Canadian lakeside and river towns off the beaten path.
Less-touristed lakeside and river towns in Canada, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Kaslo
Photogenic village on the west shore of Kootenay Lake in southeastern British Columbia, Kaslo has a small but real café and restaurant scene for its size.
Revelstoke
This compact city in southeastern British Columbia where the Columbia River meets the Illecillewaet, Revelstoke sits at the foot of the Selkirk Mountains wit…
Nelson
This photogenic little city on the western arm of Kootenay Lake in British Columbia's Selkirk Mountains, Nelson has a café and restaurant scene that punches…
Chase
Sitting at the outlet of Little Shuswap Lake where it becomes the South Thompson River, Chase is a compact village in British Columbia's Interior with mounta…
Dawson City
Dawson City, at the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike rivers in Canada's Yukon territory, is defined by its role in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896–1899, w…
Kamloops
Sitting at the confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers in south-central British Columbia, Kamloops is a city with a walkable, café-lined centre, sc…
Merritt
Officially designated Canada's Country Music Capital, Merritt is a small city in British Columbia's Nicola Valley where the Nicola and Coldwater rivers meet.
New Denver
This small village on the east shore of Slocan Lake in British Columbia's West Kootenay region sits where Carpenter Creek meets the lake, with mountain backd…
Penticton
Sitting between two lakes in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, Penticton is a photogenic town with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants and easy…
Kelowna
This walkable city on the shores of Okanagan Lake in southern British Columbia, Kelowna sits at the heart of BC's wine country and draws visitors with a live…
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…
Oliver
Billed as the Wine Capital of Canada by Tourism British Columbia, Oliver is a small town near the south end of British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, sitting al…
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.
Nakusp
Tiny village on the shore of Upper Arrow Lake in British Columbia's West Kootenay region, Nakusp sits between the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges and is…
Ainsworth Hot Springs
Founded in 1883 by steamboat operator George Ainsworth, this little historic village on the shore of Kootenay Lake in British Columbia draws visitors to its…
Grand Forks
A small British Columbia town where the Granby and Kettle Rivers meet, Grand Forks sits in mountain terrain just north of the Canada–United States border in…
Bridgewater
This pocket-sized Nova Scotia town sits at the navigable limit of the LaHave River on Nova Scotia's South Shore, with a café and restaurant scene that is unu…
Chambord
Val-Jalbert, a historic village within Chambord's municipal boundaries, is the main draw to this tiny Quebec community on the shores of Lac-Saint-Jean, in th…
McBride
A compact village in British Columbia's Robson Valley, McBride sits alongside the river with the Rocky Mountains and Cariboo Ranges rising on either side.
Eganville
Billed as the Ordovician Fossil Capital of Canada, this small Ontario village sits in a deep limestone valley carved by the Bonnechere River, where fossils s…
Shawinigan
Birthplace of former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Shawinigan is a Quebec city on the Saint-Maurice River in the Mauricie region, with a compact centre of ca…
Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard
This lake-country municipality in Quebec's Laurentian Mountains, Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard sits on the shores of Lake Saint-Joseph and counts close to seventy l…
New Westminster
British Columbia's first mainland capital, founded in 1858 on the banks of the Fraser River, New Westminster retains a concentration of Victorian-era buildin…
Slocan
A small waterfront hamlet in British Columbia's West Kootenay region, Slocan sits at the foot of Slocan Lake where Springer Creek meets the water, with mount…
Stratford
Named after Stratford-upon-Avon and home to the Stratford Festival — a major theatre event running Shakespearean plays and other genres from May to October —…
Kingston
Nicknamed the "Limestone City" for its many heritage buildings constructed from local limestone, Kingston sits where Lake Ontario meets the St.
Naramata
Small wine-country village on the eastern shore of Okanagan Lake in south-central British Columbia, Naramata is known for its high concentration of wineries…
Red Deer
This mid-sized Alberta city on the Red Deer River, roughly halfway between Calgary and Edmonton, with a walkable centre offering a solid range of cafés and r…
Compton
This weathered wooden covered bridge spans a rocky river in this little Quebec municipality, set amid bare-treed upland country in the Estrie region, offerin…
Huntsville
Walkable town in Ontario's Muskoka District with a centre full of cafés and restaurants, Huntsville sits amid the lakes and hilly terrain of the Canadian Shi…
Princeton
A modest town in southern British Columbia where the Tulameen meets the Similkameen River, Princeton sits at the edge of the Cascade Mountains and is unusual…
Haliburton
A cottage-country destination in Central Ontario, Haliburton County is known for its lake scenery, resident artists, and a modest central core with cafés and…
Cowansville
A compact Quebec town built around Lac Davignon, Cowansville sits in the Eastern Townships region of south-central Quebec, with a central core of cafés and r…
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…
Keremeos
Keremeos, a tiny village in British Columbia's Similkameen region, calls itself the fruit stand capital of Canada — roadside stands selling soft fruits, cher…
Cobourg
A lakeside town on the north shore of Lake Ontario in southern Ontario, Cobourg has a walkable centre with cafés and restaurants and sits roughly midway betw…
Saint-Narcisse
This small parish village on the north shore of the St.
Queenston
Queenston, in Ontario's Niagara wine country, sits where the Niagara River meets the Niagara Escarpment — the geological point from which the falls began car…
Lacolle
Compact Quebec village on the Richelieu River, Lacolle offers several kilometres of riverfront that have made water-based activities the backbone of its loca…
Portneuf
This tiny St.
Sherbrooke
City in southern Quebec at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers, Sherbrooke sits at the centre of a region ringed by mountains, lakes, and s…
Schreiber
This little township on the northernmost shore of Lake Superior in Ontario, Schreiber sits in mountain terrain along Highway 17 with direct water access and…
Champlain
This St.
Lac-Sergent
This small Quebec village wraps around Sergent Lake in the Portneuf Regional County Municipality, a short drive northwest of Quebec City.
Brantford
Brantford, a city on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario, is known as "The Telephone City" — Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone here and made t…
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…
Edmundston
Edmundston, a compact city in northern New Brunswick on the Saint John River, is the second-largest majority-francophone city in Canada outside Quebec — a di…
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…
Field
Small hamlet in Yoho National Park in southeastern British Columbia, Field sits in the Kicking Horse River valley along the Trans-Canada Highway and serves a…
La Macaza
Compact municipality in Quebec's Laurentian Mountains with lakes, beaches, and direct water access throughout.
Moose Jaw
A city in south-central Saskatchewan known for its geothermal spa, casino, and the underground Tunnels of Moose Jaw — a network linked in local lore to Prohi…
L'Ascension
A little municipality in Quebec's Laurentides region, L'Ascension sits on the Rouge River in the valley known as La Vallée de la Rouge, with mountain views i…
Les Eboulements
Member of the Association of Most Beautiful Villages of Quebec, Les Éboulements is a municipality in the Charlevoix region made up of several villages and ha…
Kirkland Lake
Built on gold mining and hockey, Kirkland Lake is a small town in Northeastern Ontario's Timiskaming District with an outsized place in Canadian sports histo…
Rivière-du-Loup
A town on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec's Bas-Saint-Laurent region, Rivière-du-Loup offers whale watching tours on the river, a compa…
Simcoe
The county seat of Norfolk County in southwestern Ontario, Simcoe is a pocket-sized town near Lake Erie with a central core of cafés and restaurants and an u…
Gananoque
Gateway to the Thousand Islands in the St.
St. Stephen
This tiny town in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, St.
Battleford
A compact Saskatchewan town on the North Saskatchewan River, Battleford anchors its compact downtown with a striking red-brick clock-tower post office and si…
New Hamburg
A compact Ontario town in the township of Wilmot where the Nith River winds through a downtown designated as a Heritage Conservation District, with cafés and…