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.)
(Westbound itinerary is the same, but reversed. See below for details.)
Day 1 Your Across Canada Train Adventure 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 - Toronto Tour / Via Rail’s The Canadian – Toronto to Jasper
Before heading off to the Rockies on tonight’s train, you have the day to enjoy a Toronto Hop-on-Hop-off city tour. Highlights include 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!

After your tour, you’re on your way to the great Canadian Rockies! The overnight train between Toronto and Jasper is an incredible rail journey that takes 3 full days. Leave the picturesque lakelands of Northern Ontario behind, as you travel west to Jasper.

Day 3 & 4 - 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 sights from your window. This is the second and third day and night of your rail journey.

Day 5 - Enter Canada’s Rocky Mountains – Arrive in Jasper
Step off the Canadian train and take a deep breath – 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 6 - Icefields Parkway Tour - Jasper to Banff
Travel the Icefields Parkway through the natural splendour of Jasper and Banff national parks. Glistening glaciers, cascading waterfalls, emerald lakes, pristine rivers and alpine meadows dot this awe-inspiring mountain wilderness. The breathtaking panorama of snow-capped peaks and endless mountain ridges occasionally opens up to afford a spectacular view of deep valleys stretching to a distant horizon. The tour stops at the Columbia Icefield where you will venture onto the massive Athabasca Glacier in a specially designed Ice Explorer. Other brief sightseeing stops include an opportunity to photograph the turquoise waters of picturesque Lake Louise are made throughout the tour. Ice Explorer Included.

Day 7 - Banff Tour
Take a guided bus tour through the towering mountains of Rundle, Tunnel, Cascade, and Norquay while learning about the natural attractions of the wind-shaped hoodoos and the Cave & Basin National Historic Site. Surprise Corner along Tunnel Mountain Drive delivers a breathtaking view of the valley without comparison. Experience a 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. Learn all about how these majestic mountains have shaped this unique community.
*Gondola Ride not available April 14-30, 2010
Day 8 - Rocky Mountaineer to Kamloops
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 9 - Vancouver Arrival
Your journey continues 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 10 - With Fond Memories Made – Depart
Today you leave the fresh air and colorful sights of Canada behind as your across Canada train vacation comes to an end.