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Canada Coast to Coast

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4.1 stars(22 reviews)
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Enjoy the best of Canada by rail

You are viewing the 2023 itinerary. Select your departure year
20232024
17 days From £4,895 per person

2023 Tour code: CCG23

About the tour

Discover the best of Canada on this epic journey from Vancouver to Halifax. Travelling on iconic trains across some of the most scenic stretches of North America, the view outside our window changes from the towering Rockies and the central plains to the great lakes and rugged coastline of Nova Scotia.

Highlights

Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park
Journey through Canada by rail - an epic adventure from Jasper that takes in stunning scenery.
Maligne Canyon
Maligne Canyon
Visit Jasper National Park and see Maligne Canyon and lake.
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
Enjoy a boat trip at thundering Niagara Falls.
Vancouver
Vancouver
Explore Vancouver, discovering Gastown and Stanley Park.
Peggy's Cove
Peggy's Cove
Experience the wild Nova Scotian Coast, visiting Peggy’s Cove and Lunenburg.
Québec
Québec
Visit a sugar shack in Québec to find out how Maple syrup is produced and enjoy a tasting.
Toronto
Toronto
Discover world-class theatres, shopping and restaurants in the vibrant city of Toronto.

What’s included

Itinerary

Day 1 - London and Vancouver

We depart the UK on our flight from London Heathrow to Vancouver, where we transfer to our hotel for three nights on arrival.

Please Note: For the 21/05/202325/06/2023 and 17/09/2023 departures we will stay the Blue Horizon Hotel.

Day 2 - Exploring Vancouver

The city of Vancouver is one of the world's most desirable places to live, thanks to its fantastic atmosphere and incredible setting between coastal mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Today we take a guided tour of its attractions. We begin at the old Gastown quarter - an area of trendy coffee shops, galleries, native art stores and the Gastown Steam Clock - before experiencing the scents and sights of Chinatown and driving to leafy Stanley Park. Here, we see the colourful totem poles which celebrate the region's Native American history. We finish our tour at Granville Island, which boasts a mouth-watering food market and many craft studios. Your after-noon and evening is free with plenty to explore at your own pace.

Day 3 - Vancouver Island and Butchart Gardens

Our explorations begin early in the morning as we make our way by coach to Tsawwassen for the ferry to Schwartz Bay, on Vancouver Island. On arrival, we transfer to the wonderful Butchart Gardens, designed in the early 20th century. The gardens feature a Japanese style garden, a rose garden and beautiful sunken garden. We return to the capital city of British Columbia, Victoria by coach. A picturesque city on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, you have some free time to explore Victoria independently - you may like to visit the Inner Harbour or the Royal BC Museum, or wander through Chinatown, before we board the return ferry to Vancouver.

Day 4 - Kamloops

We leave Vancouver by coach, beginning the first leg of our trans-Canadian adventure. We stop for lunch in a town called Hope, before climbing the scenic high mountain pass, the Coquihalla, to its summit. Our route continues to Kamloops for the night.

Day 5 – Clearwater and Jasper

We journey from Kamloops stopping in Clearwater, a stunning river valley in British Columbia, where's there's free time for lunch. We continue to scenic Mount Robson where you have a little time to look around and maybe take some photos. Dense forests, glittering lakes, snaking rivers and soaring, snow-capped peaks pass by our window as we travel towards our hotel in Jasper, where we spend the next two nights.

Day 6 - Jasper National Park

After a morning at leisure we set out on a scenic excursion to the World Heritage Site of Jasper National Park. Among the attractions here are the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, stunning lakes, mountains, waterfalls and hot springs. The most impressive natural features of the park though, have to be Maligne Canyon, a deep gorge of sheer limestone walls, and Maligne Lake - the largest glacier-fed body of water in the region. This part of the world is also the habitat of rare wildlife, including grey wolves, hoary marmot, caribou and moose.

Day 7 - The Canadian

After a free morning in the lovely town of Jasper, we begin our epic journey aboard The Canadian, travelling to Toronto over the next three days and nights. We settle into our berths for the journey through the foothills of the Rockies, passing pine forests, glaciers, plunging canyons and soaring peaks.

Day 8 - The Canadian

Today is our first full day on the train. From the comfort of the glass-roofed panoramic observation car, sit back and watch the world go by as we travel eastwards, crossing the prairies into the province of Saskatchewan. You may glimpse local wildlife, including bear, moose, eagles and elk. We arrive in Winnipeg tonight, a fascinating city, home to over 50 different ethnic communities.

Day 9 - Across the Canadian Shield

Today is spent crossing the Canadian Shield - a wild land of glacial lakes, ancient trees and isolated communities. Our journey continues through the scenic lakelands of northern Ontario as we travel overnight towards Toronto.

Day 10 - Toronto

Arriving in Toronto, our base for two nights, enjoy a free evening to settle in to your surroundings. Our hotel is in the heart of downtown Toronto, close to a number of restaurants and within easy walking distance from Old Town, one of the city's most vibrant districts.

Day 11 - Niagara Falls

We take a guided coach excursion to Niagara Falls, one of the most impressive natural wonders in the world. We enjoy a boat tour to the base of the falls, feeling the full effect of the three separate falls - American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and the Canadian or Horseshoe Falls - as they converge into one. We continue to Table Rock, a national park on the edge of Canada's Blue Ridge Mountains. We also see the Niagara Whirlpool, caused by the powerful force of the rapids. We continue to visit the small town of Niagara-on-the-Lake where there's free time to look around.

Day 12 - Québec City

This morning we transfer to Toronto's station for the rail service to Montreal, then change trains to continue our journey to Québec City, the only walled city in North America. We arrive in the beautiful, historical city this evening and spend the night in a central hotel.

Day 13 - Discovering Québec

Today we explore the city on a guided, seeing the Citadel and the 'Plains of Abraham' - the site of the historic battle between British and French forces which led to the French surrender of Quebec. Later, we transfer by coach to a sugar shack where maple syrup is produced. We have a short tour, learning about the history of maple syrup in Canada, and a tasting, followed by a three course lunch inspired by the syrup. The rest of your afternoon is free. Québec has a fascinating history and some wonderful architecture, including the Basilica Cathedral Notre-Dame de Québec and the beautiful Château Frontenac. The Old City is a joy to explore, with pedestrianised streets, galleries, bistros and shops. Also worth a visit is Dufferin Terrace, a popular viewing site. This evening we board The Ocean for our overnight rail journey to Nova Scotia.

Day 14 - Halifax

During the night, The Ocean travels alongside the St Lawrence River to Chaleur Bay. The train then heads across New Brunswick and into Nova Scotia itself, arriving at Halifax, where we stay for two nights.

Day 15 - Nova Scotia

We explore Nova Scotia's maritime treasures and coast on a sightseeing tour today, visiting Peggy's Cove - a charming fishing village with a lighthouse and a number of traditional inukshuks - age-old rock structures used to navigate the frozen north. Legend says the community got its name from the sole survivor of a schooner shipwreck. We continue to Lunenburg, whose quaint waterfront houses with colourful wooden façades, have earned the town World Heritage status.

Day 16 – Halifax

With a free morning at leisure, you could head to Point Pleasant Park, in Halifax's south end peninsula. This wooded 75-hectare park is popular with locals and offers several walking trails. Alternatively, maybe visit the historic Keith brewery, sample the local lobster at a waterside diner, or spend some time in the maritime museum. Later, we transfer to the airport for our flight back to London Heathrow.

Day 17 - London

We arrive in London, and you're free to continue your journey home.

Additional information

Please note

Please note that while every departure of this tour will feature the same excursions, the order may differ from that shown above.

Hotels may vary depending on departure dates.

Departure times

Provisional departure and return times, where available, can be found together with our dates and prices by clicking on the 'Prices & Availability' button. We write to all booked customers approximately 10 weeks prior to the start of their tour to advise the exact departure and return time for their particular group.

Mobility information

Due to the nature of our tours they are generally unsuitable for those with restricted mobility. If you’d like to discuss any particular holiday with us in this respect, then please don’t hesitate to call us.

Hotels

The Westin Nova Scotian, Halifax

The Westin Nova Scotian, Halifax

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Forest Park Hotel

Forest Park Hotel, Jasper

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Jasper Inn & Suites, Jasper

Jasper Inn & Suites, Jasper

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Hotel Manoir Victoria, Quebec

Hotel Manoir Victoria, Quebec City

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Coast Sundance Lodge, Sun Peaks

Coast Sundance Lodge, Sun Peaks

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Chelsea Hotel, Toronto

Chelsea Hotel, Toronto

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Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel, Vancouver

Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel, Vancouver

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Trains

The Canadian Train
Corridor Train
The Ocean Train

Enhance your holiday

Upgrades

Upgrade to Prestige Class on The Canadian
Upgrade to a Sleeper Plus cabin on The Canadian train
Upgrade your flight to Premium Economy
London Hotels
UK rail connections

Extend your holiday

Vancouver

Reviews

4.1 stars4.1 / 5 · 22 reviews

  1. 5 stars
    (10)
  2. 4 stars
    (7)
  3. 3 stars
    (3)
  4. 2 stars
    (2)
  5. 1 star
    (0)

Peter

3 stars

Submitted 16 Oct 2022

Good trip with excellent tour manager. A bit too busy overall and a pity we lost one day on originally agreed trip to Vancouver Island which we were looking forward to. Trains invariably running late (one by 8 hours) which reduced free time with none in Montreal other than a bed for the night. Niagara and Quebec were highlights.

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Jane G

3 stars

Submitted 16 Oct 2022

Too rushed, not enough time at stop offs, sometime no time.

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M Edwards

4 stars

Submitted 09 Oct 2022

no comment

Collected by Trustpilot

E Davies

2 stars

Submitted 06 Oct 2022

Itinerary to crammed, not a well balanced tour - unusual for Great Rail Journeys.

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R Densham

4 stars

Submitted 06 Oct 2022

Enjoyed our holiday despite mother nature trying to thwart it ( forest fires, rock falls and hurricane fiona) My only critisicm is that it was very tiring and needed a few less 1 night stopovers to catch your breath. Especially as the age demographic of our group was over 60's and probably this is the norm. It's good to have a tour manager with the group. Ours certainly had his work cut out to liase with GRJ and reorganise all the accommodation and transport changes that were required to complete the holiday. Many thanks to Kevin Childs.

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Robert Wood

2 stars

Submitted 04 Oct 2022

The total unreliability of Canadian Railways made it impossible for us to stick to the set itinerary. There was a rock fall on the line making Jasper to Toronto 10 hours late leaving Jasper which mucked up the timings. Then we experience Hurricane Fiona so are unable to get to Halifax and Nova Scotia. However, we did have an extra day in Quebec and Montreal. The timetable was too tight. However, our Tour Manager , Kevin Child’s, worked his socks off to ensure we were all looked after despite all theses pitfalls.

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