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  1. Lyn (aka Jazz) says:

    What a great trip you have to look forward to! I took 9 weeks to do this trip (return) the summer of 2019 and it was amazing — mainly staying in motels and AirBnBs (pre van life). You have many of the same stops on your itinerary. Just make sure to leave time for serendipity — those things you learn about from a sign on the side of the road.

    -Lyn |www.ramblynjazz.com

    1. Thanks so much, Lyn! So cool that you’ve been on this trip and great advice. Definitely have to leave room for some spontaneous stops and detours!

  2. Yes to long-form content! Well done on pulling toegther this insanely comprehensive guide and road trip across Canada. This is content I’d love to read and indulge in. Your stops not only have a great distance to another to not overwhelm oneself and exhaust the driver, but I found all stops to be very engaging and of interest. It shows how much there is to do and see in Canada within reasonale distance, once you are here, why not check out this place, only 1.5h away and this makes a road trip interesting and long-lasting for me. I also appreciate the cafes recommendations along the way. Keep it up Riana!

    1. Thanks so much, Carolin! You are definitely my inspiration for well-researched, long form content. I’ll have to commission you to do the cafe companion post to this one some day!

    2. Thanks for this wonderful trip itinerary! live in Winnipeg & my husband & I are retiring this summer. We plan on driving east next spring and west probably the year after. I’m looking forward to my planning and will definitely take some of your “to do” recommendations into my planning!

  3. Elizabeth says:

    What an amazing trip ! I love that you provided a shorter version also. However, I would love to do the longer one.
    I worked in Toronto one summer when I was a student and travelled around by train a little. I visit Montreal regularly as have family living there.
    But I have only visited a fraction of Canada so would love to explore further especially the West coast and mountain provinces.

    Enjoy the trip and safe travels,

    1. Thanks so much! I hope you get to explore more of Canada one day!

  4. After reading this, I am so ready for a cross-Canada road trip! Growing up, my family regularly drove Ontario to BC and back as our summer vacation, and we also drove one summer to PEI and one summer to Newfoundland, so I’ve done it all in sections. (We usually opted for the detour through the States to skip Thunder Bay, sorry haha, but I’d like to give it another chance.) I’d looove to do it all at once as you’ve planned here, and there are a few places I’ve havent seen yet (somehow we skipped Fredericton, for example, and I’d like to see the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg). I’d forgotten how beautiful Tobermory is. I appreciate the “What’s missing?” section because it’s impossible to see it all in one trip—we are too lucky in this country!

    1. Aw thanks so much for checking out the post, Melanie! So cool that you’ve been all over Canada with your family and I hope you (and I!) get to do the full road trip soon.

  5. Nic's Adventures says:

    Thank you for sharing your Canada road trip, which looks an epic road trip, I have wanted to visit Canada, but I wont be doing it all in one long road trip in stages would be lovely, this has certainly given me some ideas for the future 🙂

    1. Thanks, Nic! I hope you have an awesome time when you visit Canada.

  6. Great blog! I did road trips in other parts of the world but needed clarification about the itinerary in Canada. Now I know how to plan. Thank you so much!

  7. This is an excellent read! I have visited most of the places mentioned (in parts, and before having kids) and I can definitely say this is very practical and comprehensive! Like you said, Canada is sooo big that it takes time to visit most of it. Thank you for all the tips and recommendation. I can definitely use them now that I am traveling with my family (ie kiddos).

  8. We are planning to do the cross Canada trip this summer. We are really excited about it and appreciate you spending time describing different places to visit. We are really excited about it and now even more so.

    1. That’s so exciting! I’m glad my post was helpful. I hope you have a great time this summer!

      1. Stephanie Tan says:

        Good day Riana

        We are planning to self drive in Canada on early fall but we have only 3 weeks to explore . We are from Asia country and we know probably is not enough to explore everything according to the itinerary you recommended . Possible can advise us which is most and must visit from Vancouver to toronto by driving . Really appreciated

        1. Hi Stephanie, thanks so much for checking out my post and how exciting that you’ll be visiting Canada this fall! I would actually suggest two smaller road trips to make the most of your time and see some of the best of Canada. First, driving from Vancouver to Calgary with stops in Kelowna, Jasper and Banff (apx 10-12 days). Then from Calgary I’d fly to Montreal or Quebec City and road trip through Montreal/QC, Niagara and Toronto (apx 8-10 days). Both of those would be one-way road trips, so you’ll likely incur an extra cost for a one-way drop off. You’d also be missing out on the east coast, which is a shame because it’s beautiful. But maybe you can add that to your next trip. I hope that helps and happy adventuring!

          1. Stephanie Tan says:

            Really thanks for the recommendation but may I know the place I will be missing out for the east coast maybe I can adjust for extension

  9. Caroline Smith says:

    Wow, this article really got me excited to plan my next road trip! The diversity of landscapes and destinations mentioned here is truly inspiring. I’ve been to a few of these places, but there are definitely some hidden gems I can’t wait to explore. Thanks for putting together such a comprehensive guide with helpful tips and recommendations. Can’t wait to hit the road and create some unforgettable memories! Right now I’m exploring campsites with my toddler.

  10. I want to visit all 10 provinces in Canada, the way my wife and I did when we drove across all 48 states in the continental US for 5 months. I want to start in Vancouver and end somewhere in the the Atlantic. I will not be driving my car this time, but will be renting, one way. Any recommendations?

    1. Sounds like a great trip! My recommendation would probably be to follow the itinerary I lay out in this post, since it goes from Vancouver all the way to the Atlantic 😉

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