5 days in VIA Rail Canada from one coast to the other (Magical!) Last Updated: June 25, 2021

The VIA Rail Canada experience from Toronto to Vancouver is quite underrated in my opinion.

After living in Ontario for almost a year on an exchange, I wanted to spend my last month exploring this country in the best way possible, especially the west coast, particularly – Canadian Rockies and Vancouver.

After doing some research, I decided to take the road less traveled. There is a VIA Rail Canada train that starts from Toronto and ends in Vancouver over 4 nights, 5 days. It sounds a bit crazy to stay on a train for that long, doesn’t it?

A 6-hour flight to Vancouver is a faster option as compared to a train. But I decided to follow my gut and take the 5-day train instead. The latter is more expensive by the way but boy, I don’t regret it at all!

The train views along this journey were to die for.

Starting from Toronto, we passed the green prairie fields on our way to Sudbury and the beautiful lakes that led us to Winnipeg. This was followed by the gorgeous views of the Rockies and finally a mix of snow-capped mountains and skyscrapers indicating our arrival into the stunning city of Vancouver.

The train halted at various stations for 30-60 mins where the passengers could get off and stretch their legs. Only Winnipeg had a halt for nearly 2 hours which gave me more time to explore the city like a local.

My 5 days journey on this train was not all at once as I got off at Jasper after 3 days to explore the Rockies for the next 5 days before getting on the train again to go to Vancouver.

That is the beauty of VIA Rail as it allows you to get off a train on a certain day and take the train a few days later according to your convenience. You need to pre-book your first and last stop though.

Popularly known as ‘The Canadian’, this mesmerizing train journey was definitely a trip of a lifetime for me.

Have you ever taken the VIA Rail? Or do you have any questions about it? Tell me in the comments below!