Eastern Canada encompasses the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland — a vast region stretching from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic that offers a distinctly different experience from the Rocky Mountain scenery of the west. Quebec is the heartland of French Canada — a province with a fiercely proud identity, a magnificent culinary tradition and two of Canada’s most distinctive cities. Montreal is a city of extraordinary energy — bilingual, bohemian and genuinely passionate about food, art and festivals. The underground city, the Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood, the Old Port waterfront and the extraordinary restaurant scene (particularly in Mile-Ex and Outremont) make it one of North America’s most compelling urban destinations. Quebec City, an hour east, is the continent’s only walled city north of Mexico — its Vieux-Québec district of stone buildings, horse-drawn caleches and the iconic Château Frontenac hotel feel more French than Canada. Nova Scotia on the Atlantic coast offers a very different character: dramatic coastline, lobster fishing villages, the world’s highest tidal range in the Bay of Fundy and a Celtic heritage that connects strongly with Irish visitors. The Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island is one of the world’s great coastal drives. Prince Edward Island, Anne of Green Gables country, is a gentle, pastoral island of red-sand beaches and the finest seafood in Canada. Newfoundland and Labrador at the Atlantic edge is among Canada’s most characterful provinces — icebergs drifting past in spring, puffin colonies on the Bonavista Peninsula and a warmth of local character that is hard to find anywhere else. Eastern Canada is best visited June to October for weather, though winter brings excellent skiing and the magical Quebec Winter Carnival.