Experience the autumn colours of eastern Canada

Discover the beauty of eastern Canada in the autumn months, with its rolling countryside as a backdrop, and fertile land providing delicious food and wine to sample. Autumn is a glorious time to visit Ontario and Quebec, with the forested hills providing a kaleidoscope of changing reds, oranges and every shade in between.

We’ve picked a couple of our favourite holidays which showcase this region in September and October.

Great Parks of the East

We love this self-drive tour for families as there are so many great activities to enjoy in the lakes and mountains of eastern Canada. But its also a great route for couples to experience the great outdoors alongside fascinating historic cities. You’ll fly into Toronto and after seeing the magnificence of Lake Ontario you’ll head north to another Great Lake, this time Georgian Bay set on Lake Huron. You’ll then be driving through glorious countryside in the region often referred to as “Cottage Country” as it’s where the wealthy city-dwellers have their country hideaways. In the heart of this is the lovely community of Huntsville, on the edge of deciduous forests, filled with restaurants and cafes serving delicious local produce. The region is home to several provincial arks filled with different varieties of maple trees provides stunning displays of autumn colours – the most well-known is Algonquin which is best explored by kayak, but also worth visiting are the parks of Oxtongue River-Ragged Falls, Bonnechere and Arrowhead. Two other beautiful stops on this tour are Tremblant, a great resort for walking and cycling the trails through the rolling countryside, and Kingston in the gorgeous “Thousand Islands” region. This tour also gives you opportunity to discover the charming and fascinating cities of Ottawa, Quebec City and Montreal, ending on a high with a visit to spectacular Niagara Falls.

Click here for more details on the Great Parks of the East self-drive tour

Algonquin Provincial Park

Eastern Canada, Niagara Falls & the Great Lakes by Motorhome

This is a similar itinerary to the one above, but this time you’ll have your own home-from-home in the form of a motorhome. The beauty of this holiday is that you’ll be staying in picturesque campsites and sleeping under clear starry skies. As well as Niagara Falls, Georgian Bay, Huntsville and Algonquin Park, this itinerary also includes a stay on the gorgeous and unique Manitoulin Island – a sparsely-populated island in the middle of Lake Huron which itself is filled with crystal-clear lakes.

Click here for more details on the motorhome tour Eastern Canada, Niagara Falls & the Great Lakes

Tremblant in the autumn

Eastern Explorer

This escorted tour takes in all the highlights of Ontario and Quebec, with stays in the great cities of Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa, and explorations of the beautiful rolling countryside in between. You'll love the autumn colours in the Algonquin Provincial Park, enjoying a scenic walk along the trails followed by a stay in the rural Muskoka region. You'll also enjoy a cruise through the glorious Thousand Islands, which is particularly picturesque in the autumn. No trip to eastern Canada is complete without a visit to the awe-inspiring Niagara Falls, and this tour has this highlight as a fitting finale.

Click here for more details on the Eastern Explorer escorted tour

A great way to travel around Canada is by rail, and our rail tour of Ontario is the perfect route to see this beautiful province in autumn. Discover dynamic Toronto, marvel at thundering Niagara Falls, enjoy majestic Ottawa, explore historic Kingston and cruise around the beautiful Thousand Islands region - a blaze of colour during the fall. Click here to discover our independent rail tour "Explore Toronto, Niagara Falls, Ottawa and the Thousand Islands by Rail".