Canada is one of the rare countries in the world that sits on three oceans: Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic. This means that although a good portion of the country is landlocked, it also has a lot of coastline, lined with fishing villages, resort towns and island communities full of historical buildings, cute shops and friendly people.
Click through this gallery to discover the 30 Canadian coastal towns and villages our well-travelled team think are the most charming...
Located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Tofino’s big ocean waves have long attracted surfers and storm watchers looking to feel like they’re sitting on the edge of the world. But despite its relative remoteness, the community is also home to a surprising number of great amenities. Its Wickaninnish Inn is one of Canada’s cosiest luxury hotels and the Wolf In The Fog restaurant serves up award-winning fare based around locally fished and foraged produce.
Lunenburg is pretty much the poster child for adorable East Coast towns. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, around 70% of the town’s original buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries are still intact and painted in the town’s signature bright colours. Lunenburg is also full of Nova Scotia’s trademark friendliness, fun shops and restaurants that trade in fresh Nova Scotia lobster dinners and seafood chowder.
Not to be confused with the much larger west coast city of Victoria, British Columbia, PEI’s Victoria-by-the-Sea is a tiny fishing village that drips with maritime charm. When the Trans-Canada Highway was built in the 1950s, it bypassed the town, which gave it a chance to retain its old-time qualities. Today, it’s a popular place to relax and enjoy the ocean or eat oysters and other locally caught seafood.
Known to many as the lobster capital of the world and home to a famed giant lobster statue, Shediac is not only a hotbed for lobster fisheries, but is also rich in Acadian culture. The majority of Shediac’s residents are still of Acadian heritage, with their earliest ancestors having arrived in the mid-1700s. In more modern times, the town is particularly popular with holidaymakers thanks to its famously warm waters and sandy beaches.
The town of Twillingate is spread over the two land masses that make up Newfoundland’s Twillingate Islands, located just north of the province’s main island. The area is renowned for its sea life: with huge icebergs sitting just off the shore of Notre Dame Bay, there are plenty of whales, dolphins and seals living nearby. The town itself is full of museums dedicated to the history of the local fishing industry and the people who have settled in this remote corner of Newfoundland.
Percé, located in Québec’s maritime region near the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, is most celebrated for the Percé Rock, a huge offshore rock formation with a natural arch at the bottom. The town of Percé itself is a charming seaside community full of heritage buildings, artisanal shops and opportunities for outdoor adventure. It’s also quite close to Bonaventure Island, a popular spot for birdwatchers, with over 200 kinds of bird living on or visiting the tiny islet.
This village on the east coast of Nova Scotia (on Mahone Bay) has unfettered access to the Atlantic Ocean, which makes it a major stop for yachting enthusiasts. It hosts Canada’s largest keel racing regatta but is also a pretty spot with plenty of bed and breakfast accommodations and coastal hiking and biking trails. Chester is also close to the Big Tancook and Little Tancook islands, which can easily be reached by ferry.
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One of New Brunswick’s most picturesque communities, the town of St Andrews (or St Andrews-by-the-Sea) sits on the sheltered waters of Passamaquoddy Bay on the southern shore of the province. The town was settled in the late 1700s by British loyalists escaping the American Revolution. St Andrews is such a pristine example of a British village in Canada that it has been declared a national historic site.
Substantially larger than many other towns on this list, Nanaimo is actually a small city on the Strait of Georgia that runs along the east coast of Vancouver Island, but it still retains a certain small-town vibe. With one of Canada’s longest municipal waterfronts, Nanaimo has all the amenities that come with a larger community, with access to nature both from the water and inland. It’s also known as the birthplace of the Nanaimo bar, one of Canada’s most beloved desserts.
The largest town above the Northwest Territories’ tree line and the only Canadian community on the Arctic Ocean that’s accessible to the rest of Canada by road, Tuktoyaktuk is a friendly hamlet with a large Inuit population. The community’s history is apparent throughout the town, with traditional sod houses still standing and uniquely Arctic foods like muktuk (whale blubber) available to try.
British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast is a portion of Canada's west coast north of Vancouver that is not accessible by road. The town of Gibsons is a 40-minute ferry ride from Vancouver, offering a refreshing and relatively quick getaway from the big city. Gibsons is best known as the location where popular Canadian TV show The Beachcombers was filmed in the1970s and 1980s. Many Canadians will recognise the Molly’s Reach café, which featured prominently on the programme.
As part of the Canadian prairies, Manitoba is pretty landlocked, save for the northern part of the province that sits on the shores of the Hudson Bay. As the polar bear capital of the world, the town is best known as a hub for wildlife tours. Depending on the season, tour goers can often experience the thrill of seeing snow-white polar bears and beluga whales up close on the very same day.
Annapolis Royal is a small town in Nova Scotia’s lush Annapolis Valley on the west coast of the province. Settled by the French in the early 1600s as Port Royal, the beautiful and fertile area attracts artists, writers and nature lovers seeking a mix of culture and natural beauty. The town’s centre is made up of gorgeous heritage buildings and streetscapes that pay tribute to the community’s rich and long history.
As northwest as one can get on British Columbia’s Pacific coast, Prince Rupert lies just below the tip of the Alaskan panhandle. The area has a long history in coastal First Nations culture and the city continues to have a prevalent First Nations population. The presence of nature is profound in this part of the province, but culture also runs deep with museums detailing canneries that helped build the city as well as First Nations art galleries and totem poles.
Newfoundland’s many craggy peninsulas make for plenty of beautiful small towns that are surrounded by spectacular ocean views. Legend has it that when Italian explorer John Cabot landed in the area in 1487, he exclaimed "O Buon Vista" (oh happy sight), giving the eventual town its name. He wasn’t wrong, with the town and its nearby lighthouse offering views of icebergs and humpback whales. Cabot’s influence still lingers here – there’s a replica of his ship in Bonavista Harbour.
A mid-sized town on New Brunswick’s Acadian Peninsula, Caraquet is widely regarded as the capital of Acadia. Originally inhabited by the Mi'kmaq people, the town was settled by Acadians in the 1750s. It’s still chock-full of historic buildings scattered along the waterfront that tell the story of the community. Today, the town works hard to maintain its historic feel so that it doesn’t lose its authentic flavour.
An Acadian settlement that was founded way back in 1727, this town near PEI’s eastern tip was named after the mice that infiltrated the town in its early days (the name means 'mouse' in French). Souris is much loved for its beach areas and the historic lighthouse that stands as its most famous landmark. The view from the lighthouse is remarkable, giving visitors a view of the Cape Breton Highlands when the weather is clear.
The lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove is one of Canada’s most iconic landmarks, but there’s much more to this site on the east coast of Nova Scotia. The village at St Margaret’s Bay is a picture-perfect little fishing town, with a museum and many colourful murals to see on the walk up to the lighthouse. There’s only a couple of dozen permanent residents, but the town is typically full of visitors looking to catch a glimpse of the lighthouse and the waves crashing on the rocks below.
Salt Spring Island is the most populous of the Southern Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia, between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia lower mainland. Ganges is the main town on the island, a collection of shops and restaurants along with art galleries and services like banks and gas stations. The town has a spacious park right on the water that is home to a very popular artisans’ market held seasonally.
Brigus sits on the breathtaking Conception Bay, a particularly sheltered body of water in the most eastern part of Newfoundland. Incredibly scenic, the English-style fishing village is named after an old British town called Brickhouse, which sounds like Brigus when pronounced with a thick Newfoundland accent. It’s also close to the equally adorably named town of Cupid.
The east coast of Nova Scotia is lined with sublime little towns and Mahone Bay is one of the most striking, largely because of the trio of classic churches that sit right on the waterfront. The rest of the town lives up to the look of the churches, with colourful Victorian houses and meticulously maintained gardens. A draw for tourists driving along the coast, the town is also packed with quaint shops selling wares from local artists.
Ucluelet is often overshadowed by the relative glamour of nearby Tofino, but it has its own distinct character. Surrounded by the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Ucluelet has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The wow factor comes from the surrounding nature, with the roaring Pacific Ocean, the endless beaches and the ancient cedar trees that line the rugged coastline around the Pacific Rim Trail.
Sainte-Anne-des-Monts is an inviting town that sits on the south side of the St Lawrence estuary on the Gaspé Peninsula. Wedged between the water and the Chic-Choc Mountains, the area is full of opportunities for outdoor pursuits and is known as the driftwood capital of Québec. There’s lots of sea life to be seen, either out in nature or at the world-class Exploramer aquarium.
The small town of Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove is just 15 minutes south of St John’s and is also a short jaunt from Cape Spear, the most easterly point in North America. It was one of the earliest landing points when European settlers came to North America, predating the Mayflower. Fishing is both the historic and current industry in the area, with cod and snow crab fisheries still active.
A little off the beaten path, Sointula is on the south shore of Malcolm Island, a small island off the north coast of Vancouver Island. The town is noteworthy because of its remote location, but what makes it truly remarkable is its beginnings as an idealistic Finnish colony in the late 1800s. It’s still got a hint of that utopian vibe, with BC’s longest-running co-operative general store and a strong music and arts scene.
Part of Nova Scotia’s Lighthouse Route, Shelburne’s appeal lies in both its long history and its proximity to the Bowers Meadows Wilderness Area. The Mi’kmaq people have lived in the area for generations and French Acadians started to settle in the late 1600s. Located on the south end of Nova Scotia, Shelburne is actually closer to Portland, Maine than it is to most major points in Canada.
Close enough to the capital of Charlottetown for residents to commute, North Rustico acts as both a bedroom community and, because of its position on PEI’s north shore, a summer tourist destination. It’s close to beaches as well as Cavendish and Anne of Green Gables country, and, like most maritime towns, has a strong fishing culture that is welcoming and friendly.
A lot of Canada’s towns and cities are relatively new, but the town of Trinity was settled by European explorers in the early 1500s as a fishing port. Sitting on Trinity Bay on the east coast of Newfoundland, the current town is beyond quaint with its wooden church, courthouse, parish hall and saltbox houses. Much of the town may seem familiar – it was a location for the 2001 film The Shipping News.
Galiano isn’t really a town as much as it is a community spread over a small island in British Columbia’s Strait of Georgia. Extremely laid-back and full of intense natural beauty, the island is accessible by ferry from the BC mainland or Vancouver Island, or via water taxi from the other Gulf Islands. On the island visitors will find cute shops and artist studios as well as great restaurants, including the nationally renowned Pilgrimme, which serves a 'coast, forest and farm-to-table' tasting menu.
Very few provincial capitals qualify as adorable towns, but St John’s is an exception. The easternmost city in North America, much of it is literally perched on a rocky cliff right on the edge of the continent. At over 500 years old it’s also one of the oldest cities in North America and definitely one of the most colourful, with brightly painted houses and buildings matching the verve of its people.