Toronto picked as top Canadian vacation stop for 2015

Staying close to home this year? You’re in luck. There’s no need to renew your passport to have a great vacation.

Travel site Vacay.ca recently named its top places to visit here in Canada.

At the top of its list: Toronto.

Toronto, which was ranked thirteenth just last year, earned top spot thanks in part to the upcoming Pan Am Games, the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the new Union-Pearson Express Train and the 40th anniversary of the Toronto International Film Festival.

Its cultural diversity, friendly neighbourhoods, great restaurants and lively entertainment scene certainly don’t hurt Toronto either.

“Harmony is cool. Having lived about 10 years of my life on and off in Toronto it is that neighbourliness which I most cherish. There’s a place for everyone here,” writes Vacay.ca Columnist Adrian Brijbassi.

“The social conflicts that harangue so many other metropolises mostly do not exist in Canada’s largest municipality, which is remarkable given that the population is larger than Chicago but police records list about 400 less annual homicides than that Illinois city. For a visitor, it is liberating to know you can travel to an urban capital and enjoy all the great things of such a place without feeling wary about what might happen if you make a wrong turn. In Toronto, you’re more likely to walk into a curious space than an uninviting one.”

(CTV News points out that, despite Vacay.ca's praise, Toronto is often listed as the top city other Canadian cities love to hate.)

Last year, Charlottetown, P.E.I. took top spot. In 2013, it was Louisbourg, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Revelstoke, British Columbia, made its debut on this year’s list, placing a surprising second place. Called one of “Canada’s best-kept secrets,” the mountain town — and heli-ski capital of the world — will be hosting the Red Bull Cold Rush freestyle skiing competition in February and the North Face Dirty Feet and TrailStoke 5 Peaks races in August.

It’s home to two world-class ski resorts — Revelstoke Mountain Resort offers the longest vertical drop in North America — endless mountain-bike and running trails, gorgeous lakes and rivers and plenty of cultural events and historic events.

Third on the list: Auyuittuq National Park, Nunavut.

For those of us who’ve already road-tripped east-to-west, maybe it’s time to go north. Vacay.ca travel writers cite the recent discovery of a lost ship from the Franklin Expedition — “one of the greatest historical finds in Canadian history” — as reason enough to visit, especially via an Arctic voyage by One Ocean Expeditions.

Rounding out the top five are Vancouver, B.C., and Kingston, ON.

Here’s Vacay.ca’s list of top 20 places to visit in Canada in 2015.

1. Toronto, ON

2. Revelstoke, BC

3. Auyuittuq National Park, NU

4. Vancouver, BC

5. Kingston, ON

6. Jasper, AB

7. Torngat Mountains, NL

8. Montreal, QC

9. Okanagan Valley, BC

10. Calgary, AB

11. Wolfville, NS

12. Quebec City, QC

13. Cowichan Valley, BC

14. Fogo & Change Islands, NL

15. Winnipeg, MB

16. Charlevoix, QC

17. Saskatoon, SK

18. Dawson City, YT

19. Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

20. Cowboy Trail, AB

Which Canadian town or city would have made your list?