Canada
Few countries reward the train traveller like Canada. The railway is woven into the nation's story — it was the promise of a transcontinental line that helped bind the country together — and today those same routes carry you across a continent of prairie, lake and the snow-capped peaks of the Rockies.
From the daylight luxury of the Rocky Mountaineer to the four nights aboard VIA Rail's Canadian, this is rail travel on a truly epic scale.
Rail journeys in Canada
Agawa Canyon Tour Train
Ten hours out and back from Sault Ste. Marie into a canyon with no road, on the only passenger train the Algoma Central still runs.
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Jasper to Prince Rupert
Two days to the Pacific with a hotel night in Prince George — VIA stops for the dark on purpose, because the scenery is the whole service.
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Polar Bear Express
Five hours north from Cochrane to a James Bay town with no road in, on a train that carries the community's groceries, snowmobiles and cars.
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Rocky Mountaineer
Daylight luxury through the Canadian Rockies — glass-domed coaches from Vancouver over the Continental Divide to Banff and Lake Louise.
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The Canadian
Four nights and 4,406 km across Canada in 1950s stainless-steel Budd cars — VIA's public transcontinental, twice a week, winter included.
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The Ocean
Montréal to Halifax overnight, running since 1904 — in British sleeping cars built for a Channel Tunnel night train that never ran.
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Train de Charlevoix
A day at the water's edge from Québec City to La Malbaie, in German railcars of 1981, on a line that closed in December 2024 and came back the next summer.
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Winnipeg to Churchill
Two nights and 1,694 km to a town with no road in — the only surface link to Churchill, washed out in 2017 and bought back by its own communities.
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What's the difference between the Rocky Mountaineer and VIA Rail's Canadian?
The Rocky Mountaineer is a daylight-only luxury tourist train through the Rockies — you travel by day and sleep in hotels each night, so you miss none of the scenery. VIA Rail's Canadian is a scheduled public train that runs Toronto to Vancouver over four nights, twice a week, all year, with berths and cabins aboard. One is a premium scenic package, the other a transcontinental journey.
Can I see the Rockies by regular train?
Yes. VIA Rail's Canadian crosses the Rockies via Jasper on its coast-to-coast run, and the Skeena runs between Jasper and Prince Rupert — both far cheaper than the Rocky Mountaineer, though a chunk of the Rockies scenery on the Canadian passes overnight.
When is the best time to travel Canada by train?
Late spring to early autumn (roughly April to October) is the main season, when the Rocky Mountaineer runs and the mountain scenery is at its best. September and early October add spectacular fall colour, especially in the east.
Do I need to book far in advance?
For the Rocky Mountaineer and VIA Rail's Canadian in summer, yes — cabins and packages sell out months ahead. Booking early also gives the best fares and choice of departure dates.