When I said I was off to Canada to friends, it immediately sparked a flurry of excitement - Where are you visiting? Are you going on the Rocky Mountaineer? And what will you see?
We were so incredibly lucky to be able to say we spent time in beautiful Vancouver, hopped on the Rocky Mountaineer to Banff in Gold Leaf and finished the trip in famous Calgary. We had experienced plenty - we took a gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain, walked on frozen Lake Louise, whizzed over Capilano Suspension Bridge and looked down at the sprawling skyline from the top of Calgary Tower. We saw wildlife and dramatic scenery from the luxury of the Rocky Mountaineer train. Our whistle stop tour lasted 6 days - what a great introduction to Canada with the expertise of Prestige Travel!
Day 1
We arrived in Vancouver after a 10hr 45 flight with Air Canada. First stop was the Fairmont Vancouver downtown hotel. After checking in we headed to the hotel restaurant for a fresh and vibrant 3 course meal.
Day 2
We spent the day exploring Vancouver, a city I fell in love with - from the Native American story poles in Stanley Park to the funky waterfront hotels and cafes on the harbour. We drove to Capilano Suspension Bridge (you can take a shuttle from downtown Vancouver quite easily) and heard the stories of the indigenous people. After visiting the treetop walk, we then headed over to Granville Island for a foodie tour around the local farmer’s market. Spoiler- we ate a lot of food on this trip!
We tried about 20 different stalls on our foodie tour - from flame baked salmon and fresh artisan breads to award winning pickles! I had to buy some of the fabulous lemon coconut squares to take home. Granville Island is a very bohemian area of Vancouver with a great vibe, lots of local buskers, craft markets and great food. Our next stop of the day was Vancouver flyover - an absolutely mind blowing experience where virtual reality makes you believe you are flying over the Rockies! It must be seen to be believed and is 100% worth a visit! After our jam packed day, we headed back downtown for tea.
Day 3 & 4
Up at 6am to board the Rocky Mountaineer! We were taking the route from Vancouver to Banff with 1 night in Kamloops. We pulled up at the station and it felt like something out of a movie scene - you head into the terminal building to check in and grab a coffee before boarding the train for your 13 hour luxury day through the Rockies.
Gold leaf was spectacular, you had heated seats, a domed roof for those panoramic views, separate dining cart for lunch and breakfast sittings and an open air viewing platform. The food was out of this world- you had sittings for lunch and dinner and all the ingredients were always fresh and local. You could order cocktails, wine, snacks and coffee as much as you desired throughout the day! The scenery was vast coming out of Vancouver, there were some more dry arid landscapes before hitting the awe inspiring scenery of the Rockies.
After our first day on board the train we overnighter in Kamloops, tired but ready for the next day’s adventure. Day 4 was Kamloops to Banff- today the train was travelling through more dramatic scenery than the previous day - snow capped Mountain tops and frozen lakes. The weather started to get considerably colder as we headed towards snowy Banff.
Day 5
Today we woke up to snow and minus 6 degrees in beautiful Banff! Thank goodness we packed layers and I'm glad I grabbed a warm coat last minute before leaving home! Banff was great fun - we headed up the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain and took in the views at the top before lunch at the Alpine Kitchen. It was a few degrees colder at the top and very windy! Quite a contrast to sunny Vancouver.
After lunch we headed down the Mountain and drove to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Lake Louise was still frozen (and will stay this way until June!) so we didn't get to see the turquoise blue waters but we got to enjoy watching people skating on the top! Lake Louise is stunning nonetheless and a great area for hikers and walkers. After an icy walk we headed back to Banff for a hosted dinner in the 3 bears brewery.
Day 6
This morning we were up and out of the Canoe Hotel in Banff and on the road for our way to Calgary and visit to the Fairmont there. We had a short city tour to get our bearings and visited Calgary library, the Tower, Municipal buildings and human rights monuments. After lunch and a site visit at the Fairmont we were off to the airport for our flight home.
Canada is a real bucket list trip and there are so many things to see and do - please get in touch if you would like me to tailor make your next adventure in partnership with Prestige Travel.
