How to travel Canada by train
If you’re planning your next adventure you may not need to look farther than our great homeland. There’s no need to book a flight and travel to exotic destinations when you can save on the foreign exchange and stay at home. Why not travel Canada by train for your next vacation?
I’m no stranger to embarking on cross-country train adventures. I enjoy travelling, but a recent fear of flying has left me with the good old rails as my main mode of transportation. In the last two years, I’ve travelled from Montreal to Nashville, Tennessee and Austin, Texas by train. And you know what? I truly enjoyed it. Travelling by train is longer than flying, but it’s carefree and more relaxing than driving.
Here are three tips to help enjoy travelling Canada by train:
Wait for a seat sale
VIA Rail is not cheap. A one-way coach ticket from Toronto to Vancouver starts at $800 before tax and the price increases from there, depending on the amenities you choose for your seat. VIA Rail offers different levels of sleeping accommodations on their trains, but the more privacy you want the more expensive your ticket will be.
Keep in mind that travelling across Canada on the train is probably a once in a lifetime experience, but it’s still best to wait for a ticket sale. Sign up for the VIA Rail mailing list and use travel apps to help find the best prices.
Take breaks along the way
It takes three days to travel Canada by train from Toronto to Vancouver. The views will be spectacular and you will meet some great people along the way, but that’s a long time to be confined. I suggest splitting up the long haul into shorter trips. If you have the time, it’s a good idea to get off the train for a day or two in major cities along the way because it allows you to see more of our country and give your body a break from being in constant motion.
When I travelled from Chicago to Austin, it took 28 hours. When I got off the train I still felt like I was in motion for several hours afterwards. For long train voyages, I definitely suggest getting off to stretch your legs with a night in a hotel on steady land.
Get ready to take a lot of photos – and meet new people
You may think that being confined to a train for three days would be boring, but the truth is the exact opposite is true. ViaRail offer a variety of places to go and things to see on the train, such as a coffee lounge car, a bar car, a community dining car and a scenic dome car where the entire roof is glass. You can take photos of the entire journey, the beautiful landscapes and the new people you’re sure to meet.
I always meet interesting people on the train, mostly because the dining car is first come first serve and community seating. That means you could be eating dinner with a total stranger – what an adventure. If you want a first-class experience on the train you can book a private sleeper car in Prestige Class which comes with your own personal butler. Whoever thought travelling Canada by train could be so fancy?