1. HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA

Photo: Halifax Harbour, N.S.

Canadians widely regard Halifax as a city with heart, and rightly so. Blasted in 1917's world-famous explosion, battered by Hurricane Juan in 2003, the largest city in Atlantic Canada always bounces back — and it handily snagged our number-one spot. While its harbour and history have earned it high-flying international connections, the city has an intimate disposition that makes its citizens fiercely loyal and its visitors forever nostalgic. This people-friendly community is rich in heritage buildings, universities, parks, museums and galleries and has a hopping music, entertainment and food scene. From the dockyards and tall ships to the Citadel, Public Gardens and historic Dartmouth — just a bridge away — Halifax is Atlantic Canada's go-to town.

2. CAPE BRETON HIGHLANDS, NOVA SCOTIA

Photo: The Cabot Trail, N.S.

Voters soundly endorsed Alexander Bell's opinion that Cape Breton's simple beauty rivalled that of the most spectacular destinations on Earth. Rugged and wild, the island's highlands proved especially popular, as did the Cabot Trail that carves a route across the island and around its glorious northern perimeter. Judged breathtaking in all seasons, the region was also praised for its friendly citizens and its majestic views of the Atlantic.

3. CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I.

Photo: Tourism PEI/John Sylvester

The birthplace of Confederation, Charlottetown is adored for its rich history, elegant buildings and waterside setting and for being at the heart of a beloved province. Despite its modest size, the provincial capital, like P.E.I. itself, packs a wallop, and visitors celebrate the wide range of cultural and recreational activities on offer.

4. BAY OF FUNDY, NEW BRUNSWICK

Photo: Hopewell Rocks, N.B.

Even landlocked Canadians respect the power of the sea, and nowhere is that power more obvious than in the Bay of Fundy, home of the highest tides on Earth. For sheer drama alone, the Fundy tides take honours, but the area also boasts such natural treasures as the Hopewell Rocks, the Fundy Trail and Fundy National Park.

5. GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

Photo: Newfoundland & Labrador Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Recreation

A trip to one of the country's most magnificent parks is etched into human memory just as surely as the glaciers scoured the landscape millions of years ago. With its stunning spectrum of terrain — from the ancient Long Range Mountains, deep blue freshwater fiords and sandy beaches to waterfalls, forests, barren rock and tundra — Gros Morne National Park has no peer.