We depart from London for Vancouver and transfer to the welcoming Blue Horizon Hotel for a two-night stay.

Our morning city tour cherry-picks Vancouver's best sights. We visit the old Gastown quarter, an area of coffee shops, galleries, native art stores and restaurants, and experience the scents and sights of Chinatown. We drive to the lush and leafy Stanley Park where the world-famous totem poles are situated, before crossing Lions Gate Bridge to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, poised above a dramatic gorge at the very edge of the Canadian wilderness.

Your morning is free, perhaps to visit the downtown Art Gallery or vibrant Chinatown, or to ascend the Vancouver Lookout for wide views of the city. We come together to board the Canadian for our evening departure and the first leg of our trans-Canada adventure. We settle into our Sleeper Touring Class sleepers as we leave the city behind. You have time to explore the train this evening, including its Park Car, observation dome, lounge and bar.

This morning, you may wake up to a magnificent sunrise over the Rockies. As we travel through the heart of the mountains, enjoy the almost 360 degree views from the train's observation dome. On arrival in Jasper in the late afternoon we leave the train and transfer to our base for the next two nights, the Amethyst Lodge.

This morning we visit the stunning Maligne Canyon and Lake, respectively the deepest ravine and largest glacier-fed lake in Jasper National Park. Fully frozen in winter, the turquoise waters of the Lake have usually melted by mid-May. This afternoon you are free to explore Jasper at your own pace. As you might expect, a wide range of activities are available locally: even whitewater rafting is offered at different 'difficulty' levels. A tour on the Columbia Glacier is a popular choice, with a ride on a huge snowmobile as part of the fun. Alternatively, you may like to simply relax in and around the town.

After a day at leisure in Jasper, we rejoin the Canadian in the late afternoon for the journey to Toronto. During our first evening on board we travel along the Athabasca River Valley through the beautiful and unspoiled landscape of Jasper National Park, an area popular with wildlife such as elk, moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goats.

We reach Saskatoon early on Day 7 and continue through the fertile Prairies of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to Winnipeg, where we make a brief stop. The train continues overnight to the Canadian Shield, and we spend Day 8 on board, admiring the rugged landscape of dense forests, deep lakes and isolated logging communities whilst keeping an eye out for bears and moose.

We arrive in Toronto after breakfast. Leaving the Canadian, we check in to the Fairmont Royal York Hotel for a two-night stay. Toronto, on the shores of Lake Ontario, is a melting-pot of cultures. Our guided tour this morning takes in highlights including the CN Tower, the city's most famous landmark. If you are feeling adventurous, there is time to ascend 1,122ft (342m) to the Outdoor Observation Deck (ticket not included). Your afternoon is free - perhaps to explore areas such as Little India, Little Italy and Greektown, or visit some of Toronto's world-class museums, art galleries and historical sites.

Our full-day excursion to Niagara Falls is a real highlight of the holiday. We start with a sumptuous buffet lunch, overlooking the thundering Falls from the Penthouse Restaurant of the Sheraton Hotel. Afterwards you have some free time, so why not board the Maid of the Mist for a cruise on the lake to the foot of the Falls, the second largest waterfall on the planet?

Departing on VIA Rail's Corridor train, we arrive in Montreal in the early afternoon. We include a fascinating tour of this very French city, featuring charming Old Montreal, Mount Royal Park, St Joseph's Oratory, Notre Dame Basilica and the Olympic Park. We re-board for the journey to Quebec, with dinner served on board. Our home for the next two nights is the Manoir Victoria, located in the heart of historic Old Quebec.

Our stay in Quebec begins with a guided city tour, which includes the Citadel and the 'Plains of Abraham', the site of the battle between British and French forces during the Seven Years' War. This afternoon you may wish to visit the Basilica-Cathedral of Notre Dame, a pilgrimage site and place of meditation, now housing an art gallery. Alternatively, take a stroll along the Dufferin Terrace, a panoramic boardwalk overlooking the St Lawrence River.

Today you are free to discover the many gems of Quebec at your leisure. Old Quebec is the only North American fortified city north of Mexico whose walls still exist. It has a wealth of historic and cultural sites and its tourist streets of rue Saint-Jean, rue Saint-Louis and rue Saint- Paul, which are lined with restaurants and boutiques, are always bustling with activity. You are sure to find some interesting souvenirs here before we board the Ocean for the overnight journey to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

During the night, the Ocean travels along the south shore of the St Lawrence River to Chaleur Bay. The train then heads south across New Brunswick and into Nova Scotia to arrive in Halifax, the provincial capital. We travel comfortably in Sleeper Touring Class except on our May departure, when we travel in Comfort Sleeper Class. Nature has blessed this area with sandy beaches, rugged shorelines and fragrant gardens. In Halifax, our hotel is the Westin Nova Scotian.

Today we explore the province's maritime treasures. Peggy's Cove is a charming, working fishing village with a famous and much-photographed lighthouse. The picturesque town of Lunenburg was founded in 1753 as a 'model' settlement for German-speaking migrants. Through the years, immigrants from across Europe have added their own unique architectural style. Its quaint waterfront and colourful wooden buildings have earned it UNESCO World Heritage Status.

The first British town in Canada, founded in 1749, Halifax is set beside the world's second largest natural harbour. It is home to a diverse mix of people and boasts Canada's first seat of government and elegant Province House. You have a free day to explore the city, including its most famous feature, the star-shaped fortress of the Citadel. Visit the Titanic Cemetery, where many who perished in the 1912 disaster are buried. Many visitors to Halifax are also drawn to the ocean, with its crisp tang of salty air, and everchanging panorama of colour and light. We later transfer to the airport for the overnight flight home. We return to London early on Day 17