Great Canadian Cities by Rail

Tour Information

Tour Canada’s great eastern cities, travelling with VIA Rail and witnessing some beautiful scenery along the way. You’ll start in dynamic, cosmopolitan Toronto, one of Canada’s main business centres and with a thriving cultural scene as well. Spend three nights in the city, with a day trip by coach to the thundering Niagara Falls, before stepping aboard the VIA Rail service to Ottawa, Canada’s historic capital city. See sights like the Rideau Canal, the impressive Parliament Building, bustling Byward Market and some of the city’s world-class museums. Then it’s by rail to Quebec City, the only remaining walled city in North America, where you’ll have a two night stop, giving you plenty of time to explore before you head on to your final stop Montreal, one of the largest French-speaking cities in the world.

Day 1

After a transatlantic flight, welcome to Toronto! Multicultural, bustling and dynamic, Toronto rightly deserves to be called a metropolis. You’ll be impressed by its pace, its stark lines, the cleanliness of its streets, its high-class stores and its well-established reputation as a city of business.
Transfer on your own to your downtown hotel and collect your travel documents before setting out to explore.
3 Nights Toronto
Standard: Bond Place Hotel
Select: Radisson Admiral

Day 2

Toronto
This morning enjoy a guided tour of Toronto. See City Hall, Chinatown and much more. This afternoon take advantage of the opportunity to see even more of Toronto. Toronto is one of the top centers of English-language theatre, after London and New York. If you enjoy museums, art centers and art galleries, you’ll find plenty to delight you in this effervescent city. Noteworthy are, among others, the famous Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Science Centre of Ontario. The Lake Ontario waterfront exerts a strong pull: you can stroll, visit Ontario Place or the Skydome, or admire the sunset from the top of the CN tower, the world’s highest free-standing structure.

Day 3

Niagara Falls Excursion
Today it’s on to Niagara Falls. Shaped like a gigantic, 675- these magnificent waterfalls are 54 meters high. Their incredible power and the flow of water of up to 6 millions liters per second make them one of the country’s most enduringly popular attractions. Long known as a honeymoon destination, Niagara Falls is without question a highly developed tourist centre. With boat cruises to the foot of the falls, helicopter fly-overs, underground tunnels, and dinner overlooking the top, the falls can be admired from every angle.

Day 4-5

Ottawa
Board VIA RAIL this morning for a trip to Canada’s capital. The Rideau Canal which winds through the centre of the city is a highly prized leisure spot. A stop at the Parliament Building is essential. Visit its galleries and the magnificent circular library, and watch the changing of the guard, or attend the famous question time. Check out the stalls at Byward market, look around the antiques market or stroll through the gardens and public rooms of Rideau Hall, house of the governor-general. In the evening, visit the Hull Casino. Home to more than 29 museums, Ottawa is a hotbed of cultural activity. The Canadian Museum of Civilization has an impressive collection of totems standing in its historical gallery. The Canada Science and Technology Museum overflows with ingenuity. The National Gallery of Canada is worth a visit.
2 Nights Ottawa
Standard & Select: Capital Hill Hotel &Suites

Day 6-7

Québec
Today, Québec, the only walled city in North America awaits. As you stroll through the streets and alleys of this romantic city, you will see and feel the traces of history all around you. Poised on a headland below which the St. Lawrence narrows, the “Old Capital” was first a fur-trading post, and then became a major fort in New France. Close by, on the Plains of Abraham, the English and French fought one of the most important battles in the history of the Americas. As a result, control over the colony passed to the British, who laid the political foundations of the Canada we know today. You will soon understand why Québec City‘s historic district appears on Unesco’s world heritage list! Take the time to visit the museums, enjoy a drink in a sidewalk café, and take a short river cruise.
2 Nights Québec
Standard: Hotel Governeurs Ste-Foy
Select: Clarendon Hotel

Day 8-9

Montréal
Today, you’re off to Québec’s largest city, Montréal. Its museums, concert halls, movie theatres, department stores and specialized shops justify the city’s international reputation. Bilingual Montréal is also the world’s second-largest French speaking city, after Paris. In Old Montréal, on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, you will find architecture dating back to the era when Canada was New France. The downtown area is home to the Fine Arts Museum, La Place des Arts (a concert-hall and art gallery complex), and a host of other attractions. Mount Royal, the wooded hill that dominates the city, is a park that is a pleasure to relax in. Visit the Notre-Dame Basilica, the Olympic Park and the Biodôme (where complete natural ecosystems are reproduced). Try your luck at the Casino de Montréal.
2 Nights Montréal
Standard: Holiday Inn Montréal Midtown
Select: Plaza Hotel Centre Ville

Day 10

Toronto/Home
Return to Toronto this morning to catch your homeward flight, taking with you memories of a very special holiday in Canada’s great Eastern cities!

What's Included

9 nights accommodation in hotels as specified or similar standard
All VIA RAIL transportation
Guided tour of Toronto
Full day Niagara Falls Excursion
Passenger Documentation on arrival