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The best city break in North America isn't any of the big hitters you might expect, according to our recent survey.
Victoria, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, is the understated capital of British Columbia – and visitors loved its picturesque harbour and vibrant gardens.
In fact, three of the top five North American cities in our visitors survey are Canadian.
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It’s a reflection of how Canada has risen in the esteem of many travellers, not least with Britons, many of whom are boycotting trips to the US and instead eyeing up Canada’s coastal idylls, ski havens, abundant wildlife and safe streets.
Meanwhile, a ‘buy Canadian’ movement has thrown a spotlight on its fresh produce, singular cheeses and foolishly underrated wines from BC and Ontario.
There are great places in the US too, but 2026 belongs to the Great White North.
More than 1,000 holidaymakers had their say, rating their satisfaction and likelihood to recommend the city for a trip over the pond.
We also asked them to rate other elements such as the quality of cultural sights, food and drink, lack of crowds and value for money.
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Victoria, British Columbia (74) | £731 | £187 | 83% | ||||||||
Nashville, Tennessee (31) | £739 | £149 | 82% | - | - | - | |||||
Quebec City, Quebec (59) | £522 | £161 | 81% | ||||||||
Vancouver, British Columbia (134) | £646 | £220 | 80% | ||||||||
Washington DC (64) | £580 | £167 | 80% | ||||||||
Memphis, Tennessee (32) | £725 | £155 | 79% | - | - | - | - | ||||
Niagara Falls, Ontario (63) | n/a | £135 | 79% | - | |||||||
Ottawa, Ontario (40) | £557 | £128 | 79% | - | |||||||
Boston, Massachusetts (90) | £520 | £232 | 78% | ||||||||
Chicago, Illinois (50) | £586 | £165 | 78% | ||||||||
Halifax, Nova Scotia (55) | £541 | £156 | 78% | - | - | ||||||
New Orleans, Louisiana (51) | £698 | £141 | 77% | ||||||||
Whistler, British Columbia (48) | n/a | £192 | 77% | ||||||||
San Diego, California (38) | £617 | £177 | 76% | - | - | ||||||
Toronto, Ontario (75) | £458 | £166 | 76% | ||||||||
New York, New York (190) | £421 | £232 | 74% | ||||||||
San Francisco, California (78) | £518 | £156 | 74% | ||||||||
Montreal, Quebec (60) | £499 | £149 | 72% | ||||||||
Seattle, Washington (46) | £594 | £196 | 68% | ||||||||
Orlando, Florida (59) | £501 | £109 | 66% | ||||||||
Calgary, Alberta (53) | £662 | £104 | 63% | - | |||||||
Juneau, Alaska (36) | n/a | £216 | 62% | - | - | - | - | - | |||
Las Vegas, Nevada (36) | £653 | £104 | 58% | ||||||||
Miami, Florida (58) | £500 | £140 | 57% | ||||||||
Los Angeles, California (63) | £505 | £154 | 54% |
Results based on 2,111 experiences from 1,097 Which? Connect panel members in an Aug/Sep 2025 online survey. Airfare/hotel rates (three-star and four-star hotels) from skyscanner.net and kayak.co.uk. Star ratings range from one to five. A dash (–) means we didn’t receive enough responses to provide a rating. City score Based on a combination of overall satisfaction and how likely people are to recommend the city as a holiday destination
Victoria was a sly choice as British Columbia’s capital. The shroud of forest and mountain sentries have made this sparkling harbour the perfect hiding place off the beaten path.
Even Canadians were slow to appreciate the city’s natural charms. Like autumn salmon, which course through town to mate in the Goldstream shallows, they’ve migrated to this sunny point on Vancouver Island (not to be confused with Vancouver city, on the mainland) for a mini city where bald eagles roost on steep mansard roofs and humpback whales bob offshore.
Victoria revels in an oceanic microclimate that thumbs its nose at the snow the Prairies face all winter, while Victorians operate on ‘island time’, and it’s contagious.
Don’t miss Stroll round Victoria Harbour, from Fan Tan Café in Chinatown to the bright clapboard huts of Fisherman’s Wharf. Eating out is comparatively expensive, but fresh seafood is exceptional.
'Whale watching was a spectacular thing to do.’
'Great walks, especially around the harbour, museums, parliament – and enjoyable ice hockey matches!
'It was the most beautiful, varied, attractive and friendly city I've ever visited.’
Most visit America’s top-rated city for the music. But those who look beyond the riotous bars of the Honky Tonk Highway will be seduced by the stately State Capitol, the pillared Parthenon museum and sultry green-belt trails.
Detour to the National Museum of African American Music to learn about the influence of Black musicians. Then explore flourishing satellite neighbourhoods, which you rated as very safe, and experience a warm Southern welcome.
Venture into Eastwood to shop for records and watch live bands at the Vinyl Tap. Carry on to Madison’s main drag for rockabilly at fairy-lit dive bar Dee’s. Even the American Legion (Post 82, in Inglewood) has regular live Western swing nights.
Don’t miss Spare a half day for the warehouse district Wedgewood-Houston and its flea markets, distilleries and monthly Art Crawl.
'Great place to visit if you're a music fan and not just country music.’
'The music-oriented museums were excellent, as were the multitude of venues on Broadway.’
The tight 17th-century lanes and hilltop château are too dramatically old to read as Canadian. Yet the culture isn’t overwhelmingly French either — you’ll struggle to understand the twang of Québécois French. Meanwhile, the lumberjack cuisine occupies a class of its own, with restaurants like La Buche – in a cosy chalet near the Dufferin Terrace toboggan hill – serving tourtière meat pies and maple pudding.
Don’t miss February’s Winter Carnival is a time for fierce competition: sledding, ice-canoeing, igloo-building and snowball fights on the Plains of Abraham.
'A charming classic city that has retained its history and is proud of it.’
'Great old town to wander around. Wonderful views and French architecture.’
Chiller than LA, chicer than Sydney, this seaside city’s motto might as well be ‘turn on, tune in, drop out’. Life simply moves slower here, from the sea path around Stanley Park – a literal forest in the city – to the markets and marinas around False Creek.
Renowned for fresh-catch sushi, the Asian restaurants outdo their California counterparts, yet there’s no rush: you rarely need reservations. Come summer, everyone’s barefoot on Kitsilano beach; in winter they’re tottering in ski boots to the Pacific mountains, barely an hour away. Streets are especially safe in a city where cars still stop for jaywalkers. Vancouver was rated four stars for safety in our survey, compared with three for New York and two for LA.
Don’t miss University of British Columbia’s clifftop campus has a wealth of Indigenous sculpture and architecture by modernist Arthur Erickson. In typical ‘Vangroovy’ style, it overlooks a prime naturist beach.
'It's a fabulous vibrant city with a spectacular waterfront.’
'Lovely place with beaches where you can see mountains.’
'I encountered nothing but friendliness and a welcome from everyone that I met.’
Hollywood thrillers depict a DC bound by the Capitol and the White House. But this city is no mere company town. Along the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, families watch live open-air performances at the revamped Navy Yards, techies feast in glassy wharf-side restaurants and aesthetes gawp at the redesigned Kennedy Center stage.
Don’t miss DC was the only city in our survey to get five stars for cultural sights thanks to its monumental architecture and a slew of world-class museums. Take in Palladian columns and Smithsonian museums along Constitution Ave NW, via the Lincoln Memorial, where cherry blossoms bloom in spring. In the rotunda of the National Archives Museum, you can view the original Declaration of Independence, signed 250 years ago this year (on 4 July, obviously).
'The Capitol has great free museums and many historic sites.’
‘It's a great city for walking. The night tour of the most famous monuments is brilliant.’