Via Rail Canada offers a wide range of train tours through various parts of the country, beginning with quick two-days tours and extending up to 22-day tours. The Coast to Coast Explorer tour is the most comprehensive tour of Canada available by train. It's a 21-night voyage that departs from Victoria, B.C. and tours through the majestic Rockies, across the prairies, up to the Canadian shield, into French Quebec and over to Acadian Canada. All trains, hotels and sightseeing excursions are pre-arranged with this tour, taking the guesswork out of planning tours. Passengers are able to choose their own meals from a gourmet menu. As of 2010, the rate for this tour is $5,990 USD and can be booked online or by telephone.
The most comprehensive Canadian tour by Discovery Group Charter and Tours is the Fabulous Coast to Coast Explorer. This 22-day tour utilizes both Via Rail Canada trains and the Rocky Mountaineer trains, and departs from Vancouver every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. The voyage makes stops in Banff, Jasper, Edmonton, Toronto, Niagara, Ottawa, Quebec and Halifax, with stops ranging in length from an afternoon to a two nights. Passengers stay overnight in Banff for two nights while exploring the surrounding area, including the Banff National Park. Three nights are spent in a Toronto hotel as guests visit attraction in the downtown core as well as the surrounding Greater Toronto Area and Niagara Falls. A variety of sightseeing tours are available along the way, such as a gondola ride up Sulphur Mountain in Banff, and a guided walking tour of Old Montreal and Notre Dame Basilica. The rate for this train trip is $6,565 USD and includes 20 nights accommodation, all train travel, 15 on-board meals, motor coach transport and all tours and attractions.
For travelers looking for a shorter train tour across Canada, there is the Cross Canada by Train from Toronto package from Brewster Vacations Canada. This seven-day trip spans across five provinces, passing through the Manitoba prairies and the Rocky Mountains to reach the final destination of Vancouver at the Pacific Coast. This train tour is a non-stop tour from Toronto to Vancouver, meaning that the only sightseeing tours are in Toronto prior to departure and in Vancouver after disembarking. Prices for this train tour begin at $1,944 USD per person and includes two nights hotel accommodation, four nights accommodation on board Via Rail, a trolley tour in both Toronto and Vancouver, airport and hotel transfers, and maps, brochures and itineraries.
