Great Cities & Rail Tour

The Canadian Shield, The Lofty Rocky Mountains, Across the Divide to the Pacific Ocean
Toronto - Sioux Lookout - Edmonton - Jasper - Banff - Lake Louise - Kamloops - Vancouver  

Day 1 Your tour begins with arrival at our downtown Toronto hotel.
 
Day 2    Join our tour to famous Niagara Falls including motor coach transportation, a ride on the "Maid of the Mist" to the base of Niagara Falls and guided tour.
Return to Toronto for overnight.  You may want to visit the C. N. Tower this evening for dinner and fabulous views.  Stand on the glass floor at the 1,110 foot level and look down, waaaay down!!

Day 3  Enjoy a free day in Toronto.  Visit the Skydome, waterfront, Hockey Hall of Fame, Casa Loma, Historic Fort York, Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Art Center, Canada's Wonderland (Toronto's version of Disneyland), Metro Zoo, Ontario Place, Maple Leaf Gardens or the Royal Ontario Museum.  See Broadway-style theater or visit the performing arts at the O'Keefe Center.  There is so much to do here!  Overnight Toronto

Day 4  Our incredible train journey begins!  Transfer to Union Station (downtown) for our departure (Saturdays).  All aboard the "VIA Rail Transcontinental" bound for the Pacific Coast.  Our first class rail cars are refurbished to the 1950's genre in Art Deco.  The observation dome offers unequalled views as we roll across the Appalachian Shield of Ontario.  The private bedrooms are comfortable and all meals are included (Checked baggage is not available until day 5, smaller overnight bag is recommended on the train).  Be sure to visit the Bullet Lounge in the Park Car for a nightcap.    VIA RAIL BEDROOMS  /  DINING CAR  /  DOME CAR  /  PARK-LOUNGE CAR

Day 5 and Day 6  Each day is a culinary delight as all meals are included.  We pass sparkling lakes and boreal forests as we roll into Manitoba, the province of 100,000 lakes.  Drink in the vistas from the dome cars and enjoy the terrific on-board service.  We arrive in Winnipeg for a brief stop and continue our train journey. 
 

   
       Toronto, Ontario and the C. N. tower

Great meals and scenery aboard the train

Day 7  Enjoy a delicious breakfast and relax as we forge across the great wheatfields of Saskatchewan before our morning arrival into Edmonton, the vibrant capital and largest metropolis in Alberta.   After a brief stop we continue the train journey to the "Jewel of the Canadian Rockies" Jasper, Alberta.  Disembark and transfer to one of our Jasper hotels.  Keep on the lookout for wild animals often seen in and around the town. 

Day 9  We have a free day in this pristine alpine paradise.   Perhaps rent a car and drive south on the Icefields Parkway to LAKE LOUISE (this is a full day drive and we can pre-book the car rental for you).  Stop at waterfalls, mountain vistas and some of the most stunning aqua green and blue lakes you will see BOW LAKE.   Bikes can be rented in town, horseback riding is available and there are trails for every level of adventurer.  Be sure to stop by the magnificent Jasper Park Lodge, built between two lakes and visited by King George the V and Marilyn Monroe.  Cuisine tastes even better after walks in the fresh mountain air and Jasper has no shortage of terrific restaurants.  Overnight in one of our Jasper hotels

Day 10  Board VIA Rail trans-continental in the early afternoon.  Cross over the Continental Divide.  Travel through no fewer than 5 mountain ranges, past emerald lakes and raging rivers and massive Mount Robson.  Sunset to the west is usually a photographers delight especially from one of the dome cars.   

Day 11  Travel along the Fraser Valley and arrive in Vancouver, British Columbia in the morning and pick up your luggage.  Take a taxi for the short drive to one of our downtown hotels.  Check in and have the rest of the day to explore Vancouver.  We recommend Gastown and the World's first outdoor steamclock.  Robson Street is loaded with restaurants and shopping.  Vancouver has two cruise ship piers and a walk along the promenades is interesting. 

Day 12 We are picked up at our hotel (or very near) and begin our exciting VANCOUVER sightseeing tour.   Discover QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK and its beautiful grounds and STANLEY PARK with its famous totem poles.  Cross the Lions Gate Bridge to the Capilano Suspension Bridge where you can take a heart quickening walk across.  At Grouse Mountain you ride the Skyride Gondola to the summit where there are lumberjack shows, parasailers launching down the valley, and incomparable views of Vancouver and the Inside Passage.  Pier into the misty distance to see Vancouver Island, which you will be visiting tomorrow!  Visit the second largest Chinatown in North America and then have the evening free to take in one of Vancouver's great restaurants such as the "Seasons Restaurant" or maybe book an optional harbor cruise dinner or perhaps one of two revolving restaurants.  Overnight in one of our Vancouver hotels

Day 13 We are picked up at our hotel and depart on a great adventure.  We transfer by motor coach onto British Columbia Ferries ships to sail the inside passage to Vancouver Island.  Our motor coach drives us to beautiful BUTCHART GARDENS.  With its millions of flowers it is hard to imagine this was once a horrid rock quarry.  Continue to VICTORIA, capital of British Columbia and the most "British" city in Canada.  Enjoy a scenic drive with vistas of the Juan de Fuca Strait and the Olympic Mountains.  There is enough time for shopping and High Tea at the Empress Hotel before returning to the ferry which will deliver us back to our Vancouver hotel.

Day 14 End of services or we can arrange additional nights and activities in refreshing and beautiful Vancouver.  How about a tour to Bowen Island, WHISTLER ski resort, whale watching, or we can pre-arrange a self drive boating adventure!

    Lakes and Waterfalls in Alberta

  
    Vancouver, Voted #1 Destination in North
     America by the American Business Association

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