Train across canada how to#
Train across canada tv#

From heartbreak and bereavement to life advice over wine in the viewing cabin and hilarious stories around the dinner table, those three women formed a huge part of my train experience. Time forced with people whom you wouldn’t necessarily come into contact with on a day-to-day basis teaches you a lot of perspectives.

Train across canada how to#

If a long train journey teaches you one thing, it’s how to absorb the wisdom and experience of others. I never left that same table until my very last stop. On my second day I was seated with three other women of various ages from 50 to 70 – a lot older than myself. With the first transcontinental train departing Montreal and Toronto for Port Moody on June 28, 1886, there are a lot of stories to be told. Mostly Canadian passengers, many are visiting friends and loved ones on opposite sides of the country, while others ride it every year (as part of a vacation) and impart knowledge on the best places to stop off.īut mostly, everyone tells the stories of days gone by of childhood and connections kept alive by these grand journeys. Pools of blue would appear, the most saturated of greens would block the view of afar and long trees with narrow white trunks looked like a majestic forest.Įach day I was seated with strangers who instantly become friends through the exchange of stories of your journey and why you had chosen to take the Via Rail in Canda. At times it was a blur of blue and green until the train slowed and you could see an endless plain of lakes and trees and clear skies. With a late boarding time of 10 pm (and on time if you are lucky!), the Via Rail train falls silent as everyone is shown to their cabins and settles down to sleep, eager to wake early and open the window blind to the picture-perfect scene.Īfter 24 hours we were still only halfway through the province of Ontario. My last visit to the capital marked the start of a road trip to Quebec, and this time I would switch the pace and mode of transport, with the Via Rail starting point at the Grand Union Station, and head in the opposite direction – west. I walked 22,000 steps in exploration, seeing the city without its snow coat, and finding its inner-city green spaces, and stayed in the city’s biggest hotel, The Chelsea – all in preparation for my more leisurely quest and compact train cabin hideaway.

Train across canada tv#

With each visit, I uncover a new aspect of the city or see it from the eyes of a different local friend with hearty brunches, long walks, and classic Canadian bars with multiple beer taps and sports on huge TV screens. I boarded in Toronto, a city that has become my starting point for many expeditions in Canada. Via Rail Canada Train Trip Journey The Starting Point of Toronto Things to Know About Train Travel in Canada.

Day Tours with Via Rail: Visiting Winnipeg.

From lakes and forests to flat prairies and the revered Canadian Rocky mountains – this is a journey that takes in a spectrum of landscape and adventures, depending on where you choose to disembark. The four-day journey sweeping Canada, from Toronto to Vancouver transports more than four million passengers a year to various provinces or cross-country in one sitting.ĭespite the higher cost association in comparison to internal flights, the Via Rail in Canada has become more about reminiscence, than mere convenience. The dining car, in one of the many stainless steel rail cars of the Via Rail ‘Western Continental Canadian ’, is where you’ll hear the nostalgic tales that this 12,500 km rail journey has created. “I used to spend many summers as a child taking the journey from Calgary to Vancouver. Want to get across Canada by train? Here’s an insight into the 12,500 km four-day Via Rail Canada train trip from Toronto to Vancouver. This is at no extra cost to you and allows this site to keep running. If you click through or buy something via one of them, I may receive a small commission. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links to handpicked partners, including tours, gear and booking sites.