Friends and I (from Rome) are hoping to visit Canada next Spring for about 10 days, fly and drive. What are the prettiest places city and nature wise, and what are some local dishes we should not miss? Any info would be really helpful. Is Canada expensive

That's a little difficult to do without giving a better idea of what region and what you want to see. There is absolutely no way to see all of Canada in 10 days. Remember that Canada is about 9.9 million sq km while Italy is just .3 million sq km. The entire EU is only 4.3 million sq km. If you wanted to see the heartland of Canada then you are best to keep yourself within the Quebec/Windsor corridor. Distances are certainly more feasible. Quebec to Montreal is 2.5 hours. Montreal to Ottawa is 2 hours. Ottawa to Toronto is about 4.5 hours. Toronto to Niagara Falls is about another 1.5 hours. Food wise, truly Canadian food is a mixture of many other things, including Doner (or Donair). In Quebec we have poutine (french fries, gravy and cheese curds), tourtiere (meat pie), smoked meat (a smoked and pickled brisket sandwich), maple syrup (and other maple products), bread pudding (pudding de chomeur) and some other dishes. Even item like baked beans will be slightly different because they used maple syrup to flavour the beans instead of molasses. There is excellent seafood, like lobster, shrimp and scallops as well as mussels and the such. Canadian beers as well as local brews are interesting to try. As for nature, you again have to make a choice. Each of Canada's regions has different nature to behold. From Newfoundland, the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, the prairies and finally British Columbia. In Quebec we go from the ocean and Perce in the Gaspe, through the Saguenay fjords and the whale aquatic park through to the Laurentian forests and Mont Tremblant. In Ontario you have the Canadian shield, the thousnd lake region, the northern countryside as well as the wine region around Niagara. In BC you have a temperate rain forest with beautiful natural tree growth and down to the sea shore, not to mention beautiful parks and gardens on some of the islands. I have visited 9 of the 10 provinces of Canada and I can say that they are all interesting and different. The maritime region in the summer offers beautiful beaches and nice sight. Quebec offers a mixture of French and English culture, whales, excellent food and cafes. Ontario has the nations capital and natural wonders like Niagara falls. British Columbia offers beautiful nature, fantastic asian food and beautiful gardens. It's all yours to see. I would suggest you pick one region and stick to it and come back later. 10 days is really not a long time. I would stick around the Quebec to Niagara region this time and then choose another region in the future. You will quickly see that there is so much to see and enjoy each time.

Head for the west coast. It has everything. It has a fabulous city, Vancouver and an European city, Victoria. It has cultures, one of the largest Chinatowns and gardens and nature, the wilds are just at the doorstep. There are the grand national parks along the Rockies between British Columbia and Alberta. Everything from moonscapes and lava cones to temperate rain forests and glaciers and huge icefileds. There are great outdoor activities year round, heli-skiiing and heli-hiking both, really exciting in the Bugaboos. There is kayaking, whale watching and fishing along the coast off of Vancouver Island. You will never regret going to British Columbia:-)

AS has been mentioned. There is no way you can see the entire country in 10 days. It's like wanting to visit all of the US in 10 days. Just not possible. Decide what it is you want to see and experience. Do you want to be immersed in a more European feel then go to Quebec and try out your French. (Don't worry almost everyone speaks a little English and in the larger cities everyone is bilingual.) If you want to experience a maritime feel then head to the east coast and go visit the fishing villages and try to learn a little Newfie language. If you want to experience mountains and rain forests then head to BC where they have those in abundance. If you want to see the land of endless sky then visit the prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan or Alberta) where you'll be amazed at how flat the land is..especially Manitoba. With many provincial parks and thousands of little lakes the prairies have a little bit of it all. Natural wonders are everywhere. Ontario is a mixture of urban and natural wonders. Toronto of course is the largest city in Canada and to be quite honest you wouldn't know if your in Toronto or a large US city. Go out into the smaller towns and villages to see the beauty of the country. BTW, one answer said the Hull is the sister city to Ottawa but that changed a number of years ago and the province of Quebec didn't like the English name and renamed it to Gatineau. Plan a number of trips and spend some time in each region, you won't regret it. As for whether Canada is expensive. Just our gasoline. Everything is in line with what Americans pay at home. Granted the rise of the Canadian dollar the last few months has made a trip to Canada a little bit more expensive but not nearly what Canadians were paying when our dollar was worth 62 cents US.