Canada Rail Vacations - Calgary, Alberta

Veta B.

We had a wonderful time start to finish! The moment we arrived at our hotel we could completely relax as the Rocky Mountaineer staff and the staff of our hotels took care of everything. We so enjoyed our train car crew. They were so attentive and very fun as they shared interesting stories of the people and places that we were passing through. They made the vistas come alive. The food was delicious and so beautifully served. An overall delightful time to enjoy the beauty of the Canadian Rockies with a dear friend.

Tim P.

Canada Rail trip of a Lifetime vacation traveling east coast (Halifax) to Vancouver via Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, Banff, Lake Louise, Kamloops, ending in Vancouver. A month before departure, Canada Rail contacted us with the bad news of the wildfires in & around Jasper which was no longer part of the trip. Canada Rail worked diligently on our behalf to book additional rooms in Banff & Lake Louise & rerouting us through Edmonton, to make the most of the disruption & they came through in flying colors! They were able to continue our stay in the same rooms booked & we had a private transfer from Edmonton to Lake Louise & didn’t feel it took away from our experience at all. CR did an amazing job with an unfortunate disruption! Extra time in Banff & Lake Louise & the tours there more than made up for any inconvenience!

Overall experience was great! Involved 4 train routes, the 1st 3 by VIA Rail & the last in Rocky Mtns by Rocky Mountaineer. Route from Halifax to Montreal (The Ocean) had lots of trees & in/out of suburban areas. Cabin bunk beds are a bit getting used to w/small spaces & not a hotel quality mattress, but expected. Arrived in Montreal, with an inconvenience property was on a labor strike while we were there. Fairmont hotel didn’t have their top services due to this & we did get a small refund thanks to the efforts by CR on our behalf but well below our expectations of/from the hotel. Private tour of Montreal & were able to enjoy many sights of city. Worth adding.

Continued on to Toronto (VIA, The Corridor) on Bus Class which is similar to traveling on Economy Plus on airline. Food & beverage (including alcohol) was served as part of package, comfortable seats & space to store a small carryon, no overhead bins. More of an upscale commuter train, with urban/suburban sights.
Toronto. Great city. We were skeptical about the CN tower add on, but if you’re not worried by heights, go! Worth the glass elevator ride to platform (with option to add continuation to the top) for a wonderful view of Toronto towering over the skyscrapers of the city!

Toronto westward on VIA, The Canadian, began the most wonderful portion of the trip! Rolling across beautiful prairies of central Canada with its hundreds of thousand of lakes that reflected the colorful trees & beauty, like large mirrors laid down everywhere! Especially at sunset, the sights were stunningly beautiful!

After sleeping 2 nights on train (Prestige), w/wonderful food, beverage & outstanding service, this was a great experience! Prestige is worth the additional $ if afforded. We didn’t want to get off the train after this portion of trip!

Arrived in Edmonton & not have much time in Edmonton other than to rest up for continuation of Rocky Mountaineer part of trip. Private tours that CR had arranged for us, were outstanding!! Unbelievable scenery, very knowledgeable/informative tour guides & were so fun & engaging! Had best time with Kat, best guide ever! whom we did 3 tours (Banff, Lake Louise & surrounding area) & Simi, who did the Kananaskis Country tour. Fortunate on the tour to see elk, mountain sheep & a great encounter (from vehicle) of a grizzly bear lumbering along, gobbling up food for winter!

Highly recommend all private tours offered through CR, we had no negative experiences whatsoever, & added greatly to our overall positive experience of the trip & the Rocky Mountains portion!

Train route thru the Rockies on Mountaineer was filled with amazing scenery & natural beauty! Highly recommend!

Arrived Kamloops after a full day of incredible scenic beauty. On to Vancouver, a beautiful city as well & had a private tour of the city, arranged thru CR. Great overview of city.

Overall this trip through Canada Rail was excellent & we highly recommend booking with them. They truly worked on our behalf in getting through what could’ve been a trip ending event, & with the tours arranged through them, ended up being a wonderful experience!

Would definitely go on a future train vacation from our experience!! Thank you Canada Rail!

Barry M.

We did an 8 day package including the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Banff. I can sum up the experience in one word - EXCEPTIONAL!
It was truly a magnificent and unforgettable trip. From the Rocky Mountaineer part (the staff were incredible… so good) to our stay in Banff and the tours we did.
And after the tragedy of the fires in and around Jasper, I can’t begin to imagine what the CRV Team had to do to re-organise things (incl accommodation), for all those train journeys and thousands of people. You all did an amazing job.
I think the top rating is 5 stars, but they should allow for exceeding this…. Easily a 10 out of 5.

Arielle B.

Canada Rail Vacations truly took care of everything!

I reached out to Canada Rail back in January to plan a two-week train trip across Canada with my 89-year-old grandmother. Just before our trip, the Jasper fires happened and a portion had to be rerouted. The team at Canada Rail did a fabulous job of keeping us informed and making sure we could still make the most out of our trip. We travelled on VIA Rail and The Rocky Mountaineer, as well as took private tours with their guides and stayed at hotels such as some gorgeous Fairmonts. When one of the hotels got our reservations wrong the team at Canada Rail were quick to intervene and set it right. Their guides, Duncan and Jake were fabulous and informative.

I particularly enjoyed Prestige class on the VIA and the Edmonton Fairmont. SO worth it to have someone take care of all the details!!

Michael C.

We booked a Canadian Rockies vacation through Canada Rail and had a wonderful time! Three days in Vancouver, two days traveling the Rocky Mountaineer train and five days in Banff. The booking experience was perfect! Canada Rail was friendly, responsive and successfully worked to customize our experience to be just the way we wanted it. It made for a thoroughly enjoyable experience!

Ken F.

The Rocky Mountaineer is an exceptional train trip. The staff is amazing. The accommodations excellent and the food is the best. Harrison, our guide, was informative and super accommodating along with the rest of our cabin’s staff. The scenery is Beautiful.

Vera S.

Very well organized. Saw lots of fantastic scenery. Itinerary was fulsome but not too packed. Only improvement I would suggest was better instruction on how to get to hotel after leaving the train in Jasper. All of us including 2 parties from overseas were stranded at the train station for a couple of hours before getting to the hotel. Our driver/tour guide Jake was very knowledgeable and professional, making our trip stress free. The staff at the Canada Rail Vacations was very helpful from the day I booked the trip to helping me with hotel arrangement during the trip. Whether via email or by phone, they were always polite and helpful.

Bill Y.

My wife and I enjoyed a spectacular private tour with Marty & Duncan. They guided us from Banff to Lake Louise, then Jasper. The accommodations were amazing and the tour was custom tailored to our schedule and preferences. We saw fantastic scenery and a wide range of climates, with ongoing commentary on the history, culture and geology of the areas. Our guides were fun, funny, casual, informative, professional and just great guys to hang with. The tour was surrounded by a coast-to-coast rail vacation setup by Canada Rail Vacations. It was the trip of a lifetime and we can’t wait to do it again.