Canada Guide
Getting around
By car
Travelling by car is the best way to see Canada, even though a vehicle can be a bit of a liability in the big cities, with their stringent parking regulations and rush-hour tailbacks. Any US, UK, Australian or New Zealand national over 21 with a full driving licence is allowed to drive in Canada.
Canada has a superb road network and although multi-lane highways radiate out from every city, the bulk of the system is comprised of (lightly used) two-lane highways. The Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) travels from coast to coast and is marked by maple-leaf signs at regular intervals along its length. In the north and off the beaten track, highways may be entirely of gravel (cracked windscreens are an occupational hazard on some stretches of the Alaska Highway). Note also that after rain gravel and dirt roads are especially treacherous; if you're planning a lot of dirt-road driving, you'd be well advised to rent a four-wheel-drive.