Tour Overview
| Duration | 12 Days / 11 Nights |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada — British Columbia & Alberta |
| Route | Vancouver → Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf 2-day train → Kamloops → Banff → Lake Louise → Columbia Icefield → Jasper → Calgary |
| Tour Type | Group Tour — Luxury Rail Journey (Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf service, premium hotels, all meals on train, guided excursions) |
| Best Season | April–October (Rocky Mountaineer operating season). June–September for best weather and longest daylight — the train travels only in daylight to maximize scenery viewing |
| Price | From US$5,490 per person (twin share, includes Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf train, all meals and beverages on board, premium hotels, guided excursions, Ice Explorer, and airport transfers) |
Data source: rockymountaineer.com + canadabydesign.com. The definitive luxury Rockies experience, combining the world-famous Rocky Mountaineer train with the best of Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper.
Day 1-2: Vancouver — Urban Paradise
- Day 1: Arrive Vancouver. Afternoon Stanley Park (seawall, totem poles), Granville Island Market, dinner at a waterfront restaurant with mountain views. Day 2: Capilano Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain Skyride, FlyOver Canada (virtual flight across Canada’s most spectacular landscapes — perfect anticipation for the journey ahead)
Overnight at luxury hotel in Vancouver (2 nights).
Day 3-4: Rocky Mountaineer — Vancouver to Banff (Two Days of Pure Magic)
- Day 3 — Vancouver to Kamloops: Board the Rocky Mountaineer at Vancouver’s historic Pacific Central Station. GoldLeaf Service is the ultimate experience: your seat is in a bi-level glass-dome coach — the upper level features floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows for 360° views, while the lower level is an elegant dining room where gourmet meals are served. The dome windows create the sensation of floating through the landscape
- The train departs, and immediately the scenery begins: through the Fraser Valley, past rushing rivers and lush farmland with the Cascade Mountains as backdrop. Cross the Fraser River and enter the Fraser Canyon — the train squeezes through narrow gorges carved by one of Canada’s most powerful rivers, past Hell’s Gate (where 750 million liters of water per minute thunder through a 35m-wide passage), and the historic tunnels and bridges of the Canadian Pacific Railway — an engineering marvel completed in 1885 that united Canada from coast to coast
- Onboard dining is a highlight: breakfast (fresh berries, smoked salmon eggs Benedict, Canadian maple syrup), three-course lunch paired with British Columbia wines, and continuous beverage service — all prepared by onboard chefs. The outdoor viewing platform (at the rear of each coach) is where you feel the wind, hear the river, and smell the pine forests — the full sensory experience of train travel. Arrive Kamloops in the evening; overnight at hotel
- Day 4 — Kamloops to Banff: An even more spectacular day. The train climbs into the Monashee and Selkirk mountain ranges, past Craigellachie (where the Last Spike of the transcontinental railway was driven in 1885 — a simple ceremony that changed Canada forever). Enter the Canadian Rockies: the Spiral Tunnels (twin spiral railway tunnels that reduce the grade through Kicking Horse Pass — watching the train’s front and rear emerge from different tunnels on different levels of the mountainside is a marvel of engineering), Kicking Horse River, the Continental Divide, and towering peaks of Kicking Horse Pass. As the train enters Banff National Park, Castle Mountain, the Three Sisters, and Mount Rundle appear — the train slows, and your arrival in Banff station is an event
Overnight at hotel in Kamloops (Day 3) and Banff (Day 4).
Day 5-6: Banff — Castle in the Rockies
- Day 5: Banff Gondola to Sulphur Mountain, landmark Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Banff Upper Hot Springs, Bow Falls, Tunnel Mountain hike. Evening wildlife watching
- Day 6: Johnston Canyon hike (catwalks bolted to the canyon walls above rushing water — the trail leads to two spectacular waterfalls, the Lower Falls at 1.1km and the dramatic Upper Falls at 2.7km, pouring into a deep turquoise pool). Afternoon: Lake Minnewanka cruise (the largest lake in Banff, 21km long, glacier-carved) — the cruise passes the Devil’s Gap and submerged village of Minnewanka Landing
Overnight at hotel in Banff (2 nights).
Day 7-8: Lake Louise — Jewel of the Rockies
- Transfer to Lake Louise. Day 7: Lake Louise — canoe on the turquoise water, Fairmont Château Lake Louise afternoon tea, Lake Agnes Teahouse hike. Day 8: Moraine Lake (Valley of the Ten Peaks — the former $20 bill view), Rockpile Trail. Optional horseback ride along the Bow Valley Loop
Overnight at Fairmont Château Lake Louise or similar (2 nights).
Day 9-10: Icefields Parkway & Jasper
- Day 9: Icefields Parkway — Bow Lake, Peyto Lake (the brilliant wolf-head lake), Columbia Icefield (Ice Explorer onto Athabasca Glacier — walk on ice that fell as snow 400 years ago). Arrive Jasper
- Day 10: Maligne Lake cruise to Spirit Island, Maligne Canyon walk, Jasper SkyTram. Evening Dark Sky Preserve stargazing
Overnight at lodge in Jasper (2 nights).
Day 11: Scenic Return to Calgary — Farewell
- Final drive through the Rockies — one last gaze at the glaciers, the turquoise lakes, the towering peaks. Arrive Calgary. Farewell dinner at a private dining room at one of Calgary’s premier restaurants — a tasting menu of Canadian cuisine: Alberta beef, Pacific salmon, Okanagan wines, and Nanaimo bar for dessert
Overnight at hotel near Calgary Airport.
Day 12: Departure
- Transfer to YYC. The Rocky Mountaineer, the glaciers, the lakes of impossible blue — the Canadian Rockies by rail is one of the world’s truly great travel experiences. This is a journey that will stay in your heart forever.
Tour ends. Airport transfer included.
