Wandering Well · Country

Canada.

Less-touristed places, sorted by Wander Well Score.

Kaslo, Canada
Gold
Mountain villages

Kaslo

Canada

Photogenic village on the west shore of Kootenay Lake in southeastern British Columbia, Kaslo has a small but real café and restaurant scene for its size.

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Revelstoke, Canada
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Revelstoke

Revelstoke · Canada

This compact city in southeastern British Columbia where the Columbia River meets the Illecillewaet, Revelstoke sits at the foot of the Selkirk Mountains wit…

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Nelson, Canada
Silver
Mountain villages

Nelson

Nelson · Canada

This photogenic little city on the western arm of Kootenay Lake in British Columbia's Selkirk Mountains, Nelson has a café and restaurant scene that punches…

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Cumberland, Canada
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Cumberland

Cumberland · Canada

A compact Vancouver Island village with a well-preserved early-20th-century downtown streetscape of painted timber storefronts, set among forested hills with…

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Chase, Canada
Bronze
Mountain villages

Chase

Chase · Canada

Sitting at the outlet of Little Shuswap Lake where it becomes the South Thompson River, Chase is a compact village in British Columbia's Interior with mounta…

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Lunenburg, Canada
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Lunenburg

Lunenburg · Canada

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995, Lunenburg is a port town on Nova Scotia's South Shore whose original 1753 street layout and wooden vernacular archit…

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Carleton-sur-Mer, Canada
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Carleton-sur-Mer

Carleton-sur-Mer · Canada

A modest town on the south shore of Quebec's Gaspésie region, Carleton-sur-Mer sits along Chaleur Bay, where two sandbars meet to form a barachois lagoon fre…

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Dawson City, Canada
Silver
Mountain villages

Dawson City

Dawson · Canada

Dawson City, at the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike rivers in Canada's Yukon territory, is defined by its role in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896–1899, w…

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Kamloops, Canada
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Kamloops

Kamloops · Canada

Sitting at the confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers in south-central British Columbia, Kamloops is a city with a walkable, café-lined centre, sc…

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Sun Peaks, Canada
Bronze
Mountain villages

Sun Peaks

Canada

Built around a ski resort established in 1961 and formerly known as Tod Mountain, Sun Peaks is a compact village in the mountains of British Columbia, northe…

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Merritt, Canada
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Merritt

Merritt · Canada

Officially designated Canada's Country Music Capital, Merritt is a small city in British Columbia's Nicola Valley where the Nicola and Coldwater rivers meet.

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Harbour Breton, Canada
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Harbour Breton

Canada

A fishing village on the south coast of Newfoundland's Connaigre Peninsula, Harbour Breton sits at the edge of Fortune Bay with hilly terrain rising behind i…

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New Denver, Canada
Gold
Mountain villages

New Denver

New Denver · Canada

This small village on the east shore of Slocan Lake in British Columbia's West Kootenay region sits where Carpenter Creek meets the lake, with mountain backd…

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Port Moody, Canada
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Port Moody

Canada

Waterfront city at the east end of Burrard Inlet in Metro Vancouver, Port Moody pairs a walkable food-and-drink scene with views of the Coast Mountains and s…

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Telegraph Cove, Canada
Bronze
Mountain villages

Telegraph Cove

Mount Waddington D · Canada

A tiny former fishing and cannery village on northern Vancouver Island, Telegraph Cove is now a base for kayaking and whale-watching in Johnstone Strait, whe…

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Souris, Canada
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Souris

Souris · Canada

This small waterfront town near the northeastern tip of Prince Edward Island, Souris sits in a region known for its beaches and has a café and restaurant sce…

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Penticton, Canada
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Penticton

Canada

Sitting between two lakes in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, Penticton is a photogenic town with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants and easy…

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Kelowna, Canada
Gold
Wine country

Kelowna

Canada

This walkable city on the shores of Okanagan Lake in southern British Columbia, Kelowna sits at the heart of BC's wine country and draws visitors with a live…

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Sainte-Anne-de-la-Perade, Canada
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Sainte-Anne-de-la-Perade

Canada

Every winter, a temporary village of fishing huts rises on the frozen Sainte-Anne River at this compact Quebec municipality, which calls itself the world cap…

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Oliver, Canada
Bronze
Wine country

Oliver

Oliver · Canada

Billed as the Wine Capital of Canada by Tourism British Columbia, Oliver is a small town near the south end of British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, sitting al…

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Salmon Arm, Canada
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Salmon Arm

Salmon Arm · Canada

Salmon Arm sits on the shores of Shuswap Lake in British Columbia's Southern Interior, home to the longest wooden freshwater wharf in North America.

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Nakusp, Canada
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Nakusp

Nakusp · Canada

Tiny village on the shore of Upper Arrow Lake in British Columbia's West Kootenay region, Nakusp sits between the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges and is…

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Mahone Bay, Canada
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Mahone Bay

Mahone Bay · Canada

A small waterfront town on Nova Scotia's South Shore, Mahone Bay is known for its photogenic streetscape of historic churches and sits near a UNESCO World He…

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Lambton, Canada
Bronze

Lambton

Lambton · Canada

This compact rural municipality in Quebec's Estrie region sits directly on the water with mountain views, giving it a strong visual appeal for visitors passi…

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Caplan, Canada
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Caplan

Caplan · Canada

A waterfront municipality on Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula with a strong photographic profile, Caplan sits along Chaleur Bay in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine…

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Inverness, Canada
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Inverness

Inverness, Subd. B · Canada

This little waterside village on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, sits within an hour's drive of Cape Breton Highlands National Park to the north and the Can…

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Ainsworth Hot Springs, Canada
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Ainsworth Hot Springs

Canada

Founded in 1883 by steamboat operator George Ainsworth, this little historic village on the shore of Kootenay Lake in British Columbia draws visitors to its…

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Grand Forks, Canada
Silver
Mountain villages

Grand Forks

Grand Forks · Canada

A small British Columbia town where the Granby and Kettle Rivers meet, Grand Forks sits in mountain terrain just north of the Canada–United States border in…

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Norris Point, Canada
Gold
Mountain villages

Norris Point

Canada

This pocket-sized waterfront village on Bonne Bay in western Newfoundland, Norris Point sits at the edge of Gros Morne National Park amid mountain terrain.

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Milan, Canada
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Milan

Milan · Canada

This tiny waterside municipality in Quebec's Estrie region, Milan sits in sight of mountains in the Le Granit area.

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Bridgewater, Canada
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Bridgewater

Bridgewater · Canada

This pocket-sized Nova Scotia town sits at the navigable limit of the LaHave River on Nova Scotia's South Shore, with a café and restaurant scene that is unu…

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Maple Creek, Canada
Bronze

Maple Creek

Maple Creek · Canada

This compact Saskatchewan ranching town with a well-worn main street of clapboard storefronts and old hotel signs, sitting near the rolling Cypress Hills and…

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Chambord, Canada
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Chambord

Canada

Val-Jalbert, a historic village within Chambord's municipal boundaries, is the main draw to this tiny Quebec community on the shores of Lac-Saint-Jean, in th…

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Ladysmith, Canada
Silver
Mountain villages

Ladysmith

Ladysmith · Canada

A small harbour town on the east coast of Vancouver Island, Ladysmith sits right on the water at the 49th parallel, with a café and restaurant scene that pun…

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McBride, Canada
Gold
Inland waterside towns

McBride

McBride · Canada

A compact village in British Columbia's Robson Valley, McBride sits alongside the river with the Rocky Mountains and Cariboo Ranges rising on either side.

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Chester, Canada
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Chester

Chester · Canada

This small Nova Scotia sailing village wrapped around a deep blue harbour dotted with moored boats, where wooded shorelines, waterfront docks, and a compact…

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Eganville, Canada
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Eganville

Bonnechere Valley · Canada

Billed as the Ordovician Fossil Capital of Canada, this small Ontario village sits in a deep limestone valley carved by the Bonnechere River, where fossils s…

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Shawinigan, Canada
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Shawinigan

Canada

Birthplace of former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Shawinigan is a Quebec city on the Saint-Maurice River in the Mauricie region, with a compact centre of ca…

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Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard, Canada
Bronze
Mountain villages

Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard

Canada

This lake-country municipality in Quebec's Laurentian Mountains, Saint-Adolphe-d'Howard sits on the shores of Lake Saint-Joseph and counts close to seventy l…

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Shawnigan Lake, Canada
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Shawnigan Lake

Canada

A small lakeside town on Vancouver Island, where dense Pacific Northwest forest surrounds a little pond and Tudor-style buildings, with forested hills rollin…

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Silver Star Mountain, Canada
Silver
Hiking & national-park bases

Silver Star Mountain

Canada

Ski resort in the Monashee Mountains of British Columbia, northeast of Vernon, Silver Star Mountain operates a snow season from late November to mid-April an…

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New Westminster, Canada
Gold
Inland waterside towns

New Westminster

Canada

British Columbia's first mainland capital, founded in 1858 on the banks of the Fraser River, New Westminster retains a concentration of Victorian-era buildin…

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Nanaimo, Canada
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Nanaimo

Nanaimo · Canada

Nanaimo sits right on the harbour along British Columbia's Vancouver Island, with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and heritage buildings, an…

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Slocan, Canada
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Slocan

Slocan · Canada

A small waterfront hamlet in British Columbia's West Kootenay region, Slocan sits at the foot of Slocan Lake where Springer Creek meets the water, with mount…

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Stratford, Canada
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Stratford

Canada

Named after Stratford-upon-Avon and home to the Stratford Festival — a major theatre event running Shakespearean plays and other genres from May to October —…

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Kingston, Canada
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Kingston

Kingston · Canada

Nicknamed the "Limestone City" for its many heritage buildings constructed from local limestone, Kingston sits where Lake Ontario meets the St.

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Naramata, Canada
Bronze
Wine country

Naramata

Canada

Small wine-country village on the eastern shore of Okanagan Lake in south-central British Columbia, Naramata is known for its high concentration of wineries…

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Red Deer, Canada
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Red Deer

Red Deer · Canada

This mid-sized Alberta city on the Red Deer River, roughly halfway between Calgary and Edmonton, with a walkable centre offering a solid range of cafés and r…

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Yuquot, Canada
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Yuquot

Yuquot 1 · Canada

Yuquot — also called Friendly Cove — on Nootka Island off British Columbia's west coast was the first place in British Columbia visited by Europeans, when Ja…

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Compton, Canada
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Compton

Compton · Canada

This weathered wooden covered bridge spans a rocky river in this little Quebec municipality, set amid bare-treed upland country in the Estrie region, offerin…

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Victoria West, Canada
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Victoria West

Victoria · Canada

Victoria West — known locally as Vic West — is a historic neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia, just across the harbour from downtown, with a walkable…

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Huntsville, Canada
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Huntsville

Canada

Walkable town in Ontario's Muskoka District with a centre full of cafés and restaurants, Huntsville sits amid the lakes and hilly terrain of the Canadian Shi…

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Princeton, Canada
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Princeton

Princeton · Canada

A modest town in southern British Columbia where the Tulameen meets the Similkameen River, Princeton sits at the edge of the Cascade Mountains and is unusual…

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Haliburton, Canada
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Haliburton

Canada

A cottage-country destination in Central Ontario, Haliburton County is known for its lake scenery, resident artists, and a modest central core with cafés and…

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Manseau, Canada
Bronze

Manseau

Manseau · Canada

A small Québec municipality in Centre-du-Québec, Manseau spreads along a main road through flat, heavily snow-covered farmland and forest, with a church stee…

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Ingonish, Canada
Silver
Coast & island escapes

Ingonish

Victoria, Subd. A · Canada

A cluster of small settlements on Cape Breton Island's Atlantic coast, Ingonish sits within Cape Breton Highlands National Park and along the Cabot Trail sce…

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Huron East, Canada
Bronze

Huron East

Canada

A little Ontario town where a broad main street lined with Victorian-era brick storefronts and twin clock towers gives the compact downtown a solid, well-pre…

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Cowansville, Canada
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Cowansville

Cowansville · Canada

A compact Quebec town built around Lac Davignon, Cowansville sits in the Eastern Townships region of south-central Quebec, with a central core of cafés and r…

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Terrace, Canada
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

Terrace

Terrace · Canada

Regional hub in British Columbia's Skeena valley where the Kitsumkalum River meets the Skeena, Terrace sits close to mountains with cafés and restaurants con…

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Deseronto, Canada
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Deseronto

Canada

A tiny Ontario town on the shore of the Bay of Quinte, Deseronto sits at the mouth of the Napanee River with water views and several historic churches for a…

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More places in Canada below the top of the list — pagination coming.