Where to stay

Choosing where to stay across this region starts with what you want out of the trip. Whitehorse and Downtown Whitehorse suit travellers heading north into the Yukon, with 11 and 20 hotels between them. Vancouver is the biggest city on the coast, with 40 hotels, and Richmond, North Vancouver and Surrey spread the wider metropolitan area. Toronto and Montreal carry the largest hotel counts, 45 and 41, while Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton cover the prairie and capital cities. Smaller communities such as Kingston, Regina, Victoria and Kelowna fill in the rest.

Match the place to your plans rather than the other way round. Families will find the widest choice of family-friendly stays in Vancouver with 21, Mississauga, Montreal and Toronto with 18, 18 and 12. Drivers should look at Vancouver and Ottawa, where 37 and 30 hotels offer parking

Three-star hotels make up the broad middle of the region's stock: all 11 hotels in Whitehorse are 3-star, and Regina, Saskatoon and Barrie are similar. Choose 3-star for straightforward, well-located rooms. Four- and 5-star hotels cluster in the largest cities and resort areas: Toronto holds 15 5-star hotels, Montreal 11 and Vancouver 10, while Whistler, Victoria and Charlottetown each have a handful. If you want the highest category, start with Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver; if you want the widest choice overall, Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto lead with 40, 41 and 45 hotels.