From the waterfront promenade, the skyscrapers filling the horizon belong to another country. Windsor, Canada’s southernmost municipality, faces Detroit across a river one kilometre wide, where lakers and ocean-going cargo ships pass by. Expedition ships cruising the Great Lakes dock at the foot of downtown, and passengers discover an unexpected port of call: green, laid-back and proud of its bootlegging history and long stretch of waterfront parks, all accessible on foot without a single hill to climb.

Eight Kilometres of Landscaped Waterfront

The pier leads directly to the waterfront trail, which stretches for eight kilometres without a single street crossing it. On one side lies the Detroit River and the steady movement of tugboats; on the other, a succession of gardens and monuments, including the Spirit of Windsor steam locomotive and the large Peace Fountain. The sculpture park features around thirty monumental contemporary works, accessible free of charge at any time. Walking west at sunset, as Detroit’s towers light up, remains the simplest pleasure of a port call.

Dieppe Gardens

Just steps from downtown, Dieppe Gardens bears a name that resonates deeply across Canada: the Essex Scottish Regiment, formed in the region, was decimated during the 1942 Dieppe Raid on the French coast. Monuments and flower beds honour the memory of these soldiers overlooking the water. The gardens host both Remembrance ceremonies and summer picnics, reflecting the working-class spirit of a city that never separates remembrance from everyday life.

Walkerville, the Whisky District

A few minutes east, Walkerville tells a fascinating chapter of North American history. In 1858, Hiram Walker founded the Canadian Club distillery here and built a model village around it for his workers. During American Prohibition, the river became one of the continent’s busiest smuggling routes: it is estimated that most of the alcohol illegally brought into the United States passed through the Windsor–Detroit corridor. Stately homes, craft breweries and cafés housed in historic buildings now make Walkerville the most popular neighbourhood in the city. Art lovers can continue to the nearby municipal gallery, whose collection spans several centuries of Canadian painting, from the Group of Seven to contemporary artists.

Flavours of a Border City

Windsor has cultivated a few specialities of its own. Windsor-style pizza, topped with diced pepperoni and canned mushrooms, inspires an almost solemn degree of local devotion. Shawarma eateries reflect one of the country’s largest Lebanese communities, while the vineyards of Essex County, half an hour away by car, produce wines worth discovering, particularly white wines and icewines served in several local restaurants. For a more urban break, Caesars Windsor casino stands just a few hundred metres from the memorial park.

Ideas Based on Your Time Ashore

• Two hours: waterfront trail, sculpture park and Dieppe Gardens, all on foot.
• Half a day: add Walkerville, with its cafés and art gallery.
• Full day: take an excursion to Amherstburg and Fort Malden, key sites in the War of 1812, or to Point Pelee, the southernmost point of mainland Canada.

Leaving the Liquid Border Behind

As the ship departs, it travels up the river between two countries that have faced each other for two centuries without fences or watchtowers. The port call leaves visitors with memories of an unpretentious city, generous with green spaces and stories of rum-runners, which also offers the best possible view of Detroit’s skyline: from the opposite shore.