High Tides & Scenic Trains

10 Days / 9 Nights
Discover New Brunswick  

Discover the pleasures of overnight rail travel between Montreal and New Brunswick.  Experience the astonishing high and low tides of the Bay of Fundy at Hopewell Rocks.  Stay in a cozy oceanfront boutique hotel steps from the water.  Enjoy St. Andrews and the elegant and historic Fairmont Algonquin Hotel. 

• Montreal airport to hotel arrival transfer

• 7 Nights Hotel Accommodations

  • 1 Night Fairmont Queen Elizabeth

  • 2 Nights Delta Beausejour

  • 2 Nights Inn on the Cove near Saint John with breakfast

  • 2 Nights Fairmont Algonquin

• Two Nights aboard VIA Rails Ocean in Easterly Class* in a private bedroom, access to the domed viewing car, services of an on-board learning coordinator and some meal service, as you travel from Montreal to Moncton and Moncton to Montreal

• Montreal City Sightseeing Tour

• Compact rental car with unlimited mileage

• Shediac Bay lobster dinner cruise or a lobster dinner at the Inn on the Cove

• Saint John Reversing Falls Sightseeing (Seasonal Operation)

• City to airport transfer in Montreal

Day 1- Arrive Montreal 

Welcome to Montreal.  A city of sophistication and style, where the restaurant guide is required reading. Where fashion calls home and the shopping is hard to beat.  Montreal offers a convenient airport shuttle that takes you to your hotel.  The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth is one of Montreal’s premier hotels.  Known for excellent service, their staff is waiting to welcome you and assist with your check in arrangements.
Overnight – Fairmont Queen Elizabeth   

Day 2 – Montreal to Moncton

You have the full day to enjoy Montreal. Your city sightseeing tour will help you understand Montreal’s history and achievements.  Along the way you realize why people love living in this city. Your visit takes you atop of Mount Royal through neighborhoods with splendid houses and a striking view of downtown Montreal and the St. Lawrence River. Also atop Mount Royal is St. Joseph's Oratory, one of the most visited shrines in the world. On the way to Olympic Park, you will pass through some of Montreal's early neighborhoods with stairways that have a very interesting history. Notre-Dame Basilica is beautiful and an exceptional example of Gothic Revival architecture.  Old Montreal, located along the shores of the St. Lawrence River leads into the Old Port — One of the largest redeveloped old ports in the world. Visit Bonsecours Market and City Hall in this area.  Your train departs at 6:45PM this evening and the station is right under your hotel.  Once on board the VIA Rail staff will see you comfortably settled into your bedroom.  If you are traveling in Easterly Class (seasonal operation), you have access to the domed viewing car and the services of a Learning Coordinator, who will tell you of the regions history and keep you advised of dining times for included meals. As an Easterly class passenger, you are invited to use the new service lounge that has been introduced on the Ocean.  Here you can enjoy a cocktail and mingle with your fellow travelers.

Overnight – VIA Rail Sleeper Car 

Day 3 – Arrive Moncton

Your train is due to arrive late morning.  Your car rental company will assist with your car rental arrangements.  Due to your early arrival, your room at the Delta Beausejour may not be available for check-in, so leave your bags with the bell desk and set off to explore Moncton. Today would be a great day to visit Water Theme Park, Magnetic Hill Zoo, and Magnetic Hill, where you can put your car in neutral and go uphill!  Just a short drive from Moncton is the town of Shediac the Lobster Capitol of the World, where we have arranged for you to experience the Shediac Bay Lobster Dinner Cruise.  Your first task will be catching the lobsters.  Once that is done your crew will share some lobster cooking tricks, followed by a delicious lobster dinner on board your cruise.
Overnight - Delta Beausejour  

Day 4 – Bay of Fundy

On the way to the “Rocks” & "Fundy National Park" there is the Salem & Hillsborough Railroad Museum, with an operating 1912 steam engine. At Hopewell Rocks, you will experience the highest tidal paddling in the world and the world famous "Flower Pot Rocks" at high tide.  Arrangements will depend on the tides, as high tide and low tide make dramatic changes in the landscape. You will be amazed as you walk beside the mammoth sandstone flower pots... millions of years in the making. Ancient seawater rises to the height of a four-story building - the highest in the world! Created by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon, tidal waters flow in and out of the Bay's funnel-like opening. Imagine, twice daily, 200 billion tons of water enter and leave the Bay - equal to all the rivers on the planet!  So check with the locals and schedule your visit for the period of optimum change. 

The Bay of Fundy is a unique and unforgettable ecosystem.  The constant stirring of the nutrient-rich waters causes immerse blooms of plankton that nourish the 15 species of whales that visit. There are fewer than 400 Right whales left in the world and some of these rare creatures can be seen every year in the Bay of Fundy. Thirty-four species of shorebirds have been recorded using the marshes and mudlands of the upper Bay of Fundy.  Between 75 to 95 percent of the world's population of semipalmated sandpipers depend on the Fundy mudflats for their survival. One sandpiper can eat between 9,000 and 20,000 shrimp per day to double its weight for a 72-hour, non-stop flight to South America for the winter.

Overnight - Delta Beausejour

Day 5 – Moncton to Inn on the Cove

Follow the scenic Fundy Coastal drive as you make your way to the lovely Inn on the Cove.
Overnight – Inn on the Cove

Day 6 – Inn on the Cove

We couldn’t let you miss seeing a waterfall that changes direction, so we have included the Saint John Reversing Falls Sightseeing Boat Tour.

Overnight – Inn on the Cove

Day 7 – Inn on the Cove to St. Andrews

One of the prettiest towns you will ever see is St. Andrews by the Sea.  Visitors discover a serene town steeped with history and sprinkled with unique shops and artisans studios.  Here is the century old Fairmont Algonquin. A grand hotel with classic styling and exceptional service and amenities.  If you are a golfer, don’t pass up a chance to play the Signature Golf Course.  Garden lovers may want to visit the 27 acre Kingsbrae horticultural garden and be reminded that you can visit Campobello Island, site of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s summer residence.

Overnight – The Fairmont Algonquin 

Day 8 – St Andrews

Overnight – The Fairmont Algonquin

Day 9 – St Andrews to Moncton – Overnight trains to Montreal

Enjoy a leisurely drive with coastal views, as your train departs at 5:40PM.  Enjoy another night of rail travel in the comfort of your private bedroom.

Overnight – VIA Rail Sleeper Car 

Day 10 – Arrive Montreal

You arrive early morning, leaving the opportunity to spend time in Montreal. VIA Rail’s baggage service will hold your bags for a nominal fee. Your airport transfer departs from the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth.

High Tides & Scenic Trains Dates & Rates - 10 days & 9 nights Package is offered daily, except Mondays A senior discount is available if you are 60+ Rates are in US Dollars, per person, double occupancy Airfare from most US cities is available, please ask our staff for assistance   Season Land Only October 7 - 13, 2009 $1,809 October 14 & 16, 2009 $2,389 October 17 - 31, 2009 $1,709 May 1 - 16, 2010 $1,839 May 18 - June 5, 2010 $1,869 June 6 - 12, 2010 $2,099 June 13 - 23, 2010 $2,379 June 24 - August 28, 2010 $2,379 August 29 - September 19, 2010 $2,419 September 21- October 6, 2010 $2,489 October 7 - 13, 2010 $2,159 October 14 - 31, 2010 $1,869 Easterly Class service offered 6/14-10/14. Other tour dates confirmed in comfort sleeper class; No meals included.