Canada is studded with treasures, but 15 sites stand out, making up an exclusive list, Unesco's World Heritage List, for their outstanding universal value.
There are six cultural sites and nine natural sites. Alberta is the best endowed - there are five there. Do you know what they are, where they are and how to get there? Read on...
Alberta
Waterton Lakes National Park was joined with Glacier National Park in Montana in 1932 to become the world’s first International Peace Park. (website: www.pc.gc.ca)
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump - for thousands of years the resting place of bison driven over the cliff by Plains Indians. It's the largest, oldest, best-preserved bison jump in the world. (website: www.head-smashed-in.com)
Dinosaur Provincial Park, some of the most extensive dinosaur bone fields in the world. (website: alberta.ca)
Wood Buffalo National Park Canada's largest park and the second-largest national park in the world where wood bison still roam free. (website: www.pc.gc.ca)
Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, made up of Banff, Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho, and Mount Robson, Mount Assiniboine and Hamber provincial parks. Out-of-this-world landscapes of towering mountains, snowy peaks, crystal-clear lakes and sparkling waterfalls. We cheat a little here, not all the parks are in AB. This spectacular mountain landscape is part BC's too. (websites: www.pc.gc.ca)
Search and compare:cheap flights to Alberta
L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site
The Vikings were here. At the edge of the Great Northern Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland you'll find reconstructions of three Norse buildings, evidence of the first European presence in North America. (website: www.pc.gc.ca)
Search and compare:cheap flights to Deer Lake (the start of the Viking Trail)
Historic District of Old Québec
The only walled city in North America; almost half of the buildings were built before 1850. The cobblestone streets and stone buildings evoke the best of Europe in Canada. (website: www.ville.quebec.qc.ca)
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Old Town Lunenburg
The town in Nova Scotia was established in 1753 and is the best surviving example of a planned British colonial settlement in North America. Of the 400 major buildings in the Old Town, 70 per cent date from the 18th and 19th centuries. A charming, charming town. (website: www.explorelunenburg.ca)
Search and compare:cheap flights to Halifax (the closest airport)
Rideau Canal
Built by the British in the 19th century, the canal covers 202km of the Rideau and Cataraqui rivers from Ottawa south to Kingston Harbour on Lake Ontario. Its attractions between May and October are obvious - biking or hiking along the paths, boating on the water. In the winter, it turns into the world's largest skating rink. (website: www.pc.gc.ca)
Search and compare:cheap flights to Toronto | cheap flights to Ottawa
SGang Gwaay
The standing totem poles and remains of cedar longhouses offer a glimpse into what a traditional Northwest Coast First Nations village was like. SGaang Gwaii (formerly Anthony Island) is one of the 138 islands that make up Haida Gwaii (the Queen Charlotte Islands). (website: www.pc.gc.ca)
Search and compare:cheap flights to Vancouver (nearest major airport where you can catch an Air Canada flight to Sandspit)
Gros Morne National Park
Breathtaking, see-before-you-die landscapes - shimmering waterfalls, deep, clear pools, fjords and sandy beaches. The highlights are Western Brook Pond, Trout River Pond and the Tablelands. (website: www.pc.gc.ca)
Search and compare:cheap flights to Deer Lake (the closest airport)
Joggins Fossil Cliffs
Preserved in these cliffs are the creatures who walked, crawled and slithered during the Coal Age, 300 million years ago. The most complete fossil record that you'll find anywhere. (website: jogginsfossilcliffs.net)
Search and compare:cheap flights to Halifax | Moncton (the nearest airports)
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Updated September 2009
