The most gorgeous Canadian universities

Canada is often considered to be one of the most attractive nations in the world, with attractions such as the Rocky Mountains, glaciers, and lakes that are very clear. Many of its institutions leverage the country’s natural scenery to create a great learning environment.

1. University of British Columbia

UBC Vancouver’s campus is surrounded by forest on three sides and the water on the fourth, so students never feel far from nature. Wreck Beach, one of Vancouver’s nicest beaches, has two UBC entrances. Near the UBC Museum of Anthropology, Wreck Beach is quiet, clean, and popular with naturists. One of the most genuine Japanese gardens outside Japan is the Nitobe Memorial Garden at the UBC Botanical Garden. The 2005 Kelowna campus of UBC Okanagan is four hours from Vancouver. In temperate wine region, Okanagan is as lovely as Vancouver and overlooks Lake Okanagan, a water-sports paradise.

2. Queen’s University, ON

Queen’s University, founded in 1841 by Queen Victoria, predates Canada (founded in 1867). Its limestone buildings, elegant architecture, and Hogwarts-like Douglas Library show that it was modeled on Edinburgh and Glasgow universities. It overlooks Lake Ontario, one of North America’s five Great Lakes, in Kingston, Ontario. The Huron name means “Lake of Shining Waters” and it surely lives up to it.

3. McGill University, Montreal

Scottish businessman James McGill founded the institution in 1821, and its campus sits at the foot of Mount Royal in downtown Montreal. The Gothic Faculty of Religious Studies building has stained-glass windows and a wood-panelled interior, while several structures have stone walls and pitched copper roofs. McGill invests heavily in eco-student programs like the Edible Campus, a former concrete plaza turned communal garden. The Macdonald campus at Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Montreal, is below.

4. Toronto University, Ontario

The University of Toronto’s downtown campus rivals Ivy League colleges. Although a campus institution, its buildings are scattered around Toronto. The University College building, an Instagrammable blend of Richardsonian Romanesque and Norman architecture, is the highlight of the Romanesque and Gothic Revival architecture, largely from 1858 to 1929. Plenty of ivy too. Another landmark is Convocation Hall’s Ionic pillars and domed ceiling. It may seem like bricks and mortar, but there’s lots of green space and interconnected courtyards for studying outside.

5. Western University, ON

Western University is one of Canada’s oldest, founded in 1878. Gothic limestone buildings, ivy-covered walls, and a 1,200-acre playground of rolling hills await in London, Ontario, on the Thames. London may not be Canada’s most vibrant city, but students have plenty of room. The university erected one of Canada’s most impressive gyms in 2009, with 200 weight and cardio machines, a 50-metre pool, squash/racquetball courts, and five gymnasiums.

6. Bishop’s University, Quebec

Bishop’s University is in Sherbrooke, a lovely arrondissement in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. Between rivers, woodlands, and farms, Bishop’s has beautiful 19th-century architecture. Highlights include St. Mark’s Chapel, modeled after Oxford college chapels. Due to its Gothic Revival structures and position between the Massawippi and St. Francis rivers, Bishop’s is called “Oxford on the Massawippi”. It was a major shooting site for The Covenant (2006).