Canada stole my heart…. again!
It must be over 25 years since I last visited Canada but it’s a country that’s always held a special place in my heart so when I was given the opportunity to visit again to explore a different region shall I say I was more than a little bit excited!
Cosmos escorted tour of Ontario and French Canada -3rd October 2025
My holiday had truly started before even leaving Heathrow airport as we had access to the Air Canada lounge which is a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of the terminal. The lounge serves complimentary hot and cold food along with a full bar service including Prosecco ,as it’s always 1 o’clock somewhere in the world when you’re at the airport! Arriving in Toronto was a breeze I simply scanned my passport and collected the luggage and we were being whisked away to the airport by private transfer in no time.
First stop; Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Toronto for 2 nights - A modern hotel with enormous well equipped rooms in a great location. Once we had settled into the room, we then met with the tour director Daniel in the lobby. He ran through the plans for the next few days and was on hand to answer any questions, he also gave some great tips on local places to eat. The rest of the day was free but being tired from the traveling we didn’t venture too far. Instead, we headed to St Lawrence Market, an indoor farmers market and eatery for a spot of lunch. Along the way I really enjoyed taking in the skyline it reminds me of New York where old buildings stand among skyscrapers which dazzle in the sunshine.
Visit of the Niagara Falls
The next morning, we headed out early for an exciting visit to Niagara Falls! The journey time is around 1.5 hours so it’s a must do experience if you’re staying in Toronto! Niagara itself is pretty set up for the tourists but the falls are incredible! Mother Nature at her finest. We did the boat ride to edge the falls all dressed up in the waterproof ponchos provided, it was an amazing experience! After the visit to the falls, we had lunch at The Skylon Tower. It’s a buffet restaurant with good food and lots of choices. It had stunning views of Niagara Falls from above as it stands at 775 feet. We also got complimentary access to the indoor and outdoor observation decks for panoramic views of Niagara Falls and the surrounding region. The lift to get to the tower is like a little bug running up and down the outside of the building which is lots of fun if you have a good head for heights! After lunch we had some free time before returning to Toronto with the rest of the day being ours to explore.
Arrival in Ottawa
The next morning, we bid farewell to Toronto and headed to Ottawa. We made a stop for lunch in the charming small town of Kingston, grabbed a sandwich from the local delicatessen and sat on the harbour wall, taking in the sunshine and St. Lawrence River views. Our second stop en route was Rockport, home of the 1000 Islands — and yes, that’s as in the famous 1000 Islands dressing! There are two tales about who invented the dressing, which is said to have made its first debut at the Savoy Hotel.
We took a one hour scenic cruise passing by some of the many islands. Some had homes on ranging from $250,000 up to $10 million. The ones I found the most fascinating were the two islands connected by the smallest international bridge with one house being in Canada and the other in the US. We arrived in Ottawa late afternoon and spent 2 nights at the Cartier Palace hotel. A quirky hotel with a separate bedroom, lounge and kitchen area. The hotel is in a good location with a roughly 15 min walk from most attractions downtown and plenty of good restaurants nearby.
The following day we had a full day in Ottawa and we were blessed with beautiful warm Sunshine. To start with, we had a guided tour visiting Parliament Hill, Rideau canal and taking in the city views from the Royal Canadian Mint. We had the afternoon free to explore at leisure so we rambled around the city taking in more sights. I really liked the spider sculpture! Ottawa is an amazing city and probably my personal favourite of the ones we visited. I found it all very accessible by foot, and with so much to see and do I could have easily stayed longer!
Quebec City
The next morning, we left Ottawa to head to Quebec City. It was a long journey but it was broken into plenty of comfort stops and Daniel, our tour guide kept us entertained the whole way. We then spent 2 nights in Quebec at the Hotel Plaza. A lovely hotel with a beautiful indoor garden, swimming pool and hot tub. That evening, we went to a traditional Sugar shack for dinner. We sat on benches underneath the Maple trees and learnt about how Maple syrup is produced. We then enjoyed a delicious homemade meal where apparently it is acceptable to put maple syrup on everything! We had a local singer and did some dancing; it was a very fun evening. Today we got to really explore Quebec City and it is stunning! I felt as if I had been transported to France with cafes ,bistros and boutique stores lining the streets and alleyways. Above us stood the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac Hotel like a fairytale castle. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch in a bistro where I just had to sample the famous Poutine, fries, gravy and cheese curd! After lunch I did the guided tour of the Chateau Frontenac Hotel. Just wow! I would like to spend a night or two in this beautiful hotel! I learnt all about the history of the hotel and we even went to the room where they found the D Day Documents accidentally left behind, it was all very fascinating. In the evening, I booked the countryside dinner passing by the beautiful autumnal trees which put on an awesome colour show. We stopped briefly on route at Montmorency waterfall and it was spectacular especially as the sun was setting. The atmosphere and food were excellent I would highly recommend this excursion.
Au revoir Quebec and Bonjour Montreal for our final night of the tour
We arrived in Montreal in the early afternoon and had a local guided tour of the city, taking in the walled city and Views from Mount Royal. We stayed at the Best Western Ville Marie hotel located in the shopping district. It’s recently been refurbished and it has the most amazing Indian restaurant where I had the dinner which I have been craving it since I got home! The next day was a free day before the flight home so I stored my luggage at the hotel and did some last minute shopping, Montréal has a hidden underground city spanning over 20 miles!
Final thoughts
So that brings me to the end of the most incredible week exploring Canada! So, what was my opinion of the Cosmos tour?
Daniel the tour guide was exceptional and I have always said the tour is only as good as the guide so that’s a 10/10 from me, I could literally listen to him talk all day. He had so many interesting stories! Daniel even tipped us off in Montreal to see if we could get into the room that John Lenon wrote “give peace a chance” we tipped the bellboy and managed to get some photos outside the room as it was occupied, that really made my day.
The driver Steve was brilliant; he really looked after us making sure we were safe and handled the luggage. The hotels ranged from good 3-4* and overall, the locations were good. Breakfast is not included but I liked the freedom to just grab a coffee and pastry and go. There was plenty of free time on your own, it was a packed week but it had a great balance of excursions and leisure time, I didn’t feel herded! You can also add independent additional nights before or after the tour if you wanted a little longer holiday. So, if you’re thinking of Canada please make my day and come visit me as I would absolutely love to help you fall in love with Canada but I can’t promise it won’t steel a part of your heart!
