Flipboard 2025 Destinations

Most Americans know laws change from state to state. But some differences are so extreme they feel like glitches in the map.

Most Americans cross state lines without wondering whether something they have done their entire lives just became illegal.But every so often, one state has looked at something accepted everywhere else—and decided it stops at the border.

From New York and Chicago to Nashville and San Diego, these American cities surprise Canadian travellers with warm welcomes, helpful locals, easy conversation, and much friendlier vibes than their reputations suggest.

From Quebec’s historic centers to British Columbia’s garden cities and Atlantic Canada’s seaside towns, these destinations prove you don’t always need a transatlantic flight to get a taste of Europe.

A guide to 25 small American towns Canadians love crossing the border for, from cozy lake escapes to historic main streets and seaside getaways.

Atlantic Canada shares plenty with nearby New England, but the region quickly reveals its own rhythms, landscapes, languages, and travel quirks. From half-hour time zones to enormous tides and lobster that feels like everyday food, Americans often discover that Canada’s eastern edge is much more distinctive than expected.

Explore spiritual destinations around the world where sacred rituals, ancient temples, pilgrimage traditions, and breathtaking landscapes create powerful experiences that photographs simply cannot capture. Discover why travelers must visit firsthand.

Canada and the United States are separate countries, but along the world’s longest international land boundary, the cultural transition can sometimes feel surprisingly subtle. Canadians regularly point to northern American communities where the weather, landscapes, hockey obsession, cross-border families, and general atmosphere feel oddly familiar. From Washington enclaves practically attached to British Columbia to Maine towns with deep Acadian roots, these American destinations can make Canadian visitors briefly wonder whether they actually crossed the border at all.