Top Canada Train Travel Tours & Vacations 2024/2025...

Canada Train Travel Attractions & Landmarks Guide

Canada is famous for many things - wildlife, beautiful landscapes, hockey, and friendly people. But it’s also famous for long, beautiful train journeys. As such a large country, seeing Canada by train is one of the best options to cover a lot of ground and enjoy a uniquely slow travel experience.

Stunning doesn’t even begin to describe Canada’s natural landscapes. From eastern coastal shores where lighthouses dot the shore to Western mountains to the idyllic farmland and prairie in between. Let this all come to life on a spectacular journey by train - one of the most innovative and historically significant modes of travel in the world.

There are several ways to see Canada by train, including short journeys all the way up to coast to coast journeys. Either way, it’s a brilliant introduction to the beauty of Canada.

The Rocky Mountaineer

The Rocky Mountaineer is perhaps the best known rail journey one can take to experience this unbelievable area. There are 4 main routes on the Rocky Mountaineer, each will give you an unforgettable experience. All involve exciting excursions, top of the line dining, and comfortable accommodations along the way. This is also a very popular and exciting trip for families with young children.

The four main routes you can take on the Rocky Mountaineer are:

Coastal Passage: Take an epic journey with sweeping views of the beautiful blue pacific before you turn inland to see the dramatic Rockies. This is a cross-border trip, beginning in Seattle, and ending in Banff National Park.

Rainforest to Gold Rush: Experience the unique coastal Rainforest atmosphere before heading to the deep Fraser Canyon, and taking in the gold rush history of Cariboo. This train tour ends in Jasper National Park.

Journey Through the Clouds: This train tour spends some time in the Kamloops area, following the route of the Fraser river.

First Passage to the West: From Vancouver to Banff, this historic journey follows a main route through many important sights, including where the “last spike” was stuck during the construction of the railroad in 1885.

5 Amazing Train Journeys in Canada

1. Cross Country - Canada is all about varied and expansive landscapes. On a cross country rail journey through Canada you’ll observe just how diverse the Canadian landscape is - from vibrant coastal cities, through the enormous imposing Canadian Rocky Mountains, and three incredible National Parks, over wide open plains, to Niagara Falls, and finally to the classic, rustic and beautiful coastal towns and villages of the Maritimes.

2. Rocky Mountaineer - By far one of the most popular Canadian train journeys is the Rocky Mountaineer journey through the majestic Rocky Mountains, the Canadian portion of which extends roughly 1000 miles, making up a large part of the border between British Columbia and Alberta. Enjoy a spectacular view out of 360 degree windows, from the comfort of a luxurious and spacious cabin. You’ll make stops at some of the Rockies most spectacular sights including the Columbia Icefields, Lake Louise, and Banff National Park.

3. Up North - The Northern part of Canada is a beautiful, wild land, perfect for travelers interested in adventure, native history, and wildlife. Taking the Winnipeg-Churchill train is a less well known trip, but not less spectacular. Along the way you can take part in excursions to see polar bears, sea kayaking with Beluga whales, and if the season is right, even catch the Northern Lights.

4. White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad - Going all the way to Canada, this route passes through some of Canada’s most rugged country. This journey is recommended for history buffs especially, as you literally travel through history to get to your destination.

5. Montreal to Halifax - Get a different view of Canada’s south east countryside and coast aboard this rail journey. This is an especially incredible train journey to take in the fall, when the bright oranges, yellows, and reds of the autumn foliage are second to none.

Canada Train Travel Tips

Train travel is slow. If you have a need to get places quickly, train travel may not be for you. The journey is just as much a part of the experience as the destination when it comes to travel by rail.

You will meet a lot of new people. Because of the slow nature of train travel, and especially if you’re going on a long journey, you will find yourself quickly making new and meaningful friends.

It’s all about the landscape. One of the benefits to taking the train is the opportunity to cover a lot of ground and get sweeping views of the transforming countryside out of the large windows, or if you want to step outside for the clearest unobstructed view, you can take photos from the platforms between cars.

Because you’ll be traveling through the night, you will always miss some scenery during the hours you’re asleep. Unfortunately this is part of traveling by rail, but Canada is so expansive your will rarely feel left out as during the daylight hours, the views are always extraordinary. Nothing beats waking up to the rising sun peeking through your window revealing a stunning view.

Canada's Main Cities

One advantage of traveling by train is the opportunity to not only witness incredible scenery, but to also explore some of Canada’s major cities. Among the main stops you’ll make are Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

Quebec City is a crowning jewel in Canada. Predominantly french speaking, this charming city has an extensive colonial history, and is one of the oldest cities in Canada. A classic jumping off point for exploring the idyllic wilderness of Quebec province, the city is well worth spending some time in as well.

Montreal is Quebec’s largest city, often looked over for it’s more famous counterparts above. But this bustling metropolis is a great place to visit - with museums, art galleries, and parks. Visit here for a city fix before venturing out into the wild and beautiful Canadian outdoors.

Vancouver is a big city with the some of the best food in North America. Aside from the area’s famous seafood, you can also find top notch sushi, Indian, and Chinese specialties all imbued with local ingredients. Vancouver’s lovely Gastown area is well worth exploring, with its many boutiques, cafes, and even several filming locations for multiple television shows. And don’t miss taking a half day bike ride around Stanley Park!

Toronto is another popular city to visit, known for a thriving arts scene, cutting edge culinary finds, and one of the world’s biggest LGBT pride parades. Many tours use Toronto as a base from which to visit the thundering Niagara Falls, which shares a border with nearby upstate New York.

Canadian Wildlife

The Canadian wilderness is wild, untamed, and perfect for wildlife viewing. Over the course of your train journey, you can take excursions such as hikes and kayaking trips which will bring your up close and personal with some of Canada’s beautiful animals.

Diverse species make their home here from black bears, grizzly bears, moose, grey wolves, and white tailed deer — just to name a few. Canada is also one of the best destinations for birding enthusiasts, with over 400 different species, including 16 separate species of owl.

The benefit of visiting a place like the Rockies is to see wild animals. So it’s important that they stay wild. Keep your distance and avoid trying to pet, feed, or get up close. The less used to human activity these animals are the better.

Don’t litter! Keep all your trash with you until you can deposit it in a bear safe trash can.

Wildlife tours are a fantastic way to increase your chances of spotting one of the area’s famous dwellers, both large and small. While the bigger attractions, like bear and elk will be easier to see, your guide will be able to point out some of the smaller species such as marmots, rabbits, squirrels, and of course many different types of birds.

1. Does Travelstride have all the tour operators?

Travelstride has the widest selection of tours and tour companies. All the largest companies are on the site and most smaller local operators though we are adding new operators daily. Unlike other websites and agencies, we show you all the options, regardless of whether or not we are paid by the company.

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Travelstride membership is absolutely free. You receive special benefits including saving up to $700 on select tours with top tour operators. The main requirement is to write a review after your trip to access the savings.

3. Can I trust the tour operator and trip reviews on Travelstride?

Yes. Travelstride has both expert reviews, written by Travelstride staff and local experts as well as traveler reviews written by people like you who have used the company and traveled to that destination.

4. What does ‘Stride Preferred’ mean?

Stride Preferred and Stride Premier are status categories to help you sort quickly through known and reliable travel companies. Since there are thousands of tour operators around the globe, Preferred or Premier badges are awarded to companies that Travelstride has determined meet the highest standards of professionalism, customer satisfaction, and quality.

Canada Train Travel Reviews & Ratings

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BeckyS

May 2020

Written on

Calgary Stampede, Canadian Rockies & Glacierby Vacations By Rail

Disappointed in pandemic results

My husband and I have had a similar situation to others who had a planned trip via Vacations By Rail. Our trip was scheduled for July 2020. Since we are in the at-ri...

Kathy

Apr 2019

Incredible trip!

It was an incredible trip! This trip was by far the most fascinating t...

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Canada Train Travel Tours & Travel Packages 2024/2025

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