Canadian coast and islands off the beaten path.
Less-touristed coastal towns and islands in Canada, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Cumberland
A compact Vancouver Island village with a well-preserved early-20th-century downtown streetscape of painted timber storefronts, set among forested hills with…
Lunenburg
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995, Lunenburg is a port town on Nova Scotia's South Shore whose original 1753 street layout and wooden vernacular archit…
Carleton-sur-Mer
A modest town on the south shore of Quebec's Gaspésie region, Carleton-sur-Mer sits along Chaleur Bay, where two sandbars meet to form a barachois lagoon fre…
Harbour Breton
A fishing village on the south coast of Newfoundland's Connaigre Peninsula, Harbour Breton sits at the edge of Fortune Bay with hilly terrain rising behind i…
Port Moody
Waterfront city at the east end of Burrard Inlet in Metro Vancouver, Port Moody pairs a walkable food-and-drink scene with views of the Coast Mountains and s…
Telegraph Cove
A tiny former fishing and cannery village on northern Vancouver Island, Telegraph Cove is now a base for kayaking and whale-watching in Johnstone Strait, whe…
Souris
This small waterfront town near the northeastern tip of Prince Edward Island, Souris sits in a region known for its beaches and has a café and restaurant sce…
Sainte-Anne-de-la-Perade
Every winter, a temporary village of fishing huts rises on the frozen Sainte-Anne River at this compact Quebec municipality, which calls itself the world cap…
Salmon Arm
Salmon Arm sits on the shores of Shuswap Lake in British Columbia's Southern Interior, home to the longest wooden freshwater wharf in North America.
Mahone Bay
A small waterfront town on Nova Scotia's South Shore, Mahone Bay is known for its photogenic streetscape of historic churches and sits near a UNESCO World He…
Caplan
A waterfront municipality on Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula with a strong photographic profile, Caplan sits along Chaleur Bay in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine…
Inverness
This little waterside village on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, sits within an hour's drive of Cape Breton Highlands National Park to the north and the Can…
Norris Point
This pocket-sized waterfront village on Bonne Bay in western Newfoundland, Norris Point sits at the edge of Gros Morne National Park amid mountain terrain.
Milan
This tiny waterside municipality in Quebec's Estrie region, Milan sits in sight of mountains in the Le Granit area.
Ladysmith
A small harbour town on the east coast of Vancouver Island, Ladysmith sits right on the water at the 49th parallel, with a café and restaurant scene that pun…
Chester
This small Nova Scotia sailing village wrapped around a deep blue harbour dotted with moored boats, where wooded shorelines, waterfront docks, and a compact…
Shawnigan Lake
A small lakeside town on Vancouver Island, where dense Pacific Northwest forest surrounds a little pond and Tudor-style buildings, with forested hills rollin…
Nanaimo
Nanaimo sits right on the harbour along British Columbia's Vancouver Island, with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and heritage buildings, an…
Yuquot
Yuquot — also called Friendly Cove — on Nootka Island off British Columbia's west coast was the first place in British Columbia visited by Europeans, when Ja…
Ingonish
A cluster of small settlements on Cape Breton Island's Atlantic coast, Ingonish sits within Cape Breton Highlands National Park and along the Cabot Trail sce…
Terrace
Regional hub in British Columbia's Skeena valley where the Kitsumkalum River meets the Skeena, Terrace sits close to mountains with cafés and restaurants con…
Deseronto
A tiny Ontario town on the shore of the Bay of Quinte, Deseronto sits at the mouth of the Napanee River with water views and several historic churches for a…
Hubbards
Tiny Nova Scotia South Shore village where sailboats and fishing boats share a calm harbour backed by forested hills, with a surprisingly lively waterfront c…
Terrebonne
Suburban city on the North Shore of Montreal, Terrebonne sits along the Rivière des Mille-Îles with a walkable centre dense with cafés and restaurants.
Sioux Lookout
A gateway town in Northwestern Ontario known as the "Hub of the North," Sioux Lookout draws summer visitors to an extensive lake and river system fed by the…
Hazelton
This little hamlet in west-central British Columbia sits at the confluence of the Bulkley River and the Skeena River, where the two waterways meet to form a…
Lac-des-Plages
This tiny Quebec municipality in the Outaouais region takes its name from Lac des Plages — "Lake of Beaches" — a freshwater lake that draws summer visitors t…
La Macaza
Compact municipality in Quebec's Laurentian Mountains with lakes, beaches, and direct water access throughout.
Cortes Island
A summer destination in British Columbia's Discovery Islands archipelago, Cortes Island draws visitors for its warm weather, protected harbours, and quiet pace.
Shediac
Shediac, a tiny town on the coast of southeastern New Brunswick, calls itself the "Lobster Capital of the World" — a claim backed by an annual July lobster f…
Port Alberni
Sitting at the head of Vancouver Island's longest inlet and practically surrounded by mountains, Port Alberni is a waterfront town in British Columbia with s…
Elmvale
Compact Ontario village with a walkable main street of red-brick storefronts, flower-basket lamp posts, and a local coffee shop, sitting close to both Georgi…
Carbonear
Small town on the shore of Conception Bay on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, Carbonear has a history rooted in fishing and shipbuilding, and was the site of…
Gananoque
Gateway to the Thousand Islands in the St.
Saint John
Canada's oldest incorporated city, established by royal charter in 1785 on the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, Saint John pairs a walkable, heritage-thick cen…
Harbour Grace
One of the oldest towns in North America, Harbour Grace sits on Conception Bay along the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, with roots stretching…
Point de Bute
Sweeping earthwork ramparts, stone-walled fortifications, and a historic garrison building overlook the vast tidal flats of the Bay of Fundy in this rural Ne…
Qualicum Beach
This little waterfront town on Vancouver Island's Salish Sea coast, Qualicum Beach sits at the foot of Mount Arrowsmith with a walkable central core of cafés…
Shippagan
Shippagan, on the Acadian Peninsula in northeastern New Brunswick, is the commercial fishing capital of the province — a pocket-sized port town with waterfro…
Gabriola
This small Gulf Island in British Columbia's Georgia Strait — between Vancouver Island and the mainland — is sometimes called Petroglyph Island, a name that…
Sayward
Small waterfront hamlet on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, Sayward sits in the Sayward Valley near Kelsey Bay, with mountains close by.
Bathurst
A small city on the water in northern New Brunswick, Bathurst sits at the mouth of the Nepisiguit River where it meets Chaleur Bay, with a central core that…
Wolfville
This pocket-sized Nova Scotia town on the Bay of Fundy, Wolfville sits at the heart of Annapolis Valley wine country with vineyards nearby and views across t…
Winnipeg Beach
Modest lakeside resort town on the southwestern shore of Lake Winnipeg, Winnipeg Beach sits in Manitoba's Interlake region, founded in 1900 by Sir William Wh…
Vernon
This lakeside city in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, Vernon sits on the shores of Okanagan Lake with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants and…
High River
This small Alberta town south of Calgary where the Highwood River runs through the centre, High River has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its…
Twillingate
Sitting on the Twillingate Islands in Notre Dame Bay off northeastern Newfoundland, this tiny Canadian town is one of the island's oldest ports and a histori…
Yarmouth
Tiny port town on the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia, Yarmouth sits at the entrance to the Gulf of Maine with a working waterfront built around fishing and…
Chicoutimi
A walkable waterfront borough at the confluence of the Saguenay and Chicoutimi rivers, Chicoutimi is the commercial and cultural heart of Quebec's Saguenay–L…
Duncan
This walkable waterfront city on southern Vancouver Island, Duncan sits in the Cowichan Valley with mountains close by and a centre well supplied with cafés…
Port Perry
A pocket-sized Ontario town on the shore of Lake Scugog — one of the province's largest man-made lakes — Port Perry sits northeast of Toronto and offers a ca…
Port Stanley
This pocket-sized Lake Erie village in Ontario with a real café and restaurant scene for its size, Port Stanley sits at the mouth of Kettle Creek on the nort…
Alberton
A small service-town on the western shore of Prince Edward Island, Alberton sits beside the harbour community of Northport and has served the surrounding fis…
Sidney
A waterfront small town on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula, Sidney has a café and restaurant scene that is well stocked for its size, and a shoreline al…
Barry's Bay
A compact lakeside community in Eastern Ontario, Barry's Bay sits on the shores of Kamaniskeg Lake near the eastern entrance to Algonquin Provincial Park, ab…
Saint-Joseph-de-Sorel
This little Quebec town on the water where the Saint Lawrence and Richelieu rivers converge, Saint-Joseph-de-Sorel faces the Archipelago of Lac Saint-Pierre…
Collingwood
Georgian Bay town in Ontario known for winter skiing and summer access to limestone caves along the Niagara Escarpment, Collingwood sits on Nottawasaga Bay w…
Miramichi
Sitting where the Miramichi River meets Miramichi Bay on the Gulf of St.
Sault Ste. Marie
The Sault Ste.
Kitwanga
Tiny hamlet in west-central British Columbia where the Kitwanga River meets the Skeena, Gitwangak (also known as Kitwanga) sits on the north shore of the Ske…