The best time to travel to each of Canada’s provinces and territories

Ontario is home to Canada’s capital city, Ottawa. If you want to check out the compact capital, the best time of year to do this is during the Tulip Festival. Each year in May, Ottawa comes alive with tulip displays and spring activities such as a flower market, outdoor movies and light shows.

Summer is undoubtedly the most popular time to travel around Ontario, when the locals embrace hiking, watersports, cottage country and patio dining. It’s also the only time of year when you can truly explore the national marine conservation area, Fathom Five National Marine Park. This area is flooded with tourists in the summertime, hoping to dive or take a boat tour to the shipwrecks in the Big Tub harbour. Although the park is open year-round, many of the main attractions (like tours to the shipwrecks and Flowerpot Island) are closed between October and May.

Ontario is one of the best provinces to experience the changing colours of the leaves in fall. The maple trees turn vibrant shades of red and orange, which look even more impressive when mixed in with the yellow larch tree leaves. Algonquin National Park and the Highway 60 corridor is one of the best viewing areas in the province. Leaves begin to change around mid-September, often peaking in early October and dying down by mid-October. September and October are also the perfect months to visit a pumpkin patch or a harvest festival to fully celebrate the fall season.