Canada on the white track

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This article is brought to you by Adventure World/Destination Canada.

There is something therapeutic about long-haul rail travel. The mesmerising views out the picture windows as you chug past wildly spectacular changing landscapes, through vibrant cities and quirky rural towns, the joy of meeting interesting new people from all over the world, and the chance to relax to the rhythmic clickety clack of the train on the track. One of the best long rail journeys is VIA Rail’s The Canadian Train, which runs between Vancouver and Toronto, across 4,466kms. The four-day journey showcases the Rocky Mountains, the Prairies and the wonders of Northern Ontario.

The Canadian itself will be a highlight of any trip. Once on board in Vancouver, enjoy the camaraderie with your fellow train guests. Unlike other trains, passengers are not limited to an allocated seat that they must stay in. It is quite a social trip, and while you may want to stay in your cabins, you can also stroll around the train, or take in the vistas from the elevated seating in the dome carriages with their 180 degree views. Have a drink in the bar located in the Prestige Park Car (guests in Prestige Class enjoy complimentary alcohol), or visit the Bullet Lounge and Skyline cars for a tea or coffee, to read a book or play board games with your new-found friends. The time will fly and the passing landscapes provide constantly changing entertainment.

Onboard chefs serve delicious meals in the dining car for Sleeper Plus Class and Prestige Class guests, and when you return to your cabin it would have been magically transformed into a comfortable bed, with the movement of the train the perfect lullaby. While VIA Rail’s The Canadian is the iconic journey, there are also exceptional shorter itineraries featuring VIA Rail you can do through Adventure World, that allow you to explore some of Canada’s most beautiful places, on amazing tours and with incredible experiences. The ‘Snow Train to the Rockies’ is a 10-day, nine-night itinerary from Vancouver to Calgary, including an overnight journey onboard VIA Rail’s Canadian train between Vancouver and Jasper through some of British Columbia’s spectacular landscapes. Spend two nights in Vancouver before boarding the train, taking in views along the route.

Once off the train in Jasper, there will be many highlights in this ethereal part of the world. Drive along the Icefields Parkway past massive snow-covered mountains, frozen waterfalls and wild valleys. Be awed by the beauty of Banff National Park when you go snowshoeing, soak in hot springs, and venture up the Banff Gondola for the ethereal Nightrise, where the summit will be transformed through digital art installations, music, multimedia, lighting and video projections. This peak has been a sacred gathering place for thousands of years, including the Stoney Nakoda People.

The 15-day ‘Authentic Canadian Wi n ter Wonderland’ from Vancouver to Whitehorse with Adventure World also includes some time onboard the Canadian train, enjoying Sleeper Plus Class from Vancouver to Jasper, delicious meals and equally delicious views before taking to the scenic roads to explore Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff, Calgary, Tagish and Whitehorse. In Jasper, spot wildlife in Athabasca Valley, do a Downtown Foodie tour and marvel at stunning Maligne Canyon. In Banff, Johnston Canyon will be a thrilling experience as you put on ice cleats and venture to the frozen towers of ice at the Upper Falls, with stunning views of the gorge below. In Tagish, you’ll stay in a lakeside cabin at a remote wilderness lodge for three nights, with plenty of chances to see the Aurora Borealis dancing in the night sky, view wildlife, and learn to mush a dog sled team in the expert hands of mushers who have competed in the famous Iditarod and Yukon Quest dog sled races. Being pulled along by an excited team of dogs in achingly beautiful surrounds is pure magic.

All aboard on the East Coast

VIA Rail’s new trains on the Corridor services, make traveling by train along the beautiful east coast of Canada even more appealing.

VIA Rail’s new Corridor services are brand new state-of-the-art trains that depart from Toronto, and run to Ottawa, Montréal and Québec City. The new award-winning carriages are roomy, comfortable and fully accessible and are a more sustainable way of travelling compared to flying or driving. In fact, the trains are 1.8x more efficient than driving and 3.2x more efficient than flying.

Adventure World’s ‘Authentic Eastern Canada by Rail’ is a 10-day itinerary with rail journeys on the Corridor trains from Toronto to Ottawa, Montréal and Québec City. Travel is in Business Class, which means guests travel in grand style, with access to the in-station Business lounges – where available – priority boarding, free Wi-Fi and a delicious lunch or dinner depending on the route.

The itinerary includes two nights in Toronto, which gives ample time to explore the Distillery Historic District, Toronto’s linked and walkable 15 islands, and Little Canada, before a memorable full-day tour to Niagara Falls. In Ottawa, take a guided walking tour around Canada’s capital, and discover the history of the Rideau Canal on a boat tour, taken on a 100 per cent electric passenger vessel.

After a scenic four-hour train journey from Ottawa, alight in Montréal, located on an island in the Saint Lawrence River and named after Mount Royal, a three-headed hill. Get to know this spectacular city on a guided tour of the bustling downtown area. This tour will take you both above and below ground in some of the underground pedestrian network and above ground, marvel at Quartier International, Place Ville-Marie, Victoria Square, and Place d’Armes. Once darkness falls, don’t miss the immersive light show at the Notre-Dame Basilica.

Québec City, a three-and-a half-hour journey from Montréal on VIA Rail’s Corridor train, is the oldest walled city in North America – 400 years old – and the beating heart of the French-Canadian culture of Canada. Most of the original buildings have been respectfully preserved, and you’ll see many of them on a guided walking tour of Old Québec. In the evening, learn about the culture of the Huron-Wendat Nation and their way of life as you stroll along a pathway that will immerse you in ancestral rhythm and song through a magical multimedia display.