We began our Canadian honeymoon in Calgary at the Delta Bow Valley, where a river‑view room and lounge access set the tone. From here it was an easy walk to the Calgary Tower for those glass‑floor views and along the river to the Peace Bridge in the sunshine.

Collecting our hire car, we drove via sunny Canmore to Banff and checked into the Banff Boutique Inn, a short stroll from the centre. Banff is a beautiful, very walkable mountain town with hot springs, a gondola for big alpine views and plenty of characterful restaurants. We quickly learned that Canada really can give you all four seasons in one day, with sunshine, snow and beers at the top of the mountain all in a single afternoon. A fondue feast at The Grizzly House and a horse ride over the Bow River past the Fairmont Banff Springs made this stop feel wonderfully romantic.

A short drive took us to our cabin at Johnston Canyon, the perfect base to walk straight out to the lower and upper falls along dramatic cliffside catwalks. From there we followed the classic Rockies route: Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Bow Lake and Peyto Lake along the Icefields Parkway, before staying opposite the glacier at what is now Glacier View Lodge. Even in moody weather, stepping out onto the glacier itself and (cloud‑permitting) the Columbia Icefield Skywalk really showed off the scale of this landscape.

Continuing to Jasper, we stayed at Miette Mountain Cabins and soaked in the hottest hot springs in the Rockies, then ramped things up with white‑water rafting on the Fraser River in Mount Robson National Park. In Clearwater, our huge family suite at Jasper Way Inn sat right on Dutch Lake, complete with BBQ pit and free canoes: we paddled out for breakfast, spotted painted turtles, and had our first bear sighting nearby, a reminder of just how wild this region still is.

From there we headed to Whistler and checked into Delta Hotels Whistler Village Suites, enjoying a free upgrade to a spacious suite with balcony views. The village’s central location, lively bars and restaurants and easy access to the lifts made it a brilliant base, and we quickly understood why it is a global mountain‑biking and ski destination. We spent a day riding the chairlifts with a private guide and biking down the mountain, with the unforgettable bonus of spotting a bear on the slopes.

The drive from Whistler to Vancouver along the Sea to Sky Highway was a highlight in itself, with dramatic coastal and mountain scenery and easy access to waterfalls and viewpoints. Vancouver quickly became one of my favourite cities: we used the hop‑on hop‑off trolley to get our bearings around Stanley Park and Granville Island, ferried across False Creek, and ended days in Gastown and at Canada Place watching seaplanes and cruise ships come and go. Food lovers are spoilt here, from fresh seafood and Mongolian BBQ to standout Korean and some of the most authentic Japanese dishes I have ever tasted.

With the sunshine finally on our side, we took the gondola up Grouse Mountain for big city views, watched the lumberjack show and visited the resident rescue grizzlies. Ian even decided, on the spur of the moment, to paraglide down while I glided back by cable car. We combined this with Capilano Suspension Bridge, its treetop walkways and cliff‑edge paths, and finished with the FlyOver Canada 4D experience, which really brings the scale of the country to life. We also cycled the seawall around Stanley Park, past beaches, totem poles and viewpoints, which is a brilliant way to see how green and coastal Vancouver really is.

From Vancouver we took the ferry  to Vancouver Island. Victoria, on the southern tip, is a charming, walkable city with a distinctly British feel, colourful Fisherman’s Wharf and floating homes, tiny water taxis and a pretty harbourfront. It is a lovely introduction to the island’s slower, more laid‑back pace.

The real highlight, though, was Tofino. After a scenic drive via mural‑covered Chemainus, quirky Coombs with its “goats on the roof”, and the giant trees of Cathedral Grove, we arrived at Ocean Village in time for sunset. Our little beachfront hut opened straight onto wide, wild Mackenzie Beach. Tofino is an independent, surf‑loving town with no chains, excellent seafood and a relaxed, bohemian vibe. It is all about the ocean and the wilderness: we went whale watching and saw grey whales, sea lions and sea otters, took a boat trip and forest boardwalk to the natural Hot Springs Cove, and joined a quieter bear‑watching trip along the tidal shores. We also hired SUP boards and spent hours out on the water. Evenings were for craft beer from Tofino Brewing, incredible street‑style tacos and fresh, local seafood, though you definitely pay for the quality here.

Reluctantly leaving Tofino, we dipped into Ucluelet and the small seaside towns on the way back to Nanaimo, stopped at Qualicum Beach for lunch, then caught the ferry back to Vancouver for one last evening in the city before flying home.

Our honeymoon in Canada gave us everything: glacier‑carved mountains, hot springs and wild lakes, vibrant cities and tiny coastal towns, wildlife, adventure and food we still dream about, all threaded together by some of the most beautiful road trips in the world.