| Day |
Schedules and Accommodations |
1
[top] |
Depart Home / Vancouver, British Columbia
Your explorations of our neighbor to the north begin when you fly to beautiful Vancouver and transfer to your hotel located along the harbor in the heart of the city. Vancouver offers the best of both worlds — cosmopolitan attractions set against a splendid backdrop of snowy mountain peaks and glittering Pacific inlets.
After you check in, relax, and enjoy the hotel’s many fine amenities, or enjoy time at leisure to explore this lively seaside city on your own.
Renaissance Harbourside Hotel  |
2
[top] |
Vancouver
Today discover this sparkling city on a panoramic tour. You’ll see Chinatown, one of the largest and most vibrant in North America, as well as lush Stanley Park, an evergreen oasis of 1,000 acres, and Gastown, a restored 19th-century business district replete with boutiques, restaurants, bars, and art galleries.
Tonight, you’re invited to join your fellow Vantage travellers at a Welcome Dinner.
Renaissance Harbourside Hotel (B,D) |
3
[top] |
Vancouver / Rocky Mountaineer to Kamloops, British Columbia
All aboard the Rocky Mountaineer for one of the world’s great rail journeys! Settle into a bi-level glass-domed car and enjoy deluxe GoldLeaf Service — included in your Vantage price, of course!
Relax in your reclining seat — with extended legroom and temperature-controlled comfort — and enjoy complimentary snacks and alcoholic beverages as you take in the astonishing views. Savor gourmet breakfasts and lunches served à la carte in the private dining room. You’ll hear expert commentary as the panorama unfolds — snow-capped mountains, fertile valleys, and sapphire blue lakes.
You’ll travel during daylight for optimal viewing, and then spend the night in Kamloops in lodging arranged by Rocky Mountaineer Vacations. Dinner is included at your hotel. Or, join us for the optional Canadian Lumberjack Show.
Best Western Kamloops (B,L,D) |
4
[top] |
Kamloops / Rocky Mountaineer to Banff, Alberta
Reboard the Rocky Mountaineer and continue past waterfalls and glaciers to Banff National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site with magnificent alpine scenery and a wide range of wildlife.
You’ll cross Rogers Pass and ride through three Canadian National parks — Banff, Yoho, and Glacier.
After you arrive in Banff, transfer to your Deluxe hotel, the Rimrock Resort Hotel, for a two-night stay. Located just out of town in a spectacular mountain setting near the area’s famed hot springs, your hotel offers elegant accommodations and amenities — and the most incredible views in the Canadian Rockies!
Enjoy the heated indoor pool, sauna, whirlpool, and other luxuries. Perhaps even go for a hike on the property. And in your room, you can relax in comfort and take in the grand views of the Canadian Rockies.
Rimrock Resort Hotel  (B,L) |
5
[top] |
Banff
Today, we tour Banff National Park and the hot springs. Then, you’ll stop at Lake Louise, known as the jewel of the Rockies for its stunning glacial valley setting.
Then enjoy lunch at the famed Château Lake Louise, an Edwardian hotel praised by Gourmet Magazine as offering the “Best View in the World.” Dining in such a regal setting is sure to be one of the highlights of your journey.
During an evening lecture — another Vantage exclusive! — a park naturalist describes the wildlife and geology of Banff National Park. Its fascinating geologic makeup includes glaciers, ice fields, lakes, rivers, and mountain peaks. And the park is home to both grizzly and black bear, as well as cougar, coyote, fox, and wolf — along with a host of other mammal, reptile, and bird life.
Rimrock Resort Hotel (B,L) |
6
[top] |
Banff / Jasper, Alberta
Today you’ll travel the legendary Icefields Parkway, which connects splendid Banff and Jasper National Parks. Along the way view majestic peaks, ice-blue glaciers, and thick pine forests. This famed highway crosses some of the highest, most scenic mountains in the Rockies.
Enjoy grand vistas as you travel along in comfort. At the vast, gleaming Columbia Ice Fields — the source that feeds the area’s great glaciers — you’ll embark on a “Sno-Coach” ride over an ice-age remnant, the 900-foot-thick Athabasca Glacier. You’ll then continue to Jasper National Park. For a close-up view of the scenery, don’t miss the optional Athabasca River float trip!
Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre  (B) |
7
[top] |
Jasper / VIA Rail's The Canadian
Tour magnificent Jasper National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and “crown jewel” of the Canadian Rockies. Here you’ll go on an historic tour of Jasper, see the Pyramid Bench glacial deposits, stop at scenic Patricia and Pyramid Lakes, and visit Maligne Canyon, a deep limestone gorge, and stop at a tea house. Later this afternoon, board The Canadian to begin your three-day rail journey in a First-Class, Silver & Blue service private sleeper compartment.
VIA Rail (B,L,D) |
8
[top] |
VIA Rail's The Canadian
Today, roll across Canada’s heartland — the wide open spaces and golden grain fields of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. You’ll be amazed by the natural surroundings! Along the way you’ll enjoy included meals, expert commentary, and marvelous scenery from the Park Car with its 360-degree glass dome (accessible only to Silver & Blue service passengers).
VIA Rail (B,L,D) |
9
[top] |
VIA Rail's The Canadian / Toronto, Ontario
Sit back for a final relaxing day of scenic splendor as you continue eastward aboard The Canadian. You’ll enjoy dinner on board before disembarking this evening in Toronto, where you’ll transfer to your Deluxe hotel in the heart of the city. Your deluxe, sophisticated hotel offers a host of amenities, and is located within walking distance of both Queen’s Park and the world-class Royal Ontario Museum and Yonge Street, the lively avenue that runs through some of Toronto’s most interesting and most chic shopping districts.
Sutton Place Hotel Toronto (B,L,D) |
10
[top] |
Toronto
You'll start off the day with a panoramic city tour of Toronto. The largest city in Canada is one of the greatest multicultural melting pots, and home to many delightful neighborhoods and major landmarks that are featured on your tour. You’ll pass by the financial and fashion districts, fabulous Chinatown, and many more. Then spend the afternoon exploring the city’s many attractions on your own. Perhaps you’ll want to take a ten-minute ferry ride out to Toronto Islands and their pleasant public parklands. Or visit one of the city’s great museums or galleries, such as the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, or even the Hockey Hall of Fame. Other options include historic Fort York or the Distillery District, an arts and cultural community filled with wonderfully preserved Victorian buildings, now home to restaurants, cafés, and art galleries. This evening, toast your transcontinental journey and fellow Vantage travellers as you enjoy a Farewell Dinner at the hotel.
Sutton Place Hotel Toronto (B,D) |
11
[top] |
Toronto, Ontario / Return Home
Transfer to the airport for your return flight home.
(B)
|
Please Note: The train schedules are as of June 1, 2007 and are subject to local rail and traffic conditions. Itineraries are designed to minimize missed sightseeing should delays occur.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The above day-by-day itineraries are subject to change. If any major changes occur in advance of your departure, you will be notified in writing by Vantage. If changes occur while on tour, you will be notified by your Vantage Program Manager or local representative.
|
|