Canada's not nicknamed the Great White North for nothing. From the Arctic tundra to the snowy Rockies, the country is no stranger to icy temperatures. In fact, with many areas receiving six months of snow each year, Canadians have learnt to embrace winter with raucous festivals and beloved pastimes. From skating on the world's largest outdoor rink in Ottawa to partying in a giant snow castle in Yellowknife, here are 15 Canadian towns and cities that really come alive in winter.

Draped along the banks of the St Lawrence River, Québec City is undoubtedly one of Canada's most beautiful spots. Add to that a long history – it’s one of North America's oldest settlements – and it’s easy to see why Québec City holds so much appeal. In winter the city is even more charming with snow blanketing its cobbled streets, grand monuments and 17th-century buildings. There’s plenty to do too, from staying in the Ice Hotel to ice climbing at the Montmorency Falls National Park.

 

No Canadian city worth its weight in snow would go without a winter festival and Québec City doesn’t disappoint. February’s Québec City Winter Carnival welcomes nearly 500,000 people each year. With more than 200 activities to choose from, visitors can expect snow sculpture contests, 300-foot ice slides, snow tubing, skating sessions, outdoor barbecues and Québec's famous ice canoe races.

 

Southern Alberta’s main city is a stone’s throw from some of Canada’s most magnificent scenery, located east of where the prairies and the Rockies meet head on. Its proximity to the Rockies forms a striking snow-dusted backdrop to the city in winter. There’s a lively arts scene and some great places to eat but Calgary shines when the mercury drops. After all, the city hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics – the iconic Games where Eddie the Eagle soared to new heights and the Jamaican bobsleigh team transfixed the world.

If you’re visiting Calgary in winter, there’s no excuse not to visit the place where it all happened: WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park. Set in the heart of the city, snow fans don’t even have to journey up into the Rockies to get their powder kicks. Indulge in all the best winter activities from skiing and snowboarding to bobsleighing and snow tubing. The Canada Olympic Park is even bidding to get the Winter Olympics back in 2026, so watch this space. For more must-have experiences in Calgary, read our guide.

While the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the Winnipeg Art Gallery – home to the world’s largest collection of Inuit art – could tempt you to stay indoors, icy temperatures in the affectionately dubbed “Winter-peg" are best experienced outdoors. Ice is used for everything, from a giant board for people to play Crokicurl – originally a tabletop game, it's made life-size with players use curling rocks – to becoming the restaurant floor for RAW:almond, a dining experience hosted on a frozen river.

Most of the Winnipeg's winter action centres on the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, which form the Red River Mutual Trail, the world’s longest naturally frozen skating trail. Tired skaters can dip into the warming huts that line the route – each winter a competition takes place to design these unique huts. Another cold-weather highlight is the Festival du Voyageur, Western Canada’s largest winter festival. In mid-February, this ten-day event transforms the French quarter, paying tribute to Métis and First Nations histories with live music, traditional food and dance performances.

Tucked into Canada’s northwestern corner, the Yukon is a vast stretch of nature, with nearly 80% of its land covered in unspoiled wilderness. Roughly the size of France, it's home to forested valleys, mountainous peaks – including Canada’s highest mountain – and a host of wildlife that far outnumbers the human population here. It's not surprising then that the city of Whitehorse is one of the best places to head off into the great outdoors, with an abundance of activities to enjoy from snowmobiling and snowshoeing to dog sledding.

However, one of the undoubted highlights of a trip to Whitehorse doesn’t require any racing around. September to April is the best time to catch the ethereal magic of the Northern Lights. While any sighting of the Aurora Borealis is unforgettable, the Northern Lights Resort & Spa has taken things up a notch this winter with the launch of its Aurora Glass Chalets. Floor-to-ceiling wraparound windows allow guests to admire the stunning natural phenomena from the cosy comfort of their bed.

Nestled between ocean and mountains, Vancouver is in a stunning location and makes the perfect city break for outdoor enthusiasts who like a bit of culture too. But come winter, the nearby snow-dusted mountains really come alive and tempt people away from the city’s buzzy centre.

Let’s face it, where else in the world do you have the choice between three ski resorts all within a 30-minute trip of an oceanside metropolis? Ski fanatics can choose between Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain and Mount Seymour, then head back to the city for a proper après ski. The most famous ski run, The Cut on Grouse Mountain, has sweeping vistas. It's an unmissable sight on winter evenings, when skiers can glide above the twinkling city lights with views that reach out to the ocean.

Don't fancy too much of a chill? Then head to Victoria, British Columbia’s provincial capital. Here the winters remain relatively mild – the city’s meteorological station is the only one in Canada to record a winter when the temperature never fell below freezing. All the better for exploring the city, where quaint architectural nods to an English heritage are accompanied by stately museums and sculpted gardens. Plus there’s plenty of bohemian-style places to eat and craft brewery bars to cosy up in if the temperature does drop.

Lively city life aside, one of Victoria's main draws is to use the city as a base for exploring the outdoors. At the top of the must-do list is whale watching. British Columbia is one of the best places in the world for whale watching, with sightings of various species such as killer, grey and humpback whales.

Edmonton isn’t usually tipped as a major tourist destination but it’s a city that undergoes a dazzling transformation in winter. Various cold-weather activities compete for attention here: snow tubing chutes draw crowds to the Sunridge Ski Area; numerous toboggan events enliven the city; giant ice castles are skillfully crafted from icicles; and Swing ‘n’ Skate events take over City Hall with live bands, dance lessons and skate sessions.

There’s a whole host of winter festivals too, including the unmissable Boardwalk Ice on Whyte, an ice-carving festival which kicks off in mid-January. Along with the usual food, drinks and ice-carving lessons, marvel at the impressive ice sculptures. In 2019 things are set to get even more exciting with the festival hosting the Canada Cup of Ice Carving, which will bring together the best professional ice-carving artists from around the world.

For powder fans, Whistler doesn't need any introduction. It was cemented as Canada’s ski capital when it hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics. Easily accessible – it’s just a two-hour drive from Vancouver – Whistler has a long ski season and an impressive 8000 acres of piste that stretch across the Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. With dramatic scenery, lively après ski scene and buzzing atmosphere, it’s no surprise that avid fans call this North America’s best ski resort.

With all the praise heaped upon Whistler's winter sports prowess, you’d be forgiven for not looking much beyond its gloriously powdered slopes. But the town has garnered a reputation for its off-slope winter activities too. November’s Cornucopia festival celebrates the best in food and drink with wine tastings and seminars, while adrenaline junkies can get their kicks with zip lining and bungee jumping.

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Encircled by an expanse of great wilderness, the subarctic city of Yellowknife attracts adventurous types – the area offers canoeing, trekking, fishing and most alluring of all, the chance to catch the Northern Lights. Yellowknife is a city that's also renowned for its frontier spirit, community vibe and legendary hospitality – something that comes as even more of a warm welcome once the mercury plummets and the icy weather rolls in.

Community spirit is celebrated during the month-long Snowking’s Winter Festival each March. For more than twenty years, The Snowking, a local house boat resident, has orchestrated the event which centres around a giant snow castle. A spectacle to behold, the snow castle – a vast construction of ice and snow that takes around two months to build – becomes the hub of this winter wonderland hosting concerts, art displays, theatre performances, hockey games and children’s events.

The snow-clad area around Kelowna rolls out an array of wintry attractions from snowshoe trekking across former railways, to skiing, dog sledding, ice fishing and sleigh rides at the region’s ski resorts of Big White and Sun Peaks. However, there’s something that sets Kelowna apart from other Canadian winter wonderlands: wine. Located in British Columbia’s wine country, good food and even better drink are central to experiencing Kelowna.

Cosy up beside a fire pit with a glass of local ice wine – a type of dessert wine produced by grapes that have frozen on the vine – or snowshoe your way between wineries. There’s no better place to indulge in some mid-winter booze than at the annual Sun Peaks Winter Okanagan Wine Festival, January's all-out snow-clad celebration of British Columbia's best bottles. For more ideas about what to do in the region, take a look at our guide to the Okanagan.

There’s no denying that New Brunswick’s provincial capital is easy on the eye. A gorgeous ensemble of grand government buildings set along the waterfront, a university perched on a hill, and a smattering of Georgian and Victorian houses – all cut through by a lazy winding river. Add a good dose of snow and the picture gets even more charming. It does get very cold but winter is a great time to get out and explore the city and the surrounding area with cross-country skiing in the parks, snow-dusted walking trails, and skiing and snowboarding nearby too.

In January and February, visit FROSTival, Atlantic Canada’s largest winter festival. Over three weekends, the festival is a jam-packed affair with more than 100 events. There's a free skating party in the Officer’s Square, an ice sculpture showcase, music performances, sports competitions and craft workshops. Work up an appetite then take advantage of "Dine around Freddy", where the city's restaurants offer fantastic discounts.

Toronto is a clean-cut giant of gleaming skyscrapers, sleek shopping centres, impressive museums, cool cocktail bars and some of the finest restaurants in the world. Even when winter hits and the temperatures slink into minus numbers, Toronto keeps its heady pace with an exciting array of winter events and festivals.

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One highlight is the Christmas Market in the historic Distillery District, with beer gardens, festive-themed cocktail bars, European-style stalls and a life-sized gingerbread house for kids. All the proceeds from the sale of weekend tickets go to charity. This year there’s also a new star rising on Toronto's winter scene – the first ever Aurora Winter Festival. From the end of November, this North Pole-inspired event will transform Ontario Place’s East Island with ice rinks, snow tube parks, Santa’s workshops, live entertainment and rides.

Niagara Falls – the world-famous cascade of tumultuous water – doesn’t need any introduction. The city that perches by it, however, is often sidelined as a bit crass and doesn’t always come with such a glowing recommendation. That said, the falls and the surrounding area take on a real air of magic when winter descends. The cascade becoming frozen mid-rush, an icy spectacle shrouded in great plumes of frosted mist. The surrounding city gets swept up in the atmosphere too as it is transformed by the Winter Festival of Lights.

From mid-November until the end of January, the festival bathes the falls and the city in dazzling lights. The cascade is illuminated by a rainbow of colours every night, while an 5-mile route of light installations threads through the Niagara Parks, Dufferin Islands and the city's landmarks. There's also a weekly fireworks display over the falls, free concerts and an ice wine festival.

Canada’s second-largest city embraces winter on all fronts. Above ground, snow-based activities take over with toboggans and skiers criss-crossing the Mont Royal, and local ice hockey teams draw crowds to the Bell Centre. The city buzzes with life underground too. Its subterranean network, le RÉSO, stretches for more than 20 miles beneath downtown Montréal. Linking up museums, banks, the metro, cinemas and hundreds of shops and restaurants, this underground world is the perfect place to escape the chill when ice and snow invade the city.

Montréal hosts more than 100 festivals each year – and the pace doesn’t let up just because of a drop in the mercury. One of the hottest events in the city is Igloofest, an outdoor music festival that runs across weekends in January, drawing international DJs and fans of electronic music to its open air parties. Montréal en lumière is one of the world’s largest winter festivals that lights up the city with a celebration of art, music and food.

Canada’s capital city doesn’t disappoint when it comes to embracing winter. Alongside a whole host of cold-weather activities, it’s also home to the largest outdoor skating rink in the world – the UNESCO-protected frozen Rideau Canal. The vast icy spectacle is the size of 90 Olympic-sized ice hockey rinks. In fact, skating on Ottawa’s iconic Rideau Canal is something of a Canadian rite of passage with over one million skaters gliding along the 4.8-mile route each season.

February's Winterlude festival is the highlight of Ottawa’s winter calendar. Now in its 41st year, a whopping 600,000 people are expected to descend upon the capital to enjoy the celebrations. A grand opening ceremony kicks off proceedings before the festival unfolds with live DJ sessions; international ice-carving competitions; the Snowflake Kingdom, "the world's biggest snow playground"; and, most bizarre of all, the Accora Village Bed Race which sees participants racing with wildly decorated beds across the ice.

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