Train Trips Across Canada
Experience some of the world's best scenery while relaxing on a trans-Canada train vacation
A train trip across Canada shows you the sheer scale and diversity of this vast nation. Watch through a giant picture window as the landscape shifts from quaint lakes to sweeping prairie grasslands, from sky-piercing mountains to lush rainforest, before finally arriving at the sparkling Pacific Ocean. There's no other trip quite like it!
Your options for trans-Canada rail trips are equally as diverse. Journey from Halifax to Vancouver on an epic 21-day adventure or begin in Toronto and arrive on the West Coast in less than a week. No matter what trip you choose, you'll have a unique chance to discover Canada's natural beauty and enchanting culture. All while unwinding in pure comfort.
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Facts about Trains Across Canada
- Canada is huge. The journey between Vancouver and Toronto is approximately 1.5 times the distance between London and Moscow.
- The scenic Rocky Mountaineer is the only passenger train to have access to certain special historic Canadian Pacific Railway routes, such as the 1885 Canadian Pacific route between Vancouver and Banff.
- Some Canadian trains are designed with glass-dome viewing cars, so that you won't miss a minute of the jaw-dropping scenery.
- Canada spans almost 90 degrees of longitude and uses 6 different time zones, so make sure you adjust your watch accordingly!
Trains
Experience with all of your senses — the salt spray of the ocean, the smell of pine trees after the rain, the thundering sound of a waterfall, the exhilarating feeling of crossing a rail bridge as a deep canyon looms below. This across-Canada adventure will stay with you for a very long time.
Top 5 Reasons to Take a Trans Canada Rail Tour
- You'll see more – On a driving trip you'll have your eyes glued to the highway. On the train you can sit back and enjoy the view as you travel through swathes of undeveloped forest, vast marshlands, canyons, river valleys and small towns.
- Trains go straight to the centre in most Canadian cities – The train was the very first way to get across Canada - therefore it got all of the best real estate. The train arrives in the downtown core of each city, right in the middle of all the top hotels, shopping, dining and sightseeing.
- You'll make new friends – A cross-Canada train journey can be wonderfully social. During the trip you can relax in the dining cars and get to know your fellow adventurers. There's nothing like card games, local wine and great views to inspire conversation.
- Train travel is comfortable – Sit back in your large reclining chair. Feast on gourmet cuisine and local wines in the dining car. Drift to sleep to the click-clacking rhythm of the train in your private berth.
- You'll have plenty of time to relax – Cross-Canada train travel is all about long, leisurely journeys where you simply sit back, read a book and watch the mountains and rivers go past your window. It's a wonderfully calm way to travel.
TRAIN ROUTES
The route you take on your trans Canada journey is up to you – and there are many options to choose from. Let a Canadian Insider help you put the pieces together.
TO VISIT
A train journey across Canada is an opportunity to experience this vast country not in bits and pieces, but as one cohesive whole. These across Canada train adventures can also be paired with other expeditions, such as a flight to Churchill Manitoba to ride on a dog sled or to take a safari to view wild polar bears.
Recommended Trans Canada Train Tours
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