• Ottawa is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River facing the French-speaking city of Hull in Québec. The imposing gothic-style Parliament Buildings overlook the confluence of the rivers Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau and are surmounted by the 92m (302ft) Peace Tower. Confederation Square, site of the National War Memorial, is the focal point of central Ottawa. The National Arts Center houses an opera company, theatres, studios and restaurants. The Rideau Canal and the Rideau-Trent-Severn Waterway are part of a complex of recreational lakes and canals linking Ottawa to Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay. Among the city’s many museums and galleries are the National Gallery of Canada, the Canada Science and Technology Museum, the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canadian War Museum and the Museum of Civilisation (over the bridge in nearby Hull).

• Toronto is the provincial capital and Canada’s largest city. The CN Tower, the world’s tallest free-standing structure, has glass-fronted elevators rising 553m (1,815ft) to indoor and outdoor observation decks that afford a 120km (75-mile) panoramic view on a clear day. SkyDome, at the foot of the CN Tower, is a multi-purpose entertainment complex and sports stadium and was the world’s first to have a retractable roof. Yorkeville, the hip part of town in the 1960s, now caters to the tastes of the city’s upwardly mobile, but is a good spot to go window shopping or enjoy a cup of coffee. Queen Street, further south towards the lake, attracts a younger, more style-conscious crowd. In the eastern suburbs, the spectacular Ontario Science Centre and the Metro Toronto Zoo are both worth seeing.

• Niagara Falls is a must-see; a legacy of the Ice Age that gushes out half a million gallons of water every second. Situated in the storybook village of Niagara-on-the-Lake, the north shore of Lake Erie is dotted with resorts and good beaches; St Thomas and Port Stanley are particularly popular.

• See and explore the protected wilderness of Algonquin Park, Ontario’s oldest Provincial park; 7,600 sq km (2,934 sq miles) of forest and lakeland provide the perfect environment for outdoor recreation.

• Admire Lake Superior Provincial Park's many beautiful ravines, lakes and waterfalls. In particular, its Agawa Rock Pictographs are highly famed. These are the largest collections of Indian rock art in Ontario. The pictographs remain one of Superior's most sacred spots.

• See the beautiful and unique (to Ontario) monarch butterflies which stop off at Point Pelee on Lake Erie in September during their annual migration. These colourful insects cover the trees, providing an amazing spectacle.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.