Longest train journey in North America and second longest in the world.
We had an eye on The Canadian for two years and we finally took the plunge in December 2024. We were hoping for a good experience, what we got, instead, was an experience of a lifetime.
We have made an effort to travel within Canada a fair bit and to experience Canada in all weather; however, we were not prepared for this kind of an experience.
The landscape and scenery made us fall in love with Canada all over again!
About The Canadian
The Canadian or Via Rail Train #1 is a transcontinental passenger train operated by Via Rail with service between Toronto and Vancouver. It is the second longest train route in the world and has been Via Rail’s sole transcontinental service since 1990.
Currently, the Canadian operates twice per week, departing Toronto on Wednesdays and Sundays and Vancouver on Mondays and Fridays and the journey takes about four days.
Via has three trains designated as “The Canadian”. There are two, running in opposite directions, always on the track, while, the third waits for the on-track trains to reach their final destination before taking over and allowing one of them to rest. The three trains rotate and “The Canadian” runs the entire year, though, in different capacities.
The train offers multiple accommodation tiers – “economy”, “berth”, “sleeper” cabins for one and two, and “prestige” for two. The meal service is included with sleeper and prestige.
People from all over the world travel to Canada for this “experience” and the sleeper tier is booked months in advance and the prestige up to a year in advance.
Our Experience
The accommodation was luxurious, food delicious and the service exemplary. The experience of spending 4 days in awe of stunning Canada was incredible.
We embarked on the journey on 25th December at 9am from Toronto and ended at 8am in Vancouver on 29th December. During this winter month, we had around 8 hours of sunlight everyday and our scheduled train stops were in the evening or early morning.
The four days were a sheet of white across Canada and it was pretty.
No matter the season, The Canadian offers a breathtaking experience.
Oh Beautiful Canada!
We travelled through five Canadian provinces with each offering a different landscape – Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Ontario was the widest of the five and it took us more than 24 hours to cross over to Manitoba. Ontario offered the most varied landscape with towns, forests and the beautiful prairies. The flatlands of Saskatchewan were beautiful and the Rockies of Alberta were breathtaking.
We have never experienced a multi-day travel with nothing but white around us. It was truly beautiful and we fell in love with Canada all over again.
Our train stopped at Winnipeg for a few hours which allowed us to step out and enjoy the beautiful downtown (?). The Winnipeg sign, people skating and the 45 min walk was a good break. Saskatoon was a quick stop of only 30 minutes and while other folks got off the train, we stayed back to enjoy the views from the dome car. At Edmonton, we got down around 9pm to spend around 30 minutes walking on the platform. We also stopped at Jasper early in the morning for three hours – folks stepped out to explore Jasper downtown on foot and to grab some breakfast.
Fellow Passengers
If you like to meet people from different walks of life, this will be an experience of a life time.
If you enjoy solitude and like to experience journeys alone with your thoughts, this will be an experience of a life time.
The Canadian is not a commuter train; while, it does transport passengers from Toronto to Vancouver, its primary agenda is to provide an experience.
We spent majority of our time on the train with a couple traveling from Australia and two more couples traveling from the UK. All of us were of different age groups and came from different walks of life; yet, we were all there, together, sharing the same experience.
At the same time, we met plenty of people who didn’t want to converse or didn’t want to be disturbed. There was no expectation to mingle if one didn’t want to – to each their own and, I think, everyone knew this and appreciated this.
The Canadian: Prestige Class
We spent our time on The Canadian in Prestige class. This trip was the last of our 2024 sabbatical and we wanted to end it with an experience of a lifetime.
While costly, the Prestige Class delivers on its promises!
The prestige car is the second last car and has the park car behind it and the dining car ahead of it. There is also an activities car with Bingo, movie nights and board games. The train has three dome cars – one for economy, one with the sleeper cars and the last park car.
There are plenty of blogs and videos that detail every aspect of the Prestige Class; hence, we’ll stick to detailing the unexpected.
- Smaller than shown on the internet: The photos online make the prestige cabin look bigger than it really is. While tremendously comfortable and accommodating, it is big enough only for two people and maybe a couple of carry-ons.
- Luggage space is limited: There is very little space to keep your luggage in the cabin. The only available space is under the seats and is inaccessible while the bed is down. There is only one shelf to keep things that need on a daily basis. Your checked bags travel in a separate baggage car and you do not have access to those bags at anytime in the trip.
- Shower is well equipped but small: The private shower and toilet space is very well equipped with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, a hair dryer and plenty of towels. It, however, is narrow and for a bigger person like Gautam, it’s a tight squeeze. The shower area specially rocks back and forth while the train is in motion.
- The service is excellent: The experience wouldn’t have been epic without the staff and the unparalleled service they provide. You just need to ask them for anything and they happily oblige – bed down please, bed up please, snacks, bar service – anything you need. They clean your room twice a day and leave chocolates in your room at night.
- Bed is very comfortable: The mattress is firm and comfortable and the bed is big and spacious.
- Dips on Dome seats: Half of the dome car is reserved for Prestige and we always had a place to sit and enjoy the views.
- Privacy: The blackout shades ensure you have complete privacy and the cabin provides excellent sound proofing and isolation.
Dining
Both sleeper and prestige have breakfast, lunch and dinner included; Prestige, however, has the bar service and additional snacks included as well.
- Breakfast: Option of pancakes, continental, transcontinental, chef’s ommlette and a vegan option with toast.
- Lunch & Dinner: Both are three course meals with soup or salad to get you started, a large main dish and dessert to satisfy that sweet tooth.
As part of this elite class, you are invited to the dining car five minutes ahead of everyone else so that you can take your seats and settle down before anyone else arrives. In addition, around 3:30pm, you are offered some delicious snacks – from lobster rolls to charcuterie boards.
You will never go hungry on this train.
Tips & Mistakes to avoid
Yay or Nay
Oh a definite yes! If this kind of travel interests you, you will not be disappointed!
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