Long train journeys are always magical – viewing beautiful scenery through windows, meeting people, eating while watching the landscape float by, and falling asleep by the gentle rocking movement of the train.
VIA Rail’s “The Canadian” as it is now called, was a wonderful train journey. We enjoyed the spectacular scenery from the Great Lakes region to the central Canadian Prairies and then to the stunning Rocky Mountains where we took the famous Rocky Mountaineer.
It was a potpourri of varied experiences from cities to peaceful villages, breathtaking sceneries of mountains and lakes and meeting interesting people in the train.
Here’s our route map:
The journey started with two nights in Toronto at the Fairmont Royal York just opposite the Union station. We got upgraded to a suite! Great start of the holiday!
What we did in Toronto
We chose to spend the day by ourselves in Toronto rather than in a group. We walked over to CN Tower and looked at the awesome views from above. We also checked out Ontario Science centre.
Not being keen on crowds, queues and a big city environment, we decided to take a ferry ride to Centre Island.
Centre Island – one of the popular Toronto Island destinations and Toronto’s getaway gem! The ferry ride to Centre is 10-15 minutes from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal. There are fountains, gardens, an amusement park, a pier that extends into Lake Ontario, a sandy beach and picnic areas. We rented bikes, took long walks, checked out the maze and enjoyed Toronto’s skyline from the island. It was a good way to get away from the busy city.
The Path – We were quite surprised at Toronto’s PATH – Toronto’s underground pedestrian walkway, the 28 kilometer (17 mile) long route filled with shops, restaurants, and cafes. It offers a great climate-controlled alternative when you want a break from the busy roads, or when the weather is not too pleasant. We were lucky that we could get to this path from inside Fairmont hotel itself to escape the fall time cold and windy day.
The next day, we went to the union station and boarded the VIA train going from Toronto to Jasper.
The VIA Experience
The VIA train provided a comfortable ride with sleeper cabins, fresh linen and toiletries, gourmet meals served in style by uniformed attendants in dining car, and great views from the observation dome car. Wine, coffee and small snacks are always available all the time.
We chose VIA’s best option – the Prestige class in the train and Fairmont group for hotel stays.
The three days in the train was just awesome. Apart from resting in the cabin or going up to the dome car with a glass of wine, VIA also had a TV room with travel movies, card tables and board games.
We spent most of our time taking photos of the spectacular views of the passing countyside and chatting with the crew and fellow passengers.
The Dome car with panoramic windows was great for reading or window gazing.
We met fascinating people from all over the world and we are still in contact with some of them. Gentle swaying of the train put us to sleep but we woke up when the train stopped from time to time to give way to freight trains which had priority over passenger trains. To explain: rail tracks (mostly single line) are owned by freight companies, and passenger trains have to give way to freight trains. You may find your train waiting at a side track while a massive freight train, often 3-4 miles long, trundles past. No matter, since you are in no rush, and it is fun to watch the endless stream of freight cars pass by!
All 3 meals onboard the Canadian VIA rail train were gourmet meals, with a varied and interesting menu. We made sure that we sat with different people at each meal so as to meet as many co-passengers as possible.
The scenery changes from picturesque lake-lands in Northern Ontario as you travel towards Jasper across the winding plains of the Prairie region. Yellows and gold of the prairies shine in sunlight.
Toronto to Jasper took three full days with a 4 hour stop at Winnipeg.
Stop at Winnipeg
It was end of September, but Winnipeg had quite a bit of snow! The train had stopped for four hours here (not sure why – maybe train was being refuelled?) so, we decided to venture into Winnipeg and explore a bit making sure we don’t go too far away.
Winnipeg Railway Museum is located inside the Union Station at Winnipeg. We enjoyed the beautiful models and the real old train. There was plenty to see for rail buffs, and also an absorbing human story of the hardships and dangers faced by railroad personnel, both men and women, in the harsh climate of western Canada.
Final bonus: the magnificent old train station, with its soaring domed ceiling and a small photo-exhibit showing the place in the “good old days.”
Forks Historic Port and Esplanade Riel Pedestrian Bridge
We braved the windy and freezing weather to walk up to the Forks Historic port. We also walked on the pedestrian bridge, called people path, located north of the historic Red and Assiniboine rivers. Then we had to rush back to board the VIA train on time.
The VIA train finally reached Jasper where we got off and checked into Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge – another great hotel with an awesome view.
The Canadian Rockies
In the next five days, we explored the Rockies destinations – Jasper, Icefields Parkway, Lake Louise and Banff staying in various Fairmont hotels and using the awesome Brewster coaches to move around. Here are some images:
‘Rocky Mountaineer’ Experience
We boarded the Rocky Mountaineer in Banff.
We had two full days in Rocky Mountaineer, a small train looping through the mountains. The first day was from Banff to Kamloops and the second day from Kamloops to Vancouver.
The Rocky Mountaineer train is only for day travel. There are no sleepers. We stayed overnight in a hotel in Kamloops and we boarded the Rocky Mountaineer again in the morning. Before we left the train at Kamloops we were given the keys to our hotel rooms, where our luggage was already waiting for us just outside our room! Great seamless logistics!
The Rocky Mountaineer’s services were totally impressive, particularly the Gold Leaf complete with custom-built two-level dome cars, with panoramic windows and glass roof.
There was gourmet food service throughout the journey keeping us happy as the train moved through rivers, mountains and bridges. It is certainly a photographer’s delight to take this trip and use the spacious outdoor viewing platform.
It was a beautiful ride from Banff with spectacular scenery of Canadian Rockies, the high peaks, mountain passes, tunnels, lakes and their rocky shores, and ranch lands. This stretch includes views of Castle mountain, spiral tunnels, the rugged terrain of the Kicking horse canyon, Rogers pass, Continental divide and snow-capped peaks and glaciers.
In the stretch from Kamloops to Vancouver, going westwards towards the Pacific ocean, we saw changes in scenery through winding river canyons and untouched forests. The highlights were Kamloops river, Thompson River, Black Canyon and the steep slopes as also the rushing waters in the popular Hell’s gate in Fraser Canyon.
Our rail journey ended when we reached Vancouver and checked into the Fairmont Waterfront for the last day. Of course, we extended our hotel stay for two more days to see the highlights of this beautiful city before flying back home.
I always wondered how is the train network in Canada? The pictures are absolutely amazing, I would love to do the same itinerary one day. Let’s hope this will happen soon.
I never thought of doing this, but what a fabulous trip!
What a wonderful way to see the gorgeous natural beauty that Canada is world-renown for! The observation car looks so good for watching the entire wilderness as scenery changes during your trip. You have shared some stunning photos here and I’m sure you probably feel these don’t do it much justice, simply because of the scale of nature you can see with your own eyes. Thanks so much for sharing and reminding me why this trip has to be one I plan for in the future.
Wow! What a Descriptive Guide! I loved the stunning sceneries…especially the Canadian Rockies.
My goodness, that sounds like such an amazing experience. Now I have added something new to my bucket list. As an amateur photographer, I would love all of the amazing scenes and landscapes.
Train travel is definitely a great way to see a country. It looks like you had a fab time!
I did the rail trip on the Canadian many many years ago. It was great to enjoy the trip by train. We are doing this trip in the fall by car. Certainly not as relaxing as spending the time in the dome car of the train! We are stopping in Winnipeg to catch our breath so many we will stop in the Railway Museum.
This sounds like such an incredible experience! I’m dying to visit Canada once the borders open (I live in the USA), and I would love to take this trip specifically. Thanks for sharing!
I’m Canadian and genuinely didn’t realize you could get all the way to Vancouver from Toronto via train. This looks like such a cool experience and I can’t wait to try it myself!
I am fascinated by trains and would enjoy traveling through Canada this way. What a fabulous adventure. I can only image how relaxing it would be to fall asleep at night while enjoying the gentle rocking of the train.
This is such a great article. Canada is still on my travel list, and my favourite way of exploring a country is mostly by train. It inspired me a lot, so I will come back to this article once I plan my train trip to Canada. Thanks :).
This is a fantastic article. I still haven’t been to Canada, but since I’m not driving, it’s so encouraging to know that you can take the train – just like in Europe. Hence, this post was really encouraging regarding my travel plans. 😉
This brought back memories of the time I took then same journey on the Rocky Mountaineer 10 years or so ago. many of your photos are similar to the ones I have too! but the VIA from Toronto sounds amazing too…maybe next time I am in Canada…;)
What a great way to see Canada. We were due to fly into Vancouver last month but obviously weren’t permitted to and drive across to the Martimes for a month long trip. I think we might need to reconsider and do a rail trip across to Ontario.
What an inspiring article ……. especially in these dreary Covid times. I feel like packing my bags and heading off right now. Those pictures of the Rockies are amazing. I always appreciate a map, and it is so useful to hear more details about the train journey. Thank you! You mentioned Hell’s Gate: a few years ago I was there, taking the little cable car across the river …. and the Rocky Mountaineer screeched to a halt on the other side, for the passengers to take photos … great to see the scene from that angle!
I would so love to do this! I’ve crossed Canada by bus in the dead of winter! (I must have been mad) And several times by plane. But I love train travel and this sounds so fabulous. I can imagine the dreamy feeling of rolling through the countryside. Lovely photos!
That rail trip sounds wonderful! Would love to do one through Canada. Our rail system in South Africa is just about nonexistent and I haven’t done a long one in decades, since I was a child! What a great way to see the beauty of Canada.
This trip has been on my bucket list for a long time and now that my husband is retired I’m hoping that we’re closer to making the dream come true. Thanks for sharing all the helpful info.
I have always wanted to do this! Hopefully I can in the next year. So looking forward to being able to visit Canada again. Thanks for the great suggestions.
This is something that I want to do with my family!
Traveling from Toronto to Vancouver by rail might be a fantastic adventure with stunning vistas. I would love to experience this trip one day. With the scenery of the Great Lakes region and the Rocky Mountains, there is no boring. And I love meeting people and chatting with other travelers on the train. Stops during travel are also fabulous!