Exploring Eastern Canada

Today is a true highlight, beginning with a helicopter flight from Toronto to Niagara Falls. From above, the scale and power of the cascading water is breathtaking, revealing a perspective few travellers witness. You’ll touch down in the heart of wine country for a relaxed, wine-paired lunch at a local vineyard before gaining behind-the-scenes access at the falls themselves, where you’ll learn about both the immense natural forces and the remarkable engineering that shape this celebrated landscape.

Explore Toronto through its food markets, guided by a local chef who knows the city stall by stall. Wander through lively neighbourhood markets, tasting as you go and meeting the producers behind the produce. From global street flavours to Canadian classics, this experience reveals Toronto’s multicultural identity through what and how the city eats, offering an authentic snapshot of daily life beyond the headline sights.

One of the great pleasures of this itinerary is the flexibility of self-drive travel. Canada’s roads are quiet, well signposted and wonderfully scenic, making driving genuinely enjoyable rather than a chore. You can set your own pace, pause for coffee in small towns, detour to sweeping viewpoints or linger longer wherever curiosity takes hold. Combined with expert-led guiding in the cities, it creates an ideal balance between autonomy and insider insight.

Exploring Ottawa from the water offers a refreshing new angle on Canada’s capital. From this vantage point, it feels calm and elegant, with Parliament’s spires, riverside museums and leafy banks unfolding at an unhurried pace. Passing through the historic Ottawa Locks reveals the city’s engineering heritage, while your guide adds context and stories easily missed on land. It is a relaxed and quietly memorable way to appreciate how the waterways define Ottawa.

Why not try something new with a private curling lesson, one of Canada’s most characterful and social sports? Guided by an expert instructor, you’re introduced to the fundamentals of delivery, sweeping and game strategy before stepping onto the ice for your first match. Set within a historic curling club, the experience is light-hearted, inclusive and surprisingly addictive, offering an authentic insight into a pastime that sits at the heart of Canadian sporting culture.

Explore Little Italy on a guided food tour that brings Montréal’s culinary heritage to life through its most vibrant neighbourhood. Accompanied by a local food journalist, you’ll visit long-established cafés, bakeries and market stalls, tasting as you go. Stories of immigration, tradition and family-run businesses reveal the area’s personality, while stops at Jean-Talon Market showcase the seasonal produce and flavours that shape everyday eating in the city.

Time in the Eastern Townships showcases the region’s striking seasonal contrasts. In spring and summer, days revolve around lakes, vineyards, hiking trails and long outdoor lunches. Autumn transforms the landscape into a blaze of colour, with harvest festivals, cider tastings and crisp walking conditions. Winter ushers in a quieter rhythm, with snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and cosy fireside evenings. Each season reshapes the scenery and daily pace, making every visit feel fresh and distinctly seasonal.

Spend a day discovering the pastoral heart of Île d’Orléans, beginning with an early visit to Montmorency Falls before the crowds arrive. Crossing onto the island, the pace eases with orchard visits, tastings at small producers and a gourmet picnic beneath the apple trees. Along the way, sample local wines, fruit preserves and classic Québec poutine, while discovering how this fertile island has influenced the region’s food culture for centuries.