Across Canada by train:  Toronto - Winnipeg - Edmonton - Jasper - Vancouver

The greatest train in Canada and one of the world's greatest train journeys, VIA Rail's "Canadian" runs 3 times a week all-year-round linking Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Jasper & Vancouver.  The journey takes 4 nights and the train consists of the original 1955-built stainless-steel coaches from the Canadian Pacific Railway's "Canadian".  You can travel very affordably in 'Economy class' in a reclining seat, or in 'Sleeper Touring class' (formerly 'Silver and Blue' class) with a private sleeping-car room and restaurant car meals included.  The journey originally took 3 nights, but in December 2008 VIA Rail changed the timetable to show their passengers more of the Rockies in daylight.  Note that today's 'Canadian' takes the more northerly Canadian National Railway (CN) route across Canada via Edmonton and Jasper, opened in 1917.  The original 1955 'Canadian' was operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway and would have taken the CPR's own more southerly route across Canada via Calgary and Banff, opened in 1865 as Canada's first trans-continental railway and arguably the more scenic of these two competing routes.  If you want to experience the original 1865 Canadian Pacific route today, you can only do so between Calgary and Vancouver, and only on the the Rocky Mountaineer tourist train.  You'll find a brief overview of the history of the CN and CP routes across Canada here.

Above:  The Skyline dome car...		Above:  "The Canadian" at Jasper...

You can check times & fares for a specific date at www.viarail.ca.  Remember this train crosses 4 time zones, all times shown are local time!

The best way to buy tickets is direct from VIA Rail at www.viarail.ca, just click the button above.  You collect the tickets at the station before departure.  Canadian railpass information.  Alternatively, UK-based company www.railbookers.com can arrange tailor-made holidays by train across Canada, with flights, hotels & tickets for the 'Canadian' all sorted for you.

Can you stop off on the way? 

Yes, of course you can, but every leg of your journey requires a reservation for a specific train & date.  You cannot buy an 'open' ticket and hop on & off trains spontaneously without a reservation.  But it's easy to pre-book stopovers, as www.viarail.ca has a 'multi-city' option which allows you to specify a Toronto-Vancouver journey with one or more stopovers at places along the way, such as Winnipeg or Jasper (for Jasper national park).  Booking your trip using this 'multi-city' feature is cheaper than buying a separate ticket for each leg.

What is the train like?   Which class & accommodation to choose?

Economy class = reclining seats...

In Economy Class (formerly Comfort Class) you have a comfortable reclining seat and access to the Economy Class 'Skyline' car with coffee shop, lounge and 'vista dome'.  Sleeping in a seat may not be as comfortable as having a proper sleeper, but the seats recline to about 40 degrees, have loads of legroom and adjustable leg rests.  An Economy class seat costs a fraction of the price of a Sleeper Touring class sleeper, and with a coffee shop, lounge area and observation dome, the facilities in Economy class are still excellent.  It's an experience streets ahead of a mere flight, and infinitely more comfortable than bus travel.

Economy Class seating.  Seats have a generous recline and fold-out leg-rests...		Skyline car with the economy class lounge, coffee shop & dome.  You can buy food & drink, or use the lounge or dome...

Sleeper Touring class = private sleepers & meals included...

This is the luxury option.  Formerly known as Silver & Blue class, in Sleeper Touring class you have your own private 2-berth bedroom or 1-berth roomette or 'section' with comfortable beds, the fare includes all meals in the elegant Sleeper Touring class restaurant car, and you can use the famous 'Park' observation-lounge car at the rear of the train.  The 'Park' car, 18 of which were built and all named after Canadian parks, features a classic north American 'vista dome' upstairs, the bullet lounge at the rear (complimentary tea and coffee always available) and the mural lounge downstairs underneath the dome.  There are several different types of sleeper, all with hot showers at the end of the corridor:

Sections:  Described on the VIA Rail website as 'upper berth' and 'lower berth' but more correctly and traditionally called 'sections', these are the cheapest type of sleeper.  Sections are not enclosed compartments, but open-plan seats arranged in pairs facing each other each side of the aisle.  Note that the person with the slightly more expensive lower berth gets the seat facing forward during the day.  At night, the two seats pull together and bedding is placed on them to form the lower berth, and an upper berth folds out from the wall.  Curtains are fitted to each bunk for privacy.  If you've seen Marilyn Monroe in 'Some Like it Hot', then you'll have seen 'sections' - the girl band travels from Chicago to Florida in a sleeping-car with sections.  Bring your own Marilyn...

Roomettes or bedroom:  The next step up from a section is a roomette (described on the VIA Rail website as a 'cabin for 1') or bedroom (described on the VIA Rail website as a 'cabin for 2').  These are enclosed, lockable compartments.  If you are travelling alone, you will travel in a roomette.  This is a very compact single room, just big enough for a large seat with plenty of legroom, and a leg-rest with a toilet bowl hidden underneath.  There is a washbasin in the corner.  At night, a bed folds down from behind the seat, taking up almost all of the roomette.  Bedrooms are larger rooms for two people, with separate en suite washroom and toilet.  An upper and lower berth convert to seats for daytime use.  Bedrooms are the same price per person as a roomette.

A roomette, perhaps the cosiest room for one person on the rails!  Just big enough for one armchair by day with toilet shown here with padded lid closed, washbasin and fold out table.  The bed is stored behind the seat, on its end (in the middle picture you can see the handle to lower the bed).  At  night, the bed folds down and takes up most of the compartment - you need to raise it to use the toilet!  Photos courtesy of  James Chuang.

Sections.  Bays of two spacious seats either side of the aisle, converting to upper and lower berths with curtains...		Dining-car.  Meals are included for sleeper touring class passengers, although drinks are extra...

The 'Park' observation-lounge-dome car car...
The Park car's 'bullet lounge'... Photo courtesy of James Chuang		Wine tasting in the Park car's dome... Photo courtesy of James Chuang

		Above:  Lakes and forests between Toronto and Winnipeg...
Pyramid Falls, a local landmark seen from the train as it approaches Vancouver...		The view from the Dome.  In the Rockies, looking forward from the front seats in the dome at the rear of the 'Canadian'.

Journey's end:  Vancouver's Pacific Central station.		The Canadian in the platform at Vancouver.

The Océan has 'Economy class' reclining seats, 'Sleeper class' sleeping-cars, with restaurant car, coffee shop and lounge.  In the summer tourist season from June to October it also has 'Sleeper Touring class' sleeping-cars and a 1955-vintage stainless-steel observation dome/lounge car at the back, like the one attached to the rear of the 'Canadian'.  This observation/lounge car is reserved exclusively for Sleeper Touring class passengers, and meals in the restaurant car are included in the Sleeper Touring class fare (extra for other passengers).  In summer, all departures of the Océan use modern air-conditioned sleeping-cars (some with private toilet and shower) and reclining seat cars originally built in the UK for the abortive Channel Tunnel night trains, and now marketed by VIA Rail as 'Renaissance' cars.  In winter (Nov-April), four departures per week use Renaissance cars, the remaining two departures per week use 1955-built stainless steels seats and sleepers, similar to those used on the Toronto-Vancouver 'Canadian'.  Exact departure times may vary slightly in winter, November to April.  There is also a Montreal-Gaspé portion of this train, using 1950s stainless steel cars, attached three times a week.  See www.viarail.ca (click 'home' top right) for more information, including fares and online booking.

Fares & how to buy tickets...

You can check fares for "The Océan" at www.viarail.ca.   To give you a rough idea, Montreal-Halifax costs about C$148 in Economy class, or C$322 in Sleeper class.  You can book online at www.viarail.ca, picking up the tickets at the station before departure.  Alternatively, you can make VIA Rail bookings in the UK through First Rail Ltd on 0845 644 3553.  Canadian railpasses.

Toronto to Montréal by train in 4 hours 50 minutes, centre to centre...

VIA Rail's fast modern inter-city trains link Toronto, Ottawa & Montréal.  Montréal to Toronto takes as little as 4 hours 50 minutes city centre to city centre.  Please check train times for your date of travel at www.viarail.ca. 

Montréal to Québec by train in only 3 hours, centre to centre...

From Montréal to Québec, air-conditioned trains run several times daily, taking around 3 hours.  Check times, fares & book online at www.viarail.ca.

Montreal to Ottawa, Toronto to Ottawa:  See www.viarail.ca

Montreal to Ottawa takes 1 hour 50 minutes.  Toronto to Ottawa takes about 4 hours 20 minutes.

How to check fares & buy tickets...

Montréal to Toronto starts at around Can$78 if you book in advance or Can$152 regular flexible fare.  Montreal to Quebec costs around Can$47 if you book in advance.  Toronto to Ottawa starts at Can$78, regular fare Can$140.  Montreal to Ottawa fares start at Can$35, regular fare Can$61.  The best way to buy tickets is online direct from VIA Rail at www.viarail.ca, just click the button below.

On board Canada's inter-city trains...

Why not treat yourself to Club class?  It can be as little as Can$50 to upgrade from VIA Rail's Economy class to Club Class, which means you can use the club class lounges in Toronto and Montreal, and on board the train you get a 3-course airline-style hot meal, complimentary wine and aperitifs.

Inter-city, Canadian-style...  A modern VIA Rail inter-city train, as used to link Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec and Niagara Falls.  Photo courtesy of James Chuang.		Club Class seats on a VIA Rail Toronto-Montreal intercity train.  A hot meal and wine is included in the Club Class fare, served at your seat. Photo courtesy of James Chuang.

Economy class seats on a VIA Rail inter-city train... Photos in this section courtesy of James Chuang.		Inside Toronto's historic Union Station, right in the city centre opposite the famous Royal York Hotel.

New York to Toronto or Montreal by train...

Two excellent trains link New York with Montreal & Toronto every day, with inexpensive fares, comfortable reclining seats, a café car & great scenery along the Hudson River Valley, a day well spent, highly recommended.  They are run by Amtrak, jointly with VIA Rail in the case of the train to Toronto.  The New York-Toronto train is the 'Maple Leaf' with coach class & business class.  The New York-Montreal train is the 'Adirondack', with coach class.  Both trains have comfortable air-conditioned reclining seats and a café car accepting US$ but not Can$.  Both trains travel right along the scenic Hudson River valley all the way from New York to Albany, with superb views of the river, including West Point Military Academy, Bannerman's Island and Storm King Mountain.  As its name suggests, the Montreal train also heads through the scenic Adirondack Mountains.  Passports are checked at the US/Canadian border, there is no check-in as such in New York, Toronto or Montreal, you just need to arrive at the station in time to collect your tickets and board the train.

Fares:  New York-Montreal costs $63.  New York to Toronto costs $114.

How to buy tickets:  For one-way or return journeys starting in New York, you can check times & fares and buy your ticket online at www.amtrak.com.  After booking and paying online you print off a confirmation with a bar-code.  At New York Penn station before departure you simply swipe the barcode under the scanner of any Amtrak self-service machine and it will print your tickets.  For one-way or return journeys starting in Toronto, you can book tickets online at www.viarail.ca.  The VIA Rail booking system may make it look like two trains, but is is in fact just one direct train.

Reclining seats in Coach Class, as used on the 'Maple Leaf' New York-Toronto train...		Amfleet cars, as used on the daily 'Maple Leaf' from New York's Penn Station along the scenic Hudson River valley to Toronto's Union Station.

A scenic ride along the Hudson River Valley, from New York to Canada... Both the 'Maple Leaf' & 'Adirondack' head out of New York's Penn Station towards Albany along the scenic Hudson River Valley, with the rails often right next to the river.  Look out for West Point Military Academy on the far bank, Storm King Mountain (pictured above left) and Bannerman's Island.  Enjoy breakfast from the cafe car, then in the afternoon perhaps a half-bottle of wine or 'Sam Adams' Boston beer.  At Albany, the train swings west and crosses the Hudson river with great views of the State Capitol from the bridge.  On the train to Montreal, you'll also pass through the highly-scenic Adirondack mountains;  On the 'Maple Leaf' to Toronto, you'll call at Niagara Falls, and although you can't see them from the train, why not stop off there for 24 hours en route?  Either way, relax, forget about airport & airline hassle and simply enjoy the journey!  The best views are on the left-hand side of the train heading north from New York, right-hand side heading south from Canada.  However, on the Adirondack you'll get views of Lake Champlain on the right of the train going north to Montreal, left heading south from Montreal.
Storm King Mountain, seen from the train...		The trains roll right along the Hudson River...

Ruined house on Bannerman's island...		West Point Military Academy, seen from the train...

Seattle to Vancouver...

Two daily articulated Spanish-designed 'Talgo' trains link Seattle with Vancouver, one morning, one evening.  For details, see www.amtrakcascades.com  or www.amtrak.com.  You can also travel between Vancouver and Seattle via Victoria, the British Columbia provincial capital, on Vancouver Island:  There is a daily catamaran service between Seattle and Victoria (see www.victoriaclipper.com for times & fares), and regular buses link Victoria with Vancouver (see www.pacificcoach.com for times & fares).

	Above:  A seat in a 'Gold Leaf' double-deck dome car aboard the Rocky Mountaineer is about the best place there is to see Canada's Rocky Mountain scenery...

Rocky Mountaineer trains run regularly from mid-April to mid-October on the following routes:

• Vancouver to Banff & Calgary  (Kicking Horse route)

• Vancouver to Jasper via Kamloops  (Yellowhead Route)

• Whistler to Jasper via Quesnel  (Fraser Discovery Route)

See the Rocky Mountaineer page for more information

Vancouver - Whistler

• The Whistler Mountaineer links Vancouver (north Vancouver station) with the resort town of Whistler, daily, mid-April to mid-October.

• See the Rocky Mountaineer page for more information.

	Above:  VIA Rail's 'Skeena'.  Note the 'Park' lounge-observation-dome car at the rear, and the two 'Totem class' panorama seating cars immediately ahead of it.
	Above:  VIA Rail's 'Malahat', just arrived at Victoria on Vancouver Island.  Photo courtesy of James Chuang.

Jasper - Prince George - Prince Rupert:  "The Skeena"

Runs 3 times a week, departing Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays from both Jasper & Prince Rupert.  It's an amazingly scenic 2-day journey, the train stopping overnight at Prince George so you see it all in daylight (you will need to book a hotel separately, it's not included in the fare).  'Comfort' class seating is available all year round, 'Totem' class seating in panorama sightseeing cars is available mid-May to late September.  There's a 'Park' lounge-observation-dome car attached at the rear, for all passengers off-season, only for Totem class passengers in peak season (May-Sept).  For times, fares & online booking, see www.viarail.ca.

Winnipeg - Churchill:  "The Hudson Bay"

Runs 3 times a week, to the land where the polar bears live.  See www.viarail.ca.

Montreal - Gaspé:  "The Chaleur"

Runs 3 times a week, attached to the Ocean for part of its journey.  see www.viarail.ca.

Vancouver Island:  Victoria-Nanaimo-Courtenay "The Malahat".

Railcar service. Runs daily, 225 km,  leaving Victoria 08:00 Mon-Sat, 10:00 Sundays, returning in the afternoon.  See www.viarail.ca.  This service is currently suspended (as at late 2011) due to the condition of the track, check with www.viarail.ca to see if it has resumed.

Toronto - North Bay - Cochrane & Cochrane - Moosonee (Ontario  Northland)

Long-distance train service due north out of Toronto, run by Ontario Northland, see www.ontc.on.ca.

Hearst - Oba - Saulte St Marie (Algoma Central)

Three times a week year-round scheduled train service plus snow train and canyon tour trains, run by Algoma Central, see www.algomacentralrailway.com.  Oba is served by VIA Rail's Toronto-Vancouver 'Canadian', see www.viarail.ca for connecting train times between Toronto or Vancouver and Oba.

Railpasses are available for Canada, worth checking out if you are planning a tour.  Important: As of 2010, Canadian railpasses no longer give unlimited train travel, they only give 7 'free' journeys per pass, with one stopover permitted per journey.  Note also that passes only allow travel in a seat, you can no longer upgrade to sleeper by paying the difference.  Note also that even in seats on "The Canadian" and "Océan", you'll need to make a seat reservation either in advance or when you get to Canada, as you cannot hop on and travel on these trains without a reservation.  The passholder seats on these trains are quota-controlled, so don't assume that once you've bought a pass you'll actually be allowed to travel on your chosen train, even if there are seats available!  In other words, you may well be better off forgetting railpasses and just booking normal point-to-point tickets with a confirmed reservation on a specific train online at viarail.ca.

There are no regular direct passenger ships from the UK to Canada.  However, Cunard's superb Queen Mary 2 sails from Southampton to New York roughly once a month between April & November, occasionally twice a month, taking seven nights, see the 'Atlantic ferry' page for details.  Once in New York, there are excellent daily trains to both Toronto and Montreal, see the USA to Canada section above.  Alternatively, there are regular freight ships between Europe & North America which carry a limited number of passengers.

	020 3327 0761 (UK) 02 8096 0550 (Aus)
	01904 527120 (UK)

Railbookers.com...

Experienced UK-based company www.Railbookers.com arranges tailor-made holidays to Canada including flights, hotels and a trip on the 'Canadian' right across Canada, from around £2,200 per person.  You can use London-based www.railbookers.com to arrange a European train tour whatever your country of residence, in fact they now have an office in Sydney Australia (www.railbookers.com.au, 02 8096 0550) or you can call their London office from overseas on +44 20 3327 0761.

Great Rail Journeys...

UK rail-based tour operator Great Rail Journeys offers a classic Canada coast-to-coast tour from around £3,600 per person, with a range of departure dates every year.  The tour includes:

• Flights UK to Toronto;

• A day trip to Niagara Falls;

• A journey across Canada Canada from Toronto to Jasper aboard VIA Rail's trans-continental 'Canadian' in Sleeper Touring class;

• A coach tour from Jasper to Banff with a Columbia ice fields glacier visit;

• A journey on the Rocky Mountaineer from Banff to Vancouver;

• Flight Vancouver to UK.

It's an escorted tour with fellow travellers and a professional tour guide.  Great Rail Journeys also offer rail-based holidays to other countries.  Check the tour details online, then call 01904 527120 to book or use the Great Rail Journeys online booking form.  Seat61 receives some commission to help support the site if you book your holiday through this link or phone number, so please mention seat 61 when you book.

Recommended guidebooks...

I strongly recommend investing in a decent guidebook.  It may seem an unnecessary expense, but it's a tiny fraction of what you're spending on your whole trip.  You will see so much more, and know so much more about what you're looking at, if you have a decent guidebook.  For the independent traveller this means either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide.  Both guidebooks provide the same excellent level of practical information and historical background.

Buy Lonely Planet Canada from Amazon.co.uk 

Buy Rough Guide to Canada from Amazon.co.uk

Or buy direct from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.  Alternatively, you can download just the chapters or areas you need in .PDF format from the Lonely Planet Website, from around £2.99 or US$4.95 a chapter.

The Trans-Canada Rail Guide...

Trailblazer's Trans-Canada Rail Guide is well worth buying if you're planning a trans-Canada train trip.  It will help you plan your journey, has city information for all the major cities served by VIA & Rocky Mountaineer, and best of all it includes mile-by-mile lineside route guides showing what to see from the train on all the main VIA Rail & Rocky Mountaineer services.  Buy online from Amazon.co.uk.

Find a hotel anywhere in Canada...

Personal recommendation:  The famous Royal York Hotel in Toronto is a classic, and so handy for train departures as it's across the road from the station!  It may be $290 per room, but it's well worth splashing out on if you can manage it...  In Banff, look no further than the famous Banff Springs Hotel.

Search by hotel name  Powered by Hotelscombined.com

◄◄◄◄◄ Search all the major hotel booking websites at once... www.hotelscombined.com is probably the best hotel search system I've seen, a free search tool which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, Travelocity, LateRooms and others) to find the cheapest hotel rates.  Set up in 2005, it's probably the best place to start for booking any hotel online in any country, worldwide.

Tripadvisor hotel reviews...

www.tripadvisor.com is a good place to find independent travellers' reviews of the main hotels.  It also has the low-down on all the sights & attractions too.

Backpacker hostels in Canada...

www.hostelbookers.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelbookers offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in many places in Canada at rock-bottom prices.

Get travel insurance, it's essential...

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash (up to a limit) and belongings.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year (I have an annual policy myself).  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

If you live in the UK, get quotes from Columbus Direct or Go Travel Insurance, or go to Confused.com to run a price comparison on a whole range of travel insurance providers for your dates of travel, seeing their policy's features at a glance..

        If you're resident in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

    If you're resident in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.

Get a spare credit card, designed for foreign travel with no currency exchange loading & low or no ATM fees...

It costs nothing to take out an extra credit card.  If you keep it in a different part of your luggage so you're not left stranded if your wallet gets stolen, this is a form of extra travel insurance in itself.  In addition, some credit cards are significantly better for overseas travel than others.  Martin Lewis's www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which UK credit cards have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when you use an ATM abroad.  Taking this advice can save you quite a lot on each trip compared to using your normal high-street bank credit card!  You can save money on ATM charges and exchange rates using a Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or indeed the multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card, find out about these cards & sign up here.

Get an international SIM card...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're not careful you can return home to find some huge bills waiting for you.  I've known people run up a £1,000 bill in data charges just by leaving their iPhone connected during a simple trip to Europe.  However, if you buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company such as www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85% and limit any damage to the amount you have pre-paid.  It cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide, and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries.  It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills when you get home.  It also works for laptop or PDA data access.  A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't expire if it's not between trips, unlike some others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone number' for life.

Overland travel by train around Canada is an essential part of the experience, so once there, don't cheat and fly, stay on the ground!  But a long-haul flight might be unavoidable to reach Canada in the first place.  Try the Skyscanner system to find the cheapest airline...