Canada By Rail with
The Rockies From Vancouver

12 Days/ 11 Nights
Vancouver to Toronto – VIA Rail Sleeper Car, Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff, Toronto

This in one of our most popular packages, and it is no wonder.  Nothing shows you Canada like the train. Your late departure from Vancouver gives you time to enjoy a full day in Vancouver & your hop-on hop-off city tour. You will be traveling in comfort and style on VIA Rail’s Silver and Blue class that includes a private sitting room by day and bedroom by night. Enjoy delicious meals and outstanding service.  With 4 total nights aboard the train you will experience all that makes rail travel so popular.  Your skyline car provides an ideal vantage point for spectacular photographs. Travel from Vancouver past shimmering lakes and towering forests and majestic mountains. Arriving Jasper, you leave the train and stay in Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff in some of the Rockies most famous hotels. Continue your journey with 3 more nights of rail travel from Jasper to Toronto across the “big sky” prairies. Your morning arrival into Toronto has you refreshed and ready to explore this cosmopolitan city. This packages includes one night in Vancouver and Toronto; however should you chose to stay additional days in either city we can make the necessary arrangements for you.

• Guaranteed Departures

• Airport to hotel arrival transfer in Vancouver

• 7 Nights Hotel Accommodations

  • 1 Night - Vancouver

  • 1 Night - Jasper

  • 1 Night - Lake Louise

  • 2 Nights - Banff

  • 1 Night - Jasper

  • 1 Night - Toronto

• 1 night on the train from Vancouver to Jasper and 3 nights on the train from Jasper to Toronto

• Meals while aboard VIA Rail

• Vancouver City Sightseeing Tour

• Station to hotel transfer in Jasper

• Transfer service from Jasper to Lake Louise and Lake Louise to Banff

• Full day motorcoach sightseeing excursion from Banff to Jasper with a trip onto the Columbia Icefields aboard an Ice Explorer (Icefields close Oct 17)

• Hotel to station transfer in Jasper

• Two overnights aboard VIA Rail –Silver and Blue Class in a private bedroom from Jasper to Toronto,   access to the domed viewing cars and all meals while aboard the train

• Toronto city sightseeing tour

• Hotel to airport transfer in Toronto

• Maps and destination information

• Hotel Taxes, entrance fees, GST& service charges on included features

Tour Itinerary - 12 Days & 11 Nights

Day 1 – Arrive Toronto

Welcome to Toronto, the starting point for your rail journey across Canada. Your package includes a transfer from the airport to your hotel. Our choice of the Fairmont Royal York puts you into one of Toronto’s most popular historic hotels. Built by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, the Royal York opened in 1929, introducing visitors to the largest hotel in Canada and the tallest in the British Empire! The hotel has so many pleasing features, that you can amuse yourself without ever leaving the hotel. Enjoy the elegance of their gracious lobby, their beautiful pool and spa, delicious dining, and unique shops. However, do plan to go outside and explore the many famous sights and attractions only minutes from the hotel.
Overnight – Fairmont Royal York

Day 2 – Toronto Sightseeing/VIA Rail Toronto to Jasper (D)

Your train does not leave until later this evening so you have all day to enjoy this cosmopolitan city. We have included a city tour that allows you to hop on and off at various attractions throughout the city. This will allow you to pick and choose what interests you the most. Plan to have dinner before the train departs at 10:00pm at a nearby restaurant. Plan to be at the rail station one hour prior to boarding. The rail station is just across the street from the Fairmont Royal York. If you need assistance with your luggage, let the bell desk know that you will be departing on VIA Rail’s Canadian in Sleeper Touring Class. VIA Rail has a special check in area for Sleeper Touring passengers. Here you can present your tickets to the VIA staff and check the luggage that you want to travel in the baggage compartment.

Nothing shows you Canada like a trip on the train. Your bedroom is VIA Rail’s “top of the line” accommodations. Your sitting room by day converts to upper and lower berths at night. Once aboard the train, the staff will see that you are settled into your room. As a Sleeper Touring Class passenger, your fare includes all meals, use of any of the lounges and access to the domed skyline car for spectacular viewing. The VIA Rail staff will brief you on the dining schedule. Seating in the domed skyline cars is on a first come, first served basis. Hot tea and coffee is available in the lounge area throughout the day and evening.
Overnight – VIA Rail Sleeper Car

Days 3 & 4 – VIA Enroute to Jasper

As you travel east to west, you will travel through five of Canada’s provinces. Starting in Canada’s largest city, Toronto, the train heads north through the Canadian Shield. This region of billion-year-old rock lies between the Great Lakes and Hudson Bay. Here, ancient glaciers scoured thousands of lakes and filled them with remarkably clear water. On their rocky shores, outcroppings of granite, pink, grey, and black form rounded boulders that breathtakingly tower over the tracks. As you pass through this area of forests, lakes, and streams it is not unusual to see bear or moose. As the train crosses into Manitoba, you enter a land of forests and lakes. Many of the 200 lakes were formed by meteor craters. This wealth of trees and water make Winnipeg, located at the junction of the Red, Assiniboine, and Seine Rivers the capitol of Canada’s fur trade. Saskatchewan shows you the unique beauty of the prairie lands.
Overnights – VIA Rail

Day 5 – Arrive Jasper

Today you cross into Alberta heading towards Edmonton, home of the world famous West Edmonton Mall. Midway between Edmonton and Jasper you have your first view of the Rockies and the promise of what is yet to come. Transportation to either the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge or Sawridge Inn is included. The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is a resort unto itself in the wilderness. The Sawridge Inn is located in the town of Jasper. Overnight – Jasper

Day 6 – Jasper/Lake Louise

Your morning is at leisure. This afternoon, a transfer has been arranged to Lake Louise. The drive takes you through country that is breathtaking. After miles of wilderness, you arrive at the jewel in the crown, the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Even after you have seen Lake Louise you can’t describe the magnitude of the beauty of the lake and the surrounding mountains. Sunny terraces and flower filled gardens make it the perfect place to relax.
Overnight – Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Day 7 – Lake Louise/Banff

After the beauty of Lake Louise, you will be surprised to find that Banff offers a different perspective. This active alpine village is just about the best place to be in summer. Towering mountains and the sweeping Bow Valley offer stunning contrasts. Elk roam about the grounds of the local hotels as if they were household pets. The Fairmont Banff Springs is the castle amongst the mountains and forests and boasts of offering a world class golf course and spa. The Rimrock Resort is built in such a manner that you have to take an elevator “down” to your room. Plan to visit many of Banff’s fun places. Don’t miss a gondola ride up Sulphur Mountain or a dip in the sulphur pool.
Overnight - Banff

Day 8 – Banff

You are never at a loss for things to do in Banff. The village is filled with delightful boutiques, restaurants, and shops. Be sure to spend some time at the Fairmont Banff Springs as it is a village in and of itself. If you enjoy outdoor activities, you can golf, bike, or hike.
Overnight - Banff

Day 9 – Banff/Jasper

If during your travels to Banff you saw places and longed to stop, our full day excursion will take you to many of them. As you travel to Jasper along the beautiful Icefield’s Parkway, you will pass some of the most beautiful vistas found any place on the globe. A stop at the awesome Athabasca Glacier for an Ice Explorer ride on this prehistoric river of endless ice is included in your day. Emerald Lakes, towering waterfalls and mountain peaks make this a day to remember. Your full day sightseeing excursion will bring you into Jasper late this afternoon. Once again you have the option of staying at either the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge or the Sawridge Inn.
Overnight - Jasper

Day 10 – Jasper to Vancouver

You have the morning to relax and enjoy the beauty of Jasper. Your train departs this afternoon and we have arranged transportation to the station in Jasper. Your VIA Rail attendant will see that you are settled into your room for your continuation of your trip overnight by train to Vancouver. This is an excellent time to get a seat in the domed viewing car. The scenery out of Jasper is breathtaking as you continue through what is considered the jewel in the crown of this wonderful rail trip, the Canadian Rockies. As you continue west the train crosses into British Columbia and the Rockies give way to fertile fields and eventually to the Pacific Ocean where Vancouver is perched.
Overnight – VIA Rail

Day 11 – Arrive Vancouver

You are scheduled to arrive into Vancouver at 9:30am. Whether you choose the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver or Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel, we have included a transfer from the Vancouver station to your hotel. The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver puts you right in center of the city with everything right at your doorstep. The Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside is a beautiful hotel centrally located in the heart of Vancouver. Due to your early arrival, your room may not be available for check in, so leave your bags at the hotel and set out to explore Vancouver. Visit Gastown, a lovely 19th century restoration offering a selection of excellent restaurants and shops. Other places to visit while in Vancouver are: Stanley Park, the Aquarium, Granville Island, the Capilano Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain, colourful Chinatown, BC Place, the Sunken Gardens of Queen Elizabeth Park and the Bloedel Conservatory.
Overnight –Vancouver

Day 12 – Depart Vancouver

Enclosed with your travel documents is a transfer voucher from your hotel to the airport. The staff of the hotel you are staying at will direct you to your pick up point. We hope you enjoyed your visit to Canada, and that it will be one of many return trips.