon and evening
Specialty Restaurants: Italian, Greek, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, Seafood, Fondues, etc.
Gastronomic Restaurants: Elaborate dishes. This type of catering is more widespread in Quebec.
Sugar shacks: Traditional Canadian food, served with maple syrup. Usually open during the sugar season (March - beginning of April). Some shacks open all year if a reservation is made.
Rules For Eating Out: The prices displayed never include tax or service. The taxes are added to the bill and the service is left to the customer's discretion which is generally about 15%. The taxes are: GST 5% or HST 13%, provincial taxes between 7 and 7.5% and taxes on alcohol, but only in certain provinces.

Price Indications

Economy Meal	from 8 CAD
Medium Price Meal	Between 15 CAD and 35 CAD
Good Quality Meal	from 35 CAD and +

Food Specialties: Inspired by French, British, American or Native American cooking, typical Canadian cuisine adapts to the seasons. Each region has its unique recipes, made with local products: from the tourtière (meat pie) to the pain banique (Native American bread), from maple syrup to poutine (see below). Places like le Saguenay, and Lac St-Jean in Quebec are known for their tourtières called 'cipâte or cipaille', which is made with game or beef and pork and covered in pastry. One of the traditional dishes is the pâté chinois (sheppard's pie), which is made with cooked, seasoned ground beef, with sweet corn and mashed potatoes. 'Poutine', a dish of fried potatoes, gravy and cheese curds has been the Quebec dish par excellence for the past 30 years. In the Maritime Provinces, as well as in Quebec, fish and seafood are very popular. From May to July, people enjoy lobster from the Magdalen Islands and New Brunswick. Alberta and the Great Plains Provinces are well-known for the quality of their beef, served grilled or braised. The arrival of the many immigrants who brought their culinary traditions with them and learned to adapt them to the country's tastes, which provides even greater diversity to local cuisine in Canada.
Drinks: The production of local wine is growing: several types of wines, and local specialities such as ice wine and ice cider are produced in vineyards and orchards in Quebec, in the region of Niagara and in the Okanagan Valley.
Dietary Restrictions: There are no dietary restrictions in the country.
Table Manners: The Canadians are influenced by the United States, especially in English-speaking Canada, as regards table manners. In Quebec, where European influence is more marked, it is common to wish each other "bon appétit" before starting the meal. We also clink our glasses to wish each other "Santé" (Good health) or "Tchin Tchin" (Cheers) when we have an aperitif or at the beginning of a meal when wine is served.

Getting Around

Means of Transport Recommended in Town

Recommendation: Many cities have a network of public transport services which includes a bus network, and also streetcars, sea buses and trains in some cities. The major cities have a subway/metro or a light rapid transit service including in Vancouver (skytrain), Calgary (CT train), Edmonton (LRT), Toronto (subway), Ottawa (O-Train), and Montreal (metro). Suburban trains run frequently at rush hours. Getting around by car is often difficult and it is sometimes preferable for foreign visitors to take a taxi.
Maps of Urban Networks: Map of the Montreal metro
Map of the Ottawa network
Map of the network of the Capital of Quebec
Urban Transport Agencies: STCUM
GO Transit
Toronto Transit Commission
Transport network of the Capital of Quebec
Find an Itinerary: Itinerary in Montreal
Itinerary in Ottawa
Itinerary in Quebec
Taxi Companies: FIDO TAXI

Transportation From Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car Rental
Montreal - Pierre Elliott Trudeau/Dorval (YUL)	16 km / 9 miles	CAD 35-45 / 25-40 min	CAD 13 / 25-50 min	Available	Available
Toronto - Pearson Intl (YYZ)	27 km / 17 miles	CAD 45-55 / 30 min	CAD 16.95 / 45 min	-	Available

Means of Transport Recommended in the Rest of the Country

Recommendation: The air transport system offers many daily domestic flights between Canadian cities. They are generally punctual, except when weather conditions are bad. In Quebec, several airline companies have domestic links between most of the large urban areas.
The rail transport system, Via Rail, makes several journeys a day between large Canadian cities and even offers flat-fee tickets to cross Canada from one ocean to the other.
The bus network works well and has links between the towns of each province.
Rail Companies: Via Rail

Airlines

Name	Type	Domestic Flights	International Flights
Air Canada	Major	yes	Yes
Westjet	Low cost	yes	Yes
Air Canada Jazz	Major	yes	Yes

You Can Consult The EU Air Safety List. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Travelling By Yourself

Recommendation: Urban areas in Canada are very far apart. In some fairly uninhabited parts, it is not unusual to drive for 100 km without finding a service station, a store or a motel. The roads are generally very good but when you venture into remote rural areas, you often find roads which are not asphalted. The average speed drops then from 90 to 50 km/h. The highway code and people's driving habits are somewhat particular and it is in your interest to have them explained to you before you start driving.
Driver's License: The provincial driver's license (recognized everywhere in Canada). Some provinces automatically recognize foreign driver's licenses. The international license is accepted.
Conditions For Renting a Vehicle: You must be at least 21 (25 in some cases), have a major credit card, and have had your license for more than 12 months. An international driver's license is necessary if the driver's license does not use the Roman alphabet. Travelers renting cars in winter should make sure that they are equipped with winter tires (mandatory in Quebec).
Rental Agencies: Budget
Alamo
Discount
National
Thrifty
Enterprise
Tolls or Taxes: You have to pay on most of the bridges between Canada and the United States which cross the St Lawrence river (about 3 CAD). Some provinces have toll bridges such as the Confederation Bridge, and roads such as the Express Toll Route 407, the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 5 (Coquihalla Highway).
Road Maps: Greyhound
Find an Itinerary: Via Michelin
Google Maps
Traffic Conditions Online: Highway conditions by province
Météomedia, traffic
Parking Facilities: In French-speaking Canada, we use the word "Stationnement" to talk about a "Parking lot". These "stationnements" are indicated by the letter "P" and you mostly have to pay for them. It is imperative to read the signs about parking in the streets of Canadian towns very carefully; they are not always very clear, and sometimes 3 signs with different information may be located in the same area. In winter it is prohibited to use some parking lots in order to facilitate snow clearance. There are pay points in quite a few places, but some towns still use parking meters.

Rules of the Road

Minimum Driving Age: 16, with written consent from someone with parental authority for under 18s.
Side of the Road For Driving: Right
Speed Limits: 30 km/h in a school zone, 50 km/h. in town, 70 km/h. on bridges and some rural roads, 90 km/h. on secondary roads, 100 km/h on highways.
Safety Belts: Obligatory
Permitted Amount of Alcohol in the Blood: The permitted alcohol level according to the Criminal Code is 0.08g per 100ml of blood.
National Roads Organizations: Transport Canada

Time and Time Difference

Current Local Time: It is %T:%M %A In Quebec, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa
It is %T:%M %A In Edmonton, Calgary
It is %T:%M %A In Whitehorse, Vancouver
Summer Time: Summer time from March to November.

Map of the Time Zone

Time zone

Climate

Type of Climate: The summer period begins with spring weather in April or May, when the snow melts. The hottest period is from the end of June to the beginning of September. As for the autumn, it is the most beautiful season in Quebec, when the regions natural beauty provides a magnificent environment for walking in the mountains.
The months of April and November are considered at least interesting months for visiting Canada. In April it is not quite spring, the snow has sometimes not completely melted, and road cleaning and repairs are often not finished. In November the trees have lost all their leaves, the weather is grey, and it often rains and sometimes it is already snowing.
For Further Information: Weather Canada

Average Annual Temperatures and Rainfall

Climate

Electrical Standards and Measurement Systems

System of Measurement Used: Metric system and English system.
Unit of Measurement of Temperature: Degree Celsius (°C)

Use our service Measurement converter.

Electricity
Voltage: 110 volts
Frequency: 60 Hz
Type of Electric Socket: Type A and B
Type of Telephone Socket: US RJ-11 phone plug
DVD Zoning: Zone 1

Paying

Domestic Currency: Canadian dollar
ISO Code: CAD
To Obtain Domestic Currency: There are exchange offices in all airports and in town centres. Credit card companies automatically take a percentage of exchange transactions. ATMs are being used more and more instead of travelers checks.
Possible Means of Payment: The following credit cards are commonly accepted: American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa. Most stores will take American dollars, with a % fee or exchange rate which is higher or lower according to the value of the Canadian dollar.

Prices displayed do not include taxes, including in restaurants.

To Find a Cash Machine Where You Need, Use the ATM locator

Speaking

Official Language: English and French
Other Languages Spoken: Spanish is the third most widely spoken language in Canada. More than 100 different languages were declared when an inventory was made of mother tongues. The list includes Chinese, German, Italian, Ukrainian, Dutch, Polish and various Asian and Middle Eastern languages. Aboriginal languages are also widely spoken in many regions.
Business Language: English is the most commonly spoken language in Canada. All government departments must be bilingual in English and French.
Getting Some Knowledge: Please consult the following website for French Quebecois expressions.
Free Translation Tools: Linguee : Translator of phrases, words and websites
Translation Bureau of Canada : The Translation Bureau is the federal organisation responsible for supporting the Government of Canada in its efforts to communicate with and provide services for Canadians in the official language of their choice.
Traducteur Google : Free French-English-French traduction of texts and web pages

Emergency Numbers

Police, fire deparment, ambulance	911
North America Directory Assistance	411
Relay services for hearing-impaired people	711

Communications

Quality of Communications: It is easy to get landline or cell phone services.
The networks are well linked together. Nevertheless, in the country, mobile communications may be interrupted.
Telephone Codes: To Make a Call From Canada, Dial 011
To Make a Call to in Canada, Dial 1
Number of Digits of National Telephone Numbers: 11
1 (if long distance) + regional code + subscriber's number
Mobile Telephone Standards: The IS41 standard of American origin (standard ANSI-41) and the GSM standard, defined in Europe by ETSI, are the most widespread.
National Mobile Phone Operators: Bell Mobilité, Rogers AT&T, Telus, Fido, Videotron.

Availability of Internet

Internet Suffix: .ca
.qc.com
National Internet Access Providers: Vidéotron
Bell Sympatico
Distributel
Acanac
Cogeco
Access in Public Places: Cybercafés and restaurants with WIFI.
Access in Hotels: Almost all hotels have cable or WIFI in the bedrooms and communal areas.

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