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Why is Canada the most loved country in the world?

Kayaker on a turquoise lake surrounded by rocky peaks

Why is Canada the most loved country in the world?

Named the world’s most loved country in the Country RepTrak® reportExternal Link Title, listed among Condé Nast Traveler’s top destinations, and home to three of the top five spots on North America’s 50 Best Restaurants listExternal Link Title, the love for Canada keeps growing (and for good reason). But beyond the accolades, it’s the welcome woven into every corner of this country that keeps people coming back. Canada doesn’t greet you with fanfare—it greets you like a neighbor. With openness, curiosity, and the kind of generosity that makes you feel like you belong, even if it’s your first time here. Here are 10 of the top reasons to visit Canada.
 

 

1. A welcome that feels personal (and lasts)

Why are Canadians so friendly and welcoming? Because community is built into daily life here. From neighbors who look out for one another to cultures that sit comfortably side by side, across the country, people make time to say hello, to point you in the right direction, to share a favorite spot. A tip turns into a chat, and a stranger turns into a “see you next time”.
 

 

2. Space to breathe

Canada offers something increasingly rare: room to pause. In SaskatchewanExternal Link Title, prairie skies stretch so wide they seem endless. Yukon’sExternal Link Title valleys and peaks roll on for miles, a reminder of just how much land there is to wander. Even on Prince Edward IslandExternal Link Title, the country’s smallest province, red-sand cliffs and quiet beachesExternal Link Title open onto horizons that feel limitless. It’s a place where vast landscapes and still moments go hand in hand, and where unhurried comes naturally.

Group of people ride horses across grassy plains beside a lake under a clear blue sky

3. A culture open to many stories 

Canada is a country made up of many perspectives. Indigenous traditions are shared with pride, French and English heritage runs deep, and global influences continue to shape daily life. You see it in public art and powwow regaliaExternal Link Title, taste it in bagels, bannockExternal Link Title, and butter tartsExternal Link Title, and hear it in everything from francophone festivals to coastal fiddle music. It’s the blend that makes Canada, Canada.

Indigenous dancers in traditional regalia perform inside a cultural center

4. Cities embedded in nature

Here, urban days still come with fresh air. In Montreal, the climb up Mount RoyalExternal Link Title starts in the heart of the city. VancouverExternal Link Title is home to ocean and rainforest trails steps from downtown. Toronto’s External Link Titleravines stretch toward Lake Ontario, and Ottawa’sExternal Link Title riverside paths carry you from Parliament Hill into green space in a matter of minutes. These cities don’t just hold nature inside their borders—they open the door to it, with quick escapes always close at hand.

Toronto skyline

5. Unforgettable views

Rivers, lakes, and coastlines shape daily life here—and set the stage for some of the country’s most unforgettable views. In the Rockies, the turquoise waters of Lake LouiseExternal Link Title mirror jagged peaks that seem almost unreal. Along the Bay of FundyExternal Link Title, the tides rise higher than anywhere else on Earth, reshaping the shoreline every day. And along Cape Breton’s Cabot TrailExternal Link Title, every cliffside curve opens another sweep of the Atlantic. Water thunders over the edge at Niagara FallsExternal Link Title, freezes into skateable highways on the Rideau CanalExternal Link Title in Ottawa, and glows with bioluminescence in British Columbia’s TofinoExternal Link Title inlet.
 

 

6. Food with a sense of place

Food in Canada reflects the country itself—shaped by the land, rooted in tradition, and enriched by diversity. On the Atlantic coast, the ocean sets the pace, with lobster pulled fresh from the water. Indigenous traditionsExternal Link Title keep food tied to the land and its stories, carried forward through generations. In TorontoExternal Link Title, neighborhoods turn dinner into a world tour, while in Quebec, French heritage lingers in every cafe and market. Together, they create a table that is abundant and varied across Canada.

Person wearing camo, cooking salmon jerky in a forested area

7. Iconic stays  

Where you spend the night here can be every bit as memorable as where the day takes you. In Whistler, Nita Lake LodgeExternal Link Title pairs alpine energy with lakeside calm. On Vancouver Island, Clayoquot Wilderness LodgeExternal Link Title sets you right in the rainforest, where luxury and wilderness sit side by side. And on Fogo IslandExternal Link Title, an inn unlike any other blends bold architecture with the raw power of the Atlantic. Around here, checking in often comes with a deep breath out.

フォーゴ島

8. Moments you can’t stage 

In the forests and along the coasts, everyday life for wildlife becomes once-in-a-lifetime for visitors. In ManitobaExternal Link Title, polar bears cross the tundra with quiet authority. In Newfoundland and Labrador, whales breach as icebergs drift past the shoreExternal Link Title. In NunavutExternal Link Title, caribou move across open land and narwhal surface like shadows. And out west, bears forage in the forests, moose wade through quiet lakes, and elk and bighorn sheep pop up along mountain roads. No crowd control, just nature doing what it does.

Whale surfacing near an iceberg along the rocky coast of Newfoundland and Labrador

9. Skies that make you look up 

On clear nights, the northern lights in the Northwest TerritoriesExternal Link TitleYukonExternal Link Title, and northern ManitobaExternal Link Title turn the sky into a moving canvas. And when the aurora takes a night off, the stars step in: Jasper National Park in AlbertaExternal Link Title, plus Grasslands in SaskatchewanExternal Link Title and Riding MountainExternal Link Title in Manitoba, reveal the Milky Way from edge to edge. It’s the kind of beauty that doesn’t need a spotlight. 

Northern lights

10. Journeys that change your perspective 

Adventure in Canada doesn’t stick to one path. It rides the rails through the Rockies in a glass-domed coachExternal Link Title, where Banff’s peaksExternal Link Title and Jasper’s glaciersExternal Link Title flood your view. It follows the Icefields ParkwayExternal Link Title, pausing for waterfalls and quiet moments you didn’t plan for. It hums along VIA RailExternal Link Title tracks that cut through forest. And it sails on ferries that weave through coastal inlets, where the journey is every bit as memorable as the destination. Here, taking the slower option always pays off.

Rocky Mountaineer train passing through the Canadian Rockies with a dramatic mountain backdrop and reflection in a calm body of water
Recent praise only echoes what visitors already feel: that Canada leaves them with a sense of openness, belonging, and wonder. The real proof, though, is in the moments that happen naturally, every day, across the country.