Getting Around

Getting Around by Water

Canada has many thousands of miles of navigable rivers and canals, a vast number of lakes and an extensive coastline. The whole country is well served by all manner of boats and ships, particularly the east and west coasts, where the ferries are fast, frequent and good value. The St Lawrence Seaway provides passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. For further details, see individual regional entries or contact the Canadian Tourism Commission (see Contact Addresses).

One of the largest ferry operators is BC Ferries (tel: (250) 386 3431 or 1 888 223 3779; www.bcferries.com). It runs a number of services linking British Columbia's mainland with its coastal islands, as well as a route to the Queen Charlotte Islands and another through the Inside Passage.

Rail Passes

Canrailpass: Allows unlimited journeys on the VIA network for 12 days (up to three extra days can be added to the pass at any time) within a 30-day period.

Corridorpass: Gives 10 days of unlimited VIA Rail travel in southern Québec and southern Ontario.

Alaska Pass: Offers eight, 12 or 15 days' travel within Alaska and British Columbia, including travel on Alaska Ferry, Alaska Railroad, one-way car hire and White Pass & Yukon Railroad (www.alaskapass.com).

Getting Around by Road

Traffic drives on the right. The Canadian road network covers vast distances as the country is over 7,600km (4,800 miles) as the crow flies from west to east and 4,800km (3,000 miles) from north to south. On country roads, visitors should be mindful of wild animals that may be roaming, such as deer or moose. The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) (www.caa.ca) is affiliated with most European organisations, giving full use of facilities to members.

Emergency breakdown service: CAA (tel: 1 800 222 4357 or *222 from mobile phones).

Coach: Each region is well served by a large network of coach lines, the most extensive being Greyhound Canada (tel: 1 800 661 8747; www.greyhound.ca).

The Greyhound Discovery Pass (www.discoverypass.com) offers international passengers travel over periods of seven, 15, 30 and 60 days with several partner coach operators in the USA and Canada.

Canada also has regional bus services, including Acadian Lines, Orléans Express and Pacific Coach Lines.

RoutPass (www.routpass.com) runs between early June and early December. It offers seven-, 14- and 18-day passes for unlimited bus travel in Ontario and Québec.

Car hire: Available in all cities and from airports to full licence holders over 21 years of age. For some car hire companies, drivers may need to be at least 25 years old.

Regulations: Right turns on red lights are not permitted on Montréal Island in Québec. Generally, speed limits are 100kph (60mph) on motorways, 80kph (55mph) on rural highways and 50kph (30mph) in cities. Seat belts are compulsory for all passengers and child car seats must be used by small children. Radar detection devices are strictly prohibited in many provinces and studded tyres are illegal in southern Ontario. Many provinces require drivers to keep headlights on during the day.

Documentation: Visitors may drive on their national driving licences for at least three months in all provinces.

Getting Around Towns and Cities

Bus: Metropolitan buses operate on a flat-fare system (standard fares, irrespective of distance travelled). Fares must be paid exactly, which means that drivers do not carry change or issue tickets. Transfers should be requested when boarding a bus.

Journey Times

The following chart gives approximate journey times from Ottawa (in hours and minutes) to other major cities/towns in Canada.

Getting Around by Rail

VIA Rail Canada (tel: (514) 989 2626 or 1 888 842 7245/VIA RAIL; www.viarail.ca) operates extensive services across Canada. Regional railways include Algoma Central (operates the Agawa Canyon Tour Train), Armstrong Group (operates the Rocky Mountaineer and Whistler Mountaineer), Ontario Northland (operates the Northlander, Polar Bear Express and Dream Catcher Express trains), and White Pass & Yukon Route.

VIA Rail operates a Western transcontinental service (The Canadian) between Toronto (Ontario) and Vancouver (British Columbia), running three times weekly east and west. Passengers are drawn to this route by the spectacular scenery of the many mountain ranges passed en route, including the Rockies. The journey takes four days.

Rapid intercity services are available between Québec, Montréal, Toronto, Windsor and Ottawa. VIA Rail also operates an overnight Eastern transcontinental service (The Ocean) between Montréal (Québec) and Halifax (Nova Scotia).

The Rocky Mountaineer service (tel: (604) 606 7245 or 1 877 460 3200 or 00 800 0606 7372, in the UK; www.rockymountaineer.com) runs from mid April to mid October and offers the opportunity to travel from Vancouver to Jasper, Banff and Calgary (and vice versa) during daylight hours.

For visitors seeking a route into the Canadian wilderness, the Polar Bear Express (tel: (705) 472 4500 or 1 800 363 7512 ext 0; www.polarbearexpress.ca) between Cochrane and Moosonee (with connections to Toronto), runs weekdays from late June to early September.