The 5 Most Underrated Cities in Canada
Ottawa is a city of festivals and parks, and Toronto is Canada’s business and finance center. In addition, Canada is known for its famous maple leaves, but most people do not realize that the country has dozens of other beautiful and worth-visiting cities. The best thing about Canadian cities is that they are visually similar to each other, but the spirit of each place is unique and cannot be found anywhere else. We have compiled a list of the Most Underrated Cities in Canada and will tell you about them and why you should visit them instead of Ottawa or Toronto.
1- Orillia City
Orillia is a city with a lot of history. Initially, it was an ordinary village, and only in 1867 it received city status and a name. The center of entertainment is the Rama Casino, which, despite the small number of tourists and city guests, has high-quality gaming experience. So, if you plan to play here, practice in popular slots online and platforms in advance to be ready for the real game.
The modern second name of Orillia is “Sunshine City.” There are no questions about why it is called that since it is primarily a waterfront city with clean beaches and festivals, which, although not as active, still attract tourists, including gamblers. But the famous author Stephen Butler Leacock also had a hand in this and took Orillia as a reflection in the sequence of stories “Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town.”
2- Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the province of Alberta in Canada and one of the largest cities in the country. Despite this, tourists vastly underestimate the city, which is their main mistake. The main center and pearl of the city of Edmont is the unique Fort Edmonton Park Museum. This is literally a time machine into the 19th and 20th centuries of Canada with all the features: tools, crafts, livestock farming without embellishment, natural food, and the opportunity to communicate with the ancestors of those who stood at the city’s origins. Very often, people like to hold weddings in this city, which is why there are a lot of wedding caterers of different styles here.
But that’s not all there is in the city. Edmont is the perfect destination for science, architecture, and art lovers, and a must-visit place is the Royal Alberta Museum. If you’re interested in Canada’s indigenous peoples, head to Fort Edmonton Park. Costume skits are regularly staged here to show the viewer the peculiarities of life of the indigenous population.
3- Calgary
This city is ideal for those who like participating in sports competitions or spending time in nature. Beautiful natural places will help with this, including the Bow River. When choosing a date to travel to Calgary, it is best to choose mid-July, as this is the time of year for the annual Mustang Rodeo Festival. If you are experienced in this matter, you can take part directly, but if not, the seats in the stands are enough for a large crowd of tourists and locals.
4- St. John’s
The city, on the one hand, is very compact, but on the other hand, there are very few tourists in it. This is quite strange because St. John’s is located on the eastern part of the Avalon Peninsula, on the steep western shore of a picturesque closed harbor that flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Perhaps the problem is low popularity and disadvantages in the humid climate and fog, but at the same time, this does not prevent London from attracting crowds of tourists.
Lake Quidi Vidi (and the Quidi Vidi Brewery) is a tourist favorite place and can be reached along the East Coast Trail, a long walking path near Canada’s natural wonders.
As a result, St. John’s is a unique city with an exciting history and incredible natural beauty. The people here are very friendly and will always share information about festivals, events, and the best beer at Quidi Vidi Brewery. They will discuss historical parts of the city, like Signal Hill and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
5- Halifax
And probably the most underrated city in Canada can be called Halifax (Nova Scotia). Why is that? Although a large city with over 400,000 inhabitants, it is also an essential location for maritime trade and business. Based on this, tourists will happily choose a more tourist-oriented city, such as the Toronto mentioned above, Ottawa, or Victoria. This is quite in vain because they miss out on the opportunity to visit gorgeous Victorian gardens, nature reserve islands in Halifax Harbour, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and Peggy’s Cove.
Most of Halifax’s neighborhoods have unique character and history, mixing old and new, making it an attractive travel destination if you pay a little more attention than usual.
Read more about Calgary Vs. Edmonton – Complete Guide
