ExploCountry guide · North America
Canada travel guide: visa, best time, weather, holidays and plugs
Entry rules for every passport, the best months to go, live weather, public holidays and the plug you need for Canada. Capital: Ottawa.
Do you need a visa for Canada?
It depends on your passport. Of the 198 other passports in our data, 1 passport can enter Canada without a visa and 52 more get a visa on arrival or an eTA.
All 198 passports for Canada · Visa checker · Passport validity checker for Canada
Canada at a glance
- Capital
- Ottawa
- Region
- North America, North America
- Currency
- Canadian dollar ($, CAD)
- Languages
- English, French
- Calling code
- +1
- Drives on the
- right
- Power
- Type A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz
Best time to visit Canada
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
Jun–Sep. Summer in the Rockies and lakes.
General guidance on weather, crowds and wildlife, not a forecast. The chart below shows what the weather actually did last year.
Weather in Ottawa
Month by month last year
- Daily high and low (°C), monthly average
- Rain (mm in the month)
Next public holidays in Canada
Nationwide holidays only, from Nager.Date. Check dates locally before you book: they can move.
Power plugs and voltage in Canada
- Type Atwo flat pins
- Type Btwo flat pins and a round earth pin
Mains power is 120 V at 60 Hz. Phone and laptop chargers usually accept 100 to 240 V, so they only need the right plug. Hair dryers, kettles and other single-voltage appliances need a matching voltage or a converter.
Do I need an adapter for Canada?
Hand-curated, so a good first answer: confirm before you fly.
More before you go
- Passport validity. Many countries want 3 to 6 months of validity left. Check your dates for Canada or read the six-month rule explained.
- Other places you can go. Where can I go? lists the places your passport reaches that are also in season, and the passport ranking shows how yours compares.
Nearby countries
Questions
Do I need a visa for Canada?
It depends on your passport. Of the 198 other passports in our data, 1 passport can enter Canada without a visa, 52 passports need an eTA, 144 passports need a visa in advance and 1 passport is not admitted. Pick your passport on this page, or see the full list on the all-passports page for Canada.
When is the best time to visit Canada?
Jun–Sep. Summer in the Rockies and lakes.
What plug type and voltage does Canada use?
Canada uses plug types A, B at 120 V and 60 Hz. Check that your devices accept that voltage before you plug them in. Plug data is hand-curated, so confirm before you fly.
Which side of the road do they drive on in Canada?
Traffic keeps to the right in Canada.
What currency does Canada use?
Canadian dollar ($, CAD).
What is the calling code for Canada?
+1.
What is the capital of Canada?
Ottawa.
How up to date is this information?
Entry rules come from the open Passport Index dataset, last updated 18 February 2026. Governments change rules often, so check with the embassy or the official immigration site before you book. Weather and public holidays on this page are fetched live from Open-Meteo and Nager.Date.
Keep Canada and every other country on one map
Explo is a free app: light up the countries you have visited, save the ones you dream about, and check visa rules, weather and holidays before you go.
Get ExploEntry rules come from the open Passport Index dataset by Ilya Ilyankou (MIT), last updated 18 February 2026. Governments change rules often, so treat this as a guide and check with the embassy or the official immigration site before you book.