This realistic List of the Best Places to Visit helps you plan your next winter adventure in Ontario, Canada.

Ontario is the largest province in Canada by population and second largest by area. It is home to the busiest airport in the country. There is no wonder that most visitors to Canada end up in this province.

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There are a lot of great places to see in Ontario. You could visit powerful waterfalls, river gorges, historic buildings, and house museums. All of this is true for a summer visit.

But what about a winter trip to Ontario? In case you forgot, Ontario is part of “The Great White North”. Snow, ice, and below freezing temperatures are common things for a winter up there.

Most historic sights close their doors in early fall. But you should not rule out a winter trip to “The Heartland Province”. This list helps you pick the best places to visit in winter in Ontario, Canada.

1. Casa Loma, Toronto

Casa Loma is the best place to visit in winter in Ontario, Canada. You cannot come to Toronto and not visit this 1914 house museum. The 98-room mansion looks like a castle but feels a bit like a theme park.

Casa Loma is a perfect example of the Gothic Revival style. A former single family home attracts over 650,000 visitors each year. Most visitors come to Casa Loma in the summer.

But there is a good reason to visit this house in the winter. The museum has interior and exterior decorations for the winter holidays. It means that you need to plan a visit in advance to beat the crowd.

There are a few simple things to follow to have an enjoyable visit to Casa Loma. Be at the house museum as soon as it opens at 9 a.m. Once in the castle, go straight to the third floor.

Visit both towers before exploring the rooms. This way, you will go through the bottlenecks quickly. You could use the rest of the time to study the beautiful interiors at your own pace.

Enjoy the skyline views before going through a secret passage in the study. And have a good laugh at the Backstage Celebrity Gallery in the Stables.

2. Parliament Hill, Ottawa

Parliament Hill is a close second best place to visit in Ontario in winter. The center of Canadian democracy is a destination every traveller to the country should visit at least once.

Some historic buildings are closed to the public in the winter. This is true for the East Block and the Supreme Court. But there are plenty of sights that are open year round.

You could tour the West Block and the Senate of Canada before visiting the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica. The Bank of Canada Museum and the National Gallery of Canada are also open in the winter.

Parliament Hill is a perfect way to see different architectural styles first hand. Gothic Revival, Art Deco, Neoclassical, Beaux-Arts, Second Empire, Châteauesque, and modern buildings are within a few blocks.

While there are so many different styles, Parliament Hill does not feel fragmented. Each building has its own character but fits with its neighbors. This alone makes Ottawa a worthwhile destination.

Keep in mind that Parliament Hill is under a decade-long restoration. There will be some cranes and fences near the historic buildings. Unless you could wait ten years, you should delay your visit to the city.

3. Balls Falls, Lincoln

Balls Falls claims the third spot on the List of the Best Places to Visit in Winter in Ontario, Canada. This park is a destination off the beaten path on Niagara Peninsula.

As the name suggests, you should expect to see falls in the park. There are two waterfalls. Lower Balls Falls is a 90-ft (27-m) waterfall. Upper Balls Falls are just 35 ft (11 m) high.

But Balls Falls is more than waterfalls. You should not miss a 19th century village while visiting the park. Stop by the historic home, grist mill, display barn, and church.

These buildings cannot complete with Casa Loma or the Centre Block in beauty. But they also tell the story of this province and its residents.

The park staff decorates the buildings each year for the Holiday Trail. You could only see these decorations during the winter months. But there are more reasons to come to Balls Falls in the winter.

It is the cheapest time to visit Balls Falls. You will pay just $8.5 CAD (~$6.25 USD) per car. Compare it to $28 CAD (~$21 USD) per car during other seasons.

4. Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is another great place to visit in Ontario, Canada in winter. Most people could agree that the best views of Horseshoe, American, and Bridal Veil Falls are from the Canadian viewpoints.

Yet, some might question Niagara Falls place on the list. High humidity, mist, and low temperatures might be a recipe for getting a cold. In fact, winter is a low season in “The Honeymoon Capital” for a reason.

But there are ways to make the most from a winter trip to Niagara Falls. You just need to wear layers and pick your viewpoints wisely. In turn, you could avoid crowds and enjoy savings on hotels and attractions.

You could see the falls from the Fallsview Trail. Or you could choose between Journey Behind the Falls and Niagara Parks Power Station. These attractions bring you to Horseshoe Falls at the river level.

You will likely get wet from the mist. This might be a tough sell in the winter. But there is also a way to see the falls and stay inside.

You just need to take a trip up the Skylon Tower. It cannot compare with the CN Tower in Toronto. But the Skylon Tower offers a nice way to enjoy Niagara Falls in the winter.

5. CN Tower, Toronto

The CN Tower in Toronto is a great place to visit on a winter trip to Ontario, Canada. The tower is the highest building in the city. You could not imagine Toronto skyline without it since 1976.

There are four observation decks at the CN Tower. A handful of tourists visit the tower just to be at the highest observation platform in the Western Hemisphere.

You could certainly pay $23 USD per person extra and visit SkyPod if this is your dream. But the Main Observation Level would be perfectly fine for most visitors. It is cheaper and involves less hassle.

You could still get fantastic views of the Greater Toronto Area. Downtown skyscrapers, Toronto Railway Museum, and Casa Loma will be on full display.

You could even take a few minutes and watch the planes land at nearby Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The views and plane spotting make the $43 CAD (~$32 USD) per person fee worth it.

The CN Tower is an indoor attraction. It matters in winter when the average temperatures are below 20°F (-7°C). This fact alone puts the tower ahead of many other outdoor sights in the province.

6. Glanmore, Belleville

Glanmore National Historic Site is a solid place to visit for Ontario travelers in the winter. This 1883 house museum is off the beaten path in Belleville.

It might not be worth a long detour. But you should make a stop at Glanmore if you travel from Toronto to Kingston. The house museum is just 2.5 miles (4 km) from ON-401, Macdonald-Cartier Freeway.

You might be surprised to see Glanmore score this high on the list of the top Ontario sights in winter. In the end, it is hardly the most popular historic house museum in Ontario.

But it holds an edge over the more famous Bellevue House in Kingston and Laurier House in Ottawa. Glanmore is open year round while most other house museums close for the season in the fall.

You could tour this mansion from from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday. A self-guided tour of the house costs $8 CAD (~$6 USD) for adults. You could score a cheaper ticket as a senior, student, or child.

Find the signature elements of the Second Empire style as you explore the mansion. And admire the vintage items and furniture pieces inside the house museum.

7. Rideau Canal Skateway, Ottawa

The Rideau Canal Skateway is one of the best places to visit in the winter in Ottawa, Ontario. In fact, it is the only attraction on this list you could only visit in the winter.

Once the temperatures fall below freezing, a layer of ice forms on the canal. As soon as this layer hits 12 inches (30 cm) in thickness, the Skateway opens.

The Skateway is a 4.8-mi (7.8-km) section of the canal. It transforms into the largest skating rink in the world. You could bring your own skates and enjoy this rink for free. Or rent the skates at a nearby kiosk.

But it all depends on weather. Climate change has taken its toll on the Rideau Skateway. 2023 was the first year since the Skateway’s inception in 1971 when it did not open.

There is still some hope for the current season. But uncertain future is to blame for the lower-than-expected position of the Skateway on this list.

Unless the winter temperatures in Ottawa become colder again, the Rideau Skateway might become a thing of the past. All the more reasons to visit the Skateway before it is gone.

8. Ferris Provincial Park, Campbellford

Ferris Provincial Park is a nice place to visit in Ontario in the winter. Most people have not heard of this park. It is rarely part of any guidebooks. This park is outside of the main tourist routes.

It is hard to recommend a long detour to visit Ferris Provincial Park. But if you are traveling from Toronto to Ottawa or Kingston, a stop at this park could be worth it.

In the end, Ferris offers visitors a surprising number of sights. You could cross the Trent River on a one-of-a-kind suspension bridge. See a hydropower plant and Trent-Severn Waterway locks.

The park trails could bring you to Ranney Falls. These falls might not turn any heads if you have been to Niagara Falls or Iceland. But Ranney Falls are quite powerful.

Ferris Provincial Park is a winter wonderland. You will likely see enormous icicles hanging from the cliffs. Feel free to throw a few snowballs or build a snowman next to a park trail!

The park is an excellent place for cross-country skiing. Bring your skis and hit the trails. You should park at Ranney Suspension Bridge if you visit in the winter. This parking lot is free.

9. Rockwood Asylum, Kingston

Rockwood Asylum in Kingston rounds up the list of the best places to visit in Ontario in the winter. It is certainly a bold choice to call a former asylum for criminally insane a top destination.

But you might change your mind once you learn about other contestants for the last spot. A maximum security prison, a courthouse, and a city hall were all under consideration.

Before you think that this is a joke, you should know that these are the top sights in Kingston, Ontario. There is no doubt that this city deserves to be on your winter itinerary through the province.

But most of its sights, like Kingston Pen, Fort Henry, and Murney Tower, are closed in the winter. You could only get a glimpse of these sights from the outside.

This leaves Rockwood Asylum as the best choice for a winter visit. You cannot go inside the asylum buildings due to the presence of asbestos. But there is plenty to see outside.

You could wonder around the historic Main Building. Stop to admire a stained glass window of the Leahurst Building. Then head to the Mural Wall on the lakeshore to liven up the mood.

Takeaways: Best Places to Visit in Winter in Ontario, Canada

A winter trip to Ontario, Canada might not sound like a good idea. Cold weather, short daytime, snow, and ice could scare off even experienced travelers.

But winter could be a good way to beat the crowd to the famous sights. Pack a warm jacket, beanie, and mittens and get ready to explore “The Heartland Province” in the winter.

The first order of business is to pick a type of the trip. You should decide between a weekend trip in one city and a longer road trip.

Both Toronto and Ottawa have enough attractions to fill a weekend. Casa Loma and the CN Tower, Parliament Hill and the Rideau Canal Skateway await brave travelers.

A road trip will allow you to visit both cities and a few more things on the way. You could stop by Niagara Falls, Balls Falls, Glanmore, Ferris, and Kingston. It is challenging to visit these sights without a car.

You might think about adding Montreal and Quebec City to your winter road trip plan. Not so fast – you should not enter Quebec unless you have proper winter tires regardless of the weather conditions.

It makes little sense to put a new set of winter tires just for one trip. But neither is paying a $200 to $300 CAD (~$150 to $225 USD) fine. It is best to postpone a visit to Quebec until the fall foliage season.

Regardless of your trip type and itinerary, you should expect to see nice hotels in Ontario. Compared to most places in the United States, places to stay in Canada are, on average, a lot nicer.

Take a look at this Video List of the Best Places to Visit in Ontario, Canada in Winter. And visit the YouTube channel for the latest videos.

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Safe realist travels!