Across Canada by Train 13 Days / 12 Nights
Detailed Itinerary
Please note, like most of our Canada rail packages & tours, this railway vacation can be customized to your needs - just ask one of our local experts when you call.Day 1 – Your Across Canada Train Vacation Begins – Arrive Toronto
The sounds of Canada’s largest city welcome you as you arrive in downtown Toronto. Couples hurry along the sidewalk, rushing to one of Toronto’s big stage productions. A woman quickly shifts all her shopping bags to one arm as she raises a hand to hail a cab, and the smell of Chinese food makes you salivate as a delivery boy bikes along the street in front of you. Toronto beckons and you’re anxious to get out and explore the city.
Day 2 – Time to explore Toronto
Toronto is city full of quaint and quirky neighborhoods, museums, lakes and parks - so take your time to discover it all today. A hop on and off tour shows you the CN Tower, SkyDome, Casa Loma, Queens Park, Yorkville and Chinatown to name a few. It takes two hours to complete the entire circle, but you can step on or off at any time, so the true length depends on you! Overnight in Toronto.
Day 3 - Roaring Waters – Tour Niagara Falls then Via Rail’s The Canadian –Toronto to Jasper
After a leisurely morning, meet a guide and take a tour of southern Ontario’s greatest natural wonder – Niagara Falls. You wonder how many major cities are so close to nature, as you cross the fruit producing area of St. Catherine’s, and the wineries of the Niagara Peninsula.
Arriving at the Falls, prepare for a wet but exciting adventure on the Maid of the Mist. Your poncho keeps you from getting soaked as your boat takes you close enough to the falls to feel the spray on your face. A scenic drive along the Niagara Parkway will take you to charming Niagara-on-the-Lake, a cherished holiday spot for many Canadians. Buy some local wine as a memento of your Canadian train vacation and unwind as you stroll through the local shops.
Your driver will get you back to Toronto in time to check in for this evening’s train departure, then you’re on your way to the great Canadian Rockies! The trans Canada overnight train between Toronto and Jasper is an incredible rail journey that takes 3 full days, so settle into your cabin and enjoy the company of your fellow travelers. Leave the picturesque lakelands of Northern Ontario behind, as you travel west to Jasper.
Day 4 & 5 - Canadian Rail Journey to the West – onboard the Canadian train
The scenery changes once again as you travel across the undulating plain of the prairie provinces. Settle into your seat and enjoy watching the passing Canadian sights from your window. This is the second and third day and night of your rail journey.
Day 6 – Enter Canada’s Rocky Mountains – Arrive in Jasper
Step off the Canadian train and take a deep breath – you’re here in the Canadian Rockies and the crisp mountain air is invigorating. You are completely surrounded by mountains and trees. You look to your left and see a downtown gas station with a snow topped mountain peak standing proudly in the distance behind it. Jasper is summed up in that one view. It’s a town with all the modern touches, but the splendor of the Canadian Rockies is never out of your thoughts.
Day 7 – Jasper Tour
Embark on a tour of one of the most spectacular areas of Canada’s west in Jasper National Park. The first stop is at Maligne Canyon where 10,000 years of erosion have created a 49-meter deep gorge. Set off on a short walk to marvel at the Maligne River as it thunders through the canyon in a series of waterfalls. From the canyon continue to the “mysteriously” disappearing Medicine Lake and then to Maligne Lake for a 90-minute interpretative boat cruise bound for the world-renowned -Spirit Island; bring your camera, as this truly is a picture postcard setting. After the boat cruise, relax and soak up the sights or enjoy a tasty treat at the Lake Chalet.
Day 8 – The Icefields Parkway – Jasper to Lake Louise
A once in a lifetime experience awaits today, as you climb onboard your comfortable touring van, with a small group of companions and a local guide. The Icefields Parkway is one of the few places in the world where features of the ice age still exist, and is home for bears, elk, moose, mountain goats, and sheep. The Columbia Icefield is its crown jewel, where modern day explorers can take an Ice Explorer out onto the surface of the Athabasca Glacier for a spectacular Ice Age adventure. A picnic lunch and Ice Explorer ride is included. The grande finale comes late this afternoon, as you arrive at Lake Louise. Here you’ll see glaciers tumbling down mountainsides, into serene turquoise waters.
Day 9 – Explore the Mountains – See Banff and Yoho National Parks
You have the morning to cherish Lake Louise. Ask us to book you an optional activity, such as a guided gentle canoe paddle, guided walk, or high tea in the Fairview dining room.
This afternoon you transfer to Banff with a guide, stopping along the way to photograph wildlife, scenery, and inhale the fragrant mountain air. Banff is the liveliest of the mountain towns on your Canadian holiday. Quaint shops are
interspersed with chain stores, horse drawn carriages line the street waiting to show you around town, and the scent of homemade maple fudge wafts out of sweet shops. After your laid back night at Lake Louise, the atmosphere in Banff is exhilarating.
Day 10 – In the Canadian Rockies – Explore Banff
Take a small group tour through the towering mountains of Rundle, Tunnel, Cascade, and Norquay while learning about the natural attractions of the wind-shaped hoodoos. Surprise Corner along Tunnel Mountain Drive delivers a breathtaking view of the valley without comparison. Finally, experience an 8 minute gentle ride to the summit of Sulphur Mountain in a four-person, fully enclosed gondola. A spectacular view and picture taking opportunity await you at the top of this 360 degree panoramic vantage of Bow Valley and the surrounding Rockies. Take your time to enjoy the view or go for a walk, and return to your hotel at your leisure.
Day 11 – Onboard Rocky Mountaineer
Travel onboard the Rocky Mountaineer from the mountain town of Banff to Kamloops in the heart of British Columbia’s interior. Your journey offers you a spectacular range of scenery as you travel between the high peaks of the Canadian Rockies, over mountain passes and through remarkable tunnels, along rocky lakeshores and across the ranchlands of the interior. Today’s highlights include the Continental Divide, the Spiral Tunnels, the Kicking Horse Canyon, Rogers Pass, Craigellachie where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven, and of course the glaciers and snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies. Overnight in Kamloops.
Day 12 – Onboard the Rocky Mountaineer – Vancouver Arrival
Your journey travels west towards the Pacific Ocean and the coastal city of Vancouver. On today’s journey you will again see dramatic changes in scenery, from the desert-like environment of the interior, through the winding river canyons and pristine forests, to the Coast and Cascade Mountains and the lush green fields of the Fraser River Valley. Highlights include the steep slopes and rock sheds along the Thompson River and the rushing waters of Hell’s Gate in the Fraser Canyon. Your rail journey ends on arrival in Vancouver this evening. Overnight in Vancouver.
Day 13 – With Fond Memories Made – Your Canadian train trip concludes
Much too soon, you leave the clean air and colorful sights of Canada behind as your across Canada train vacation comes to an end.
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