Canadian
long-distance trains are run by VIA
Rail Canada, www.viarail.ca.
They're a great way to see the country, whether you travel on
the inter-city trains between Toronto, Montréal and Québec,
the "Océan" from Montréal to Halifax or Canada's classic
trans-continental train, "The Canadian" from Toronto to
Winnipeg, Edmonton, Jasper & Vancouver. As well as VIA
Rail, there's the excellent Rocky Mountaineer through the
Rockies between Vancouver & Banff, Calgary or Jasper.
This page explains routes, timetables, prices & what the
trains are like.
Right: The gleaming stainless steel of 'The
Canadian' waits to leave Toronto for Vancouver, under the shadow of
the famous CN Tower - don't tell me you didn't know that
'CN' stands for Canadian National Railways!
Two
excellent daily
trains link New York with Montreal & Toronto, with inexpensive
fares, comfortable reclining seats, a café car & great scenery along the
Hudson River Valley. They are run by Amtrak, jointly with
VIA Rail in the case of the train to Toronto.
New York ► Montreal
& Toronto
Toronto
& Montreal ► New York
Daily
Daily
Daily
Daily
Train name:
The Maple Leaf
Adirondack
Train name:
Adirondack
The Maple Leaf
New York (Penn Station) depart
07:15
08:15
Montreal depart
09:30
Niagara Falls USA
16:33
|
Toronto (union Station) depart
|
08:30
Toronto (Union Station) arrive
19:37
|
Niagara Falls USA
|
12:30
Montreal arrive
19:10
New York (Penn Station) arrive
20:35
22:05
The New
York-Toronto train is the 'Maple Leaf' with coach class & business
class. The New York-Montreal train
is the 'Adirondack', with coach class. Both trains
have comfortable air-conditioned reclining seats and a café car,
and are a day well spent, highly recommended. Both trains
travel right along the scenic Hudson River valley all the way
from New York to Albany, with superb views of the river,
including West Point Military Academy, Bannerman's Island and
Storm King Mountain. As its name suggests, the Montreal
train also heads through the scenic Adirondack Mountains.
Passports are checked at the US/Canadian border, there is no
check-in as such in New York, Toronto or Montreal, you just need
to arrive at the station in time to collect your tickets and
board the train.
Fares: New York-Montreal costs $62. New York
to Toronto costs $105.
How to buy tickets:
For one-way or return journeys starting in New York, you can check times
& fares and buy your ticket
online at www.amtrak.com.
After booking and paying online you print off a confirmation
with a bar-code. At New York Penn station before departure
you simply swipe the barcode under the scanner of any Amtrak
self-service machine and it will print your tickets. For
one-way or return journeys starting in Toronto, you can
book tickets online at
www.viarail.ca.
The VIA Rail booking system may make it look like two trains,
but is is in fact just one direct train.
Reclining
seats in Coach Class, as used on the 'Maple Leaf' New
York-Toronto train...
'Amfleet'
cars, as used on the daily 'Maple Leaf' from New York's
Penn Station along the scenic Hudson River valley to
Toronto's Union Station.
A scenic ride along the Hudson River Valley:
Both the 'Maple Leaf' & 'Adirondack' head out of New
York's Penn Station towards Albany along the scenic Hudson
River Valley, with the rails often right next to the
river. Look out for West Point Military Academy on
the far bank, Storm King Mountain (pictured above left) and Bannerman's Island.
Enjoy breakfast from the cafe car, then in the afternoon
perhaps a half-bottle of wine or 'Sam Adams' Boston beer.
At Albany, the train swings west and crosses the Hudson
river with great views of the State Capitol from the
bridge. On the train to Montreal, you'll also pass
through the highly-scenic Adirondack mountains; On
the 'Maple Leaf' to Toronto, you'll call at Niagara Falls,
and although you can't see them from the train, why not
stop off there for 24 hours en route? Either way,
relax, forget about airport & airline hassle and simply
enjoy the journey! The best views are on the
left-hand side of the train heading north from New York,
right-hand side heading south from Canada. However,
on the Adirondack you'll get views of Lake Champlain on
the right of the train going north to Montreal, left
heading south from Montreal.
Seattle to Vancouver...
Two daily articulated
Spanish-designed 'Talgo' trains link Seattle with Vancouver, one
morning, one evening.
For details, see
www.amtrakcascades.com
or www.amtrak.com. You can also travel between
Vancouver and Seattle via Victoria, the British Columbia
provincial capital, on Vancouver Island: There is a daily
catamaran service between Seattle and Victoria (see www.victoriaclipper.com
for times & fares), and regular buses link Victoria with
Vancouver (see www.pacificcoach.com
for times & fares).
Toronto - Montréal, Toronto - Ottawa,
Montreal - Ottawa...
VIA Rail's fast modern inter-city
trains link Toronto, Ottawa & Montréal. Montréal to Toronto takes about 4 hours 40
minutes city centre to city centre, and the fare starts at around
Can$78 if you book in advance, or CA$152 regular fare. Toronto to Ottawa takes about 4 hours
20
minutes and also costs from Can$78, regular fare Can$140.
Montreal to Ottawa takes 1 hour 50 minutes, fares from Can$35,
regular fare Can$61. You can check times, fares
& book online at www.viarail.ca.
Montréal - Québec...
From
Montréal to Québec, air-conditioned trains run several times daily,
taking less than 3 hours. The fare is around Can$47 if you
book in advance. Check times, fares
& book online at www.viarail.ca.
Above: Inside
Toronto's magnificent & historic Union Station.
It's right in the city
centre opposite the famous Royal York Hotel. Photo
courtesy of James Chuang.
Above: Business
Class seats on a Toronto-Montreal intercity train.
The clever money rides the train...
Toronto -
Winnipeg - Edmonton - Jasper - Vancouver
The
greatest train in Canada and one of the world's greatest train
journeys, VIA Rail's "Canadian" runs 3 times a week
all-year-round linking Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Jasper &
Vancouver. The journey takes 4 nights (it took 3 nights
before they changed the timetable around in December 2008), and the train
consists of the original 1955-built stainless-steel coaches
from the Canadian Pacific Railway's "Canadian". You can
travel very affordably in 'Economy class' in a reclining seat, or
in 'Sleeper Touring class' (formerly 'Silver and Blue' class) with a
private sleeping-car room and restaurant car meals included.
Above:
The Skyline dome car...
Above:
"The Canadian" at Jasper...
You can check times
& fares for a specific date at www.viarail.ca.
Toronto ►
Winnipeg ► Vancouver
Vancouver ►
Winnipeg ► Toronto
Distance:
"The Canadian"
"The Canadian"
0 km
Toronto
depart:
22:00
(day 1)
Tue,
Thur, Sat
Vancouver
depart:
20:30
(day 1)
Tue,
Fri, Sun
1,943 km
Winnipeg
arrive:
08:01 (day 3)
Thur, Sat, Mon
Kamloops North
arr/dep
06:35
(day 2)
Wed, Sat, Mon
Winnipeg
depart:
12:00 (day 3)
Thur, Sat, Mon
Jasper
arrive:
16:00 (day 2)
Wed, Sat, Mon
2,702 km
Saskatoon arr/dep:
23:47 (day 3)
Thur,
Sat, Mon
Jasper
depart:
17:30
(day 2)
Wed,
Sat, Mon
3,221km
Edmonton
arrive:
06:37
(day 4)
Fri, Sun, Tue
Edmonton
arrive:
23:00
(day 2)
Wed,
Sat, Mon
3,221km
Edmonton
depart:
07:37
(day 4)
Fri, Sun, Tue
Edmonton
depart:
23:45 (day 2)
Wed,
Sat, Mon
3,600 km
Jasper
arrive:
13:00
(day 4)
Fri, Sun, Tue
Saskatoon arr/dep
09:10 (day 3)
Thu,
Sun, Tue
3,600 km
Jasper
depart:
14:30
(day 4)
Fri, Sun, Tue
Winnipeg
arrive:
20:30
(day 3)
Thu,
Sun, Tue
-
Kamloops North
arr/dep:
23:09 (day 4)
Fri, Sun, Tue
Winnipeg
depart:
23:30 (day 3)
Thu,
Sun, Tue
4,466 km
Vancouver
arrive:
09:42
(day 5)
Sat,
Mon, Wed
Toronto
arrive:
09:30
(day 5)
Sat,
Tue, Thur
Fares
One-way fare per person
Economy Class -
reclining
seat
Sleeper Touring Class -
'section' sleeper
Sleeper Touring Class
-
roomette or bedroom
Toronto to Vancouver
Can$507 to Can$596
Can$970 to Can$1,541
Can$1,464 to Can$2,324
The fare varies by time of year, higher in July & August,
Easter, etc., lower at other times.
Just go to
www.viarail.ca
to check fares for your date of travel in your chosen
class.
Economy class (reclining seats)...
In Economy Class, formerly known as
Comfort Class, you have a
comfortable reclining seat and access to the Comfort Class
'Skyline' car with coffee shop, lounge and 'vista dome'.
Sleeping in a seat may not be as comfortable as having a proper
sleeper, but the seats recline to about 40 degrees, have loads
of legroom and leg rests. An Economy class seat costs a
fraction of the price of a Sleeper Touring class sleeper, and with a
coffee shop, lounge area and observation dome, the facilities in
Economy class are still excellent. It's an experience
streets ahead of a mere flight, and infinitely more comfortable
than bus travel.
Sleeper Touring class (sleepers)...
This is the luxury option.
Formerly known as Silver
& Blue class,
in Sleeper Touring class you have your own private 2-berth bedroom or 1-berth roomette
or 'section' with comfortable beds, the fare includes all meals in the
elegant Sleeper Touring class restaurant car, and you can use the famous 'Park'
observation-lounge car at
the rear of the train. The 'Park' car, 18 of which were
built and all named after Canadian parks, features a classic
north American 'vista
dome' upstairs, the bullet lounge at the rear (complimentary
tea and coffee always available) and the mural lounge
downstairs underneath the dome. There are several different types of sleeper, all with hot showers at the end of the
corridor:
Sections:
Sections (see photo above) are the cheapest type of sleeper,
also known as simply 'upper or lower berths'.
Sections consist of open-plan seats arranged in pairs facing each
other (useful bit of information: The person with the
slightly more expensive lower berth always gets the seat facing
forward during the day). At night, the seats pull together to form a lower
berth, and an upper berth folds out from the wall.
Curtains are fitted to each bunk for privacy. If you've
seen Marilyn Monroe in 'Some Like it Hot', then you'll have seen
'sections' - the girl band travels from Chicago to Florida in a
sleeping-car with sections. Bring your own Marilyn...
Roomettes or
bedroom: The next step up from a section
is a roomette or bedroom. If you are travelling alone, you
will travel in a roomette. This is a very compact
single room, just big enough for a large seat with plenty of
legroom, and a leg-rest with a toilet bowl hidden
underneath. There is a washbasin in the corner. At
night, a bed folds down from behind the seat, taking up almost
all of the roomette. Bedrooms are larger rooms for two
people, with separate en suite washroom and toilet. An
upper and lower berth convert to seats for daytime use.
Bedrooms are the same price per person as a roomette.
Economy
Class seating. Seats have a generous recline
and fold-out leg-rests...
Sleeper
Touring Class dining-car. Meals are included
for sleeper touring class passengers...
Sleeper Touring Class
'Section'
sleepers, in daytime mode.
Sleeper Touring Class single-bed roomette.
Perhaps the cosiest room for one person on the rails!
Just big enough for one armchair by day with toilet shown
here with padded lid closed, washbasin and fold out table.
The bed is stored behind the seat, on its end (in the
middle picture you can see the handle to lower the bed). At
night, the bed folds down and takes up most of the
compartment - you need to raise it to use the toilet!
Photos courtesy of
The Canadian's 'Park' car:
Left:
Sleeper Touring class passengers
can use the 'Park' car at the rear of the train.
Below left: The
'bullet lounge' at the back of the
train.
Below right: Go up into the vista dome for
superb views of the scenery all around the train.
Economy class seats passengers also have access to a
sightseeing dome.
How to
buy tickets...
The best and
cheapest way to buy tickets is direct from VIA Rail, online
at www.viarail.ca.
You collect the tickets at the station before departure. Alternatively, you can make
VIA Rail bookings in the UK through First Rail Ltd on 0845
644 3553. Canadian railpasses.
Can you stop off
on the way? Yes, of course you can, but every leg
requires a reservation and must be ticketed separately.
So if you want to go Toronto-Vancouver stopping off for a few
days in Jasper, you need to book a Toronto-Jasper ticket for a
specific date, then a Jasper-Vancouver ticket for the date you
want to travel onwards.
Pacific Central station,
Vancouver.
The Canadian in the platform at
Vancouver, waiting to board passengers for Toronto...
Watch the video -
Canada by train
It's a PR video, of
course, but it gives you a good idea of a train journey
right across Canada, from Vancouver to Toronto on the
'Canadian' with observation domes, lounges, diner &
sleepers, then by inter-city train from Toronto to Montreal,
and finally Montreal to Halifax on the 'Ocean'...
Canada's
trans-continental trains: A brief history...
There were (and are) two competing trans-continental rail routes
across Canada. The Canadian Pacific Railway opened the
first trans-continental line across Canada in 1885, running from
Montreal/Toronto to Vancouver via Winnipeg, Calgary and Banff.
Instead of taking the easiest route through the Rockies via the
Yellowhead pass, political tension with the United States led
them to take a more difficult (and scenic) southerly route
through the Kicking Horse pass. The
second and later line, built around 1917 by the Canadian
Northern Railway (nationalised in 1921 as Canadian National
Railways or 'CN', as in the CN Tower), runs from
Montreal/Toronto to Vancouver to the north of the CPR
route, via Winnipeg, Edmonton, Jasper and the easier Yellowhead
pass.
VIA Rail was
formed in 1978 as a government corporation to take over the
passenger trains from these two private companies, which now
only run freight trains. Initially, VIA Rail continued to
run both the Canadian Pacific's 'Canadian' and the Canadian
National's 'Super-Continental' daily on each of these two
trans-continental routes,
with the rolling stock getting progressively older and less
reliable. However, in 1990, this was reduced to
one train, the present-day 'Canadian', running from Toronto to
Vancouver 3 times a week via the Canadian National route
through Winnipeg, Edmonton and Jasper. VIA Rail lacked the
funds to buy new cars, so they completely rebuilt and upgraded the original stainless steel 'streamliner' coaches built
in 1955 for the Canadian Pacific's 'Canadian', making this train
a real classic in its own right as well as transportation from A
to B. There are now no regular passenger
services on the original 1885 Canadian Pacific route through Calgary or Banff, apart from the
excellent Rocky Mountaineer which runs
between Calgary, Banff & Vancouver, 3 times a week
April-October.
Vancouver - Victoria
If
you're going to Vancouver, don't miss a trip to the
British Columbia provincial capital, Victoria, on Vancouver Island.
Regular buses link Vancouver with Victoria in about 3½ hours,
going on board a ferry to reach the Island. See www.pacificcoach.com
for times and fares. To head onwards to the States, there
is a daily fast catamaran service between Victoria and Seattle -
see www.victoriaclipper.com
or direct trains Vancouver-Seattle, see
www.amtrakcascades.com
or www.amtrak.com.
The Océan has
'Economy class' reclining seats, 'Sleeper class' sleeping-cars,
with restaurant car, coffee shop and lounge. In the summer
tourist season from June to October it also has 'Sleeper Touring
class'
sleeping-cars and a 1955-vintage stainless-steel observation
dome/lounge car at the back, like the one attached to the rear
of the 'Canadian'. This
observation/lounge car is reserved exclusively for Sleeper
Touring
class passengers, and meals in the restaurant car are included
in the Sleeper Touring class fare (extra for other passengers).
In summer, all departures of the Océan use modern air-conditioned sleeping-cars (some with private
toilet and shower) and reclining seat cars
originally built in the UK for the abortive Channel Tunnel night
trains, and now marketed by VIA Rail as 'Renaissance' cars.
In winter (Nov-April), four departures per week use Renaissance
cars, the remaining two departures per week
use 1955-built stainless steels seats and sleepers, similar to
those used on the Toronto-Vancouver 'Canadian'. Exact
departure times may vary slightly in winter, November to April.
There is also a Montreal-Gaspé portion of this train, using
1950s stainless steel cars, attached
three times a week. See www.viarail.ca
for more information, including fares and online booking.
Fares & how to
buy tickets...
You can
check fares for "The Océan" at www.viarail.ca. To
give you a rough idea, Montreal-Halifax costs about C$148 in
coach, or C$322 in a sleeper. You can book online at www.viarail.ca,
picking up the tickets at the station before departure.
Alternatively, you can make
VIA Rail bookings in the UK through First Rail Ltd on 0845
644 3553. Canadian railpasses.
Above:
A seat in a 'Gold Leaf' double-deck dome car aboard the
Rocky Mountaineer is
about the best place there is to see Canada's Rocky Mountain
scenery...
Rocky Mountaineer trains
run regularly from mid-April to mid-October on the following
routes:
Vancouver to Banff
& Calgary (Kicking Horse route)
Vancouver to
Jasper via Kamloops (Yellowhead Route)
Whistler to Jasper
via Quesnel (Fraser Discovery Route)
Above:
VIA Rail's 'Skeena'. Note the 'Park'
lounge-observation-dome car at the rear, and the two 'Totem
class' panorama seating cars immediately ahead of it.
Above:
VIA Rail's 'Malahat', just arrived at Victoria on Vancouver
Island. Photo courtesy of James Chuang.
Jasper - Prince George - Prince
Rupert: "The Skeena"
Runs 3 times a
week, departing Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays from both Jasper &
Prince Rupert. It's an amazingly scenic 2-day journey, the
train stopping overnight at Prince George so you see it all in
daylight (you will need to book a hotel separately, it's not
included in the fare). 'Comfort' class seating is
available all year round, 'Totem' class seating in panorama
sightseeing cars is available mid-May to late September.
There's a 'Park' lounge-observation-dome car attached at the
rear, for all passengers off-season, only for Totem class
passengers in peak season (May-Sept). For times, fares &
online booking, see www.viarail.ca.
Winnipeg -
Churchill: "The Hudson Bay"
Runs 3 times a
week, to the land where the polar bears live. See www.viarail.ca.
Montreal - Gaspé:
"The Chaleur"
Runs 3 times a
week, attached to the Ocean for part of its
journey. see www.viarail.ca.
Vancouver Island:
Victoria-Nanaimo-Courtenay "TheMalahat".
Railcar service.
Runs daily, 225 km, leaving Victoria 08:00 Mon-Sat, 10:00
Sundays, returning in the afternoon. See www.viarail.ca.
Toronto - North
Bay - Cochrane & Cochrane - Moosonee (Ontario
Northland)
Long-distance train
service due north out of Toronto, run by Ontario Northland, see
www.ontc.on.ca.
Hearst - Oba -
Saulte St Marie (Algoma Central)
Three times a week
year-round scheduled train service plus snow train and canyon
tour trains, run by Algoma Central, see
www.algomacentralrailway.com. Oba is served by VIA
Rail's Toronto-Vancouver 'Canadian', see
www.viarail.ca
for connecting train times between Toronto or Vancouver and Oba.
Railpasses are available for Canada, worth checking out if you
are planning a tour. Important: As of 2010,
Canadian railpasses no longer give unlimited train travel,
they only give 7 'free' journeys per pass, with one stopover
permitted per journey. Note also that passes only allow
travel in a seat, you can no longer upgrade to sleeper by paying
the difference.
Note also that even in seats on "The Canadian" and "Océan",
you'll need to make a seat
reservation either in advance or when you
get to Canada, as you cannot hop on and travel on these trains
without a reservation. The passholder seats on these
trains are quota-controlled, so don't assume that once you've
bought a pass you'll actually be allowed to travel on your
chosen train, even if there are seats available! In other
words, you may well be better off forgetting railpasses and just
booking normal point-to-point tickets with a confirmed
reservation on a specific train online at viarail.com.
Click the button for
information about Canada railpasses, to check prices & buy
online from
International Rail.
Peak = early June to mid
October, Off-peak = all other dates.
There are no regular direct
passenger ships from the UK to Canada. However, Cunard's
superb Queen Mary 2 sails from
Southampton to New York roughly once a month between April &
November, occasionally twice a month, taking seven
nights, see the 'Atlantic ferry' page for
details. Once in New York, there are excellent daily trains to
both Toronto and Montreal,
see the USA to Canada
section above. Alternatively, there are regular freight ships
between Europe & North America which carry a limited number of
passengers.
Holidays by train across Canada...
UK
rail-based tour operator
Great Rail Journeys
offers a classic Canada coast-to-coast tour from £2,600 per
person, with a range of departure dates every year. The
tour includes:
Flights UK to Toronto;
A day trip to Niagara
Falls;
A journey across Canada Canada from Toronto to Jasper aboard VIA
Rail's trans-continental 'Canadian' in Sleeper Touring class;
A coach tour from Jasper to Banff with a Columbia ice fields
glacier visit;
A journey on the Rocky
Mountaineer from Banff to Vancouver;
Flight Vancouver to UK.
It's an escorted tour with fellow
travellers and a professional tour guide. Great Rail
Journeys also offer rail-based holidays to other countries.
Check the
tour details online, then call
01904 527120 to book or use the
Great Rail Journeys online booking form.
Seat61 receives some commission to help support the site if you book
your holiday through this link or phone number, so please
mention seat 61 when you book.
Paying for a
guidebook may seem an unnecessary expense, but it's a tiny
fraction of what you're spending on your whole trip. You
will see so much more, and know so much more about what you're
looking at, if you have a decent guidebook. For the independent traveller this
means either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide.
Both guidebooks provide the same
excellent level of practical information and historical
background.
Trailblazer's Trans-Canada Rail Guide is well worth buying if
you're planning a trans-Canada train trip. It will help you plan
your journey, has city information for all the major cities
served by VIA & Rocky Mountaineer, and best of all it includes mile-by-mile lineside route guides showing what to see from the train on all
the main VIA Rail & Rocky Mountaineer services.
Buy online from Amazon.co.uk.
The Thomas Cook Overseas Timetable...
It's probably the most adventurous timetable ever produced... The
famous Thomas
Cook Overseas Timetable is published every two months, and has
the latest train, bus and ferry times for everywhere outside
Europe, including Canada and the USA. It's essential for
any serious overland traveller, and an inspiration for armchair
travellers! It costs £13.99 from any UK high street branch of Thomas Cook, or you can buy online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com (worldwide
delivery). Alternatively, you can
buy the twice-yearly Independent Traveller's edition at
Amazon.co.uk also with shipping worldwide.
A good guidebook like the Lonely Planet or
Rough Guides will point you at some good hotels in each town
or city when you get there. Alternatively, you
can pre-book hotels (budget, mid-range and upmarket) in almost
any Canadian city through
www.hotelscombined.com, just use the search box
below. It's the best hotel search system I've seen.
This is not a hotel booking website, but a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites for you (AsiaRooms,
Opodo, Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms and many others) to
find the cheapest hotel rates on the net. Set up in
2005, it's an amazing system and probably the best place to
start for booking any hotel online in any country, worldwide.
Personal recommendation: The famous
Royal York Hotel in Toronto is a classic, and so handy for
train departures as it's across the road from the station!
It may be $260 per room, but it's well worth splashing out on
if you can manage it...
www.hostelbookers.com: If you're on a tight budget,
don't forget about backpacker hostels. Hostelbookers
offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in
many places in Canada at rock-bottom prices.
Travel insurance & SIM card
Get insured...
Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable
insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover
cancellation and loss of cash (up to a limit) and belongings.
An annual
multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip
policies even for just 2 or 3 trips
a year (I have an annual policy myself). Here are some suggested insurers.
Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these
links.
If you live in the UK, get quotes from
Columbus Direct or
Go Travel Insurance, or go to
Confused.com to run a price comparison on a whole range of
travel insurance providers for your dates of travel, seeing
their policy's features at a glance..
Get a pre-paid currency MasterCard from Caxton FX...
You can save money on ATM charges and exchange rates using a
Caxton FX currency card, available in euros, dollars or the
multi-currency 'Global Traveller' card.
Find out about these cards & sign up here.
Get an international SIM card...
Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're
not careful you can return home to find some huge bills
waiting for you. I've known people run up a £1,000 bill
in data charges just by leaving their iPhone connected during a
simple trip to Europe. However, if you
buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company
such as
www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85% and
limit any damage to the amount you have pre-paid. It
cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide,
and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries. It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills
when you get home. It also works for laptop or PDA data
access. A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't
expire if it's not between trips, unlike some
others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone
number' for life.
Overland travel by train
around Canada is an essential part of the experience,
so once there, don't cheat and fly, stay on the ground!
But a long-haul flight might be unavoidable to reach Canada in
the first place. For flights to
Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver, start with
www.opodo.com &
E-Bookers. Seat61 gets a small commission through this link.