From bright city lights to big sky country

For many visitors, Canada conjures images of icy tundras, open prairies and isolated, windswept coastlines. However, the nation's cosmopolitan metropolises contain myriad accommodation options, with cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver welcoming millions of visitors to their bustling city streets each year.

Canada accommodation comes in all shapes and sizes – not surprisingly, given that it's the world's second-largest nation. From thunderous Niagara Falls to the desolate beauty of the Nova Scotia coastline and the Prarie flatlands which ultimately give way to the majestic Rocky Mountains, there's plenty to see and do and an equal number of places to stay in this massive, multifaceted nation.

Ride the rails to Canada's finest hotels

Canada stretches almost 5,000 kilometres from the British Columbia capital Vancouver in the west, to Nova Scotia's busy Halifax all the way over on the Atlantic Coast. Such vast distances made railway travel a convenient mode of transportation during the 19th Century, the legacy of which are the numerous château-style grand railway hotels dotted across the country.

The renowned Windsor Hotel in Montreal is considered the first of Canada's grand railway hotels, though it closed in 1981 after a series of fires. The Fairmont Banff Springs retains its grandiloquent air, while its namesake the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City is considered one of Canada's finest hotels. The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto is one of Canada's most historic hotels, built opposite Union Station by the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Sleep soundly on the ski fields

Canada's ski fields are known the world over and thousands of visitors head to the Great White North every year to enjoy its popular ski resorts. Hotel Quintessence in Mont-Tremblant is one of Quebec's most popular hotels, while the Four Seasons Resort Whistler puts you in the heart of the ski action. The resort towns of Banff and Lake Louise in Alberta are not only gateways to the Canadian Rockies, but also popular places to stay.