Tourist Region: "Hamilton, Halton and Brant"
Back to the tourist region "Hamilton, Halton and Brant"
If you are traveling on the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) from Toronto towards Fort Erie, you will see Burlington on your left side shortly before your reach Hamilton. Don't get fooled by the shopping center and the high rises - Burlington deserves a visit.
We even recommend to exit the QEW in Oakville and to use Lakeshore Road (Hwy 2) to travel to Burlington. You will see much more from this area - the main reason why you are here.
We always recommend to exit from the major highways if you travel in Ontario. If you do not so, you will miss very much. There is so much to discover and you can stop almost everywhere to relax, to take photographs or talk to people.
In Burlington you can also find nice accommodations located directly on Lake Ontario. You also can see how wealthy Canadians live - in gorgeous bungalows or mansions, facing also Lake Ontario.
Stop at the tourist office and collect free brochures and ask for specific advise if you have any questions.
Leave your car on the parking lot of the tourist office and walk. In a few minutes you are in a nice shopping area with good restaurants.
Stroll through the "Village Square". We will do that again when we return to Burlington. There is always something new and exciting to see.
Interesting looking restaurants, artists which show their work, little events.
Don't rush! You may find some nice gifts or souvenirs.
You will find things which you cannot find in the malls or in chain stores.
Another target for fanatic shoppers can be one of the few Canadian IKEA stores. You have to drive there because it is in a complete different location.
You always can pick up something small and unique for a very reasonable price.
IKEA is well known in Europe and many young people shop there. Besides furniture you will find many appealing accessories there. Some of excellent quality.
Many people told us that we should visit the "Joseph Brant Museum". After having seen a movie about him, we will certainly do that. Joseph Brant is very famous in Canada. He was a Mohawk who was fighting for the British against the French. He was very successful in doing that and was rewarded with land which was anyhow original owned by the native people. I am confident that the French Canadians have a similar hero.
If you want to see more museums just check the information from the tourist office.
If not, watch the big ships cruising on Lake Ontario, visit the shops in the "Village Square" or in the "Mapleview Shopping Centre" and don't forget to have a nice meal with wine from Ontario.
Last not least visit the "Royal Botanical Garden". You will find people from all over the world there.
I will do that gain despite the fact that it tastes most the time different than in Japan. In Japan it was always an adventure, but I was always confident about a good ending. Naturally, none of us could read the Japanese menu and normally nobody spoke another language than Japanese.
I think all Japanese eat also with their eyes. The food must be nicely arranged and pleasant looking. For that reason most restaurants have mockups of the various dishes displayed. That saved us from ordering something really weird.
Coming from Europe, I wish that it becomes a law in Canada that all restaurants must display their menu outside. As long as they do not do that, I go in, ask to show me the menu and when I do not like what I see I leave. That could easily be avoided.
Elizabeth my wife enjoys shopping. For me it is only a necessity and normalcy I try to spend as little time as possible when doing it. Very often I stay in the car and read, That prevents arguments!
However, when she had problems with one Apple device and had an appointment at the Apple store in the big shopping mall I joined her and browsed even with her through the complete complex. Luckily for me we ended in the food court to recover from this exhausting exercise.
Even I liked the "Mapleview Shopping Centre"