Edmonton

Known as the “Gateway to the North,” Edmonton is the capital of the Province of Alberta, its second-largest city and its cultural hub. Situated on the North Saskatchewan River, Edmonton is a city that likes to do things on a grand scale. Fort Edmonton Park is Canada's largest living history museum, while the West Edmonton Mall is North America's largest—the size of a small city with over 800 shops, a roller coaster and water park of its own. Cultural highlights of the city include the Royal Alberta Museum, the Francis Winspear Centre for Music and the Art Gallery of Alberta, an iconic metal and glass building that is also the city’s largest gallery. Edmonton has the highest amount of parkland per capita of any city in Canada, most of which lies in the stretches of urban parkland in River Valley, where plenty of hiking and camping opportunities abound. Just south of the river lies the University of Alberta and the bustling Whyte Avenue with its youthful charm, arthouse cinemas and quaint eateries. Its festivals too are some of the grandest, its Fringe Festival unmatched across North America, while its Folk Music Festival is world-renown. Assailed by frigid weather for most of the year, Edmonton embraces the cold, its natives dappling in all sorts of winter activities on the ice. A world of adventure and excitement awaits in Edmonton, all you have to do is look beyond its business-like facade.