Muskoka Cottage Country in Ontario - Tips for Two Days

That's how beautiful Muskoka Cottage Country in Ontario is

We take two days for a sightseeing tour through the Muskoka Cottage Country in Ontario. In Canada, this holiday region is often called "Cottage Country". Here - only about one and a half hours north of Toronto - many residents of the metropolis have their holiday homes. Some of these are actually "cottages". Literally translated, this means something like "hut". For most, however, this is not the case, as the area around the Muskoka Lakes is attracting more and more wealthy Canadians. Among them are now also movie stars, software moguls or top athletes who like to build a "cottage" on the shore of one of the lakes according to their taste. This is mostly a palace in disguise.

 

 

The magic of the lakes in Muskoka Cottage Country

Muskoka Cottage Country has one thing indisputably: an incredible amount of charm. You can feel this magic everywhere. On a tour around the lakes, through the small villages, through deep forests and past rushing waterfalls. Time seems to be standing still here. In any case, this is a good place to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the city and really relax.

 

 

Located on Lake Rosseau in northern Muskoka Cottage Country

Muskoka Cottage Country includes three lakes: Muskoka Lake to the south and Lake Rosseau and Lake Joseph to the north. So lots of water. This is exactly how we experience it on our tour of the Muskoka region. In some places we are literally surrounded by water, which means the road leads along a narrow land bridge between two lakes and you can see water no matter which direction you look. Deep blue and bordered by flaming red, yellow or still green deciduous trees, we pass small and manageable bays. Pretty holiday homes hide between the trees or pose boastfully on the lake shore.

 

Water sports and yachts on Lake Rosseau

Water sports are one of the main pleasures here: everywhere we see canoes or kayaks waiting for their owners to launch them and leisurely paddle through the surrounding waters. In the villages and also on many jetties in front of the cottages, there are considerable yachts at anchor, which are not only used for fun, but are also used quite banal for a shopping trip, as we observe with amazement in Gravenhurst at one of the jetties. We even watch two "Dreikäsehochs" (little ones) that can not be older than ten and fifteen years old with such a power boat. They dock their boat like experienced sea captains, appear after some time again with shopping bags and parents in tow and drive - this time with the father at the wheel - back home.

 

Across Muskoka Lake on the Segwyn mail steamer

If you don't want to swing into a canoe yourself or rent an expensive yacht, you can take a leisurely boat trip on the old mail steamer "Segwyn" across Muskoka Lake - with a good dose of nostalgia. After all, this steamer is the last of its kind that is still fully functional and is polished to a high gloss with great attention to detail and makes its rounds on the lake every day. On the way it passes many of the posh holiday cottages that are dotted along the lake shores.

 

The flair of bygone times

Incidentally, the entire Muskoka Cottage Country has a bit of the flair of bygone times: in Gravenhurst, for example, the waterfront region has been lovingly restored, giving it the ambience of the late 19th century, when tourism began to develop there. In Bala, an old mill stands above one of the waterfalls, of which there are numerous in the area. And the general store in Rosseau has the smack of a real corner shop like they hardly exist today. It's obviously very popular, as almost everyone - including a large group of wild-looking bikers in leather gear - stops here to browse the inside of the store.

 

Make time for Muskoka Cottage Country

Who wants to enjoy this wonderful flair of the Muskoka region needs one thing above all: time and leisure. For a walk through the leafy deciduous forests of the region, a visit to the Cranberry Farm north of Bala, a shopping spree in the shop in Rosseau or for a delightful dinner on the lakeside terrace of the Regatta restaurant in Gravenhurst, watching the sun as it slowly disappears beyond the horizon. Or just to curl up with a good book in one of the cozy Muskoka chairs by the lake and listen to the cries of the ice-diver, that occasionally echoes across the lake.

 

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Travel Arrangements:

Parking at the airport

Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.

How to get there

Arrival by plane, bus or train*. Lufthansa, Air Canada and other airlines fly to Toronto.

Car Rentals:

Compare rental car prices here.

Camper Rentals:

You can compare motorhome prices here.

Accommodation

Accommodation in Muskoka Region * you can also book through our partner booking.com. We have stayed in Sir Sam's Inn Resort & Spa * in Haliburton.

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Source: own research on site with the kind support of Tourism Ontario. Our opinion, however, remains our own.

Text: © Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Video: © Copyright Petar Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline