Souvenirs make for a beautiful memento, marking your latest travel and allowing you to share a slice of your adventure with your loved ones.
While you’ll find plenty of tacky or poorly made souvenirs in the biggest tourist destinations of every country, you’ll also find plenty of wonderfully unique gifts and keepsakes.
Canada has some genuinely iconic souvenirs which reflect the country’s diverse culture. But, even if you can find some of them in other countries, they won’t match the quality, price, or experience of buying them on Canadian soil.
So, if you’re wondering what products to pick up during your upcoming trip, check out our list of the best souvenirs from Canada.
Maple Syrup
Hands down, maple syrup is one of the best Canadian souvenirs and one of the most popular gifts purchased for friends and family back home.
Sure, you can buy maple syrup worldwide, but it is nothing like the ones you can get straight off a Canadian farm. The maple leaf is the national symbol of Canada; therefore, maple syrup is something everyone instantly associates the country with.
Canada produces approximately 85% of maple syrup worldwide. Still, the range of maple syrup products is much more extensive in Canada than in any other country. Aside from syrup, maple butter, maple candy, and maple cookies are other excellent ideas of things to buy in Canada for yourself and others.
These products are sold in every grocery store. However, if you want to get the highest quality and most natural syrup, buy it directly from the producer at one of the thousands of sugar shacks.
Tim Hortons Coffee
Tim Horton’s is essentially the Canadian version of Starbucks and Krispy Kreme combined, so wherever you go on your Canada trip, you’ll see this cafe chain everywhere.
Tim Hortons is famed for its coffee and doughnuts, which tourists and locals queue up for in every Canadian city. However, they also have an extensive merchandise range so you can buy a souvenir to remember this famous Canadian brand.
You can buy stylish mugs, travel coffee cups, and water bottles with maple leaf and moose images giving them a uniquely Canadian look.
You can also purchase original Tim Hortons coffee to take home, which is available in different formats from ground to whole beans to pods.
Canadian Moose Soft Toy
If you’re wondering what to buy in Canada for a children’s gift, why not get a soft toy of one of the native Canadian animals, like a moose? You can pick these cute souvenirs up from the national park gift shops. Some feature adorable knitted tops sporting the maple leaf, too.
Some of these plush toys are of excellent quality, so there’s no reason not to buy one for yourself too! Canadian soft toys are not limited to moose either. Beavers and bears are other popular native animal teddies that you can find in gift shops and souvenir stores across the country.
First Nation Souvenirs
If you’re looking for Canadian gifts that reflect the country’s cultural heritage, check out the first nation souvenirs on offer throughout the country. There are over 630 first nations communities in Canada, all with their unique culture and history.
You can learn more about these ancient cultures by picking up a first nation souvenir, which is usually a wooden ornament that has been carved locally. Many craft stores throughout the country support local first nations communities by selling these products.
Typical first nation souvenirs include carved marble bears or geese, burnt wood loon carvings, beaded earrings, and patterned throws/blankets.
Aboriginal Art
Another of the best things to buy in Canada that reflects the country’s history is a piece of aboriginal art. Artwork made by the first nations communities are generally more expensive than the other typical souvenirs, but they are 100% unique.
Most indigenous paintings and sculptures are based on folk stories, often depicting wildlife, summers, and ancient Canada and incorporating rich symbolism.
You will find beautiful pieces of native artwork in the museum stores and cultural centers. For example, the Native Arts Society in Toronto features works from homeless or incarcerated Indigenous artists, and the Bay of Spirits Gallery has one of the most varied selections.
Ice Wine
If you’ve traveled through Germany or Austria, you may have come across ice wine, but did you know that it is a specialty of Canada, too? Ice wine is produced from grapes like regular wine, but the difference is that the grapes used are picked when frozen, hence the name.
The grapes are left on the vine during the winters, exposed to temperatures -8ºC or below. This unique process makes ice wine varieties sweeter than the normal ones, as only the water in the grapes freeze, not the sugar.
Therefore, ice wine is a fruity-tasting dessert wine, making the perfect souvenir from Canada to bring home and keep for a special dinner party. For the best quality, buy it directly from the wineries where it is nicknamed “Canada’s liquid gold.”
Dream Catchers
Dream Catchers are one of the most popular Canadian gifts that you will see in all souvenir stores. Dream catchers are willow hoops handmade with a woven net or web, feathers, and beads.
However, they don’t just look pretty. Dream catchers are also part of Canada’s history as some first nation cultures consider them a sacred item. Moreover, it is widely believed that dream catchers can help you sleep better at night by keeping bad dreams and nightmares at bay.
Therefore, you will find a wide variety of dream catchers of different designs, sizes, and colors in Canada. They make an excellent souvenir or gift as they don’t take up much space in your luggage and add a touch of bohemian spirit to any home.
Roots Clothing
Do you want to buy a Canadian t-shirt but are not a fan of the distasteful clothing in the souvenir shops? If so, head to Roots instead.
Roots is one of the most famous Canadian clothes brands, founded in 1973. They specialize in outdoor and athletic clothing along with loungewear and accessories. Therefore, Roots apparel is one of the best things to buy in Canada that you can use in your daily life back home.
Check out their cozy yet versatile sweatsuit range that you can wear to work out, run errands, or go to the mall. Wearing Roots apparel is one of the best ways to show which country you have just got back from!
Ethical Diamonds
Unfortunately, many diamonds are mined without regard to the social, environmental, and ecological impact on local communities.
However, Canadian diamonds are highly regarded for their ethical sourcing and mining processes. Diamond mining in Canada observes the Kimberley Process, which helps end “conflict diamonds.”
So this is a good solution if you’ve been itching to get yourself a gorgeous stone but don’t want to support the human rights abuses in other parts of the world. Buying a diamond here makes for a beautiful and ethical souvenir from Canada.
Canadian Club Whiskey
Canadian Club is a well-known and much-loved whiskey worldwide that originates from Windsor, just outside of Toronto. So if you’re looking for a good souvenir from Canada, you can’t go wrong with the country’s flagship whiskey.
It’s not only the locals that love Canadian Club; it is also royalty-approved. It is the only North American liquor that has received a royal warrant from several British Monarchs, including Queen Elizabeth II.
Final Thoughts On Canadian Souvenirs
Canada offers some unique products that will remind you of your trip for years to come. No matter your style or budget, you’ll find some incredible keepsakes on this list of the 10 best souvenirs from Canada. Note that you should be able to find all these souvenirs in Montreal too.
