Tour Trains and Routes | Canada

Rail's Golden Age lives on aboard the "Canadian," VIA Rail Canada's signature transcontinental odyssey. Guests savor four days and nights crossing the rugged, remote Canadian Shield, sweeping prairie grasslands and the magnificent Canadian Rockies. Over sixty intermediate destinations include modern cities like Edmonton, world-class winter playgrounds like Jasper and isolated whistle stops including ghost towns, wilderness hamlets and First Nations reserves. Highlights include views of Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Rockies. Trains operate three times a week in each direction, year-round. Itineraries: Full four-night journey travels between Toronto and Vancouver. Other options include one-night Edmonton or Jasper to/from Winnipeg, Saskatoon or Vancouver; two-night Winnipeg or Saskatoon to/from Toronto or Vancouver; or three-night Toronto to/from Edmonton or Jasper. Classes of Travel: Economy class guests travel in spacious coaches with reclining seats and picture windows. Full-course meals, snacks, cold drinks and alcoholic beverages are available for purchase. Sleeper Touring travelers choose between berth or cabin accommodations. Suites are also available. Sleeper Touring class and Suite guests enjoy gourmet meals, prepared by onboard chefs and served in the stylish dining car, plus access to the exclusive Park Car's panorama deck and lounges. Packages and Specials: Choices range from short destination getaways in Toronto, Jasper, Edmonton and Vancouver to extended, all-inclusive spa, recreational and sightseeing packages. Selected features: interpretive commentaries, charters, handicap access, online booking.

Canada's most famous rail tour is ranked among the world's best by numerous travel authorities. All-daylight rail adventures through the unspoiled Canadian Rockies treat guests to the spellbinding sights of glacier-fed lakes, majestic mountains and ferocious rivers. Highlights among various routes include views of Mount Robson -- Canada's highest mountain -- and opportunities to view bald eagles, grizzlies, black bears, moose, bighorn sheep, cougar, wolves, lynx and caribou. Trains operate year-round.
Itineraries: Two-day First Passage to the West runs between Vancouver and Banff or Calgary. Two-day Journey through the Clouds runs between Vancouver and Jasper. Two-day Rainforest to Gold Rush runs between Whistler and Jasper. Three-hour Whistler Sea to Sky Climb aboard the Whistler Mountaineer runs from Vancouver to Whistler and reverse. Classes of Travel: Standard RedLeaf class observation cars offer reclining seats, picture windows and at-seat dining. Premium GoldLeaf class guests travel aboard custom-designed bi-level dome coaches. Upper deck lounge seating affords 360-degree panoramic viewing; lower deck dining room features freshly prepared gourmet fare. One night moderate accommodation is provided in Kamloops for First Passage to the West and Journey through the Clouds passengers; in Quesnel, for Rainforest to Gold Rush passengers. Whistler Sea to Sky Climb guests choose between standard Classic and premium Dome travel. Packages and Specials: Over 45 vacations include Alaska Rail & Cruise Vacations, rail/destination City Stops, rail/drive, and rail/motorcoach combos. Add-on tour itineraries include Columbia Icefield, Athabasca Glacier and Spiral Tunnels at Yoho National Park. Theme tours include wine tasting and golf tours. Selected features: interpretive commentaries, charters, handicap access, online booking.

Passenger service has re-emerged aboard CP, the fabled railroad of the north. This time, a period fleet has been elegantly restored to carry guests on the RR's signature 6-day Crowsnest Tour of the Rockies. Also: dinner excursions from Calgary and Banff; custom charter tours may be routed anywhere CP rail lines reach.

Two-day return packages out of Sault-Ste-Marie feature stopover at Agawa Canyon and guided boat tour; plus over night accomodations at the lakeside Wilderness Island Resort in the Chapleau Wildlife Preserve, the world's largest wildlife sanctuary. Rail/float plane return trips can be arranged.

Reach north to the Arctic Tidewater aboard a thrilling wilderness journey to Moosonee. Choose from same-day round-trip adventures or extended holidays including MV Polar Princess cruise on James Bay, ancient fort and Cree Village experiences at Moose Factory Island, wildlife tours and more. Departures from Cochrane (connections from Toronto and southern points via Ontario Northland Railway).

Rail remains king in the Algoma wilderness, where otherwise inaccessible settlements and outposts rely on the ACR as a vital supply line and for year-round access to the outside world. From its Sault Ste. Marie terminus on Lake Superior the Algoma Central Railway wends northward, through Agawa Canyon, crossing boreal forests and Canada's mountainous Shield on its 296 mi/476 km run to Hearst, Ontario. Overnight return trips depart Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, year-round; also Wednesdays in Summer

For over a century, ON's Northlander trains have departed Toronto for the day's journey to Cochrane, a popular snowmobiler destination in Ontario's rugged north. From Cochrane: year-round Little Bear flag-stop freight/passenger service (complete with specially fitted canoe car) and seasonal Polar Bear Express trains press 186 mi/300 km further, to frontier settlements at James Bay. At Cochrane, the railway also operates complementary motorcoach service and the Station Inn, a smallish but up-to-date hotel/restaurant popular with back country visitors.

This engineering landmark wends a fragile narrow-gauge track-way: boring tunnels, edging cliffs and crawling to the 2885 ft/879 m height of White Pass summit -- onetime crosspoint of Alaskan stampeders bound for the gold-rich Canadian Klondike. Today, travelers ranging from cruise ship passengers to back-packing adventurers traverse the historic 67 mi/108 km route. Rail and complementary bus link Skagway AK, White Pass, Fraser BC, Lake Bennett BC and Carcross YT (bus only to Whitehorse YT). Service notes: Runs May to September; limited handicap access.

Eastern Canada's flagship rail journey rolls through the Acadian heartland as it pushes 836 mi/1346 km to the sea. The train follows the Saint Lawrence valley before bearing down along the Gaspé Peninsula's Matapédia River and then skirting the Nova Scotia coast of Charleur Bay. Crossing into New Brunswick, it touches the Bay of Fundy -- site of the world's highest tides -- before coming to rest at historic Halifax Station, the eastern terminus of North America's passenger rail network. Itineraries: Overnight journey travels between Montréal and Halifax with intermediate stops at Charny (Québec City), Rimouski and Moncton. Classes of Travel: Economy class guests travel in spacious coaches with reclining seats and picture windows. Meals, snacks, cold drinks and alcoholic beverages are available for purchase in the TV lounge car. Sleeper class travelers choose between berth or cabin accommodations with full meals, served in the stylish dining car, available for purchase. Sleeper Touring class is available during peak season, from mid-June through mid-October. Sleeper Touring class includes choice of accomodations; gourmet meals, prepared by onboard chefs and served in the dining car, plus access to the exclusive Park Car's panorama deck and lounges. All travelers may access the dining car and Skyline dome/café car during off-peak seasons. Packages and Specials: Choices range from short destination getaways in Montréal, and Québec to extended sightseeing, recreational and rail-and-cruise packages. Selected features: interpretive commentaries (Sleeper Touring class only), charters, handicap access, online booking.