If you are the meditative type and like to travel while taking your time, train journeys are sure to make you dream.
In the heart of the mountains, by a river or under the northern lights, here are some suggestions for rail adventures to discover across Canada, inspired by Destination Canada.
Along the St. Lawrence River with Charlevoix train
Quebec La Malbay | a day or more, depending on the package
Credit: Train de Charlevoix / Caroline Perron
Along the river at the foot of the mountains and through the picturesque coastal villages of Côtes de Beaubre and Charlevoix: this is what awaits you on this tourist train connecting the Falls of Montmorency (Quebec) and La Malbay. The Charlevois train travels 125 km and stops in seven villages, including Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Baie-Saint-Paul, Les Éboulements and Saint-Irénée. Various holidays and formulas are offered. It is possible to take the trip at the height of the color season, and this year the train will run until October 23.
Credit: Train de Charlevoix / Caroline Perron
The Maritimes are on barsOcean
From Montreal to Halifax | one day and one night
Going to the Maritimes by train? It’s possible to board Via Rail’s Ocean, which runs between Montreal, Halifax, and Nova Scotia via Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie, and New Brunswick. The trip is 1346 km and lasts for one day and one night. It takes longer than taking the car of course, but the experience is very different, especially if you book the “sleeping car” class: meals in the “car restaurant”, the night in a private cabin and discovering the small marine communities from a completely different angle.
The Rockies aboard Rocky Mountaineer
From Vancouver to Banff | 2 days or more, depending on the package
Vancouver, Whistler, Kamloops, Jasper, Quesnel, Lake Louise, Banff… The Rocky Mountaineer is a panoramic train, with cars with a glass roof, offering cruises on the Canadian Pacific Railway between Vancouver, Columbia Columbia, and Rocky, Alberta. Various routes are offered, but they all pass through some of the most spectacular landscapes in the country. Since there is no berth on the train, nights are spent in hotels along the way.
In the polar bears on Through the path of adventure
Winnipeg to Churchill | Two days and two nights
This train falls into the “Adventures of a Lifetime” category as it takes passengers across northern Manitoba, through prairies, boreal forests and tundra, to remote Hudson Bay. The trip begins in Winnipeg and ends 1697 km away, in Churchill, where you can see polar bears (in October and November), hundreds of beluga whales (in July and August) and the northern lights (especially in the cold season). The train obviously has a restaurant car and a cabin, and it also has a panoramic dome.
Credit: Travel Manitoba Credit: Travel Manitoba
In the wild north of Ontario inAgawa Train
From Sault Ste Marie to Agawa Canyon | day 1
Credit: Destination Ontario
The Agawa Canyon Tour is especially popular during color season, and it departs from downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and travel 183 km to Agawa Canyon Park, home to a canyon that formed 1.2 billion years ago in the Canadian Shield. On site, passengers have time to explore trails, observation decks, and waterfalls. On the train, comments allow you to learn about the history of the Ojibways, the fur traders, explorers, and entrepreneurs who shaped and traveled this wilderness.
Credit: Destination Ontario
Natalie Sinclair is a contributor at Vaughantoday.ca, covering a wide range of topics including local news, politics, business, technology, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on delivering clear, accurate reporting and useful information that helps readers stay informed about current events and issues that matter to their communities. Her work highlights timely developments, relevant stories, and practical insights in a professional and reader-friendly manner.