Canada: In the Country

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

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.

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

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

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.