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Best Canada Tour Companies

Search 158 Canada tour operators and travel companies, with 737 reviews.

Featured Canada Trips

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Intrepid Travel

Insight Vacations

Exodus Travels

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Omega Tours

Charlie The Traveler

Health Safety

ROW Adventures

Victory Cruise Lines

AmeriCan Cycling Adventures

Rocky Mountaineer

Banff Trail Riders

Quark Expeditions

Vibe Adventures

Hurtigruten

158 match your criteria (1 - 20 shown)

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Canada Reviews & Ratings

CharlieTheTraveler is the best tour company I have dealt with. Their tours are well organized, the guides are great, and you feel safe the entire time. It’s my secon...

Loved visiting Morain Lake

This tour made me fall in love with Canada! I especially loved visiting Morain Lake (which is totally underrated compared to Lake Louise). The country has beautiful ...

well explore Western Canada

If you’re looking for a tour company to go to Canada with, CharlieTheTraveler might just be what you’re looking for. They have a great itinerary planned out that all...

This tour is amazing

This tour is amazing and hits all the must-see spots in Western Canada, whether it’s Banff, Vancouver, Whistler, Jasper… I just loved how complete the itinerary is. ...

This Canada trip was amazing

Charlie, THANK YOU. This Canada trip was amazing. The itinerary was well thought out, the hotels were welcoming and cozy, the views were beautiful. Charlie and his t...

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Top Tour Operators and Travel Agencies in Canada 2024/2025

Top Tour Operators and Travel Agencies in Canada. Below you will find 18 of the best tour operators and travel agencies in Canada offering in total 163 tours and holidays through-out Canada. Combined they have received 99 customer reviews and an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars. The top tour activities offered in Canada are: Wildlife, landscapes and nature, Adventure and sport & Sightseeing, attractions, culture and history.

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18 Tour Operators in Canada with 99 Reviews

Intrepid Travel

• Address 380 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Australia
• Response Rate 90%
• Response Time 2 hours

• Best-in-Class Top 5% of companies
• Excellent Service Top 10% of companies
• Superior Service Top 15% of companies

Exodus Travels

• Address Grange Mills, Weir Road, London, England
• Response Rate 85%
• Response Time 1 hour

• Address 33 Kern Road, Toronto, Canada
• Response Rate 88%

G Adventures

• Address G Adventures Ltd, 60 Bastwick Street, London, England

• Address 38-51 Bedford Way, London, England
• Response Time 3 hours

Quark Expeditions

• Address 3131 Elliot Avenue, Suite 250 Seattle, WA 98121, Seattle, USA
• Response Rate 79%

• Address Nelson House, 55-59 Victoria Rd, Farnborough, England
• Response Rate 94%

Luxury Gold

• Response Rate 60%

New World Wine Tours

• Address 100 Lower Ossington Ave, Toronto, Canada
• Response Rate 38%

Insight Vacations

• Response Rate 86%

Indus Travels

• Address 233, 11951 Hammersmith Way, Richmond, Canada
• Response Rate 97%

• Address 2461 FM 778, Mineola, USA
• Response Rate 95%

• Address Picquet House, St Peter Port, Guernsey, London, England

Collette Tours

• Address 162 Middle Street, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA

Traveling to Canada? Chat with a local travel specialist in Canada who can help organize your trip.

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Canadian vacations personalized for you

We take care of all the details — from start to finish

Beginning with the airport transportation to take you to your comfortable hotel to setting up tours and activities, our local experts make all your travel arrangements, from the time you arrive in Canada to the time you leave. All you have to do is sit back, relax and enjoy.

Discover our trips

Absolutely outstanding

“Your staff is absolutely outstanding; informative, organized, and patient. This was probably the best organized tour we have ever taken.”

Ways to travel with Fresh Tracks Canada

Canadian Train Vacations

Canada Polar Bears

Northern Lights Canada

Guest satisfaction is our no. 1 priority.

We’ve planned more than 25,000 personalized trips, helping visitors experience the best of Canada. Don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what our guests had to say about working with Fresh Tracks Canada.

Our itinerary was wonderful

Outstanding experiences and outstanding accommodations. Our itinerary was wonderful and it gave us a chance to see every aspect of the Maritime provinces. We enjoyed a variety of f...   read more

William and Carol

Fresh Tracks set up the best vacation for us

Fresh Tracks set up the best vacation for us. The hotels were perfect and the activities matched us nicely. We didn't have any issues at all, everything worked smoothly. We loved t...   read more

Gina and Pete

Our trip was amazing!

Our trip was amazing!! We would love to visit Canada again someday. The train trip was the best! We were treated like royalty and definitely never went hungry or thirsty! The view...   read more

Darlene and Hank

Thank you for a fabulous trip

My husband and I wanted to go somewhere different, somewhere natural and unspoilt, where we could explore and journey and not be constantly fed the commercial fare of the standard...   read more

Margaret and David

Our trip was extremely fun and well organized!

Kirsten and Paul

Tell us how you like to travel, we'll do the rest

Our range of once-in-a lifetime trips have something to appeal to every travel personality. Your trip can be as active or as relaxed as you like. Visit our travel sites to learn more.

Personal attention —every step of the way

From the moment you land in Canada to the moment you leave, our travel experts take care of all your travel arrangements. All you have to do is relax and enjoy the trip.

The best destinations in Canada

Nothing brings people together like sharing a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Whether you’re travelling as a couple, a family group, or with friends, we’ll create a trip you’ll be talking about for years to come.

Tailored to your interests

Your itinerary is built for you around your specific needs, interests, and budget. Make your trip worthwhile by spending your time in Canada doing what you really want to do.

The local insider advantage

Enjoy every moment knowing your vacation has been curated by local experts who love sharing Canada with the world. Our team sources the best accommodations, tours, train trips, activitites and restaurants to create your trip.

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Experts in India

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Expertly Designed

We get it. You’re not the homebody type. We aren’t either. Your passion, needs, and desires have shaped our business. Destination experts hand-craft transformative experiences designed specifically with you – our fellow traveler – at heart. We wouldn't trust your experience with anyone else.

Guided Touring Reimagined

We know you want to explore and also dive in. We’re curious travelers, just like you, so rest assured, you’ll experience must-sees and connect with the people and culture that define the destination. You’ll eat in locals’ homes, take cooking classes, travel by trains and tuk tuks, explore cities with food tours, and stay in igloos, castles, and chateaus.

Value Beyond Price

Your time is one of your most precious commodities, so you should spend more of it in the destination, not driving between places. We design tours that spend the fewest hours on the coach. One-night stays are a rarity. This is your trip, and you shouldn’t feel rushed. With choice, flexibility, and free time, take it all in – this is your tour.

Confidently Collette

Travel with trust. Because this is your trip - something you've planned for and dreamed about. You should feel confident in your journey every step of the way.

Industry-Leading Travel Protection

Cancel for any reason (bad hair day applies) up to 24 hours before your tour leaves and get a full money-back refund. Collette issued a record-breaking $185 million cash back to travelers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Experience & Expertise

We've been doing this for a long time. Since 1918, in fact. Collette is the most experienced and longest-running tour operator in North America. You choose...

Traveling Well

Our team is on the pulse of world events and protocols, so you are kept fully aware and feel well-prepared for your trip.

Service Rating

Independent

Why Guided Travel

You're a traveler with places to go. We'll take care of the details. You embrace the journey.

Social Connections

Meet a group of people who share your love of travel. Learn from locals. Forge friendships in the coolest places.

Independence

There's plenty of time built into our itineraries, plus optional tours, Choice on Tour excursions, and more. It's your trip, your way.

Expertly Planned

You know what you want to see and do - let a team of experts handle all the details from the must-sees to centrally-located accommodations and local lessons.

The Best Pacing

Don’t rush – this is your time to see the world. Get more time in the destination, and enjoy an ideal balance of included excursions and free time.

Our Best Moments

When you go, capture all those incredible moments, and use the hashtag #GoCollette so that we can share your joy!

Featured Tours

Collette travelers choose from 160 tours across all 7 continents, as well as 5 travel styles including small group touring and destination spotlights. Check out some trending tours for inspiration on your next adventure.

Explorations

African Safari: Kenya and Tanzania

Alaska's northern lights, tuscan & umbrian countryside featuring italy's charming hill towns, winter in croatia featuring plitvice lakes and the adriatic coast, icelandic adventure, $3,699 pp* $3,849 pp, costa rica: a world of nature featuring tortuguero national park, arenal volcano & manuel antonio national park, mediterranean coastal journey spain, france & italy, exploring south africa, victoria falls & botswana, $5,249 pp* $5,599 pp, the best of ireland featuring the wild atlantic way, historical greenbrier featuring washington d.c. & williamsburg, spotlight on northern italy featuring venice, verona & the dolomites, $2,449 pp* $2,699 pp, spain's costa del sol & madrid, find a travel agency.

Once you've found the perfect Collette tour, your local travel agent can assist you in making reservations. To find a preferred travel agent in your area, please enter your 6-digit postal code, then click Search.

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We really value your feedback, please be open an honest. Tell us where we can improve, how we can get better. This feedback is anonymous, but if you would like us to get in touch with you regarding an issue provide your email address as part of your feedback and we will get right back to you.

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Special Occasions

Ultra luxury.

• Corporate Travel
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Let us help you decide where to go next! Our travel experts tailor your vacation to fit your dreams as well as your budget.

We expertly guide you in choosing the right cruise line and itinerary to visit the ports you desire—unpack once and see the world!

Weddings, anniversaries and family reunions, we are here to ensure your special time is a smashing success!

Unique travel experience, curated just for you with exclusive perks and upgrades you didn’t know were possible.

Founded in 1986, YYZ Travel Group is one of the largest independently owned travel agencies in Canada. We’re fortunate to have a world of resources at our fingertips, thanks in large part to our partnership with Virtuoso, an organization of the top travel agencies, travel providers, and destinations worldwide. Through Virtuoso, we are able to offer our clients the kind of executive amenities, upgrades, access, and experiences. We’re here for you before, during, and after every trip, and look forward to customizing your next amazing travel experience.

Partner of the Month

Welcome to the wonderful world of belmond.

Belmond is a collection of 46 iconic hotels, trains and river cruises worldwide. Culture, wellbeing and cuisine take centre stage in curated adventures from the Mediterranean to Machu Picchu. Inspiring retreats are set on Caribbean beaches, by the edge of Iguassu Falls and overlooking the Amalfi Coast. Awe-inspiring train journeys include the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and Andean Explorer. Intoxicating river cruises plunge guests into the heart of France and Myanmar. Belmond celebrates the art of travel in extraordinary ways. Experiences range from gliding through Thailand’s emerald jungles and seeking out edgy art in Tuscany to riding on horseback through the Okavango Delta.

Celebrate the art of travel in extraordinary ways!

Experience island life, uninhibited

Tropical breezes, warm Caribbean waters, and every luxury under the sun. Set sail aboard Evrima , the inaugural superyacht of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, for all-inclusive voyages in Martinique, Costa Rica, Aruba, and more. Accommodating just 298 guests, Evrima features personalized service, elevated dining, and luxury accommodations.

Calling on unique and distinguished destinations alike, most voyages range from seven to ten nights, offering many overnight calls and uniquely curated experiences ashore. As with The Ritz-Carlton® on land, each yacht will feature personalized service, elevated dining and luxury amenities. The yachts are also available for private charter.

Reserve your voyage through your YYZ Travel Advisor and add exclusive benefits like a cooking class and chef’s tasting to your growing list of complimentary amenities.

The world’s best places to stay

From a gastronomic experience in the Maldives to a complimentary night in Napa Valley, enhance your next getaway with limited-time offers and exclusive amenities from these exceptional hotels and resorts.

Intimate retreats, sustainable safari camps, gorgeous beach resorts … and so much more. There’s a world of dream stays to discover within Virtuoso’s curated collection of more than 1,400 hotels, resorts, lodges, villas, camps, and private islands. Ready to go? Your next getaway starts here.

STAY INFORMED

If you have to travel during the pandemic, be sure you know the restrictions on your destination country before you travel.

Up-to-date travel restrictions around the world

What our clients are saying about us

From navigating interisland flights to recommendations for resorts and hotels, our travel advisor’s experience was invaluable. When we decide to extend our stay, she handled all communications with the resort, including getting us an upgrade to an overwater bungalow at a preferred rate.

We planned to honeymoon in the Dominican Republic. As the pandemic progressed and we couldn’t go, our advisor jumped right on it to get refunds and gave us new options that suited our interests, were safe, and that were within our budget.

My travel advisor got me the details about the protocols and precautions in advance, so there were no surprises along the way. She also mapped our drive ties, options for routes to Cape Cod, and even stops along the way.

My advisor made planning so much fun. I approached him with the states we wanted to visit; he came back with adventures in each one. If it weren’t for him, we would’ve missed one of the trip’s more meaningful moments at Memphis’ Civil Rights Museum.

NEWS AND TRAVEL EXPERIENCES

Updated Cruise Line COVID-19 Vaccination, Booster, & Testing Requirements

Travel to Italy Is Officially Back to Normal

Quark Expeditions Makes Antarctic History

49 Expert Travel Tips from Virtuoso Advisors

Incoming Agency & DMC

Incoming agency, vancouver – calgary – toronto – montreal – halifax, as a leading incoming agency and receptive tour operator, go kanada travel provides a comprehensive range of canadian travel services and products for inbound groups and tour operators worldwide, including travel agencies and event organisers..

Discover our Services

Travel Services

Canada-wide travel solutions: Transfers, Accommodation, Day Tours, Meet & Greets, Guides, Attractions.

Best guided tours to Canada’s top destinations, Rocky Mountains, Niagara Falls, from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast.

Custom Travel

Travel tailored to your group’s interests. Agricultural, Corporate, Leisure, Special Needs, Incentive, Pre- and Post Cruise Programs and more.

Complete Canadian travel services for tour companies and travel agencies worldwide.

Vancouver Local Guides

Vancouver City Guides and Guided Tours for Bus Groups and Private Individual Travellers. Visit our partners, Host the World , for assistance with your local guiding needs in Vancouver.

Why travel with us?

Better value, more enjoyment!

Winning Tours & Service!

Made in Canada with local expertise.

Best Highlights and Attractions.

Your Feedback

Experience Canada as you always imagined it. Beautiful landscapes, great cities and pure nature. This trip was just perfect. It will take us weeks to digest all the impressions and a lifetime to talk about it.

Karl-Heinz W.

Unforgettable

Simply great! The view of the sunset over the Niagara Falls from our hotel room (with a glass of wine); the gentle sound of the ocean as we fell asleep in our Pacific Lodge – unforgettable! Thank you so much!

Erika & Wolfgang S.

Romantic wilderness

… great hotel selection (no “run-of-the-mill” hotels), my favorite: the romantic Rocky Mountain Cabins in the wild. Perfectly organized trip, great tour guide, highly recommended!

Friendly and competent

Super friendly, competent team! Always ready to answer all our inquiries. Great travel planning for our groups – well thought out and detailed. Personal service with great insider tips. Go Kanada Travel – our partner for Canada.

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Escorted Tours

Our specialty, small-group escorted tours are hosted by tour directors from our own company. Our hosts will travel with the group throughout the tour, ensuring you are taken care of from the first day of the tour right through to the last. Our tour directors are specialists in the destinations visited and will take you to some of their our favourite, must-see sights and advise you on unique experiences and activities in each area. So, sit back, relax and soak in the whole experience without worrying about all the details!

• Full Name *

Maritime Travel Inc. began with a single storefront, called Maritime Travel, in 1949. Since then, we’ve become the largest independent travel agency in Canada. Today, our retail operations consist of over 100 locations from coast to coast with 13 locations branded LeGrow’s Travel in Newfoundland and Labrador, several branded Voyages Maritime in Quebec and Northern New Brunswick and the remainder branded Maritime Travel right across the country. Combined, our retail operations generate annual sales of over $350 million and employ over 500 people.

On May 16, 2002, we changed our name from Maritime Marlin Travel to Maritime Travel. When we originally affiliated with Marlin Travel in 1986 to provide our customers with a national network, we gained the ability to use the “Marlin” name within Atlantic Canada. This affiliation served us well for many years. However, with our acquisition of The Bay Travel in 2002, now Maritime Travel @ the Bay giving us locations nationwide, we no longer needed this affiliation to meet customers’ needs across Canada. Maritime Travel better reflects who we are – a Maritime-owned and headquartered company with a truly national reach.

In December 2009, the company hired 36 senior travel counsellors who had been with BCAA travel prior to BCAA closing its travel operations. Between 2009 and 2013, there were numerous acquisitions in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, including ATCO Travel in the fall of 2010.

Maritime Travel Inc. is also committed to staying one step ahead of our competition in the ever-changing travel industry. We believe that good people are particularly critical to our ongoing success. Hiring the best staff and providing them with attractive compensation packages and benefits has helped us to build and maintain a highly educated and experienced team of experts. In fact, many of our staff have been with us for over 10 years. Maritime Travel Inc. also provides extensive training programs for all our staff, and we continuously invest in leading-edge technology to stay competitive. Many of the technology solutions we have incorporated have had a significant impact on all aspects of our service, from operational efficiencies in the retail shops to innovative solutions for our business travelers, like online booking tools.

Recognized for its leadership and employee satisfaction, Maritime Travel has been named one of the Top 20 Best Employers in Canada for 2020 by Kincentric in its annual study. The country’s premier benchmark for excellent workplaces, The Best Employers in Canada program publicly recognizes organizations that have created great work environments. It’s the 11th consecutive award for Maritime Travel. Maritime Travel has been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Platinum Club for 17 consecutive years. Prior to that, it had been named one of Canada’s Best Managed companies since 1998.

Maritime Travel Inc. is a fully integrated travel company specializing in all aspects of travel, including developing, packaging, marketing, and distributing travel products and services.

Air Charters

Operating since 1999, Maritime Travel Air Charters offers a convenient, often cost-efficient charter service for our clients. This gives our clients — with two or more persons traveling — significant opportunities to save money and time, all with the added freedom of flying on their own schedule.

Air Consolidation

Launched in 1999, Discount Air serves as an internal consolidator for our retail network, sourcing international fares that are far more competitive than scheduled fares. This means huge savings for our customers. Sourcing and negotiating the availability of attractive fares is the greatest challenge faced by most agents. By providing an in-house service with fares online, Maritime Travel Inc.’s retail operations enjoy a significant competitive advantage.

Business Travel Management

Maritime Travel Inc.’s Business Travel Management operations offer business travel services and products to companies of all sizes. Operating under the Maritime and LeGrow’s brands, we service over 25 per cent of all business travel accounts in Atlantic Canada. Our leading-edge e-commerce Travel Smart Suite of products and “Confirmed” Business Travel Program are two of the many exclusive services we offer our customers.

Inbound Services

Maritime Travel Cruise Services (formerly Atlantic Cruise Ship Services) began as a small ground-handling company, servicing cruise ships arriving at Cape Breton Island. Today, Maritime Travel Cruise Services has expanded its service throughout Atlantic Canada, providing ground-handling services for companies such as Norwegian Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean Inc., among others.

Maritime Travel Conventions

Maritime Travel purchased Convention Connections, now known as Maritime Travel Conventions, as part of the acquisition of Atlantic American Express operations in November of 2005. This division has been in business for ten years, coordinating inbound convention services for organizations around the world. The services include negotiating and managing hotel room blocks as well as coordinating flights and event planning.

Meetings and Incentives

Maritime Travel Meetings & Incentives provides organizations with professional consulting and coordination of meetings, conventions and incentive programs. Companies face continuous operational challenges, such as building and maintaining moral, keeping staff turnover down and motivating their teams, all of which can be addressed with a well-planned and executed incentive program. The Maritime Meetings & Incentives team has broad expertise in developing meetings and incentive programs, from delivering client incentive trips hosted by our own president to developing incentives that can be driven or serviced from our regional branch network.

Retail Travel

Maritime Travel Inc. operates over 100 retail locations across the country, under the brands, Maritime Travel, LeGrow’s Travel, Airline Reservation Center, and Maritime Travel at The Bay. Our retail operations offer vacation travel services and products through all three distribution channels: travel agencies, a national call center and Internet sites. Our size and market share have allowed us to develop exclusive products and services, such as our Maritime Travel Insurance and Exclusive Payment Options.

Wholesale Operations

Launched in 1999, Holiday Escapes (formerly Maritime Holidays) continues to expand its programs and destinations. Holiday Escapes has made considerable investments in software that allows our agents to book online while giving our branch network access to products that sometimes are exclusive, yet always the best price for our customers.

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See the best of Canada / Alaska with exclusive and unique tours no one else offers.

FEATURED TOURS

OUR DESTINATIONS

KEEPING YOU SAFE

HOW DO YOU LIKE TO TRAVEL -->?

Apprehensive about going somewhere for the first time?

Anderson small group tours are ideal because you'll have a hand-picked seasoned career guide with you the whole trip.

If you're also booking for a deeper understanding of your destination, then our small group guided tours are the way to go.

Anderson Vacations' meticulously crafted itineraries, 24/7 office & on-location support, expert tour guides & decades-long experience organizing immersive, experiential tours gives our travellers the peace of mind to enjoy untold adventures completely unburdened and stress-free.

SMALL GROUP TOUR

Also known as fully independent travel

See what you want, where you want, how you want.

Whether you want to travel solo, with a friend, or with a group of friends, we'll help you custom-build an affordable private trip that takes in the cities, sights &/or experiences that you want, all at your own pace and on your terms. The ultimate in personalized travel.

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Custom Trip Inquiry

What you get with a custom trip:

CONFIRMATION

When are your vacation dates, how many are travelling, who's this custom trip for, thank you for your reservation request.

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CLASSIC TOURS

• Expert Tour Leader
• Maximum 24 passengers
• 3-4 stars comfortable accommodation (when available)
• Coach transportation
• Breakfast Included Daily
• Lunch or Dinner Included on Select Days
• Most Gratuities included

TOURS OF DISTINCTION

• Maximum 18 passengers
• Variety of 'off the beaten path' experiences
• Stays at Unique Inns and Boutique Hotel (when available)
• Mini Coach and Comfortable Local Transportation
• Lunch or Dinner Included Daily
• Unique Local Restaurant Experiences
• Most Gratuities Included

INDEPENDENT TRAVEL

• Private trip on a date of your choice
• Incorporates all modes of travel (coach, RV, car, VIA Rail, Rocky Mountaineer train)
• All Attractions, Activities and Events are Customizable
• Offers levels of accommodation from budget 3-star hotels, boutique lodges, to luxury properties
• Itineraries available in all 10 Canadian Provinces and the 3 Northern Territories and Alaska
• Itineraries also available in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific
• Itineraries cover all seasons and all travel styles
• Detailed crafted itineraries designed to agent/client specifications for content and budget

CUSTOM GROUPS

• Option for Expert Tour Leader to lead group at destination
• All Attractions, Activities, and Events are Customizable
• Offers levels of accomodation from budget 3-star hotels, boutique lodges, to luxury properties
• Daily breakfasts included

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From planning your trip, to assisting you while you are travelling, Canadian Travel Partners is known for its reliability and open communication.

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The Great Western Canadian Tour

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• 15 days /14 nights
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• 11 days /10 nights
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Canadian Travel Partners is an independent Receptive Tour Operator based in Vancouver, Canada specializing in tailor-made travel solutions for groups and individuals throughout Canada and the United States.

Founded as a family business in 1995, Canadian Travel Partners has been a reliable and trusted partner for many international tour operators and travel agents who appreciate a dedicated and multi-lingual team with great personalized services.

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Eastern Canada Tour Companies

List of eastern canada travel companies & tour operators with 119436 reviews.

Voyageur Quest

• Excellent - 9 reviews for Eastern Canada tours

The guides were fantastic. Baris and Terry made sure we all had a good time, and were always comfortable. The accommodations were even better than I expected. The guides were very knowledgeable and made the hikes really interesting. Overall it was a fantastic adventure. The food was wonderful. There was a chef that prepared delicious meals for us. My only regret is that I forgot to buy the cook book. I would recommend this trip to anyone. In fact I would go again.

Recently, I had the pleasure of experiencing the Algonquin Log Cabin Adventure over the May Long Weekend, and it exceeded all expectations. From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed and felt at home in the cozy log cabin. The all-inclusive experience meant we could fully immerse ourselves in nature without worrying about the details. The activities were fantastic. Canoeing on the serene waters, hiking through the breathtaking wilderness, and enjoying delicious meals were just some of the highlights. The guided excursions added depth to our adventure, providing insights into the local flora and fauna that we would have otherwise missed. As proud Canadians, we gained valuable skills and knowledge about Canada's stunning natural landscapes, to say the least. Being off the grid was a refreshing change, allowing us to disconnect from our busy lives and connect with each other and nature. The blend of comfort and wilderness was perfect, with comfortable accommodations and the rustic charm of the cabin. I highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for a memorable getaway with friends or family. Thank you to the team at Algonquin Log Cabin Adventure for an unforgettable weekend. We'll definitely be back!

• Excellent - 919 reviews for Eastern Canada tours

Hotels, not convenient for meals or cocktails. Not enough included options.

Too much time taken between travelling

• Excellent - 74,911 reviews for Eastern Canada tours

Tour was great. We saw some beautiful places and everybody was very friendly. The only minor problem I had was getting up a little earlier than probably most seniors do. we do understand that to see so much we have to put in the hours. he included meals were great and I would recommend your company and do another tour if I found something I liked. Tour guide was exceptional and very knowledgable with ability to stretch a little here or there to make everything fit in. A bus driver was also great. He had a good sense of humour and was very helpful when we were getting on and off the bus.

The tour was much more than anticipated - seeing expected and unexpected sites thanks to our great guide, Nadine as driver, Rod.

• Excellent - 1,947 reviews for Eastern Canada tours

Very nice tour. Would have liked more time in a place or two but, overall, good.

Optional excursions were reasonably priced. Suggest you put together other places in each city as a walking guide or short taxi or uber ride. Example access to close by museums open late and could walk to from hotel. Free time activities and what they are and where located is helpful.tour guide can offer to accompany a group interested to explore more during free leisure tome.Provide more detail info about the logistics of site visits. Niagara falls..suggest more water proof gear clothing and shoe types etc. Terrain to expect when visiting certain sites and possible alternatives.climbing and how difficult-easy or more strenuous or advanced climbing activity. Overall, small groups so much better than filling up bus. Thank you for giving single travelers their own bus space. Would love to watch more travel videos on longer driving distances.

• Excellent - 19,684 reviews for Eastern Canada tours

This is a long overdue review and I don’t know why I didn’t take the time to write this before. This Ontario and French Canada tour with Susan was amazing. Everything was well organized and enough time were spent at each attraction. Totally have no complaints!

This was an "8-day" tour starting in Toronto and ending in Montreal. As a New Zealand author of novels and short stories, I have travelled widely (about 23 countries). This is my fifth coach tour, the others being through Europe with Trafalgar and Expat Explore. In comparison, the hotels used by Cosmos were superior and all but one were located near shops, supermarkets and attractions. On the second day, the tour kicked off with a hiss and a roar as we travelled to Niagara Falls and for me, the highlight was being on a large boat at the bottom of the falls. Old Quebec City was another highlight together with its interesting history involving the French and English. Our tour leader, Nadine, did an excellent job giving the history and attending to our needs. The coach driver, Dave, was also very friendly and helpful. My wife and I took advantage of two optional excursions: A traditional sugar-shack Dinner, and Quebec countryside dinner and Montmorency Falls. I would recommend the latter. At the end of the seventh day, the tour ended. Brian Wilson

Insight Vacations

• Excellent - 648 reviews for Eastern Canada tours

This was our 7th trip with Insight and this was a nice paced tour of the Maritimes. The tour director was excellent as well as the coach driver. As long as my wife and I can keep traveling we'll be going with Insight.

• Excellent - 5,674 reviews for Eastern Canada tours

Please beware of this tour as many things are not included: Bike tour PEI didn’t happen Walking tour in Moncton and Halifax did not happen on our tour. And lastly please consider this as if I knew this before I would NOT have booked this trip. If you do not do the rafting “ as an optional activity” they literally don’t have anything else for you to do for three hours. Our tour guide went rafting and left the majority of the group behind. The driver was kind enough to drop as off at a mall to occupy our time. I did not pay that much money to sit in mall. I wanted to see the maritimes. Very disappointed in Contiki be

It was a great experience and the add on’s that Contiki offered were amazing adventures. The price of the tour was also great and completely worth it for what they gave you.

Atlantic Tours & Travel

• Excellent - 28 reviews for Eastern Canada tours

Our unhappiness is how TourRadar handled our tour. They “assigned” us to another company Atlanta Tours (which is a great company) & didn’t explain to us that we were joining a tour in the middle of it without giving us an opportunity to extend our trip to be included in the whole tour. We weren’t informed about when & where to meet our tour guide on the 1st night, even though I email Tourradar asking for the details. Not to mention we never got a “official” itinerary until our tour guide gave us one near the end of our tour. I don’t know who dropped the ball but we were blindsided over & over by this tour. Instead of being part of a group from the beginning to the end-we came in late & left early. We’re VERY unhappy with Tourradar & would never trust them again!

Very good tour. Excellent guide (Karen). So knowledgeable and entertaining too. Itinerary had to be tweaked unfortunately, as there was no theatre production in Charlottetown. But a fair substitute was found. All in all a great, stress free way to see this beautiful part of the country.

Europamundo

• Good - 3,269 reviews for Eastern Canada tours

The entire trip of Canadian Capitals was an awesome experience.We must place on record our appreciation of Mr Luis our Tour Manager who took care of us during the entire journey. We were the only English speaking members our Group with rest being South American Members speaking Spanish. But Mr Luis never made us feel left out and tried his level best to Translate the entire Narrative verbatim.Our special thanks are also due to young and dynamic Michael our Driver for the Tour who made our tour memorable one indeed.

The itinerary was well-planned. There were many long drives, but the group I travelled with made it fun and lively. Louis (tour manager) was very knowledgeable and helpful. The driver was skilful and friendly. The tour guides engaged for the city tour in Quebec and Toronto were not engaging and did not share much information. The Montréal City tour guide was good. The hotels were generally good. The hotel in Montreal was very old, felt creepy and the flooring had stains and holes. The hotel in Ottawa, Quebec and Toronto were good.

Omega Tours

• Good - 182 reviews for Eastern Canada tours

well organized, comprehensive tour of maritimes with lots of variety

Our trip was in Eastern Canada the first of July 2023. It was a nightmare to figure out how to get to our hotel from the train and subways, up and down soooo many stairs then walking the rest of the way with our luggage mind you. Definitely call for a ride to the hotel. Our first hotel was nice in Toronto. Niagara Falls was fun and definitely something to experience. The tour buses on our whole trip were comfortable and we had great drivers, especially Mike. He was so personable and took really good care of us! The second hotel in Ottawa was good too but when we went to Quebec City that was the worst hotel I’ve ever been in! The beds were uncomfortable, the air conditioner didn’t work well at all, and the shower was messed up and only ran hot water. Then the water wouldn’t shut off so we had to call someone to shut it off with tools. The tub didn’t have anything on the bottom for you to not slip so I slipped getting in and tore the towel rack down which was just glued on. I ended up having to place a towel in the shower where we could take a shower and not fall down. The people that worked there were rude. The carpet in the hallways was disgusting and coming up which is a major trip hazard. One couple that was on the tour with us showed me a piece of metal that fell from his ceiling in his room and hit him in the head. We had to stay two miserable nights there! Our next hotel in Montreal was okay and the last hotel they put us in back in Toronto was a very nice hotel and had a wonderful breakfast. Our guide was nice and informative too. We enjoyed seeing everything we did either while in the bus or walking around the cities. I’m not sure if I will do another group tour or not. Guess we’ll see….

• Good - 14 reviews for Eastern Canada tours
• This operator has no Eastern Canada reviews

Global Conquest

• Excellent - 2 reviews for Eastern Canada tours

Intrepid Travel

• Excellent - 11,771 reviews for Eastern Canada tours

Luc was the best tour guide ever. He kept our group on time and informed. Every stop was interesting, and the hotels and lodges were very good.

My Husband and I truly enjoyed the small group of 9 . Any more than this wouldn't have felt like a family. Our group gelled well. The van would not be big enough if more persons were in the group. Highly recommend NOT to have a larger group for other tours. Everyone was interested in everything we did and saw. Everyone was at the same level of ability and agility. Our Tour guide Simon was very flexible with options if weather wasn't in our favour. Would recommend Simon for other tours. He was very knowledgable on our Newfoundland tour.

Luxury Gold

• Excellent - 29 reviews for Eastern Canada tours

The cities we visited were beautiful, I just wish that the time on the bus was less. Change the dinner place in Ottawa, not up to your standards! We did not enjoy the canal cruise, it was too long, boring, and would have preferred that time to see sights. Ben was excellent! His historic knowledge, stories, and sense of humor made traveling most enjoyable. Our bus driver was such a gentleman and so accommodating. His driving was superb, I never felt unsafe. Most enjoyable was Niagara Falls and Quebec. Wish we had more time in Quebec less time in Montreal.

What a spectacular part of Canada the eastern side is and what a way it was to experience it by travelling with Luxury Gold. From Max our knowledgeable and ever attentive Travelling Concierge to the luxury coach that we travelled on to the Fairmont included properties and the meals were fantastic too. I found this Luxury Gold trip to be the right balance between included experiences and time at leisure to add a few things that really interested me (including some shopping). Trip highlights included the picturesque Fairmont Château Frontenac where we stayed in Quebec and enjoyed a tour with a Local Expert of the incredible property located right on the Saint Lawrence River. From Toronto it was magical to go to Niagara Falls and see icebergs in the lake and we even had snow flakes fall. Looking forward to my next trip with Luxury Gold as I enjoyed this trip.

Best Single Travel

• Good - 7 reviews for Eastern Canada tours

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10 Best Canada Tour Operators 2024 [Unbiased & With Reviews]

10 best canada tour operators 2024.

Are you planning to visit Canada, but unsure which tour provider to select? Now, you no longer have to waste time searching the internet and filling out dozens of contact forms. Simply fill out ONE form, we’ll send it off to multiple tour providers and they’ll contact YOU! You’ll be able to compare rates and find the lowest cost tour for the most affordable trip abroad.

Get Free Quotes From 10 Best Canada Tour Operators

Have you imagined a dream vacation in Canada? Would you like to know which are the best tour companies in Canada? Do you want to know professional, safest, and the highest rated tour companies in Canada to assist you in planning your trip?

Canada is the world’s second-largest country and comes with beautiful landscapes and numerous sights around the country for tourists to explore. With diverse geography from coast to coast, Canada is home to diverse history and vibrant culture. Canada’s list of possibilities is endless, from the pristine scenic beauty in the Northern Lake to the rugged Rocky Mountains, iconic Niagara Falls, and rolling Okanagan Valley.

Unfortunately, finding the right tour company in Canada can be an absolute nightmare. When you start your research, you will find hundreds of Canada tours with similar tour packages at different prices and promising you the best vacation experience. If you choose the wrong tour company in Canada, you risk ruining your experience in Canada and threatening your safety.

Our professional research team at TravellersQuest has analyzed hundreds of vacation tour in operators Canada offering tour packages around the country. We based our assessments on professionalism, reputation, pricing, and reliability to select this list of top 10. We genuinely believe that if you choose one of these operators, you’ll have a fun, fulfilling, and safe tourist experience in Canada.

Here is an unbiased list of the Top 10 best tour operators in Canada.

Table update Feb 18, 2024

Canada Wilderness Adventures

Canadian Wilderness Adventures  is one of the best tour operators in Canada founded in 1993 with offices in Whistler. The company provides tailored tours that allow travelers to select their interests based on preferences, budget, and time. The company is world-renowned for its outdoors adventure activities and all of their tours are carried out with the highest standards of safety and quality. With Canadian Wilderness Adventures, you will have the opportunity to explore the mountain sceneries, wildlife, and spectacular views for a memorable tour in Canada.

Canadian Wilderness Adventures Best Canada Tour Packages

With over 20 years in the industry, Canadian Wilderness Adventures knows exactly how to build you the best tour package based on your needs and interests.  Climb a rugged mountain, ride through rough roads and forested track trails up to the scenic viewpoints on the  Odyssey Off-Road Buggy Tour.  This tour is not just an experience but also a learning curve.

On their River of Golden Dreams  tour package, take a canoe and paddle down and across to the Alta Lake with a professional guide who will also allow you to learn basic paddling skills and techniques.

Don’t miss out on their  Call of the Wild Tour – an ATV adventure for both learners and skilled drivers in a moderate terrain of the Callaghan Valley and North Air gold mine site.

Canadian Wilderness Adventures Reviews

Few companies can rival the magnificent tours and services that Canadian Wilderness Adventures provides to its customers. As a top-tier Canadian tour operator, they have 5,105 reviews on TripAdvisor and are ranked as #1 of 105 Outdoor Activities in Whistler. They also received the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award in 2023. A past client of theirs wrote:

Had the best time with Rosie and the pack. Pick up was on time and we were well looked after throughout. We were given time to meet all the dogs which was great… Scott G

Read all reviews of Canadian Wilderness Adventures on TripAdvisor .

Eagle Wing Tours

With a mission to make people environmentally aware about their actions, Brett Soberg and Don Stewart launched Eagle Wing Tours in 2005. Eagle Wing Tours started out as a small, locally-operated tour provider and now, it is recognized as one of the leaders of eco-tourism in Canada. Their key focus is on sustainability, conservation, research and education and their top-priority is to deliver quality tours and services to their customers. Eagle Wing Tours is undoubtedly one of the best tour companies in Canada.

Eagle Wing Tours Best Canada Tour Packages

You’ll explore the Salish Sea and watch many different marine species while also learning about the environment through this company’s tour packages. If you’re in Canada during the summer, we recommend taking their Whale & Wildlife Watching Tour . They’ll take you on a 4 hour journey to watch magnificent sea creatures. You’ll also be given hydrophones so that you can even listen to the whales!

Also, their Whale Watching Sunset Tour will give you the best photographs of your trip in Canada. You’ll start off with an early dinner and then finish your day watching whales and identifying different wildlife with your wildlife detection kits.

Their Wine & Whales Tour starts off with a splendid excursion around the best vineyards on Vancouver Island. Then, you’ll be taken to watch killer whales, porpoises and humpbacks on luxury catamarans.

Eagle Wing Tours Reviews

As a highly-rated travel agency in Canada, Eagle Wing Tours has 3,484 reviews on TripAdvisor and is ranked as #1 of 111 Outdoor Activities in Victoria. They were awarded the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award in 2023. A customer who recently took their tours wrote:

All the guys were so knowledgeable and passionate about what they do. So professional.Loved that we saw orcas out of season. They were having their own party… Karen & Steve M

Read all reviews of Eagle Wing Tours on TripAdvisor .

Are you thinking of visiting Barbados and interested in finding the best tour operators in Barbados? Discover here the  best Barbados tour operators , choose the best one and make your trip unforgettable. 

Vancouver Foodie Tours

Vancouver Foodie Tours  is a highly-rated Canadian tour operator with local roots in Vancouver. They are dedicated to deliver fun and unique food tours to tourists from all around the world. Founded in 2010, the company has hosted over 20,000 guests on its signature Gastronomic Walking Food Tours. If you are a foodie, join Vancouver Foodie Tours for a 100% amazing, exciting, and delicious food tour, which will definitely one of the highlights of your vacation!

Vancouver Foodie Tours Best Canada Tour Packages

Delve into the gastronomic culture of Canada with Vancouver Foodie Tours’ tour packages. Discover the city with the number-one rated  Gastronomic Gastown Tour  and taste delicacies from iconic restaurants and quirky pubs; combined with scenic sights and immersive history. 

Granville Island  is the foundation of Vancouver’s local culture, and the market hosts over 300 Canadian food businesses. On this tour, you will be introduced to incredible Canadian cuisine and the passionate chefs and cooks who prepared it.

Explore the best of Chinese food in North America through their Authentic Asian Eats Tour . Taste mouth-watering dim sums, dumplings and Chinese pastries and get to know about the food and culture of the Chinese-Canadian community.

Vancouver Foodie Tours Reviews

Many of Vancouver Foodie Tours’ customers have praised the company for its stellar services. Their 2,551 reviews on TripAdvisor make them a top-rated tour company in Canada. They are also ranked as #1 of 94 Food & Drink in Vancouver. A satisfied customer wrote this about them:

We had a wonderful two hour tour of Granville Island with the very knowledgeable Michael. There was certainly enough food to satisfy our group – small sample sizes … bev_7371946

Read all reviews of Vancouver Foodie Tours on TripAdvisor .

Chinook Rafting

For nearly 35 years,  Chinook Rafting  has offered special tour opportunities to all kinds of travelers with the aim of providing adventure, entertainment, team-building opportunity, and education. As a leading Canadian travel agency, they specialize in rafting trips in the Horseshoe and Kananaskis Rivers. Chinook Rafting has an immaculate safety record and is committed to delivering fun, exciting, and safe trips from Banff, Canmore, and Calgary. All of their guides are professionally trained and licensed to conduct First Aid, CPR, and River Rescue.

Chinook Rafting Best Canada Tour Packages

With Chinook Rafting’s tour packages, you get an immaculate experience of the rivers and rapids of Canada. On their Raft 2 Rivers Combo Package , you’ll start off with a thrilling white-water rafting experience at Horseshoe Canyon which also includes a Cliff Jump. Then, you can go on a relaxing family rafting trip on Kananaskis River.

You can also consider their  Kananaskis River Raft and Horseback Ride tour package. You’ll have a great rafting experiece along the Bow River and then, ride a horse through winding landscapes and thermal bubbling waters in the Banff Historic Cave.

For a complete adventure, take the  White Rafting and Banff Sightseeing Tour  for breathtaking views of the Bow Valley and Mt. Norquay on a Chairlift.

Chinook Rafting Reviews

Chinook Rafting rightly deserves its position as the top-rated adventure-rafting tour operator in Canada. The company has 2,550 reviews on TripAdvisor and is ranked as #1 of 90 Outdoor Activities in Banff. Their well-crafted packages have earned them the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award of 2023. A recent client of theirs wrote:

So much fun i highly recommend. We were lucky enough to have Tadhg as our guide, he was excellent. This is something that is fun to do as a local… Jenna Natalyia L

Read all reviews of Chinook Rafting on TripAdvisor .

Would you like to visit USA? Find here the  10 best USA Tour Companies  to plan you a successful trip.

Prince of Whales

Experience the majesty of marine life on the Salish Sea with Prince of Whales . Prince of Whales is a highly-rated eco-tour company in Canada with a deep passion and love for the sea. They provide fantastic whale-watching and wildlife tours that will exceed your expectations! The company also focuses on educating travelers about conservation & protection of marine life and environment. They have a brilliant staff, united through their love for the sea, and they’ll deliver you a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Prince of Whales Best Canada Tour Packages

Prince of Whales provides a wide variety of tour packages that you can choose from, according to your liking. Start with their Half Day Whale Watching Tour from Vancouver. You’ll see orcas and humpbacks as well as bald eagles flying overhead. You’ll be accompanied by an expert marine biologist and they’ll tell you interesting stories about marine animals.

Take a luxury catamaran and spend a splendid evening watching whales and other wildlife on their Sunset Whale Watching tour package . You’ll have the perfect viewing platform along with a free photo package.

Take one of their featured tours, the Zodiac Whale Watching . This is a thrilling experience on a Zodiac speedboat that’ll get your adrenaline pumping.

Prince of Whales Reviews

Prince of Whales has set some high standards in the tourism industry of Canada with their excellent services. This Canadian tour company has 4,522 reviews on TripAdvisor and is ranked as #2 of 111 Outdoor Activities in Victoria. They received the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award in 2023. A past client wrote this about their tours:

This was such a fun experience, from dressing up in the big red survival suits, to the views of the snow capped Olympia range, and of course the wildlife… Sally M

Read all reviews of Prince of Whales on TripAdvisor .

Cycle City Vancouver

Experience Vancouver city in a unique way on a tour with Cycle City Vancouver . Founded in 2010 by professional tour experts, this Canadian tour company is passionate about sharing Vancouver’s culture, history, and hidden gems with travelers worldwide. During their guided tours, you will hear enchanting stories about the city – beyond the glimmering glass towers, amazing coastlines, and scenic mountain views. Cycle City Vancouver invites riders from Vancouver and around the world to join them on the bike path for unforgettable adventures and connections.

Cycle City Vancouver Best Canada Tour Packages

Cycling is an excellent way to discover the magical allure of Vancouver. Cycle City Vancouver is your go-to provider for excellent cycling tour packages. Join  The Grand Bike Tour  and explore one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Visit different attractions from Stanley Park to the lively Granville Island, Chinatown, and Gastown.

On their  Stanley Park Bike Tour , you’ll discover a world-famous park boasting a long history. On this exclusive bike tour, you’ll see the biodiversity of the park, Vancouver’s sea walls and ancient totem poles.

If you are looking for a leisurely cruise, take the  Epic E-Bike Tour  to see the best of Downtown Vancouver, including the English Bay, Stanley Park, False Creek, and Gastown.

Cycle City Vancouver Reviews

Many customers and clients have expressed how much they liked Cycle City Vancouver’s tours. With over 3,400 reviews on TripAdvisor, they are one of the best travel agencies in Canada. They are ranked as #2 of 355 Tours & Activities in Vancouver and they also received the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award in 2023. A past customer wrote:

Our guide, Greg, was fantastic. He knows Vancouver intimately – the history, the architecture, the people, the stories. He’s excited to share all this… Michael G

Read all reviews of Cycle City Vancouver on TripAdvisor .

Are you considering a visit to the Bahamas? Discover the   top 10 Bahamas Tour Companies  here to help you organize a fantastic trip.

Niagara City Cruises

Niagara Falls is a must-see travel destination for many travelers. Witness the magnificence of Niagara Falls with Niagara City Cruises , the only official boat tour operator in Canada. Niagara City Cruises is an internationally renowned tour provider that provides specialized tours in Canada. They are committed to serving their guests the best packages and services while also fostering a deep love for the environment. The company has licensed and professional tour guides working around the clock and they promise you an unforgettable experience of the Niagara Falls.

Niagara City Cruises Best Canada Tour Packages

Niagara City Cruises provides all-inclusive and fully serviced tour packages that cater to all types of customers. Begin with the Voyage to the Falls Boat Tour that consists of a 20 minute guided tour of the Niagara George, Bride Veil Falls and the famous Canadian Horseshoe Falls. The package provides a full-mist or a light mist experience depending on the time of travel.

For a unique experience, embark on their Falls Firework Cruise and see the Niagara Falls at night. This 40 minute cruise will give you splendid views of the waterfalls with fireworks exploding above your head!

The company also provides city cruises and their most popular one is the Toronto Harbor Tour . You’ll enjoy a live commentary about the city’s history and culture while seeing important landmarks like CN Tower, HTO Park, Sugar Beach and Rogers Centre.

Niagara City Cruises Reviews

Many travelers have expressed their sincere gratitude towards Niagara City Cruises for holding remarkable tours of the Niagara Falls. They have over 9,000 reviews on TripAdvisor, making them the highest-rated tour operator in Canada. They are also ranked as #3 of 13 Boat Tours & Water Sports in Niagara Falls and have received the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award in 2023. A satisfied customer expressed:

This cruise was the highlight of our trip to Niagara! We booked last minute after our original tour company fell through and could not have been more pleased with our experience… Angie

Read all reviews of Niagara City Cruises on TripAdvisor .

Local Montreal Food Tours

Local Montreal Tours  is a local Canadian tour company offering exciting tours of the best neighborhoods in Montreal. With a mission to help local communities grow and prosper, the company takes part in sustainable tourism ensuring that each restaurant is paid fairly and that the wait staff gets suitable gratuities for their service. Local Montreal Tours invites you to experience delicious food tastings with the best of Montreal’s classic restaurants, including new and hip eateries, Canadian landmarks, art, and architecture.

Local Montreal Food Tours Best Canada Tour Packages

Local Montreal Food Tours has no shortage of tour packages, with each package offering a unique perspective into Montreal’s culture. Mile End is a dynamic and thriving community of musicians, young entrepreneurs, and artists. On the Mile End Original Food Tour , you will see this particular neighborhood and explore secret alleys, and acclaimed shops.

On the  Old Montreal Food Tour  , you will discover the best French cuisine, red wine, and craft beer with a combined sight-seeing experience to Place d’Armes, St. Paul Street, and the Old Port. 

The Evening Mile End Food Tour  introduces you to a bustling local scene where you will taste fresh homemade gnocchi, Montreal bagels, chocolates and soft ice-cream.

Local Montreal Food Tours Reviews

Local Montreal Food Tours is an outstanding travel agency in Canada that always leaves its clients impressed and satisfied. They have 2,463 reviews on TripAdvisor and are ranked as #4 of 63 Food & Drink in Montreal. Here’s what a satisfied client said about them:

I loved this tour. You definitely won’t go hungry on this walk. Whether it’s having a bagel with smoked salmon, sampling Quebec cheeses, having a specialty taco, Poutine… Ken F

Read all reviews of Local Montreal Food Tours on TripAdvisor .

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Tours Voir Quebec

Since 2004, Tours Voir Quebec has been facilitating high-quality, immersive and engaging tours of Quebec City for all ages and groups. The company is a licensed tour operator in Canada with a mission to showcase the rich culture, history, art and architecture of Quebec City. They have a team of extremely knowledgeable and professional guides that know their city inside-out.  See the capital city of Canada in all its glory with Tours Voir Quebec.

Tours Voir Quebec Best Canada Tour Packages

Whether you are a solo traveler or traveling with family and friends, Tours Voir Quebec’s tour packages will ensure a memorable experience for all. If you are eager to learn about Quebec’s past, consider the Grand Tour . Explore Quebec’s historical sites like the Chateau Frontenac, Quebec fortifications and Place Royale and learn about Canadian culture and heritage.

The Heart of Old Quebec City is a self-guided audio tour that’ll take you through Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City Hall, Ursulines convent and the Seminary of Quebec while giving you valuable information regarding the city’s history.

Also, The Fortifications Self-Guided Audio Tour will make you familiar with French and British architecture while taking you through the city’s top attractions.

Tours Voir Quebec Reviews

Tours Voir Quebec is regarded by many as one of the best tour operators in Canada. With over 3,000 reviews on TripAdvisor, their high-quality service has earned them the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award of 2023. They are also ranked as #5 of 106 Tours & Activities in Quebec City. A customer who recently went on tour with them wrote:

Our guide, Anne, was excellent with a lot of information and added humor. It was a great way to begin our visit to Quebec City to orient and educate us… Lucinda V

Read all reviews of Tours Voir Quebec on TripAdvisor .

Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours

Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours  is an award-winning tour operator in Canada founded in 2011 by Tanya Bennett, a tourism expert with a passion for sharing the beauty of Vancouver with tourists from around the world. The company conducts private and group walking tours aimed at showing travelers an authentic and original Canada. With Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours, you will experience Vancouver through the eyes of the locals and immerse yourself in the city’s fantastic culture and unique lifestyle.

Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours Best Canada Tour Packages

Delve into secrets, murders and mysteries surrounding Vancouver on tour packages offered by Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours. Explore the dirtiest prohibition-era secrets by taking the  Forbidden Vancouver Tour . From mobsters to rumrunners and rioters, this excursion tour winds through historic streets and secret alleyways.

On the  Really Gay History Walking Tour , you’ll find out about the unsung heroes who changed the social fabric of Vancouver. From drag queens to queer church ministers, learn about the brave pioneers of the LGBTQIA community.

Discover the sinister stories of Stanley Park on their Dark Stanley Park Tour . Behind the scenic forest beauty lie stories about buried treasures, crime scenes, and the ghosts of Deadman Island, all of which you’ll explore on this tour.

Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours Reviews

Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours is a pioneering travel agency in Canada that has won the hearts of many clients. They have 2,531 reviews on TripAdvisor and are ranked as #7 of 356 Tours & Activities in Vancouver. A recent customer said this about their tours:

What a theatrical learning experience. Loved walking the streets and alleys of gastown to learn Vancouvers pioneer heritage… T H

Read all reviews of Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours on TripAdvisor .

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If you’re visiting Canada for the first time, we recommend staying in Toronto as the city is a hub for international travelers. You can also travel to Vancouver and discover authentic Canadian and French culture or go to Montreal if you prefer a hip and urban experience.

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Road-trips are the absolute, undisputed means of travel when it comes to Canada. There are so many majestic landscapes and small villages to travel to and enjoy that just wouldn’t be possible with other transport services.

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Global tech outage hits airlines, banks, health care and public transit

In the u.s., hundreds of flights were canceled friday morning and some public transit systems reported impacts..

A defective update from U.S. cybersecurity software company CrowdStrike crashed Microsoft Windows systems around the globe Friday . The tech outage disrupted operations across industries such as banks, hospitals and 911 call centers, plus grounded flights and hampered public transit systems and. Although a fix was deployed to restore most systems by the afternoon to return to normal, ripple effects may be felt throughout the weekend, experts warn. 

CrowdStrike , which advertises being used by over half of Fortune 500 companies, said one of its recent content updates had a defect that impacted Microsoft's Windows Operating System, adding the incident was "not a security incident or cyberattack."

"Earlier today, a CrowdStrike update was responsible for bringing down a number of IT systems globally," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement on Friday afternoon. "We are actively supporting customers to assist in their recovery."

The company's CEO, George Kurtz, apologized for the disruptions in a post on X, noting the issue has been identified and isolated and a fix has been deployed. CrowdStrike is "working with all impacted customers to ensure that systems are back up and they can deliver the services their customers are counting on." Meanwhile, Microsoft said, "the underlying cause has been fixed" and impacted Microsoft 365 apps and services have been recovered, though the company continues to monitor the issue.

Kurtz went on to warn in his statement, "We know that adversaries and bad actors will try to exploit events like this. I encourage everyone to remain vigilant and ensure that you’re engaging with official CrowdStrike representatives."

In the U.S., thousands of flights were canceled Friday morning . American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines were among those who grounded flights less than an hour after Microsoft said it resolved a cloud-services-related outage that impacted several low-cost carriers.

“Every line is long,” said Chance Ortego, 31, whose flight to New York was canceled Friday morning.

Public transit systems in the U.S. also reported temporary impacts, but for the most part, trains and buses were running as scheduled. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in Washington, D.C., said its "website and some of our internal systems are currently down," but trip-planning applications were later restored. In New York City, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority also said some of its MTA customer information systems were temporarily offline until around 5:30 p.m.

Around the world, the outages disrupted London's Stock Exchange, caused major train delays in the U.K., sent British broadcaster Sky News off air, forced medical facilities in Europe and the U.S. to cancel some services and caused disruptions at airports in Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong and India.

Widespread economic impact from the outage is expected to be small, even though many companies were still trying to resume full operations by the time the stock market closed.

Travel disruptions: Over 2,000 US flights canceled amid global IT outage

Developments:

◾ More than 5,000 flights were canceled globally as of 3:30 p.m. Eastern, about 4.6% of all scheduled commercial flights for the day, according to aviation analytics company Cirium.

◾ Some U.S. border crossings saw impacts amid the outage: Traffic stalled on the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit with Windsor, Ontario, Canada, as well as at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, the Detroit Free Press reported . CBP One, the Customs and Border Patrol app, and the agency’s border wait times website, each appeared to experience outages.

◾ U.S. stocks closed lower on Friday, in the wake of the outage. CrowdStrike shares closed down 11.1% at $304.96, with analysts predicting the outage would cost the company money to fix and restore trust with its customers. It was the lowest close for the shares since May 2. Microsoft shares fared better, closing down only 0.74% at $437.11.

◾ Krispy Kreme gave away free doughnuts  Friday due to the global tech outage.

◾ Some Starbucks locations were reportedly taking only cash Friday, and customers reported being unable to use the coffee chain's mobile app.

◾ Some had a sense of humor through it , with workers who had to muddle through expressing their wishes for a digital snow day from the office − "Knock Teams out" − as the outage didn't equate to a work stoppage for all.

◾ Dubai International Airport said on X it was operating normally following "a global system outage that affected the check-in process for some airlines." It added the affected airlines "promptly switched to an alternate system, allowing normal check-in operations to resume swiftly."

CrowdStrike impact: How a global IT outage unraveled the world's tech

How the CrowdStrike outage played out throughout the day:

Portland issues emergency declaration

Portland, Oregon, Mayor Ted Wheeler issued an emergency declaration Friday over the tech outage, with a statement noting the outages are affecting city servers, employee computers and emergency communications.

Meanwhile, the Maryland Department of Emergency Management increased its state activation level from "normal" to "partial," citing the tech outage. A post on X says a "partial" activation is for incidents that require "significant monitoring or resources," with additional emergency operations staffing from other agencies, functions and supporting organizations.

- Bailey Schulz

What is CrowdStrike?

CrowdStrike is a popular cybersecurity software company created in 2012 by CEO George Kurtz, along with Dmitri Alperovitch, and Gregg Marston.

According to its website, CrowdStrike has the "world's most advanced cloud-native platform that protects and enables the people, processes and technologies that drive modern enterprise."

Alperovitch, CrowdStrike's former Chief Technology Officer, is a member of the Biden administration's Homeland Security Advisory Council , which is meant to provide advice and expertise to support decision-making "across the spectrum of homeland security operations."

- Gabe Hauari , Bailey Schulz

What caused the CrowdStrike outage?

According to an alert sent by CrowdStrike to its clients and reviewed by Reuters, the company's "Falcon Sensor" software caused Microsoft Windows to crash and display a blue screen, known informally as the "Blue Screen of Death." 

Kurtz said "there was an issue with a Falcon content update for Windows Hosts" but customers “remain fully protected,” according to a post on X . He also reiterated that Friday's outage "was not a security or cyber incident."

Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology, said she spoke to Kurtz Friday and confirmed the incident did not appear to be related to a cyber attack.

“At this point, we believe that it is an IT-related patch, an issue with that patch,” she said while speaking at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado. "I think they're determining what went wrong there."

‘I’m just hoping to make it onto a flight’

Chance Ortego had reached the finish line of a nearly two-week work trip when he saw the news all air travelers dread: his flight was delayed. 

Ortego was in the AirTrain en route to his flight from San Francisco International Airport when he heard other travelers discussing the outage. After checking the status of his 7:05 a.m. Delta Air Lines flight to New York – which was pushed back nearly three hours – he rebooked another flight at 9:15 a.m. 

He later learned his original flight had been canceled. Ortego was among the thousands of passengers around the world facing delays, cancellations and problems checking in as airports and airlines were caught up in a massive IT outage that grounded U.S. flights early Friday. 

“I was already planning to sleep,” said Ortego, who works in health care. “Now I'm just hoping to make it onto a flight.” 

Inside the airport, there was more chaos than a typical travel day as airlines recovered from the outage. Many screens were blank except for an error message and airport personnel made announcements directing questions about flights to airlines.

All U.S. airlines issued travel waivers for those affected to easily rebook their plans. Those who opted to cancel can rest easy knowing the Department of Transportation classified the cancellations and delays as controllable, thus airlines are responsible for upholding the commitments they've made to customers when it comes to policies like rebooking or hotel and meal vouchers as the mess gets sorted out. 

- Nathan Diller

Impact on the economy

The outage isn’t expected to have any effect on the broader economy unless it persists for days.

“At this point, the IT outage is more a nuisance than an economic event,” says Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics. “If it drags on into early next week, the economic damage will begin to mount.”

If the outage is limited to a day or two, canceled flights can be rebooked and banking transactions can be completed later.

“There is plenty of time for activity to be recovered over the remainder of the month,” says Jonathan Miller, senior U.S. economist at Barclays.

- Paul Davidson

Outage impacts US public transit websites, ticketing

Major cities were generally able to keep trains and busses running, but tech issues have been causing problems with ticketing and other tech systems, leading to delays in some cases.

The Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area Transit Authority reported website and other tech issues, but said trains and buses were running as scheduled.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City reported problems with "customer information systems" but said it's buses and trains were unaffected. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it was not affected but urged riders who might be using public transit to any area airports to check with their airlines before traveling for updates.

New Jersey Transit said some of its ticketing machines may have been impacted but its buses and trains were, for the most part, running on time. Some trains were out of operation Friday due to repairs that had to be made because of the intense heat that blanketed the region all week.

The Chicago Tribune reported Friday morning that commuter rail lines were affected, though it noted traffic is typically lighter on Fridays than other days. Delays on some lines were as long as 45 minutes, the Tribune reported. Chicago Transit bus and rail service was not affected but some CTA customers were unable to add value to their payment cards via the app or machines overnight, but the issue has been resolved.

Some transit systems, including Metro Transit in Minneapolis and Cincinnati Metro reported temporary disruptions to websites, trip planners, social media and other applications but no impact to its bus or trains.

- Phaedra Trethan

Despite summer break, schools disrupted by IT issues

The CrowdStrike outage crashed some computers at colleges Friday and hampered a popular software for enrolling students in K-12 schools for the fall.

The University of Rochester, a private school in New York, told students to keep rebooting their systems until the problem was fixed. The University of Alabama’s technology office said its campus computers using Microsoft Windows crashed. Rutgers University and the University of Kentucky also reported disruptions. 

Despite the summer break, K-12 schools in Maryland and Kansas said they were having problems with PowerSchool, a widely used software for grading and student enrollment. An update posted to the company’s webpage Friday morning said the outage was impacting all its major products, including its enrollment feature. 

- Zachary Schermele

911 call centers disrupted

State and local law enforcement agencies across the country reported disruptions to 911 services after the outage hit.

National reports of 911 outages peaked at more than 100 on Friday just before 3 a.m. according to Downdetector .

Agencies in at least seven states reported temporary outages, including the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office and Faribault Police Department in Minnesota, 911 systems New Hampshire , Fulton County, Indiana , and Middletown, Ohio . 

Non-emergency and 911 calls to multiple dispatch centers in Alaska "were not able to be answered" for around seven hours overnight, Austin McDaniel, communications director for the Alaska Department of Public Safety, told USA TODAY in an email.

"Dispatch centers switched to analog phone systems or to partner dispatch centers that were not impacted to continue taking calls," he wrote. Systems in the state were back up as of 4:23 a.m. local time.

The Phoenix Police Department was also impacted ‒ 911 call centers could take calls, but had to dispatch officers manually, the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported .

The Federal Communications Commission said in an email to USA TODAY that it was aware of reports of disruptions to 911.

"We’re closely working with other federal agencies to provide assistance and determine the extent of these service disruptions.”

- Cybele Mayes-Osterman

Biden briefed on global outage as federal agencies assess impacts

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the CrowdStrike outage and his team is in touch with the cybersecurity firm, as well as with impacted companies and agencies, according to the White House. Biden will receive "sector-by-sector updates throughout the day and is standing by to provide assistance as needed," the White House added.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement it is working to "fully assess and address system outages."

DHS added it's working alongside the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as well as CrowdStrike, Microsoft and federal, state, local and critical infrastructure partners to get a grasp on the incident and its impacts.

Over 2K US flights canceled amid outage

Several U.S. carriers, including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, issued ground stops for all their flights early on Friday due to communication problems, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA said operations were no longer impacted as of 10:53 a.m. ET, but it continues to monitor the situation and warned the global IT issue could continue to affect flights this weekend.

There were more than 2,500 U.S. flights canceled and more than 7,900 delays as of 3:25 p.m. EDT, according to flight-tracking website  FlightAware .

Most airlines were able to resume operations as the morning progressed, but many said they expected disruptions to continue throughout the day.

Read more about the outage's travel impacts

Hospitals cancel nonemergency services

Hospitals across the U.S. and overseas were impacted by the outage, which forced some to cancel elective surgeries and halt visitations as well as outpatient services.

Mass General Brigham in Boston canceled previously scheduled nonurgent surgeries, procedures and medical visits, according to a statement sent to USA TODAY. In the same area, Tufts Medical Center told media outlet WHDH it’s still assessing the outage’s effect on clinical and surgical operations.

In Texas, Ben Taub Hospital and Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital suspended "hospital visitation and patient information," citing a "Microsoft Windows failure," according to a statement from Harris Health System . Cincinnati Children's Hospital said many of its Microsoft-based computer systems are down because of the outage, which forced the hospital to cancel early morning appointments.

"We are in touch with the hospital field and the federal government and monitoring the situation closely to better understand its scope and impact," said John Riggi, the American Hospital Association's national adviser for cybersecurity and risk. 

Two hospitals in northern German cities canceled elective operations scheduled for Friday but continued to provide patient care and emergency services.

Outages exposes fragility of internet infrastructure

While there were reports of companies gradually restoring their services, analysts weighed the potential of what one called the biggest-ever outage in the industry and the broader economy.

"This is a very, very uncomfortable illustration of the fragility of the world’s core Internet infrastructure," Ciaran Martin, Professor at Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government and former head of the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre, told Reuters.

"IT security tools are all designed to ensure that companies can continue to operate in the worst-case scenario of a data breach, so to be the root cause of a global IT outage is an unmitigated disaster," said Ajay Unni, CEO of StickmanCyber, one of Australia's largest cybersecurity services companies.

Outages ripple far and wide

From the United Kingdom to Singapore, the effects of tech outages were far-reaching on Friday.

British broadcaster Sky News went off-air and train companies in the U.K. reported long delays. Departure boards at several U.K. airports appeared to freeze, according to passengers who posted reports on social media.

London's Stock Exchange reported experiencing disruptions. Some hospitals also reported difficulties processing appointments and several chain retail stores said they couldn't take payments. The soccer club Manchester United said on X that it had to postpone a scheduled release of tickets.

In Australia, media, banks and telecoms companies suffered outages.

There was no information to suggest the outage was a cybersecurity incident, the office of Australia's National Cyber Security Coordinator Michelle McGuinness said in a post on X.

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority said some of its systems were offline due to a worldwide technical outage, but have since been restored. It said MTA train and bus services were unaffected.

Spanish authorities reported a "computer incident" at all its airports.

Berlin's main airport said check-ins were delayed because of a "technical fault."

Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers, warned passengers of potential disruptions which it said would affect "all airlines operating across the Network." It did not specify the nature of the disruptions.

There were reports a shipping terminal in Gdansk on Poland's Baltic coast was not operating normally.

NetBlocks, a digital-connectivity watchdog, said that the outage reported by global airlines, corporates and infrastructure services firms and others was having "minimal" impact on global Internet connectivity.

Contributing: Reuters

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What we know about the computer update glitch disrupting systems around the world

Bobby Allyn

Bill Chappell

Fatima Al-Kassab

Microsoft, which hosts cloud services with businesses and governments, said it was grappling with service outages after a glitch triggered by software distributed by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. Haven Daley/AP hide caption

A technological meltdown left employees of airlines, banks, hospitals and emergency services around the world staring at the dreaded “blue screen of death” on Friday as their computers went inert in what is being described as a historic outage.

“This is basically what we were all worried about with Y2K, except it's actually happened this time,” internet security analyst Troy Hunt said via X .

Security experts race to fix critical software flaw threatening industries worldwide

From continent to continent, Microsoft users reported being suddenly knocked offline, and the culprit was determined to be cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, which says one of its routine software updates malfunctioned.

“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts,” the company said in a statement.

Customers using Mac and Linux operating systems were not affected, CrowdStrike said.

When the faulty update crashed computer systems, scores of airport travelers were stranded, hospital appointments were delayed and live news broadcasts were cut short.

How big is the outage?

It is massive, far-reaching and sudden.

Some computer problems cascade, creating ripples of failures. But in this case, the flaw permeated Microsoft systems worldwide nearly immediately. The company says its Windows 365 Cloud PCs, apps and services were affected.

Microsoft remains the dominant desktop operating system worldwide, with more than 72% market share, according to the Statcounter website . The CrowdStrike problem does not directly affect all of those machines: its security software is mainly used by businesses and large organizations. The company says its customers include 43 U.S. states and nearly 300 companies in the Fortune 500.

Hundreds of thousands of Microsoft outages were reported on Friday, according to Downdetector , the website that tracks outages based on users’ reports.

In 16 hours, 311,000 global outage reports came in, Michelle Badrian, senior communications manager at Ookla, which owns Downdetector, told NPR. Of that figure, she added, 58,000 reports were from the U.S., 26,000 from the U.K., and 20,000 from India. Large numbers of reports also came in from Germany, Canada and Australia.

There are signs that relief is on the way: Badrian said that as of midday Friday ET, “we are observing report volumes declining both for Microsoft services and for all services overall.”

While server-related outages are common, the scale of the CrowdStrike disruption was astonishing to many tech observers.

“This IT outage is a stark reminder of how dependent we are on technology and many other things that happen behind the scenes that most of us are unaware of,” said Louisville-based tech executive Adam Robinson on X . “Modern society and the many comforts we enjoy is a fragile thing.”

Passengers wait in front of check-in counters at the capital's Berlin Brandenburg Airport, in Schönefeld, Germany, on Friday after a widespread technology outage disrupted flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world. Christoph Soeder/AP/DPA hide caption

What about air travel?

More than 2,000 flights originating or landing in the U.S. were canceled as of noon ET Friday, and more than twice that number were delayed, according to the FlightAware tracking site.

Delta Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines announced they were resuming some or all of their scheduled flights after initially being grounded when the problem struck their systems. The airlines also said they were issuing waivers to affected customers.

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport — a major hub for long-distance flights — said a "global system failure" impacted incoming and outgoing flights on one of the busiest days of the year.

Landings at Zurich airport were suspended and flights in Hungary disrupted.

Spanish airport operator Aena reported a computer systems “incident” at all Spanish airports that it said could cause delays.

What other kinds of services went offline?

In some states, including Alaska and Ohio , 911 phone lines were down.

The U.K.’s National Health Service has been widely affected. The NHS said Friday that doctors’ appointments and patient records had been affected but that there was no known impact on emergency services. The BBC reported that two-thirds of doctors’ practices in Northern Ireland had been affected, with doctors unable to access patient records, generate prescriptions or see the result of laboratory tests.

In Germany, some hospitals canceled non-emergency operations.

Broadcasters around the world were also affected. In France and Australia , live television broadcasts were knocked offline.

Sky News, a major U.K. news channel, was off air for a time on Friday morning. It later returned, but without “ full capabilities , ” its chairman, David Rhodes, said on X Friday afternoon. A post on Australia’s ABC News website said the broadcaster was experiencing a “major network outage.”

The London Stock Exchange’s news service stopped working. Shipping in the Baltic was also impacted, with the container hub of Gdansk in Poland hit by major disruptions.

How do people fix their computers?

CrowdStrike says the problem was not a cyberattack, but rather a software glitch. The company said that after identifying the issue, it withdrew the "problematic channel file" that was affecting customers' systems.

Because of that move, if a Windows system with CrowdStrike's Falcon sensor was brought online after 1:27 a.m. ET Friday , the company said, it wouldn't be affected.

It also published a workaround that involves booting a Windows machine in a recovery environment, deleting a single file in the CrowdStrike directory, and restarting.

An airport information screen displays an error message rather than travel information at San Francisco International Airport on Friday after a computer problem unraveled systems in the U.S. and dozens of other countries. Talia Smith/NPR hide caption

What is CrowdStrike?

It’s a U.S. cybersecurity firm based in Austin, Texas. The company went public in 2019 and is currently in the S&P 500 index. As of early July, CrowdStrike’s stock had been riding months of gains. But share prices fell sharply in early trading Friday.

“This is clearly a major black eye for CrowdStrike,” said WedBush analyst Dan Ives.

CrowdStrike made headlines in 2016, when the company was hired by the Democratic National Committee to investigate a breach of its data systems . CrowdStrike determined that the hack was a case of foreign interference — the work of Russian-backed hacking groups.

The company’s marquee product is its “Falcon” cybersecurity software — and it traced the current problem to a change in a sensor in that system. That also helps explain how and why the resulting failures might have spread so quickly: Rather than being stored locally, the Falcon security platform “is 100% cloud-based.”

The company apologized for the outages on Friday, stating, "We understand the gravity of the situation and are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disruption."

This is a developing story and will be updated.

What we know about the global Microsoft outage

A routine software update caused cascading chaos Friday that has engulfed global businesses from airports and banks to retail and law enforcement.

It wasn’t a cyberattack, but was caused by one of the world’s largest cybersecurity companies deploying a flawed update while trying to keep their customers safe from hackers.

CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company based in Austin, Texas, that’s widely used by businesses and government agencies that run on Microsoft computers, said that a defect in one of its updates for computers running the Windows operating system had caused the issue. The result was arguably the largest global information technology outage in history. 

Here’s what we know:

What has been affected?

The outage appeared to affect almost every major business sector in one way or another.

Airports and flights across the world were severely delayed or canceled altogether, as the computers on which these services rely were disrupted by the issue. Three of the largest airlines in the United States — American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines — all issued ground stops, citing communications problems.

Long lines snaked through airports from Berlin to Hong Kong, as electronic systems failed and staff members resorted to checking in passengers manually. One flier in the Indian city of Hyderabad posted a picture of a curiosity usually unseen in the modern digital age: a handwritten boarding pass.

Follow live updates on the global tech outage

The issue also affected banks, leaving some customers unable to access their money. People across Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere reported problems logging into their accounts at major retail banks. Meanwhile the London Stock Exchange, the largest of its kind in Europe, said some of its services had been disrupted although trading had not been impeded.

In retail, McDonald’s closed some of its stores in Japan because of what it said in an online statement was a “cash register malfunction.” And the British grocery chain Waitrose was forced to put up handwritten notes informing customers that it was only accepting cash. Some Starbucks locations temporarily closed after the company's mobile ordering system went down, while other locations stayed open and left their baristas scrambling to come up with new workflows.

Baltic Hub, a global shipping terminal in Poland, said in a statement it had been battling issues related to the outage. The Alaska State Troopers agency was among the law enforcement agencies to report issues, warning people that 911 was temporarily not working. And the British broadcaster Sky News, which is owned by NBCUniversal's parent company, Comcast, was briefly knocked off the air.

Some computers that were not on during the software update appear to have avoided the issue, according to initial reports.

What caused it?

Cybersecurity programs like CrowdStrike’s frequently and automatically update themselves to account for new tactics that malicious hackers have discovered. And there’s always a slight risk that any software update will be incompatible with other programs.

CrowdStrike’s update should have been routine, but an error in its code conflicted with Windows and proved catastrophic.

The company’s CEO, George Kurtz , said Friday morning on the "TODAY" show that while some customers would see their computers fixed automatically, others would require manual work to fix.

“The system was sent an update, and that update had a software bug in it and caused an issue with the Microsoft operating system,” Kurtz said. “Our systems are always looking for the latest attacks from these adversaries that are out there.”

How long until things go back to normal?

CrowdStrike identified the problem and issued a fix early Friday after the problem began to emerge. On Friday afternoon, Kurtz released a statement apologizing for the outage, adding that CrowdStrike was “operating normally.”

The fix required affected computers to download another software update, which some have been able to do automatically.

Many companies and services affected by the chaos, such as the New Hampshire Department of Safety, which said its 911 system was briefly down, reported that they were back online by Friday morning. 

Others haven’t been able to load the update, which would potentially require IT workers at some companies to reboot and tinker with every single affected computer.

“Many of the customers are rebooting the system, and it’s coming up, and it’ll be operational because we fixed it on our end,” Kurtz said. “Some of the systems that aren’t recovering, we’re working with them. So it could be some time for some systems that just automatically won’t recover.”

Alexander Smith is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital based in London.

Kevin Collier is a reporter covering cybersecurity, privacy and technology policy for NBC News.

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Chaos and Confusion: Tech Outage Causes Disruptions Worldwide

Airlines, hospitals and people’s computers were affected after CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company, sent out a flawed software update.

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By Adam Satariano ,  Paul Mozur ,  Kate Conger and Sheera Frenkel

• July 19, 2024

Airlines grounded flights. Operators of 911 lines could not respond to emergencies. Hospitals canceled surgeries. Retailers closed for the day. And the actions all traced back to a batch of bad computer code.

A flawed software update sent out by a little-known cybersecurity company caused chaos and disruption around the world on Friday. The company, CrowdStrike , based in Austin, Texas, makes software used by multinational corporations, government agencies and scores of other organizations to protect against hackers and online intruders.

But when CrowdStrike sent its update on Thursday to its customers that run Microsoft Windows software, computers began to crash.

The fallout, which was immediate and inescapable, highlighted the brittleness of global technology infrastructure. The world has become reliant on Microsoft and a handful of cybersecurity firms like CrowdStrike. So when a single flawed piece of software is released over the internet, it can almost instantly damage countless companies and organizations that depend on the technology as part of everyday business.

“This is a very, very uncomfortable illustration of the fragility of the world’s core internet infrastructure,” said Ciaran Martin, the former chief executive of Britain’s National Cyber Security Center and a professor at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University.

A cyberattack did not cause the widespread outage, but the effects on Friday showed how devastating the damage can be when a main artery of the global technology system is disrupted. It raised broader questions about CrowdStrike’s testing processes and what repercussions such software firms should face when flaws in their code cause major disruptions.

How a Software Update Crashed Computers Around the World

Here’s a visual explanation for how a faulty software update crippled machines.

While outages are common, often caused by technical errors or cyberattacks, the scale of what unfolded on Friday was unparalleled.

“This is historic,” said Mikko Hypponen, the chief research officer at WithSecure, a cybersecurity company. “We haven’t had an incident like this.”

George Kurtz, CrowdStrike’s chief executive, said that the company took responsibility for the mistake and that a software fix had been released. He warned that it could be some time before tech systems returned to normal.

“We’re deeply sorry for the impact that we’ve caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone affected by this,” he said in an interview on Friday on NBC’s “Today” show.

Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive, blamed CrowdStrike and said the company was working to help customers “bring their systems back online.” Apple and Linux machines were not affected by the CrowdStrike software update.

A White House official said the administration was in “regular contact” with CrowdStrike and had convened agencies to assess the impact of the outage on the federal government’s operations.

CrowdStrike, founded in 2011 by Mr. Kurtz and others, has built a reputation over the years as a firm that could solve even the toughest security problems. It was tapped to investigate a 2014 hack of Sony Pictures and the 2016 hack of the Democratic National Committee, which exposed Hillary Clinton’s emails.

But problems stemming from CrowdStrike’s products have surfaced before. In April, the company pushed a software update to customers running the Linux system that crashed computers, according to an internal CrowdStrike report sent to customers about the incident, which was obtained by The New York Times.

The bug, which did not appear to be related to Friday’s outage, took CrowdStrike nearly five days to fix, the report said. CrowdStrike promised to improve its testing process going forward, according to the report.

On Thursday, the tech issues began when Microsoft dealt with an outage on its cloud service system, Azure, which affected some airlines .

Then CrowdStrike sent an update for its software called Falcon Sensor , which scans a computer for intrusions and signs of hacking. If everything had gone according to plan, CrowdStrike’s software would have received minor improvements and customers would have hardly noticed.

Instead, when CrowdStrike’s faulty update reached computers running Microsoft Windows, it caused the machines to shut down and then endlessly reboot. Workers around the world were greeted with what is known as the “blue screen of death” on their computers. Insufficient testing at CrowdStrike was a likely source of the problem, experts said.

As computers restarted themselves over and over, known as the “doom loop,” there was little CrowdStrike could do to fix the problem. Tech staff at affected companies were faced with a choice: walk around to each machine and remove the bit of flawed code, or wait and hope for a solution from CrowdStrike.

The problems cascaded instantly. At Sydney Airport in Australia, travelers encountered delays and cancellations, as did those in Hong Kong, India, Dubai, Berlin and Amsterdam. At least five U.S. airlines — Allegiant Air, American, Delta, Spirit and United — grounded all flights for a time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

How the airline cancellations rippled around the world (and across time zones)

Share of canceled flights at 25 airports on Friday

50% of flights

Ai r po r t

Bengalu r u K empeg o wda

Dhaka Shahjalal

Minneapolis-Saint P aul

Stuttga r t

Melbou r ne

Be r lin B r anden b urg

London City

Amsterdam Schiphol

Chicago O'Hare

Raleigh−Durham

B r adl e y

Cha r lotte

Reagan National

Philadelphia

1:20 a.m. ET

Health care systems were crippled, forcing hospitals to cancel noncritical surgeries. In the United States, 911 lines went down in multiple states, though many of those problems were being resolved later on Friday. Britain’s National Health Service also reported issues.

“We knew we had a catastrophe on our hands,” said B.J. Moore, the chief information officer for Providence Health, which has 52 hospitals in seven states. He said 15,000 servers were down and 40,000 out of Providence’s 150,000 computers were affected, adding that it was “worse than a cyberattack."

The United Parcel Service and FedEx said they were affected. Customers with TD Bank, one of the biggest banks in the United States, reported issues accessing their online accounts. Several state and municipal court systems closed for the day because of the outage.

At CrowdStrike, engineers described an atmosphere of confusion as the company struggled to contain the damage.

Executives urged employees not to speculate on why the mistake happened and directed them to focus on a fix for the computers that were affected, said two engineers who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Computers not connected to the cloud required a physical fix to the error introduced by CrowdStrike, they said, which could take weeks.

Within several hours of the faulty software going out, CrowdStrike sent out a software patch as a fix that would stop computers from endlessly rebooting.

Lukasz Olejnik, an independent cybersecurity researcher and consultant, said the outage would still take time to resolve because a suggested solution for some organizations involved rebooting each computer manually into safe mode, deleting a specific file and then restarting the computer.

While that is a relatively straightforward process, security experts said, it may not be easy to do at scale. Those with organized and well-staffed information technology teams could potentially fix the issues more quickly, Mr. Olejnik said.

Unlike the iPhone software updates that Apple sends to customers, the incident highlighted information technology systems that operate in the background. The CrowdStrike issues were compounded because the software being updated performed critical cybersecurity tasks, giving it access to scan a computer to look for viruses and other malicious attacks.

Cybersecurity tools operate quietly in the background to defend computers against attacks. The software is frequently updated with new defenses as hackers develop fresh methods of attack, but constant updates mean there are many opportunities for mistakes to happen.

“One of the tricky parts of security software is it needs to have absolute privileges over your entire computer in order to do its job,” said Thomas Parenty, a cybersecurity consultant and a former U.S. National Security Agency analyst. “So if there’s something wrong with it, the consequences are vastly greater than if your spreadsheet doesn’t work.”

On Friday, the stock price of CrowdStrike, which reported $3 billion in annual revenue last year, closed down 11 percent.

CrowdStrike’s stock price so far this year

The company faces questions about what liabilities it and other software makers face for major disruptions and cybersecurity incidents. The consequences for significant outages can be so minimal that companies are not motivated to make more fundamental changes, experts said. While a car manufacturer would face stiff penalties for faulty brakes, a software provider can often issue another update and move on.

“Until software companies have to pay a price for faulty products, we will be no safer tomorrow than we are today,” Mr. Parenty said.

Meaghan Tobin , Aaron Krolik and Jill Cowan contributed reporting.

Adam Satariano is a technology correspondent for The Times, based in London. More about Adam Satariano

Paul Mozur is the global technology correspondent for The Times, based in Taipei. Previously he wrote about technology and politics in Asia from Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul. More about Paul Mozur

Kate Conger is a technology reporter based in San Francisco. She can be reached at [email protected]. More about Kate Conger

Sheera Frenkel is a reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area, covering the ways technology impacts everyday lives with a focus on social media companies, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Telegram and WhatsApp. More about Sheera Frenkel

Mass IT outage: here's a list of companies and operations affected

• A huge global IT outage is disrupting flights, banks, retailers, and media outlets.
• The widespread disruptions have been linked to an issue with the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.
• Operations affected include airlines in the US and Europe, supermarkets, and some 911 lines.

A mass IT outage has hit flights, banks, retailers, and media outlets around the world.

The issues appear to be linked to the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike .

Microsoft also acknowledged the issue in an X update early Friday, writing, "Our services are still seeing continuous improvements while we continue to take mitigation actions."

Here are some of the companies and operations affected.

Numerous airlines grounded flights early Friday morning, including the big three US carriers: United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines. In statements, they all cited technology issues.

Delta and American had both canceled their ground stops by 7 a.m. ET.

A United spokesperson told Business Insider that it was holding all aircraft at their departure airports while it works to restore systems. "Flights already airborne are continuing to their destinations," they added.

American has blamed the issues on CrowdStrike, saying they were because of a "technical issue with Crowdstrike that is impacting multiple carriers," according to BBC News.

The budget airlines Frontier, Allegiant, and Spirit also issued ground stops which were later canceled.

Frontier's was issued on Thursday night. "Flight operations are currently being impacted by a major Microsoft technical outage," it said in a statement.

Spirit said it was unable to rebook affected customers because of the outage.

Disruption also extended to Europe. The continent's largest airline, Ryanair, advised passengers to arrive early as the outage caused "disruption across the network."

KLM also said it had to "largely suspend operations" as the outage made "flight handling impossible."

British Airways, Wizz Air, Turkish Airlines, Eurowings, Lufthansa, and Qantas were also among those who said they were affected.

According to a Facebook post from Alaska State Troopers , emergency lines in the state are also affected.

The post said: "Due to a nationwide technology-related outage, many 911 and non-emergency call centers are not working correctly across the State of Alaska."

"We appreciate your patience and will update you when we know more," the statement added.

The major UK airports Heathrow, Gatwick, and Luton have reported issues, with some warning of delays and disruption.

Related stories

An X post from Gatwick Express , a train service for the airport, said the company was unable to access driver diagrams at certain locations, "leading to potential short-notice cancelations, particularly on the Thameslink and Great Northern networks."

A spokesperson for Belfast International Airport confirmed to BI that whiteboards were being used to handwrite flight information before systems were later restored. Whiteboards were also used at Singapore Changi Airport.

Hospitals and doctors' surgeries

Several hospitals and doctors' practices appear to have been affected by the outage.

In the UK, the NHS' EMIS system, which doctors use to book appointments, view patient notes, order prescriptions, and make referrals, appears to be having issues .

A spokesperson for the NHS told BI in a statement: "The NHS is aware of a global IT outage and an issue with EMIS, an appointment and patient record system, which is causing disruption in the majority of GP practices."

They said that long-standing measures were in place to manage disruption and that there was no known impact on 999 or emergency services, so people should use these services as normal.

"Patients should attend appointments unless told otherwise and only contact their GP if it's urgent, and otherwise please use 111 online or call 111," they added.

Two German hospitals canceled elective operations scheduled for Friday, Reuters reported.

NYCT Subway

Commuters in New York City and DC may also face delays Friday morning.

In an X post, the NYCT subway said: "Train arrival information is unavailable for A/B/C/D/E/F/G/J/M/N/Q/R/Z/Rockaway Park Shuttle/Franklin Av Shuttle due to a worldwide technical outage. Train service is unaffected."

The post said the tech outage also impacted Subway officials' ability to see train locations.

Broadcasters

Sky News also appears to have been hit by the outage. The UK news channel has been showing archive footage and briefly displaying an error message.

The news site appears to be up and running at the time of writing.

London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange's website was also experiencing issues.

"RNS news service is currently experiencing a third-party global technical issue, preventing news from being published on www.londonstockexchange.com ," the company said in a statement.

"Technical teams are working to restore the service. Other services across the group, including London Stock Exchange, continue to operate as normal," it continued.

Retailers and fast-food giants

Bloomberg reported that McDonald's Japan suspended about a third of its stores in the country on Friday. The issue was with the stores' cash registers, the report said.

The grocery-store chain Woolworths told BI that some stores had "been impacted as a result of the global IT issue." All but six stores were open for business, but some had fewer functioning checkouts.

Delivery delays

FedEx and UPS are warning of delivery delays because of the outage.

In a statement on the company's website , FedEx said it was experiencing "substantial disruptions throughout our networks due to a global IT outage experienced by a third-party software vendor." The company said parcels due to be delivered on Friday might face delays.

A UPS spokesperson told BI that it continues to operate effectively but there may be some service delays due to third-party outage "impacting some UPS computer systems in the U.S. and Europe."

Some US state driver services are down

Drivers in some states are unable to access services because of the outage.

Georgia's Department of Driver Services posted on X that "due to the global Microsoft/Crowdstrike outage, DDS services are unavailable at this time."

Tennessee's Department of Safety and Homeland Security said some Driver Services Centers may not be able to process transactions, according to a post on X.

North Carolina's Department of Motor Vehicles driver license and plate agencies are also impacted and unable to assist customers, according to a CNN report.

Bloomberg reported that at the Ocean Park Marriott in Hong Kong, staff were using pen and paper to check guests in and said the outage was affecting their systems globally.

Marriott International later told CNN in a statement that "certain hotel systems" have been affected.

"We are actively working with our vendors to resolve issues that have impacted certain hotel systems," the company said in a statement to the publication. "We apologize for any inconvenience that guests may experience."

Watch: Global computer glitch grounds flights, knocks out 911

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