First Passage to the West rail journey with Rocky Mountaineer

Bookend a two-day railway journey westward through the Rocky Mountains with stays in Calgary and Vancouver.

Touch down in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, spending a night in Calgary. You’ll transfer to Banff, a sensationally beautiful wonderland, where you have two days to explore the delightful town and the wilderness beyond. From Banff, you’ll board the famous Rocky Mountaineer on a journey to Vancouver that’ll take two days through remarkable landscapes, disembarking overnight to stay at a hotel in Kamloops. A city break in Vancouver finishes your trip in style.

Rail
Calgary, Banff, Kamloops, Vancouver
Rail Journey

Pairing a Rockies railway journey with a city break in Vancouver

Itinerary overview

Calgary

A city stopover

Your holiday starts in Calgary in the Canadian province of Alberta, known as the gateway to the R...

Banff or Lake Louise

A scenic wonderland

Banff National Park is one of the most exquisitely beautiful places on the planet, thanks to its ...

Rocky Mountaineer

To Vancouver in style via Kamloops

Board the Rocky Mountaineer in the morning in either Banff or Lake Louise. Breakfast is served as...

Vancouver

A city on the water

Having reached the Pacific Coast, you’ve got three days to get to know beautiful Vancouver. There...

Extend your holiday

Add an Alaska cruise

The majority of Alaska cruises set off from Vancouver so this itinerary can easily be added to an...

Calgary

A city stopover

Your holiday starts in Calgary in the Canadian province of Alberta, known as the gateway to the Rocky Mountains. After touching down, you’ll transfer to your hotel and spend a night here. The next day, you’ll leave the city behind when a transfer collects you and takes you on an 80-mile drive westbound to Banff.

Banff or Lake Louise

A scenic wonderland

Banff National Park is one of the most exquisitely beautiful places on the planet, thanks to its endless mountains, glaciers, valleys, lakes, and forests. But the scenic views are just the beginning of what makes Banff so appealing. There are outdoor activities to try, including hiking, canoeing, rafting and mountain biking. But finding a quiet spot to soak it all in is just as wonderful. Instead of staying in the town of Banff itself, you can enjoy an bucket-list few nights on the shores of Lake Louise. Located further along the valley, at the southern reaches of the Icefields Parkway, this glacier-fed lake is surrounded by an amphitheatre of Rocky peaks. You can go canoeing on the lake, walk the lakeshore or more hilly trails, or drive to Moraine Lake for even more of those jaw-dropping mountain views.

Rocky Mountaineer

To Vancouver in style via Kamloops

Board the Rocky Mountaineer in the morning in either Banff or Lake Louise. Breakfast is served as the train pulls away, and the scenery outside the window will captivate you. The route retraces the historic Canadian Pacific Railway, passing waterfalls and glaciers before following the South Thompson River to Kamloops. It’s a leisurely, relaxing day, with lunch with wine served onboard. You’ll arrive in Kamloops in the early evening, disembarking and transferring to your hotel for a peaceful night. There are two types of carriages to choose from aboard the Rocky Mountaineer. Both are glass-domed and feature locally inspired menus, but in GoldLeaf carriages, there’s a separate dining room for your breakfasts and lunches and a larger exclusive outdoor viewing platform. The next day, you’ll be collected from your hotel and return to the station where the Rocky Mountaineer awaits. You’ll depart in the morning, enjoying breakfast on the train as you journey through desert-like landscapes before reaching the white water of Hell’s Gate and the mighty Fraser River. You’ll enjoy lunch onboard and pass through the Coast Mountains before reaching Fraser Valley, reaching Vancouver in the evening, where you’ll disembark, your Rocky Mountaineer journey complete.

Vancouver

A city on the water

Having reached the Pacific Coast, you’ve got three days to get to know beautiful Vancouver. There’s a little bit of everything here – beaches, rainforests, mountains, and lovely neighbourhoods for wandering and exploring. Don’t miss the historic charms of Victorian-era Gastown. Visit the market on Granville Island, take a floatplane flight to Vancouver Island, or cross the Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver’s rainforest. Or enjoy this fabulously cosmopolitan city's shopping, restaurants, and water views.

Extend your holiday

Add an Alaska cruise

The majority of Alaska cruises set off from Vancouver so this itinerary can easily be added to an optional voyage northward. We work with a selection of handpicked cruise lines that operate round-trip and one-way trips along the majestic coastlines of British Columbia and the USA’s ‘last frontier’, including Celebrity Cruises and Holland America Line. For more information, contact one of our Personal Travel Experts. The above itinerary may need to be altered to link rail and cruise departure dates.

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