Independent Tours

“We had the time of our lives. Great organization of services. Food was terrific and staff well trained.

“This s a well planned, well executed trip. You are busy with just enough time to explore and enjoy. We had time to squeeze in a wildlife tour as well. The staff on the entire tour were so informative and interesting. Everyone along the trip could not have been more accommodating!

“This was truly one of those once-in-a-lifetime type of trips. A fantastic way to see all of Canada - from one coast to the other. The train does take 4 days to go from Vancouver to Toronto, but that's mostly because so much time is spent sitting and waiting on freight trains since they have the priority. The prestige class cabins are small, so we had to take what we needed from our luggage and check the bags. But the train was radiantly heated, so it was always comfortable, even when it was cold and snowing outside. The food onboard was excellent, and there was always several selections to choose from. The Fairmont hotels that we stayed at were excellent. Vancouver's was a taxi ride away from the train station, but was very nice. It was in the heart of downtown by the waterfront. Toronto's Fairmont was directly across from the train station, so it was super convenient, didn't even need a taxi. Montreal's Fairmont is actually over the train station, so even more convenient. All of the tours that were included hit the highlights of Toronto and Montreal and were super convenient as we were either picked up at the hotel, or it was only a short walk to the meeting place. This was an easy trip, very relaxing, and everything went off without a hiccup. Thank you for an outstanding vacation trip, and a great way to see Canada!

“Excellent mixture of rail lines in Canada, easy to follow the arrangements set up by the company, good excursions available. Must be a self-starter and willing to be somewhat adventurous. Be aware that you will handle your own transport from train stations to hotels and the reverse. Taxis appear to be plentiful at major stations. Lots to see and do and plenty of tasty restaurants await you! And if you have the funds, upgrade to the sleeper cars; they are well-tended and the food is really good!

“This was a great trip; the hotels were beautiful and we loved the overnight train! Just the right amount of coordination by Vacations by Rail so that our time was our own but all of the transportation details were arranged conveniently and expertly. This was our second Vacations By Rail trip, and we will definitely take more of them as we are big train travel fans.

“Sleeper cabins with private toilet, food included, non alcoholic beverages included, snacks, and entertainment on the train is fantastic. The shared shower is a little less fantastic, might need and automated sanitization system. The experience was 10/10 would recommend.

“This trip was amazing and would highly recommend to anyone interested in train travel.

“When you consider the service provided: 1) Book train w/chosen sleeper, 2) Book accommodation at each end of trip, cost of service was on expensive side. Next time we would do our own booking and save the hundreds. Trip was spectacular.

“Excellent trip and well planned by vacations by rail. Pre trip communications we’re great and all schedules worked well. Accommodations were terrific in the Rockies and the train was cool as well