Trans Canada Rail Adventure

On arrival in Halifax make your own way to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure to explore this charming city on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.

Today you can enjoy your choice of one included experience from the following options:

Board the VIA Rail train bound for Montreal this morning. Enjoy the rolling landscapes and deep forests of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as you travel to Montreal. Tonight you’ll sleep on board the train, listening to the hypnotic sound of the rails as you drift off.

Arrive in Montreal this morning. One of the oldest cities in Canada, Montreal was originally established as a fur trading post at the beginning of the 17th century and is now the largest city in the French-speaking province of Québec. Today you can enjoy your choice of one included experience from the following options:

Montreal Sightseeing Tour – take a guided tour of Montreal, with highlights such as the Observatoire Place Ville Marie on Mont Royal, the Notre-Dame Basillica, and Old Montréal.

Your accommodation tonight will be in a centrally located hotel.

Today a guided tour to historic Québec City is included. Explore the walled old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and uncover the turbulent history of this picturesque city which overlooks the St Lawrence River. The tour includes a photo stop at Montmorency Falls, which is higher than Niagara Falls! You will return to Montreal for a second overnight stay in the city.

Re-board the VIA Rail train for the journey to Toronto, Ontario, where you’ll spend 2 nights in a city hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure to explore Canada’s largest city. You may wish to take in the view from the top of the CN Tower, visit the many museums and galleries, or soak up the vibrant sights and sounds of the Lake Ontario waterfront.

Travel by coach for a full-day tour through the orchard-laden Niagara Peninsula to Niagara Falls, one of the great wonders of the world. Today’s excursion includes either a Niagara Falls Cruise or Journey Behind the Falls experience, a meal overlooking Niagara, free time in Niagara Falls and a winery tour including wine tasting.

Check in at Toronto’s Union Station and board VIA Rail’s ‘Canadian’ for an epic train journey across the prairies to the Canadian Rockies. Travel back in time to the days of classic rail travel; the original stainless steel ‘streamliner’ railcars, made famous by the ‘Canadian’ in the 1950s, have been totally refurbished with air conditioning, a café, lounge car and access to the viewing dome car. Settle in and make yourself comfortable, as ‘The Canadian’ will be your home for the next 3 nights.

Watch the scenery change as you enter the province of Manitoba and travel through the vast prairies and great plains of central Canada.

Continue west through the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, known as the breadbasket of Canada with golden wheat fields stretching as far as the eye can see.

Step off the ‘Canadian’ and breathe in the crisp mountain air of the Rockies. This evening enjoy an introductory tour into Jasper National Park in search of wildlife, against a spectacular backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.

Travel by sightseeing coach today via one of the most scenic highways in North America – the famous Icefields Parkway. Visit the Columbia Icefield which covers an area of nearly 125 square miles, and reaches a depth of 1050 feet. Included is an Ice Explorer ride on the Athabasca Glacier, and a stop at the award-winning Glacier Skywalk to experience a glass-floored observation platform 918 ft over glacier-formed valleys and rushing waterfalls. After a picnic lunch continue along the Icefields Parkway where scenic highlights include Bow and Peyto Lakes, the Crowfoot Glacier and the Athabasca Falls. This highway is renowned for sightings of bears, elk, moose and mountain sheep, so keep your camera handy. Tonight’s hotel accommodation is in the village of Lake Louise.

Depart Lake Louise mid-morning for the short coach drive via the scenic Bow Valley to Banff, arriving around midday. The afternoon is at leisure to explore this bustling resort town and surrounding natural attractions.

Today you can enjoy your choice of one included experience from the following options:

Banff Tour & Gondola – take a small group half-day tour to natural attractions around Banff, including Bow Falls, the surreal Hoodoos rock formations, and beautiful Lake Minnewanka, before enjoying impressive views over Banff National Park with a gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain.

Banff National Park Explorer Moraine Lake & Lake Louise – Join this small group tour to experience the wonders of Moraine Lake & Lake Louise. Your guide will tailor the end of the tour considering recent wildlife sightings and to suit your interests.

Rockies Hidden Gems Yoho & Kootenay National Parks – Marvel at picturesque waterfalls and spectacular mountain landscapes on this full day tour. Start with a gentle stroll in Kootenay National Park’s Marble Canyon, admiring turquoise glacial waters and striking canyon walls. Enjoy Emerald Lake’s neon blue waters, where optional canoe rentals, hiking trails, and lakeside picnics are available. The day concludes with a visit to Canada’s 2nd tallest waterfall, Takakkaw Falls.

Cowboy Horseback Cookout BBQ – saddle up for a horse ride along the shores of Bow River and a Western style cookout. Choose from riding on horseback or in a covered wagon through the beautiful Rocky Mountain terrain.

Signature Guided Hike – Experience the best of Rocky Mountain National Parks’ backcountry on a small group tour lead by passionate local guides. Discover classic hikes in the Banff and Lake Louise area, including Stanley Glacier, Larch Valley, Kootenay National Park Trails, and Plain of 6 Glaciers.

Return to the rails, boarding the famous Rocky Mountaineer train for the scenic journey to Kamloops in the interior of British Columbia. As the train crosses over the continental divide you’ll pass through the Spiral Tunnels in Yoho National Park, a remarkable engineering achievement. Continue on through Glacier National Park and pass by Craigellachie, where the last spike was driven completing the Canadian Pacific Railway Trans Canada link in 1885. Overnight in a hotel in Kamloops.

Re-board the train for the final leg of your epic trans-continental journey. Follow the Thompson River through Rainbow Canyon with its cliffs striped with pinks, greens and greys. Continue through the lush farming region of the Fraser Valley to arrive in the Pacific harbour city of Vancouver, where your journey ends, late this afternoon.