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[Prodigal Son]

Ottawa just cus i live there now

Also it's not too bustling and the general area is very aesthetically pleasing to me unlike the bits i've seen of Toronto.

 

[vern]

Vancouver because it's the only Canadian city I've been too. Also it has amazing ramen and Korean fried chicken and other "ethnic" foods.

 

[prophetvx]

If you like historical old school charm, Montreal.
If you like big cities but with quick access to awesome Canadian landscapes, then Vancouver (Whistler, Squamish and Vancouver Island are all day trips away).
Toronto is just like any other big city in my opinion. I've always found it boring there.

Vancouver gives you by far the best options when it comes to sight seeing, nightlife and restaurants.

 

[Wyndstryker]

Toronto if you want to visit the US without going to the US.
Montreal if you want to visit Europe without going to Europe
Vancouver if you want to visit Asia without going to Asia

 

[BTails]

Vancouver is a lovely city, but be prepared to be not so quietly judged if you don't buy into the insanely "green" mentality there. Maybe I'm a bit biased because I grew up in Victoria and saw it so many times with my friends, but the lack of jobs for young people + housing prices make for some pretty miserable financial situations. Nice place to visit though, however if you want to actually get out and do some hikes or other natire activities, be prepared for the worst traffic ever.

Toronto is a city I end up in 3-4 times a year for work, and I love visiting it. Everything's super expensive though, and it gets really humid during the summers (doesn't help that I usually spend my days in a suit when I'm there). But there's a lot of great stuff to do, things to eat, and $20 cocktails to drink. Plus, Jays games are fun.

I haven't been to Montreal since I was probably 15, so can't really comment there. Smoked Meat Sandwiches are awesome though.

 

[Oppo]

Hipster news articles trying to get toronto people to move here. The prices are getting worse every year

Exactly right. Home prices in Hamilton have gone up like crazy in the past few years. I finished university in 2015 and I was commuting to Mississauga, but we decided to buy a home in K-W last year because comparatively the prices here seemed positively sane, if you can believe that.

We still overpaid by $10K for a very small house in Waterloo.

oh. yeah, that.

it extends even further. my sister just moved from TO (sold house) and thought they could get something pretty substantial in London/St. Thomas area. Even THOSE prices have gone up significantly. almost all of the Golden Horseshoe is expensive now.

I will throw this into the mix: Montreal has the best comedy festival. And Toronto has the best film festival. I'm sure Van has, I dunno, X-Games or something.

 

[Walter White Walker]

Of those three I've only been to Vancouver (a few times). For a city it's pretty great and I love Stanley Park and Grouse Mountain.

 

[TickleMeElbow]

I've only ever been to Victoria because I have family that lives there.

It was pretty chill and pleasant from what I remember.

So out of the three you listed, I'd go to Vancouver, because it's close to Victoria lol.

 

[mullet2000]

I've lived in Toronto, Saskatoon, Montreal, and Thunder Bay (lol).

Montreal is number 1 overall, I think. Has more if its own identity than the others. Reasonable costs of living, lots to do, beautiful city.

Saskatoon is really nice if you're cool with the small city life (250k people). Very green city, lots of space, short commutes. Very friendly people. Cons are winters are pretty brutal and the economy seems to be in a downturn now (I lived there 2009 - 2014 when things were booming)

Toronto is great, but it definitely feels less personable than the above two. Living costs are outrageous too. That said when it comes to food, events, and overall things to do, it's on top. Extremely ethnically diverse too, which is great. I've never seen a city this diverse.

Thunder Bay is...well the scenery and wilderness surrounding the city is beautiful - all of Northern Ontario is. In terms of the city itself...If you weren't born there or something I'd never suggest living there though. Lots of social and economic issues.

 

[Kuroi Gogeta]

I moved to Vancouver last year it's pretty good here. Warm weather, close to the ocean, lots of nature to look at, strong international influence. It's a rich person/bohemian city.

 

[Matrix XII]

Vancouver is a beautiful city with lots to do. I haven't been to Montreal but apparently it has a great nightlife if that's what you're looking for.

 

[Dyno]

Toronto isn't for everyone but if nightclubs, bars, resturants, shopping, and festivals are your thing the city is the biggest and best. Pride was last week and it was amazing all week. Carribana and Electric Island are coming right up. It just goes and goes all summer long and unlike most Canadian cities, Toronto doesn't sleep.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

*

Spoiler

Full disclosure: There may be some consensual puffin wankery during long weekends.

I call bullshit on you having ever seen a puffin in Halifax outside the carved/painted ones at the Museum of Natural History.

That's right, I will shit on every other Canadian city until only Halifax and bits of Dartmouth remain standing! Enjoy Halifax - or else!

Eh Dartmouth can fuck off too.

The view is better in Dartmouth.

Spoiler

Everyone not in NS is like 'wtf is a Dartmouth'.

 

[Gilby]

I live in Vancouver, used to live in Toronto, and have visited Montreal.

Vancouver is my favourite, especially in summer.

 

[Heshinsi]

Don't come to Edmonton. Everything is always under construction. People calling Toronto boring are crazy. Come here and see what that word truly means. The most exciting thing to happen Edmonton in the last 20 years, is Connor McDavid. Which is why tourists who accidentally come here, flock to him to take photos.

On a side note, why can't they use whatever they built the Hendey with, for the city's two other highways? The Whitemud and Yellowhead always look like they've just been carpet bombed

But yeah, Vancouver > any other major city in Canada.

 

[Dot-N-Run]

I like how the number of posts advocating Vancouver has increased now that people on the west coast are getting up.

But it really depends what you want to do to be honest. If you are looking to do some outdoorsy stuff Vancouver would be your best bet out of those three.

 

[rashbeep]

I'm from Toronto and been to every major city in Canada.

Vancouver has the best views
Montreal has the best everything else

 

[shira]

Montreal, but I'm biased. Lots of cultural events, great restaurants of all kinds, retains some of its European flair. And living here I love the bilingual nature of the city.

If you smoke, definitely Montreal.
If you don't, definitely not Montreal

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Haven't been to Vancouver (only its airport, which was nice, mind... and I usually hate airports), but out of Toronto and Montreal I vastly prefer Montreal.

I'm biased since I live here, but having gone to Toronto a bunch of times... I'm getting a bit fed up by it I guess.

If you smoke, definitely Montreal.
If you don't, definitely not Montreal

Huh??

 

[Oppo]

I'm from Toronto and been to every major city in Canada.

Vancouver has the best views
Montreal has the best everything else

*cough*infrastructure*cough*

OP was talking visiting... I feel the order is gonna be different, if you are talking visiting vs living-in.

Huh??

they still smoke in church in Quebec.

 

[Falchion]

I've always heard Montreal is awesome but I haven't been yet. Halifax and Toronto were cool but I'll probably go with Vancouver.

 

[djkimothy]

Grew up in Ottawa now i work here. Other than public transportation (see sens game sellout?) its a nice city to live in.

 

[Col WillieSharp]

My favorite city in Canada is Ottowa because when I was a little boy, and my father was teaching me the capitals of other countries, he taught it to me like this:

"AH tuh WAAAAAA!!!!!!!"

Then we watched Kung Fu movies on WOR NY.

 

[Viewt]

I've only been to Montreal, but I liked it a lot. Interesting people, great food, a real feeling of cultural diversity, decent public transit, and the USD exchange rate made everything pretty affordable. Plus it has Joe Beef, where I had the best meal of my life.

I'm sure Toronto and Vancouver are also great, but I really liked Montreal a lot. Would recommend and return.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

they still smoke in church in Quebec.

Do they? I wouldn't know, I don't go to church (can't say I'd really cry for religious people who insist on killing themselves slowly though... ). Smoking is banning indoors just about everywhere here, and we're all better for it.

 

[nasax]

I was in Vancouver for a week a few years ago and I didn't want to leave.

Same here, I was actually bummed out when I returned home because I missed Vancouver.

I would like to visit Montreal one day though.

 

[Bigfoot]

Anything that isn't Toronto!

Actually it is a tie between Vancouver and Montreal

 

[Dabanton]

If you're visiting somewhere then Vancouver.

Food is amazing. The main city is great. Very close to beaches and forests.

 

[shnurgleton]

Medicine Hat because of its name

What a funny thing to call a city

 

[TheExodu5]

As someone who live in Ottawa:

1. Vancouver
2. Quebec City
3. Ottawa
4. St-John's
5. Toronto
6. Montreal

I loathe Montreal. It's one of the ugliest cities around. Concrete jungle through and through. Quebec City is absolutely beautiful in comparison.

Vancouver strikes the perfect balance, and is the most beautiful city in North America. Incredible food to boot. And Victoria makes for a nice 1-2 day trip...go down to the ferry in the morning and enjoy the ride to Victoria. Have dome fresh oysters during happy hour by the water.

St-John's is up there not because of the city, but because of the incredibly friendly people and the most incredible hiking trails I've ever been on.

 

[The Omega Man]

Montreal, now that is summer is at its peak, Jazz festival is kicking off soon witch brings a ton of free concerts and events, food scene is amazing, you can party hard if you are looking for that or just chill on a bike ride. Plenty of possibilities and variety.

 

[Oppo]

Do they? I wouldn't know, I don't go to church (can't say I'd really cry for religious people who insist on killing themselves slowly though... ). Smoking is banning indoors just about everywhere here, and we're all better for it.

it's an old Kids In The Hall reference

I lived in Ottawa for 2 years and had a very mixed experience. Downtown core / Hill is quite beautiful, as is neighbouring Hull.. but most of the city? frankly a depressing small-town visage. and after a hockey game there are remnants of folks partying WAY too hard, everywhere.

and you can't get any decent food delivery to save your life. need a car. no pets on public transit. saw a bus driver kick off a kid with a fucking goldfish in a bag once. a goldfish! couldn't bring my dog into MEC or Crappy Tire, which wasn't a problem in Toronto.

lots of lame by-laws. technically illegal to be in a public park after dark. wtf kind of infantilizing horseshit is that.

but amazing bike paths, I'll give 'em that.

 

[Represent.]

All this Toronto hate lol.

Toronto is Canada's biggest and best city OP, don't listen to GAF.

 

[Foolworm]

Fresh meat and vegetables in Canada taste really bland compared to Europe. Probably has to do with the regulations and the weather.

You might want to check your tongue, it might have been replaced by some parasitic bug (don't search this).

On a side note, why can't they use whatever they built the Hendey with, for the city's two other highways? The Whitemud and Yellowhead always look like they've just been carpet bombed

That's because the Henday has wads of money going into it, being maintained by the Province and all. City maintained roads are generally serviceable to... yeah.

 

[TheExodu5]

Montreal, now that is summer is at its peak, Jazz festival is kicking off soon witch brings a ton of free concerts and events, food scene is amazing, you can party hard if you are looking for that or just chill on a bike ride. Plenty of possibilities and variety.

Speaking of Jazz Fest, if you're in Montreal on the 30th, or in Toronto tonight, do yourself and go see Hiromi & Edmar Castenada. Hands down the most amazing concert I've ever seen.

 

[jet1911]

https://www.infofestival.com/en/

If you plan on visiting Canada between july 6 and 16 you might want to stop by Quebec City for the Festival d'été de Québec. Pretty great lineup of artists.

 

[dtrush]

Vancouver easily, North Shore mountains, Stanley Park, Whistler, beaches all within 30min-1hr. Plus the amazing food especially if you enjoy asian cuisine.

 

[Mango Positive]

I can't speak to Toronto or Montreal, but Vancouver is freaking beautiful. Mountains and ocean right by the city. Lots to do. We planned our vacation around 2 concerts happening within the week and had some great nightlife as well.

 

[jstripes]

All this Toronto hate lol.

Toronto is Canada's biggest and best city OP, don't listen to GAF.

The thing with Toronto is that it wasn't built as a tourist destination. It was built as a place for people in Toronto. That's what makes it so good.

We've got food and shopping for ever taste, from the ramshackle Kensington Market to the high class Yorkville. We've got world renowned festivals like TIFF. We've got all kinds of live music every night of the week, with local scenes for every genre. The arts are thriving here. We've got world class* cultural institutions like the ROM and AGO. We've got a great waterfront, from Habourfront to The Beaches to the Scarborough Bluffs. There's no city as culturally diverse on this planet, as certified by the BBC. There's nice parks to relax in, like Trinity Bellwoods. We've got amazing neighbourhoods. In fact, a few years back, West Queen West was rated the second coolest neighbourhood in the world by Vogue.

When you build for tourists, you end up with neon shit piles like Times Square that locals avoid like the plague. Yonge and Dundas Square is getting close to that, but not quite yet.

(*The rest of Canada insists we don't use the term "world class", but fuck them.)

 

[uncleniccius]

I did a trip to all three + quebec a month ago.

Would not recommend quebec, it is pretty boring compared with the others.

Montreal is French which makes it more interesting culturally. Toronto is like a mini NYC but in my opinion lacks the claustrophobic thing that makes me hate NYC. Tall buildings everywhere just isn't nice. And you can get a day tour of niagara by coach which is fucking amazing.

Vancouver is beautiful and has tons of stuff around.

You can't go wrong but I'd lean towards toronto or Montreal.

 

[jstripes]

Montreal is French which makes it more interesting culturally. Toronto is like a mini NYC but in my opinion lacks the claustrophobic thing that makes me hate NYC. Tall buildings everywhere just isn't nice. And you can get a day tour of niagara by coach which is fucking amazing.

Coach? Gross. Take the GO Train to Niagara.

 

[CrudeDiatribe]

(*The rest of Canada insists we don't use the term "world class", but fuck them.)

We do? We use the term all the time to refer to Toronto. Occasionally it's even meant sincerely.

 

[Entropia]

Of all the major Canadian cities I've ever really only spent time in Toronto and Calgary. Two very different places.

Toronto has a lot going on in the city, but I absolutely love Calgary because of what's going on around the city, i.e. the mountains.

 

[bananafactory]

Honestly really happy here in Edmonton. I know it's not popular among Canada GAF but as someone who doesn't mind winter it's got a lot going for it.

I can drive end to end in 45 minutes, the River Valley has endless trails to run and bike, got my pro sports fix, tons of great summer festivals like Heritage Days/Fringe/Taste/Folkfest etc. The local beer and food scenes have really taken off making going out actually exciting for the first time like, ever. Cost of living is reasonable and it's close to the gorgeous Rockies.

Been to Vancouver/Toronto/Montreal and had a blast there but all a bit too 'busy' for me to live. However for someone who's just looking to 'experience' a city and not necessarily settle there I'd probably vote Vancouver. It's hard to beat that location and there's just so much to do.

 

[TheExodu5]

https://www.infofestival.com/en/

If you plan on visiting Canada between july 6 and 16 you might want to stop by Quebec City for the Festival d'été de Québec. Pretty great lineup of artists.

Similar timeline, but for Ottawa:
http://www.ottawabluesfest.ca/timeline/

50 Cent and Muse seem like the biggest draws this year.

 

[umop_3pisdn]

Toronto wasn't really built with tourism in mind. It's a great place to live with lots of things to do, but it's one of those places where you really need a guide to get the best of it.

Yeah this.

 

[dankir]

*cough*infrastructure*cough*

OP was talking visiting... I feel the order is gonna be different, if you are talking visiting vs living-in.


they still smoke in church in Quebec.

But that's we're building a new Champlain Bridge, replacing the Turcot, work on Decarie PLUS ALL THE other construction projects at the same fucking time!

Life long Montrealer here, love this city but yeah the construction is ridiculous. I live in the South Shore and work from home. So I don't have to deal with any of that.

OP Montreal is the best. Food, nightlight, things to do, women, safe and tons of activities, festivals, etc.

 

[Heshinsi]

Honestly really happy here in Edmonton. I know it's not popular among Canada GAF but as someone who doesn't mind winter it's got a lot going for it.

I can drive end to end in 45 minutes, the River Valley has endless trails to run and bike, got my pro sports fix, tons of great summer festivals like Heritage Days/Fringe/Taste/Folkfest etc. The local beer and food scenes have really taken off making going out actually exciting for the first time like, ever. Cost of living is reasonable and it's close to the gorgeous Rockies.

Been to Vancouver/Toronto/Montreal and had a blast there but all a bit too 'busy' for me to live. However for someone who's just looking to 'experience' a city and not necessarily settle there I'd probably vote Vancouver. It's hard to beat that location and there's just so much to do.

The river valley and the festivals don't make up for the horrendous drivers and near constant construction this city has. And don't get me started on the ridiculous weather; warm to cold then back to warm, and then a little freeze your ass rain, all in the span of an hour. A left the house in a t-shirt because it was warm

 

[Syf]

Vancouver, easy. Lots to do, gorgeous, great food.

 

[Oppo]

The thing with Toronto is that it wasn't built as a tourist destination. It was built as a place for people in Toronto. That's what makes it so good.

We've got food and shopping for ever taste, from the ramshackle Kensington Market to the high class Yorkville. We've got world renowned festivals like TIFF. We've got all kinds of live music every night of the week, with local scenes for every genre. The arts are thriving here. We've got world class* cultural institutions like the ROM and AGO. We've got a great waterfront, from Habourfront to The Beaches to the Scarborough Bluffs. There's no city as culturally diverse on this planet, as certified by the BBC. There's nice parks to relax in, like Trinity Bellwoods. We've got amazing neighbourhoods. In fact, a few years back, West Queen West was rated the second coolest neighbourhood in the world by Vogue.

I would like to add: a pretty kickass indie dev game scene.

Also there's a bar on Dundas West that lets you order up retro console games to play from a menu at the bar. I mean, c'mon.

Spoiler

I will ignore Toronto's continuing pinball by-laws that are beyond stupid

But that's we're building a new Champlain Bridge, replacing the Turcot, work on Decarie PLUS ALL THE other construction projects at the same fucking time!

Life long Montrealer here, love this city but yeah the construction is ridiculous. I live in the South Shore and work from home. So I don't have to deal with any of that.

OP Montreal is the best. Food, nightlight, things to do, women, safe and tons of activities, festivals, etc.

Fair enough - the only thing I'll add to this is, it seemed like I had to queue up for any remotely popular restaurant in Montreal. Was oddly common. Whereas that's pretty rare in Toronto (a line out the door, I mean).