From the rugged maritime provinces, north to Prince Edward Island and Labrador, to the historic cities of Montreal and Quebec on the St Lawrence Seaway, to Toronto and the Great Lakes, and all the way west to spectacular Vancouver, Canada is a cruise- the dream of a loved one. But with such an incredible range of options, it can be difficult to choose. That’s why we’ve rounded up the best sailings taking place this year and next, so you can find the cruise to Canada that suits all your needs.
Quebec and the St Lawrence River
There’s special, and then there’s breathtaking. The St Lawrence River is the last. Inaccessible to traditional ships in winter, this cruise on an ice-strengthened ship is an exclusive ticket to a less congested world, where the waters, once turbulent, freeze to ice and where the forests wear a constant blanket of white.
You’ll start in Quebec, North America’s only walled city, and then head east along the river. There are stops for hiking, snowshoeing, dog sledding and ice fishing (great opportunities to see caribou, moose and even the Northern Lights), until you finally reach the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the only French territory in North America.
Book It: Ponant (020 7660 4089; uk.ponant.com) offers the 12-day cruise called The St Lawrence River in the Heart of the Boreal Winter, from £17,590 per person, with stops in La Baie, Sept-Iles, Gaspé , Magdalena Islands , Sydney and Saint-Pierre. Departs Quebec on February 22, 2025. International flights extra.
Fall color on the East Coast
Anticipation is often half the fun – that’s very much the case on this cruise, which originates in Great Britain and crosses the Atlantic Ocean for five days before arriving in Canada. First stop is St John’s, the charming old world capital of Newfoundland, then head to the contrastingly vibrant city of Halifax in Nova Scotia and then on to the Saguenay Fjord. Four species of whales call this stretch home, but this time of year you’re more likely to keep your eyes on the towering, forest-covered cliffs, which are carpeted in some of the region’s most beautiful fall colors.
Book It: Fred Olsen (0800 083 3281; fredolsencruises.com) offers the 26-day Canada in the Fal cruise from £3,699 per person, with stops in St John’s, Halifax, Corner Brook, Gaspé, Port Saguenay, Quebec, Trois-Rivières , Montreal and Southampton. Departing from Southampton on October 3, 2024.
The Northwest Passage
There are few journeys more epic than this. Following a route that has challenged explorers for centuries, this cruise winds through Canada’s Arctic Wilderness, a wild place where the elements rule. You’ll start in Iceland and briefly visit Greenland before crossing the Labrador Sea to the Davis Strait. As the ship sails west towards the Pacific Ocean, there are onboard lectures on topics such as Northern Labrador wildlife, Inuit culture and the history of Arctic exploration, and passengers have the opportunity to participate in various projects as well , including helping to photograph and track whales, and observing the clouds as part of a climate study.
Book It: Hurtigruten (020 4571 1378; Hurtigruten.com) offers the 26-day The North West Passage – In The Wake of The Great Explorers (Westbound) cruise from £16,667 per person, with stops in Nuuk, Dundas Harbour, Smoking Hills, Nome and Vancouver. Departure from Reykjavik on August 8, 2024. International flights extra.
Greenland to Nova Scotia
With an in-depth focus on ancient history, this route takes in both the 1,000-year-old Norse settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows (Meadows Cove) on the northern tip of Newfoundland (the only authentic Viking site in the Americas), and the vast vertical cliffs of Archean rocks – said to be the oldest rocks in Canada – on Lady Franklin Island. It’s also a rare opportunity to learn more about the Inuit people, who share stories about the spirits and traditions of their homeland during stops in places like the Torngat Mountains National Park (whose name means ‘place of spirits’), and see spectacular To cross Disko. Bay, the ‘Iceberg Capital of the World’.
Book It: Swan Hellenic (020 7846 0271; swanhellenic.com) offers the 15-day Greenland to Nova Scotia Canadian Arctic Explorer cruise from £13,481 per person, with stops in Ilulissat, Sissimut, Nuuq, Iqaluit, Lady Franklin Island, Torngat Mountain National Park, Hebron, L’anse Aux Meadows and Halifax. Departure from Kangerlussuaq on September 15, 2025. International flights extra.
The Great Lakes
With stops in the United States and Canada, this cruise combines urban skylines and uninhabited islands to give you a truly diverse introduction to the Great Lakes. The route begins in Toronto and crosses Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron and Michigan, providing a fascinating overview of the waterways’ shipping history, as well as the complex ecosystems of their sheltered bays. The ship’s first ports of call – thundering waterfalls at Niagara, migratory birds at Point Pelee and a protected state park on Mackinac Island – contrast with the vibrant cities of Detroit and Milwaukee, while the Welland Canal, which lifts ships between the 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 the eight-day Niagara and Great Lakes cruise from £7,695 per person, visiting Welland Canal, Point Pelee, Detroit, Alpena, Mackinac Island, Milwaukee. Departs Toronto on April 25, 2024. International flights included.
British Columbia
British Columbia’s 6.4 million-acre Great Bear Rainforest – home to grizzlies, black bears and spirit bears, as well as coastal wolves, humpback whales and orcas – is one of the most distinctive and biologically diverse places on earth, and an ideal region to discover from the water. The exact route of this cruise varies, but generally starts in the indigenous community of Bella Bella and then continues across the broken fingers of the coastline, delving into the Fiordland Conservancy for two days and taking in the spectacular rock walls and waterfalls of Kynoch Inlet into itself. Princess Royal Island and the abundance of birdlife of Khutze Inlet.
Book It: Canada As You Like It (020 8742 8299; canadaasyoulikeit.com) offers the eight-night Great Bear Rainforest Cruise (British Columbia) from £5,560 per person, visiting Kynoch Inlet, Princess Royal Island and Khutze Inlet. Depart from Bella Bella between August and October. International flights extra (return flights Vancouver to Bella Bella included).
How to get there
Several airlines – including Air Canada (aircanada.com) and Lufthansa (lufthansa.com) – fly direct from London to several Canadian cities, with returns from £522 (Vancouver), £444 (Quebec), £410 (Toronto) and £ 410 (Toronto) and £460 (Halifax).