New York to Toronto or Montreal...

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.

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... Photo courtesy of James Chuang.

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. 

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...

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)

See the Rocky Mountaineer page for more information

Vancouver - Whistler

• The Whistler Mountaineer links Vancouver (north Vancouver station) with the resort town of Whistler, daily, mid-April to mid-October.

• See the Rocky Mountaineer page for more information.

	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 "The Malahat".

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.

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.

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.

Recommended guidebooks...

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.

Buy Lonely Planet Canada from Amazon.co.uk 

Buy Rough Guide to Canada from Amazon.co.uk

Or buy direct from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.

The Trans-Canada Rail Guide...

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.

Find a hotel anywhere in Canada...

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...

Backpacker hostels in Canada...

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.

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..

        If you're resident in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

    If you're resident in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.

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.