Canadian Rockies
Canadian Rockies by Rail

9 Days/8 Nights
Vancouver to Jasper VIA Rail Sleeper Train with Exclusive Dome Cars
Canadian Rockies Sightseeing with private chauffeured car
Vancouver, Victoria, Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff

This nine day tour of Western Canada is packed full of travel experiences.  Vancouver has so much to do and see.  A visit to Victoria is the highlight of many tours, but on this tour, it is the prelude to much more.  A wonderful rail journey high into the Canadian Rockies, where you will stay in some of the most famous hotels in the world.  Our clients tell us that once in the Rockies, sightseeing with their own driver guide is wonderful, with time to do the things they enjoy most.  This type of touring brings exceptional touring experiences to each and every day.

• Guaranteed Departures

• 7 Nights deluxe Hotel Accommodations

  • 2 Nights Fairmont Hotel Vancouver-Fairmont Gold

  • 1 Night Fairmont Empress-Harbor View Room

  • 2 Nights Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge-Deluxe Room

  • 1 Night Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise-Lakeview Room

  • 1 Night Fairmont Banff Springs-Deluxe Room

• 11 meals included

• Meet & Greet at Vancouver Airport

• Limousine transfer from the airport to the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

• Welcome dinner with private tour briefing

• Vancouver sightseeing tour

• Full Day Sightseeing Excursion to Victoria including Butchart Gardens (roundtrip ferry transfers)

• VIA Rail overnight train from Vancouver to Jasper in a private bedroom with meals on the train

• Station to hotel transfer in Jasper

• Transportation and sightseeing between Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff with private driver

• Discover Jasper Tour & Maligne Lake Cruise (cruise operates 6/5 to 9/27; if traveling before or after these dates Jasper Tour only)

• Athabasca Glacier Ice Explorer Ride

• Alberta Travel Planner

• Hotel baggage handling

• Private car transfer from Banff to Calgary

• All taxes, entrance fees, GST and service charges on applicable features
   

  

  Day 1- Arrive Vancouver (Dinner)

  Welcome to Vancouver, Canada’s glimmering city on the Pacific.  Your driver will be in the flight arrivals area, waiting to greet you and assist with your luggage.  A limousine transfer has been arranged from the airport to your hotel. You are sure to enjoy your stay at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, one of the famous “Railroad Hotels” and a shining example of the grand hotels of that era.  The hotel has been restored to its original grander and is lovingly maintained by the deluxe Fairmont Hotel Group. When you arrive at the hotel, ask to be directed to the “Fairmont Gold” check-in area.  Here the staff will assist with your check-in arrangements.  As a Fairmont Gold client, you are welcome to use the private Fairmont Gold Lounge, enjoy complimentary afternoon appetizers and a deluxe continental breakfast. This evening, we have reserved a table for dinner at Griffins, in the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.  Your Cartan representative will join you for dinner and discuss the exciting days ahead.

  Overnight – Fairmont Hotel Vancouver Fairmont Gold

  Day 2 – Vancouver (Breakfast)

  We have left the morning free, so you can enjoy breakfast in the lounge at your leisure.  This afternoon, your city tour shows you just how much Vancouver has to offer. You will visit historic Gastown, colorful Chinatown, BC Place, the Sunken Gardens of Queen Elizabeth Park, the Bloedel Conservatory and towering totem poles in Stanley Park. Refreshments are available in the Fairmont Gold lounge this afternoon. For dinner, Vancouver offers an array of excellent restaurants; some are right in your hotel. Enjoy your evening.

  Overnight – Fairmont Hotel Vancouver Fairmont Gold

  Day 3 – Vancouver to Victoria (Breakfast)

  An early morning is in order, as you depart for delightful Victoria.  Your motorcoach will be driven aboard a modern BC Ferry for a refreshing cruise through the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver Island.  Once on board, relax in the main lounge or enjoy the ocean breezes from the deck.  When you arrive on Vancouver Island, you will re-board your motorcoach and go to Butchart Gardens.  Bring your camera!  No picture quite prepares you for the size and abundance of these glorious gardens.  Victoria's historic waterfront is your next stop.  Victoria has numerous endearing qualities, but the one you will remember most is the warmth and kindness extended by everyone you meet.  The Fairmont Empress puts you in the heart of everything and Victoria’s Parliament buildings, etched in lights, make nightfall truly enchanting.

  Overnight – Fairmont Empress Hotel – Deluxe Harbor View Room

  Day 4 – Victoria to Vancouver

  The Fairmont Empress is the perfect place to stay when visiting Victoria.  This hotel, like many of the Fairmont hotels in Canada, was built in the era of elegance and romance. Each of the hotel’s public rooms is a shining tribute to the craftsmen of that era. Your morning and early afternoon are at leisure. A mid-afternoon departure from Victoria will ensure that you arrive at the Vancouver rail station with time for dinner (on your own), before you check-in with VIA Rail.  Your train departs at 10:00PM. Please be aware that the transfer from Victoria back to Vancouver takes about three hours.

  Nothing shows you Canada like a trip on the train.  Your bedroom is VIA Rail’s “top of the line” accommodation.  Your sitting room by day, converts to upper and lower berths at night.  Once aboard the train, the staff will see you settled into your room.  As a Silver and Blue Class passenger, your fare includes all meals, use of any of the lounges and unlimited access to the skyline car for spectacular domed-viewing.
  Overnight - Spent aboard VIA Rail 

  Day 5 – Enroute to Jasper (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

  You will wake this morning to the beauty of the Canadian Rockies, as you continue your rail journey to Jasper. Today you follow the Thompson River through rolling plateaus, into the snowy peaks of the Monashee Mountains.  Pass by Mt. Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.   A full Canadian breakfast is offered as well as lunch, prior to your arrival in Jasper this afternoon.   Upon arriving in Jasper, we have arranged a transfer to the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.  Here you will find wilderness elegance at its finest.  The Lodge offers golf, tennis, a beautiful swimming pool, hiking and horseback riding.  Yet, you may choose to walk the grounds, gaze at the reflections in the emerald lake and sit on your porch.   Dinner this evening has been arranged at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.

  Overnight – Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge – Deluxe Room with sitting area

  Day 6 - Jasper (Breakfast & Dinner)

  Relax and have a wonderfully unhurried breakfast.  If you decide to have breakfast from room service, you will be surprised to see it delivered on a bike, an experience that only the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge provides.  This afternoon we have booked you on the drive to Maligne Lake with a cruise to Spirit Island.  The drive is simply beautiful.  If you are lucky, you will see the crowd of longhorn sheep that wait along the road; hoping that they might be the recipients of a few treats from the passing sightseers.  The cruise to Spirit Island is as informative as it is beautiful.  And if you have always wondered why the picture of Spirit Island seems so familiar, you might find out. When you return to the Lodge, stroll the walking paths around the lake or ask to leave the tour in downtown Jasper.  The long summer days leave plenty of time to explore the town or the Lodge before dinner. This evening, enjoy dinner again at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.

  Overnight – Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge – Deluxe Room with sitting area

  Day 7 – Jasper to Lake Louise (Breakfast & Dinner)

  This morning you meet your driver and say goodbye to Jasper; as you get ready for a sightseeing day filled with towering peaks, rushing streams and thundering waterfalls.  A highlight of this day is a visit to the Columbia Icefields for a ride on a specially constructed Ice Explorer.   You will be on snow and ice, so please make sure your footwear is appropriate.  When you tour by private car, you can pack a multitude of sightseeing treasures into one day.  Your driver knows the history, the people and the geology of the area.  A visit to special places brings a great deal of value to this day. When you arrive at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, your driver will assist with your check-in arrangements.

  Overnight – Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise - Lake View

  Day 8 – Lake Louise to Banff (Breakfast)

  Your morning is at leisure, so enjoy a delicious breakfast before walking the grounds of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. You will not be able to resist the sight of the vivid turquoise waters of Lake Louise and the magnificence of Victoria Glacier.   Even when you see it, you can hardly believe that it is real!  This afternoon, meet your driver and continue your sightseeing enroute to Banff.  You will find it surprising that each of the three resort areas in Alberta have scenery that is quite different.  Banff is very alpine, with the mountains close around you.  You will see rushing falls and mysterious hoodoo clusters.  You may choose to take a trip to the top of Sulphur Mountain for a 360-degree view of Banff and the beautiful Bow Valley.   The Fairmont Banff Springs offers a wide range of activities including a deluxe European Spa and a world famous golf course.

  Overnight – Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel – Fairmont Deluxe View Side

  Day 9 – Banff to Calgary Home

  Your driver will meet you for your transfer to Calgary Airport.  We hope you have enjoyed this wonderful visit to Western Canada.  Thank you for selecting a Cartan Tour.