10 Day Canada Winter Wonderland & Snow Train
This tour features a combination of escorted and independent travel. Part of your journey will be enjoyed as a group experience, led by expert tour leaders or local guides. The remainder is self-guided—whether by rail, cruise, or overland—allowing you the freedom to travel between destinations independently and explore at your own pace.
This tour is categorised as 3 out of 5
Balanced exploration with walking tours: Our most popular style, this tour offers a good mix of planned activities and free time. Expect moderate daily walking tours, so pack comfortable shoes.
As a general requirement across all of our trips, you may be required to walk up and down stairs, get on and off transportation, handle your own luggage, and participate in all scheduled sightseeing that may be conducted on uneven ground and terrain. Any physical ailments you may have must be disclosed at the time of booking to determine your suitability and where required, supporting documentation may be requested to ensure that we are comfortable that you will enjoy your trip.
Experience a superior level of comfort. Our Small Group tours have been crafted for Inspiring Vacations travellers exclusively, with personal and unique experiences in mind. Travel with no more than 26 people, allowing for a more personalised and immersive experience. Please see the Important Information on your selected tour for the exact group size.
✓ Small group tour, up to 20 guests only
✓ Incredible sightseeing including guided tours of Vancouver, Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff, and Calgary
✓ Sleigh Ride in Lake Louise
✓ High Tea at the iconic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
✓ Gondola ride and Johnston Canyon Ice Walk in Banff
✓ Capilano Park and Suspension Bridge visit in Vancouver
✓ 8 nights in central 4 star accommodation in Vancouver and the Rockies including a two night stay at the iconic Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
✓ 1 night aboard VIA Rail’s The Canadian - locally known as the “Snow Train” train in a Sleeper Plus Cabin
✓ Breakfast daily, 1 dinner and a special “High Tea” at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
✓ Partially escorted by expert, English-speaking guides in each region
✓ Comfortable, dedicated transportation throughout
✓ In-depth sightseeing and entrance fees as per the itinerary
Travel with the experts for a carefully curated, value-packed discovery of the world's most iconic destinations. Our tours are bursting with must-see sights, rich experiences and quality inclusions, all at an unbeatable price. Bucket list dreams are ticked off on these all-encompassing journeys.
Welcome to Canada! On arrival, please make your own way to your hotel located in the heart of Downtown Vancouver's Entertainment District.
Alternatively, you can pre book a private arrival transfer where a representative will meet you on arrival and transfer you to the hotel. Further details can be found under the ‘Upgrade Options’.
The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver is known as the 'Castle in the City', symbolising timeless elegance and luxury since 1939. Holding a prime downtown location, you are minutes away from Vancouver's biggest attractions.
The rest of the day is at your leisure to explore on your own.
After breakfast, meet your tour director at the hotel for a tour briefing before we head out for a guided tour of Vancouver. Highlights will include Stanley Park, the Lions Gate Suspension Bridge, Gastown, Chinatown, Canada Place, Robson Street, and many other points of interest.
A highlight today is a visit to the incredible Capilano Suspension Bridge Park before returning to your hotel for an afternoon and evening at leisure.
This morning is at leisure before we transfer to Vancouver railway station early this afternoon. On arrival, relax in the VIA Rail Business Class Lounge before enjoying priority boarding to your Sleeper Plus Cabin. Each Sleeper Plus Cabin offers private toilet and basin and at the end of your car, you have exclusive access to a shower room at all times with complimentary towels and toiletries.
Enjoy dinner in the dining car as you travel towards Japer this evening. A selection of local Canadian beers and wines can be purchased by the glass to accompany your meal.
Enjoy breakfast on board this morning as the incredible winter landscape passes before you. Locally known as the “Snow Train”, be sure to venture up to the glass domed carriage to take in snow capped vistas before arriving into Jasper mid-morning.
Upon arrival, meet your local guide who will escort you through the Rockies region. Depart on a half- day guided tour of Jasper National Park where you will experience a sweeping expanse of scenic beauty - of awesome mountain peaks and century’s old glacial ice and mirror-like lakes. Sightseeing will include visits to Patricia Lake and Pyramid Lake.
This afternoon check into your hotel where the rest of the day is at leisure.
After breakfast we head out to Maligne Canyon. The Maligne Canyon Icewalk Tour Jasper Alberta is one of Jasper’s most popular and impressive winter adventures. Your tour guide will take you to the bottom of the Maligne Canyon, the deepest accessible canyon in Jasper National Park, where you will explore frozen waterfalls, ice caves, and incredible ice formations. You will learn about Jasper’s Maligne Valley, Karst topography, and the mystery of the “disappearing” Medicine Lake.
Following this, we travel through the Athabasca Valley, on a wildlife discovery tour. Sit back and relax in the comfort of a heated vehicle as you explore this protected area where you will see some of the park’s most beautiful scenery and incredible wildlife. The types of animals seen on the tour depends on the season, the time of day, and the weather. Big or small, there are lots of animals to see in Jasper! Elk, deer, sheep, goats, coyotes, wolves, and moose are just a sample of Jasper’s wild mountain fauna.
Return to your hotel where the afternoon is at your leisure.
Note: Today’s ice walk covers approximately 3.5 kms (2.1 miles), is mostly downhill and is graded as easy to moderate. Please indicate your shoe size when booking as warm boots and ice cleats will be provided.
Today we depart on a spectacular day of sightseeing on the Icefields Parkway, regarded as perhaps Canada's most scenic drive.
A highlight is a visit to Lake Louise - the jewel of the Rockies. At every turn of the road, we encounter breathtaking vistas of dramatic mountain ranges, glaciers, blue-green lakes and rivers. Take a guided tour of Lake Louise then escape the cool winter air while you enjoy an Inspiring Taste with an included afternoon tea at the iconic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.
Feast on freshly prepared pastries and sandwiches accompanied by tea and coffee, then enjoy the quintessential winter wonderland experience with a sleigh ride which follows the lake-side trail beneath Victoria Glacier.
Continue onto Banff where we arrive in the evening and check into your hotel located in the very centre of this charming town.
A true winter wonderland awaits you today as we partake in an ice walk through the famous Johnston Canyon where a spectacular show of natural ice sculptures when the thundering falls freeze solid. Our guided ice walk takes you along steel catwalks built into the canyon walls all the way to the iconic frozen Johnston Canyon upper falls, with views into the icy gorge below (weather permitted).
Return to your hotel where the rest of the afternoon and evening is at leisure. Spend the afternoon and evening visiting the many shops and cafes that line the street and be sure to visit the Christmas Shop opposite the hotel!
This morning we take a tour around Banff, Canada's first national park established in 1885 to protect its natural hot springs. We visit Tunnel Mountain, Banff Avenue and Bow Falls. Afterwards, you will ascend Sulphur Mountain with Banff Gondola to experience spectacular views of Banff and surrounding area.
Return to the hotel this afternoon where the remainder of the day is at leisure.
Leaving Banff, we travel along on the Trans-Canada Highway to the picturesque city of Calgary, home of the famous Stampede. Upon arrival, discover some highlights during an orientation tour of Calgary downtown with your guide, passing by the Calgary Tower, Stephen Avenue Mall, City Hall and Calgary Olympic Plaza.
Check into your hotel located just a short walk to the East Village and downtown Calgary. Spend an afternoon at leisure exploring on your own or relax at the hotel enjoying the many amenities including indoor pool or relax by the fire at the hotel bar.
Your winter wonderland journey of Western Canada ends today after breakfast.
Secure your trip with a $99.00 deposit per person.
Once we receive your deposit, we will send you an invoice with your remaining balance and payment options.
Instalment Schedule:
Fitness Requirements
While the tour itinerary should give you some guidance and overview to the expected requirements, to determine if this tour is right for you we categorise each of our tours in terms of their intensity. These guidelines are to ensure that each tour group is conducted as expected and to ensure the overall satisfaction of all Inspiring Vacations customers.
As a general rule, porterage is not included, therefore at all times you are expected to handle your own luggage where help may not be available.
This particular tour is categorised as a”3”
Moderate Tour: A good level of fitness and mobility is required, as this tour includes a moderate level of physical activity and is considered a medium-fast paced tour. You should be able to walk up and down stairs, get on and off the coach and able to walk reasonable distances of approximately 2 kilometres per day or more with ease. Any physical ailments you may have must be disclosed at the time of booking to determine your suitability. If you have any form of walking aids, other than a walking stick or hiking poles, then this tour is not suitable.
Tipping
A friendly reminder that tipping is not included in your package. While tipping is not customary, it's of great significance to the people who will take care of you during your travels, inspires excellent service, and is an entrenched feature of the tourism industry across many destinations.
You may also consider tipping your tour leader and driver for outstanding service throughout your trip. Remember, a tip is not compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service.
Accommodation
The accommodation listed is subject to change. Any changes will be of an equal or higher standard. Bedding configurations (double or twin) are requests only. All efforts will be made to meet your preferences, however, any changes are beyond our control.
Single Supplement
Single supplement is $1,087.00 per person, in addition to the twin-share price.
Triple Share
Not available.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is compulsory for this tour to protect yourself against the unexpected. In addition to the support that a policy may provide, you may be asked to present a copy of your travel insurance documentation while traveling.
We have partnered with nib to offer our customers competitive rates for their travel insurance. You can book Comprehensive or Essentials cover for your domestic, international or multi-trip journeys simply by clicking HERE.
Note that Inspiring Vacations cannot provide advice with regards to any insurance product.
Visa & Passport information
It is the traveller's responsibility to ensure they have a valid passport. The passport must be valid for a minimum of six months from the intended date of return.
Visas may be required.
Please note that these details are subject to change without notice. We recommend visiting https://smartraveller.gov.au for up to date information in terms of entry requirements.
Group Size
6-20 people
Children
Children must be 5 years old or above and share a room with parents at all times. Children are charged the same price as adults.
Tour Style
To meet the needs of various types of travelers, we choose to operate various types of tours, and depending on your selected package will mean different services are provided throughout your trip. The following descriptions of each tour style we hope will ensure that each traveller has appropriate expectations before they start their travels:
You can enhance your holiday by arriving or departing before or after the tour. On this tour you can choose from the following options:
Pre Tour Accommodation
Post Tour Accommodation
Arrival and departure airport transfers
Your transfer may be shared with other Inspiring Vacations customers.
Please select the number of extra nights required in the 'Additional Nights Accommodation' field when making your purchase. The additional cost for these arrangements will be added to your final payment invoice and are subject to availability.
This package is sold as land only, however you do have the option of adding domestic & international airfares to your booking. Simply click on’ book now’, and under upgrades , you will be asked “Would you like us to contact you around our flight service?”. By selecting this option Inspiring Vacations will contact you to discuss adding flights to your chosen destination. We can then assist with turning your booking into a flight inclusive package.
Upon completing the purchase of your package and fulfilling the following booking requirements, you will be granted access to our flight portal via your Traveller Hub.
Once these criteria have been met, access will be made available to you via Traveller Hub to book your flights via our flight portal.
The following requests are able to be processed through the online flight portal:
The online flight portal is unable to process the following requests and you must book these yourself independently:
Online check-in
Some airlines may not permit online check-in where flights have been booked by a travel company. Where unavailable to do so online, you will be required to check-in at the airport. Inspiring Vacations cannot check-in online on behalf of our customers.
Click HERE for more information on weather in Canada & Alaska.
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