Banff

Banff needs 4 days: the Banff Gondola, ascending Sulphur Mountain with views of six mountain ranges, on one, Lake Louise, an intense turquoise from glacial sediment beneath the Victoria Glacier, on another, and Johnston Canyon, with trails among waterfalls frozen or flowing depending on the season, on the third, leaving a fourth day free to drive the Icefields Parkway. June-September is best; December-March for skiing. It's expensive, one of Canada's most exclusive nature destinations. It was Canada's first national park, established in 1885 around natural hot springs, and today is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with some of the most photographed glacial lakes on the planet.