Canada Coast to Coast Escorted Experience

Making your way independently to our hotel in Vancouver, we check in and meet the Tour Manager. The city is regarded as one of the world's most desirable places to live, thanks to its charming atmosphere amid the incredible setting of mountains and the Pacific coast.

Our hotel is a short distance from both Downtown and the harbor. After check in your evening is free to unwind or head out to try some of western Canada's cuisine. Seafood, such as salmon, oysters and Dungeness crab can be found in many of the city's restaurants. With a multicultural population, you can also find local versions of Asian and Mexican dishes. Overnight Vancouver.

Our first full day in Canada sees us embark on a guided sightseeing tour of Vancouver's most characterful districts. Gastown, Vancouver's original downtown, is the city's most historic neighborhood, brimming with character and old-world charm. Named after the talkative sailor and barman "Gassy" Jack Deighton, originally from Hull, Gastown showcases a rich heritage and a cheerful atmosphere. The neighborhood's most iconic landmark, the Gastown Steam Clock, draws visitors with its regular bursts of steam and nostalgic appeal.

Crossing East Hastings Street, we arrive in the largest Chinatown in Canada, where we relish the sights and sounds of the lively streets and tranquil squares. From leafy Stanley Park with its colorful totem poles celebrating local Native American history, we travel to Granville Island, a buzzing district boasting independent stores and mouthwatering food markets.

With the rest of the day to explore independently, you might like to head to North Vancouver and find the Capilano Suspension Bridge, which hangs 450 feet above the forest floor. Alternatively, take the cable car to the top of Grouse Mountain for sweeping views of the city. Overnight Vancouver.

We make our way by coach early this morning to Tsawwassen for the ferry to Vancouver Island's Swartz Bay. Known for its population of black bears, the island is a blend of culture and wilderness, with both rugged landscapes and charming cities.

One of its most renowned manmade attractions is The Butchart Gardens, where we head on arrival. These beautiful botanical gardens started as Robert Butchart's limestone quarry in 1904 before his wife Jennie spotted the potential to create a wonderful sunken garden. The grounds expanded to include a Japanese garden, an Italian garden and a fragrant rose garden.

After exploring this picturesque haven, we transfer by coach to British Columbia's capital, Victoria, where we have time to explore and eat lunch independently. You could visit the Inner Harbour, lined with grand buildings including the Parliament Buildings, Royal BC Museum and Fairmont Empress hotel, or wander the streets of Canada's oldest Chinatown. Later, we sail back to Vancouver, where you can dine independently. Overnight Vancouver.

Our trans-Canadian trip gets underway today as we leave Vancouver by coach for a scenic journey along stunning valleys, with Canada's grand landscapes laid out before us.

Following the course of the Fraser Valley, we arrive in the historic trading post of Hope, surrounded by huge mountains. Here, there is time to eat lunch independently before joining the Coquihalla Highway. Swathes of land blanketed in deep forests pass our windows as we climb through the Cascade Mountains to the village of Sun Peaks.

With a European feel and a charming, pedestrian-friendly center, Sun Peaks boasts plenty of cafés, restaurants and shops. On arrival in the early evening, we have time to explore and eat dinner independently in this popular year-round mountain resort. Overnight Sun Peaks.

Canada's iconic scenery becomes even more incredible today as we enter the Rocky Mountains. Joining the Yellowhead Highway after breakfast at the hotel, we follow the course of the North Thompson River to the small town of Clearwater. We have free time to wander before continuing our journey deep into Canada's wilderness to the jaw-dropping Mount Robson.

Reaching nearly 13,000 feet, this rugged peak is often called the "King of the Rockies," and its seemingly vertical southern face dominates views from miles around. The varied stratum of rock gives the impression of a road twisting around the mountain - a fact noticed by the indigenous Texqa'kallt people who call it the "Mountain of the Spiral Road."

Jasper is a beautiful enigma, retaining a calm, small-town feel despite being a popular tourist destination. Interesting shops and restaurants line its charming streets. After checking in to our hotel, you are free to explore this picture-perfect town this evening. Overnight Jasper.

*Please note: on the May 26 departure, we will stay at the Jasper Inn & Suites.

• Breakfast

A free morning gives you a chance to unwind at our hotel or take a casual stroll around Jasper, admiring the surrounding mountains.

Later, we board our coach for a scenic excursion deep into the UNESCO-listed Jasper National Park on a tour of the Maligne River valley. Soak up views of craggy and often snow-dusted mountains, plunging waterfalls, hot springs and crystalline lakes. Visiting the otherworldly Maligne Canyon, we watch the rushing river squeezing dramatically through a narrow fissure rich with fossils. Continuing from Medicine Lake, we are treated to an array of staggering vistas on the approach to Maligne Lake - the largest glacier-fed body of water in the region.

Before returning to Jasper for a free evening, there is plenty of time to admire the azure waters and look out for some of the area's rare wildlife, including mule deer, moose, eagles and ospreys - as well as bears, caribou and wolves. Overnight Jasper.

Waking up on the Canadian, we are welcomed to Saskatchewan's vast prairies, which we can view while eating breakfast. The seemingly endless grasslands of the Great Plains stretch as far as the eye can see, with boundless farming communities passing by our windows as the Canadian rolls on.

With nearly half of its 1.2 million residents living in its largest city, Saskatchewan's wild plains are home to deer, eagles and, occasionally, antelope, moose and bison. The Canadian's glass-roofed panoramic observation car is the perfect place to watch the world go by. Dinner is also served on board.

We later cross into Manitoba, a province with more than 100,000 lakes stretching all the way up to the shores of Hudson Bay. Its capital is Winnipeg, considered the geographical center of Canada. Late this evening, the train pulls into this city before continuing eastwards overnight. Overnight train.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Over breakfast on VIA Rail's Canadian this morning, we cross the rocky ground of northwestern Ontario, a landscape pocked with primordial lakes and thick, verdant forests of ancient trees.

For the isolated communities we pass through, the Canadian Pacific Railway has been a lifeline for decades. While Ontario might be the most populous of Canada's provinces, the remote areas we travel through today are raw Canadian wilderness, with moose, lynx and black bears prowling its dense woodlands.

After lunch onboard, the Canadian changes direction, continuing its journey in a southeasterly direction towards the Great Lakes. Spend some time in the observation car or lounge as we travel through this dramatic scenery before dinner is served. The Canadian continues overnight towards our destination. Overnight train.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Our final morning onboard VIA Rail's Canadian begins with breakfast as we travel south towards Toronto. The views change from the mountains and prairies of the past few days to suburban scenes as we make our way around Lake Simcoe into the Greater Toronto area.

After lunch onboard, we arrive in Toronto's Union Station, Canada's largest and most elegant train station. The monumental Great Hall has a two-story-high vaulted ceiling while its resplendent limestone exterior is dominated by Romanesque columns. Built in 1927, this glorious Beaux-Arts structure is the third incarnation of the station, a testament to the importance of railways in connecting Canada. Nearby is the iconic CN Tower, built by the Canadian National Railway Company and the world's tallest free-standing structure from 1975 until 2007.

We transfer to our city center hotel where there is time to unwind or explore Canada's most populous city at leisure before eating dinner independently. Toronto's diverse food scene makes it easy to find somewhere to eat, from steak and seafood to European and Asian cuisine. Overnight Toronto.

• Breakfast, Lunch

Today is a highlight of this trans-Canadian journey. On our coach, we are joined by an expert local guide for a full-day trip to the incredible Niagara Falls.

Connecting two of the Great Lakes - Erie and Ontario - the Niagara River plunges down three astonishing waterfalls. When we arrive, we set sail on a cruise to get closer to one of the world's most impressive natural sights - with protective ponchos supplied. Marveling at the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and the iconic Horseshoe Falls is an unforgettable experience as the clouds of spray and thunderous roar emphasize the awesome majesty of nature. Back on shore, we have time to eat lunch independently in one of Niagara's restaurants before viewing the falls from above at Table Rock. Continuing our exploration, we reach the whirlpool where the river bursts out of the Niagara Gorge.

We conclude our excursion with free time to stroll through the pretty town of Niagara on the Lake. Returning to Toronto this evening, you are free to eat dinner independently. Overnight Toronto.

After a relaxing morning in Toronto, we board the VIA Rail train service to Montreal. Following the shores of Lake Ontario and the course of the St. Lawrence River, we arrive in this UNESCO City of Design in the early evening, with a short transfer to our central four-star hotel.

Montreal blends French and English influences, visible in the street names and elegant architecture. Across the Place du Canada from our hotel, you can find the Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, built in the 19th century. Just beyond here is the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel, where John Lennon and Yoko Ono held their second 'bed-in' for peace in 1969. It was during this two-week stay that Lennon's first solo single, Give Peace a Chance, was written.

In Montreal's historic center, you could admire the towering Notre-Dame Basilica and savor some traditional Québécois cuisine - including the incredibly popular poutine. Overnight Montreal.

Breakfast is included at the hotel this morning before we make the short distance to Montreal's Central Station for an afternoon journey on VIA Rail's Corridor Service to Québec City.

Founded as a French settlement in 1608, historic Old Québec is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has the only remaining fortified city walls in North America. We arrive in the late afternoon and check into our four-star hotel before a free evening to wander the cobbled streets lined with cafés, independent shops, pubs and restaurants.

Dining independently this evening, you might like to try some French-inspired dishes with a local touch, such as soups, tourtiére meat pies, bourguignon or crepes. Overnight Québec.

• Breakfast

Today's guided city tour begins with an introduction to the historical conflicts between France, Great Britain and the United States that led to the founding of Canada in 1867. Constructed between 1820 and 1850, the star-shaped citadel in the center of Québec City served to protect British North America on early French fortifications. The British gained control of the city in 1759 after the French surrender at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. We visit this battlefield overlooking the St. Lawrence River, just outside the citadel, before transferring by coach to an authentic 1920s sugar shack where maple syrup is produced.

Surrounded by a maple forest, we learn the history of the syrup on a short tour followed by a tasting of this Canadian staple. Afterwards, we sit down for a three-course lunch of traditional, maple syrup-inspired food.

Returning to Québec City, the rest of the afternoon and evening are free for independent exploration. You might like to view Old Québec's opulent 17th-century Notre-Dame Basilica or admire the open-air art displays on the Rue du Trésor. Overnight Québec.

• Lunch

There is plenty of time today to continue exploring the varied charms of the city that the local French-speakers call "La Vieille Capitale," or the "Old Capital." One of its most iconic structures is the elegant Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, a fairytale structure in the middle of the city. Built in 1893 and considered the most photographed hotel in the world, the Frontenac was the first of the iconic castle-like hotels constructed to attract tourists to the trans-Canadian railways.

In front of the hotel, you can find Dufferin Terrace, a popular place to admire views across the St. Lawrence River, and an electric funicular dating from 1879. Travelling down this cableway takes you to the Place Royale, a square that has the feel and architecture of a small village in rural France despite being surrounded by stylish museums and galleries.

Late this evening, we transfer to Sainte-Foy train station and board VIA Rail's Ocean service for an overnight journey to Nova Scotia and the Atlantic Ocean. Overnight train.

Overnight, the VIA Rail Ocean train makes its way along the widening mouth of the St. Lawrence River before crossing into New Brunswick near Chaleur Bay. Reaching the Canadian Maritimes in time for breakfast onboard, the scenery changes once again. Windswept shores and shaded coves speckle the coast as the Ocean rumbles onwards. Inland, we push on through spruce forests, crossing the Miramichi River towards Moncton.

Lunch is served as we wind our way closer to our eighth and final of Canada's provinces, Nova Scotia. The terminus of our epic trans-Canadian overland trip is the city of Halifax on the Atlantic coast. One of the most important Canadian commercial ports on the Atlantic seaboard, Halifax retains many of its historic seafaring traditions. Today, it's a cultural center of the Maritimes, with plenty of scenic parks, ocean views and a vibrant food and drink scene.

Arriving in the early evening, we check in to our four-star hotel, which is attached to the train station near the old port. Dining independently this evening, there is an on-site restaurant serving local specialties or you could try one of the nearby eateries. Overnight Halifax.

• Breakfast, Lunch

With an expert local guide, we explore "Canada's Ocean Playground", a historic land of fishing villages and coves dappled with small bobbing boats and wooded islands. Our first stop is Peggy's Cove, a tiny settlement of colorful buildings on a headland dotted with wave-battered boulders. Keeping seafarers safe for more than a century, Peggy's Point Lighthouse still stands on a granite outcropping facing the wild Atlantic. While exploring the coast, look out for traditional inukshuks, age-old rock structures used by the native Inuit to navigate the frozen north.

Later, a scenic drive takes us to picturesque Mahone Bay, a village adorned with rustic Gothic revival buildings. Next, we visit the UNESCO-listed harbor town of Lunenburg, where the bright colors of the waterfront houses along Bluenose Drive are reflected in the waters.

This evening is free to try some more local food, including chowder and the famed Digby scallops. Overnight Halifax.

This spectacular expedition has seen us travel overland from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic, crossing the world's second-biggest country and witnessing many highlights. From the thriving cultural scene of Vancouver and the awe-inspiring vistas of the Rocky Mountains, we travelled on board the iconic Canadian train for three nights, reaching Toronto. The unforgettable experiences continued as we visited Niagara Falls and an authentic sugar shack, before arriving in Halifax and viewing some of Nova Scotia's most attractive towns.

Your vacation comes to an end today as you transfer independently to the airport to make your way home.