10 Ontario towns that you can spy in your favourite holiday movies

Bracebridge’s natural beauty has long enchanted cottage country residents—and in Hallmark’s The Knight Before Christmas, they also charm a 14th-century knight and his true love, a modern-day science teacher.

Downtown Huntsville was given centre stage in Hallmark’s A Veteran’s Christmas. Over 100 locals were featured in the production as background actors and bystanders. Keep your eyes open for a glimpse of Christmas Tyme, Huntsville’s year-round Christmas shop.

Bradford’s pretty downtown sets the stage for Christmas Wedding Planner, which sees a wedding planner clash with her ex, a private detective investigating the groom-to-be. Next door in the community of Newmarket, several scenes were shot in the Goulash House restaurant.

Just how charming is the town of Alliston? Not only was A Very Country Christmas filmed there, but the community also features in two sequels, A Very Country Wedding and A Very Country Christmas Homecoming.

Dundas might just be the next big Christmas movie destination. In recent years, both Inn For Christmas and The Christmas Cure have utilized the town’s striking 19th-century architecture as a backdrop for pivotal scenes.

Let It Snow, which chronicles the loves and lives of high school students, transformed Brantford’s Johnny Be Good diner into the “Waffle Town” for its 2019 film shoot. The community is no stranger to drama, hosting shows such as The Handmaid’s Tale and Murdoch Mysteries.

Gorgeous Niagara-on-the-Lake seems custom-made to be a film set. You can see many of the town’s grandiose inns, cute coffee shops, and historic buildings in The Holiday Calendar and Christmas Inheritance.

While it's more of a city than a town, North Bay has established itself as a leading destination for made-for-TV holiday movies. From the waterfront to the inviting downtown shops, it’s no surprise that scenes from Christmas in Angel Falls, Return to Christmas Creek, Last Chance for Christmas, and others have been filmed around town.

Another holiday-movie filming favourite, Almonte’s gorgeous Mill Street and its delightful businesses (including an old-fashioned hardware store with 100-year-old floorboards) is picture-perfect. Unlocking Christmas, The Christmas Set Up, A Cheerful Christmas, and more were shot in and around the town.

Canada’s capital city is a go-to destination when holiday movies need to shoot "big city" scenes. Destinations like the Glebe neighbourhood, the ByWard Market, and Knox Presbyterian Church were filmed for movies like Royally Wrapped For Christmas, Christmas At Maple Creek, Christmas Unwrapped and more.