The first game of the FIFA World Cup in Vancouver will be played on Saturday, June 13, with Australia matched up against Türkiye. Vancouver might be the most beautiful city on earth in terms of the proximity of towering mountains and the ocean. I’m from San Francisco, but I’d say Vancouver is even more striking. Cape Town is nice, and Sydney, too, but the combination of open water and snow-capped mountains give Vancouver the edge. I’ve been a good 10 to 15 times and have probably spent a couple months of my life in the city, including a month for Read more
FIFA
The first match of the World Cup in Toronto will be held in less than a week (June 12). I’ve lived in the city for 45 years, so here are some great things to see and do if you’re in town to catch the action in person or on TV. WHERE TO CATCH THE GAMES If you can afford a ticket, or maybe if you’re uncle is the Prime Minister or the head of FIFA, you’ll be attending matches at what’s being called Toronto Stadium; known to most of Toronto folks as BMO Field but changed for the tournament for Read more
A new report maps out the world’s most Instagammable destinations for 2026. Dubai, New York City and Paris did extremely well, as did Banff, Alberta and Niagara Falls, Ontario. California cities also scored highly. Here’s the Players Time list of most Instagram-worthy cities for this year. Dubai London Paris Barcelona New York City Istanbul Los Angeles Mexico City Tokyo Singapore Amsterdam Bangkok San Diego San Francisco Rome Santiago (Dominican Republic) Seoul Kochi, India Budapest Prague World’s Most Instagrammed Landmarks Burj Khalifa, Dubai Eiffel Tower, Paris, France Grand Canyo, Arizona Times Square, New York City Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Tokyo Taj Mahal, Read more
National Geographic, one of the biggest names in travel, has issued a list of 26 top places to visit next year, and Canadian destinations scored big. Banff was named Readers Choice destination for next year in the magazine’s 2026 hot spot list, while Nat Geo editors put the province of Quebec and the city of Vancouver on their list. Also making the charts were Maui, Australia’s most famous Outback destination, Manila, Rio de Janeiro, the Caribbean island of Dominica, Route 66 in Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, and the Dolomites and Milan in Italy. Here’s a closer look, with comments from Nat Geo. Read more
Europeans are avoiding the U.S. and increasingly looking at trips to Canada, Ontario and Toronto, a new study says. According to a new Europe Pulse Study conducted by Context Research Group (CRG) on behalf of Destination Ontario and Destination Toronto, more than half of leisure travellers from the United Kingdom, Germany and France are considering a trip to Ontario in the next two years. Although some people might think Canada and the U.S. are much the same, the study said Europeans feel Canada is culturally and experientially distinct from the States. The study found that half of the European travellers who were surveyed are considering Read more
