OUR DESTINATIONS
Let us help you find your perfect holiday by phoning us on
We offer holidays to the four corners of the globe. If you want specialist advise please phone our travel team and we will be happy to help.
Alternatively, check out some of our holiday offers below.
- Destinations
- North America
- Canada
- Yukon Territory
- Whitehorse
Whitehorse
Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon and Canada's most westerly
city, offers all the amenities of a major city but retains a
small-town personality. Situated on the banks of the Yukon River,
it was established as a handy trans-shipment point during the
Klondike gold rush in 1898, when gold prospectors arriving from
Skagway would board riverboats bound for the goldfields. Today its
central position halfway between Dawson Creek, British Columbia and
Fairbanks, Alaska on the historic Alaskan Highway is also
convenient for visitors exploring the region.
The Yukon Visitor Reception Centre is a good place to start
exploring the province: an information film,
As the Crow Flies,is screened here every half hour, and
maps and suggestions for tours and activities are available. Main
attraction in Whitehorse is the restored river steamer, SS
Klondike, moored on the bank of the Yukon River, which ferried
passengers north to Dawson City. Tours of the steamer inform about
the history of the gold rush, the Yukon River and the First Nations
people. The MacBride Museum houses exhibits on a range of local
topics, including a Klondike gold exhibition, in a complex of log
buildings. Other attractions include the four-story log skyscraper,
one of the most photographed buildings in Whitehorse; and Miles
Canyon, from where the city's name originated: its rapids were
likened to the manes of charging white horses.
Another popular Whitehorse attraction is the lively vaudeville
show, the Frantic Follies, which takes to the stage every night in
summer with music, can-can, skits and songs reminiscent of the
Klondike days.
Information & Facts
Climate
Located in the Yukon Territory, Whitehorse has a dry subarctic
climate with extreme variations between seasonal temperatures.
Average daytime highs in summer are 70F (21C) and average lows of
-7.6F (-22C) in winter. Average annual snowfall is 4.76ft (145 cm)
while the annual rainfall is 6.4 inches (163 mm), making it
Canada's driest city and has been named one of the cities with the
most comfortable climate.
Language
The official languages are English and French
(predominantly in Quebec).
Money
The currency used is the Canadian Dollar (CAD), which is divided
into 100 cents. One-dollar coins are also known as loonies (due to
the picture of a loon, a type of bird, on the coin), and two-dollar
coins as toonies. Banks and bureaux de change will change money and
travellers cheques, as will some hotels, but the rate will not be
as good. Major credit cards are widely accepted and ATMs are
plentiful. US Dollars are largely accepted, though due to fraud,
larger notes might not be and change is usually given in Canadian
dollars.
Time
Canada covers six time zones, from GMT 8 in the west to GMT
-3.5 in the east.