Day 1 - Arrive in Vancouver 

Welcome to Vancouver. Our choice of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver makes you feel special from the moment you arrive.  Here, in the heart of the city, you are close to shops, museums and restaurants. 

Overnight – Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

Day 2 - Rocky Mountaineer Gold Leaf Service, Vancouver to Kamloops (Breakfast,  Lunch & Dinner)

Today is the first of three memorable rail trips in domed, viewing cars. Nothing quite describes the sightseeing sensation that a domed viewing car brings to a train trip.  Add to that, meal service that rivals the finest restaurants, and you have quite a day. As GoldLeaf passengers, you have confirmed seating in the Dome Car with gourmet meal service in the lower-level dining room. Breakfast and lunch are served aboard the train. Your journey takes you through the fertile fields of the Fraser River Valley and the Coastal Mountains, before entering the Fraser Canyon and viewing the raging turbulence of Hell’s Gate.  You follow the Fraser River through beautiful landscapes to Kamloops, for an overnight stay with dinner at your hotel.  The Rocky Mountaineer staff will provide transfers between the train and your hotel.  Dinner this evening is at your hotel.

Overnight – Kamloops

Day 3 – Rocky Mountaineer Gold Leaf Service, Kamloops to Banff (Breakfast & Lunch)

This day brings you through vast ranchlands to Shuswap Lake and past Craigellachie, where the “last spike” was driven completing the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885.  Beyond Craigellachie is Rogers Pass with its tunnels, glistening glaciers and snow-capped mountains.  Before crossing over the Continental Divide into Banff National Park, the train will travel through the unique Spiral Tunnels – a remarkable engineering achievement. Once again, breakfast and lunch will be served in the lower-level dining area. When you arrive in Banff, you are but a short taxi ride from your hotel. 

Overnight – Fairmont Banff Springs

Day 4 – Banff at Leisure

Bring your camera, as your “Discover Banff” tour takes you to the sightseeing highlights of this area. Your day includes Bow Falls, Hoodoos, Surprise Corner, the Cave and Basin where Banff’s history began, and a gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain.  You are never at a loss for things to do in Banff.  The town is filled with delightful shops and boutiques.  The facilities and activities offered by the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel make it a village in itself.  Their European Spa and health club is outstanding, and their golf course options make it known throughout the world.  Indoor and outdoor pools are great for kids and adults alike.  Lounges with sweeping views and a wide selection of dining options make the Fairmont Banff Springs the place to be!

Overnight – Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

Day 5 – Banff / Lake Louise

Your destination is the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The hotel is in a storybook setting, next to one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. 

Overnight – Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.   

Day 6 – Lake Louise to Jasper

As you travel in the Canadian Rockies, you come to realize that many of the names you have seen are those of glaciers, resting in mountains high above the valley floor.  In summer, their slow, steady melting creates lakes with color to rival the finest jewel.  You begin your day traveling past jagged mountains and lush valleys,  as you drive along the  Icefields Parkway, one of the most scenic drives in North America.  A highlight of the day is a ride on the Ice Explorer. The Columbia Icefield is made up of a series of glaciers covering 325 square kilometers.  After a day of scenic wonders, you arrive at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge – an experience in wilderness luxury at its finest.

Overnight – Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Day 7 – Fraser Discovery Route from Jasper - Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf Service  (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

We will arrange transfers from the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge to the rail station.  From Jasper, you will travel aboard the Rocky Mountaineer on their “Fraser Discovery Route.”  Few train journeys offer such dramatic scenery.  These two days of daylight rail travel will take you on a 634 mile odyssey that will astound you with the diverse beauty of Canada’s West. You bid farewell to Jasper at 7:00AM and travel through the Yellowhead pass to Mt. Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.  Entering the Rocky Mountain Trench, you are surrounded by the steeply rising Rocky Mountains to the north and the Cariboo Mountains to the south.  Travel through the forests of British Columbia into Prince George, and follow the Fraser River. Your will arrive into Quensel at 4:30PM, a little known spot on the map, but soon to be known as the overnight stop on this great rail trip. The staff of the Rocky Mountaineer will meet you at the station and take you to your hotel.

Overnight - Quesnel

Day 8 – Quesnel to Whistler (Breakfast & Lunch)

The Rocky Mountaineer Rail staff will pick you up from your hotel and have you aboard the train at 7:00AM, for day two of your journey!  Following the Fraser River, highlights of this scenic day include: the Deep Creek Bridge – one of the highest railway bridges in the world, sweeping views of Fraser Canyon, glacial-fed Seton Lake, and the shorelines of Anderson Lake.  You will pass through the rolling hills and vast ranchlands of the Cariboo Plateau, the desert-like conditions of Fraser Canyon, the lush farmland of the Pemberton Valley and towering peaks before your scheduled arrival into Whistler at 6:30PM. Your hotel is a short taxi ride from the station.

Overnight – Hilton Whistler Resort

Day 9 - Whistler to Vancouver Whistler Mountaineer Glacier Dome (Light Refreshments)

Wake early and bask in the sweet, fresh mountain air.  If you don’t mind heights, take a  ride to the top of Whistler or Blackcomb Mountain.  The ride on the gondola makes you feel like you are at the top of the world.  Whistler Village was designed for pedestrians.  Filled with flowers and sweet-smelling candy shops, you will have no problem finding things to fill your morning.   The Whistler Mountaineer departs at 2:30PM, so use a taxi for the short ride from your hotel to the station.  If you thought the scenery couldn’t get any better, you will quickly realize that these three hours of going from mountain peaks to shimmering ocean views on the “Sky to Sea” route, have no problem holding their own!  Cross over the pinnacle of Brandywine Falls before descending a steep grade through the Cheakamus Canyon, where the river below tumbles through a craggy gorge. Pass through the town of Squamish, BC, home to the West Coast Rail Association and the Royal Hudson steam train, and look out for the spectacular dome peak of Mount Garibaldi, rising 2,678 meters (8787 feet). Continuing south, pass the impressive cascade of Shannon Falls, as the train hugs the eastern shores of Howe Sound with the Coast Mountains rising steeply to the left and stunning views of ocean and mountain to the right. As you approach the end of your rail tour, enjoy views of downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park from the scenic waterfront of West Vancouver's exclusive residential area, before passing under the Lions Gate Bridge and arriving at North Vancouver Rail Station. Transfers will be arranged from North Vancouver to your hotel.

Overnight –Fairmont Hotel Vancouver  

Day 10 – Vancouver Home

Airport transfers have been arranged from your hotel.