by From its rugged Maritime Provinces, north to Prince Edward Island and Labrador, to the historic cities of Montreal and Quebec on the St Lawrence Seaway, down to Toronto and The Great Lakes, and all the way west to stunning Vancouver, Canada is a voyage. a lover’s dream. But with such an incredible range of options, it can be hard to choose – so we’ve narrowed down the best sailings this year and this year, to help you find the Canada cruise that ticks the boxes all.
Quebec and the St. Lawrence River
There is special, and then there is breathtaking. The second is the St Lawrence River. Inaccessible to traditional ships in winter, this cruise on a glacier-fortified vessel is an exclusive ticket into a less-trampled world, where the once-turbulent waters freeze into ice, and the forests a constant blanket of white.
You’ll start in Quebec, the only walled city in North America, and then head east along the river. There are stops for hiking, snowshoeing, dog sledding and ice fishing (great opportunities to see caribou, elk and even the Northern Lights), until finally you find yourself on the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the only territory of French in North America.
Book it: Ponant (020 7660 4089; uk.ponant.com) offers a 12-night trip called The St Lawrence River in the Heart of the Boreal Winter, from £17,590 per person, calling at La Baie, Sept-Iles, Gaspé , Magdalen Islands , Sydney and Saint Pierre. Departing Quebec on February 22, 2025. Additional international flights.
Autumn color on the East Coast
Anticipation is often half the fun – especially on this cruise, which originates in the UK and spends five days crossing the Atlantic before arriving in Canada. The first stop is St. John’s, the wonderful old-world capital of Newfoundland, then it’s on to the equally vibrant city of Halifax in Nova Scotia, then into the Saguenay Fjord. Four species of whales call this stretch home, but at this time of year you’re most likely to catch your eyes on the high, forest-covered cliffs, carpeted as they are in some of the best autumn colors in the region. .
Book it: Fred Olsen (0800 083 3281; fredolsencruises.com) offers a 26-night Canada cruise in Fal from £3,699 per person, calling at St John’s, Halifax, Corner Brook, Gaspé, Port Saguenay, Quebec, Trois-Rivières, Montreal and Southampton. He will leave Southampton on 3 October 2024.
The North West Passage
Few trips are more epic than this. Following a route that has challenged explorers for centuries, this cruise travels through the Canadian Arctic Wilderness, a wild place ruled by the elements. Starting in Iceland, you will briefly visit Greenland before crossing the Labrador Sea into the Straits of David. As the ship sails back towards the Pacific Ocean, there are lectures on board on topics such as the wildlife of Northern Labrador, Inuit culture and the history of Arctic exploration, and passengers also have the option to participate in various projects, including helping to photograph and track whales, and observe the clouds as part of a climate study.
Book it: Hurtigruten (020 4571 1378; hurtigruten.com) offers the 26-night The North West Passage – In The Wake of The Great Explorers (West West) cruise from £16,667 per person, calling at Nuuk, Dundas Bay, Smoking Hills, Nome and Vancouver. Departs Reykjavík on 8 August 2024. Additional international flights.
Greenland to Nova Scotia
With a deep focus on ancient history, this tour includes the 1,000-year-old Norse settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows (Meadows Cove) on the northernmost tip of Newfoundland (the only authentic site of the Norse in America), and huge vertical cliffs of Argentinian rocks – apparently the oldest stones in Canada – on Mary Franklin Island. It’s also a rare opportunity to learn more about the Inuit, who share stories about the spirits and traditions of their homeland during stops at the likes of Torngat Mountain National Park (which means “place of the spirits”), and to see the amazing Disc to cross. Bay, “the iceberg capital of the world”.
Book it: Swan Hellenic (020 7846 0271; swanhellenic.com) offers a 15-night Greenland to Nova Scotia Canada Arctic Explorer from £13,481 per person, calling at Ilulissat, Sissimut, Nuuq, Iqaluit, Lady Franklin Island, Tongat Mountain National Park , Hebron , L’anse Aux Meadows and Halifax. It will leave Kangerlussuaq on 15 September 2025. Additional international flights.
The Great Lakes
With stops in the United States as well as Canada, this cruise combines urban skylines and uninhabited islands to give you a truly diverse introduction to the Great Lakes. Starting in Toronto, the route crosses Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron and Michigan, providing a fascinating overview of the waterways’ history of navigation, as well as the complex ecosystems of their sheltered bays. The ship’s early ports of call—thunder falls at Niagara, migratory birds at Point Pelee, and a protected state park at Mackinac Island—are in stark contrast to the bustling cities of Detroit and Milwaukee, and the Welland Canal, which lifts ships between Lakes. Ontario and Erie is one of Canada’s greatest engineering feats of the 19th century.
Book it: Viking Cruises (0800 014 7538; vikingcruises.co.uk) offers an eight-day Niagara and the Great Lakes cruise from £7,695 per person, calling at the Welland Canal, Point Pelee, Detroit, Alpena, Mackinac Island, Milwaukee. Departs Toronto on April 25, 2024. International flights included.
British Columbia
The 6.4 million hectare Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia – home to grizzly, black and spirit bears, as well as coastal wolves, humpbacks and orcas – is one of the most unique and biologically diverse places on the planet, and it’s a great region. out by water. This exact itinerary varies, but generally begins in the indigenous community of Bella Bella then threads its way across the broken fingers of the coast, dipping for two days into the Fiordland Conservancy, and taking in the spectacular rock faces of Kynoch Inlet and waterfalls, Princess Royal Island, and the abundant bird life of Khutze Inlet.
Book it: Canada As You Like It (020 8742 8299; canadaasyoulikeit.com) offers an eight-night Great Bear Rainforest Cruise (British Columbia) from £5,560 per person, calling at Kynoch Inlet, Princess Royal Island and Khutze Inlet. Events between August and October from Bella Bella. Additional international flights (including return flights from Vancouver to Bella Bella).
How to get there
Various airlines – including Air Canada (aircanada.com) and Lufthansa (lufthansa.com) – fly direct from London to various Canadian cities, with returns starting at £522 (Vancouver), £444 (Quebec), £ 410 (Toronto) and £460 (Halifax).
