Canada's Winter Wonderland

Arrive in Vancouver and recover in luxury and within walking distance of the downtown sights of what is one of the most beautiful harbour cities in the world.

Go for a morning stroll around Stanley Park or visit Granville Island for coffee and breakfast at this iconic market. In the afternoon it’s all aboard VIA Rail’s Snow Train for an overnight journey to Jasper. Comfortably settled in your Prestige Class cabin, you can relax on the leather corner lounge during the day and at night, when it has been transformed into a double bed, enjoy being rocked to sleep in comfort. Your cabin also has a private ensuite and fully stocked minibar. Delicious meals in the dining car are included and you have access to the exclusive lounge car.

Alight from the train in Jasper late in the morning and check into the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge that wraps around the shores of Lac Beauvert in the heart of Jasper National Park. The next day, adventure out to spectacular Maligne Canyon and strap on ice cleats as you take a guided walk along the frozen canyon floor.

Travel by road along the remarkable Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise, surrounded by awe-inspiring scenery. The jewel in the crown is your accommodation, a night in the incredibly beautiful Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Located in Banff National Park, your prestigious accommodation is surrounded by soaring mountain peaks, the majestic Victoria Glacier and the frozen lake, which is like something out of a postcard. Outside, the opportunities are limitless, from heli-skiing, dogsledding, ice-skating, and sleigh-riding. After a long day in the fresh air, retreat to The Spa at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Enjoy renovated rooms and suites, an expansion to the Fairmont Gold product, six restaurants, a Fairmont spa and easy access to the Lake Louise Ski Resort. 

This morning travel from Lake Louise, along the Bow Valley to Banff, which has one of the most strikingly beautiful settings imaginable, surrounded by majestic mountains of stone that take your breath away. Banff also has a burgeoning food scene. The castle-like Fairmont Banff Springs is in a beautiful location for walks along the Bow River. 

Over the next two days, there are plenty of activities to soak up the stunning natural beauty of Banff and its surrounds, from a gondola ride to the peak, to wildlife tours, horse drawn sleigh rides, snowshoeing or snowmobiling excursions and more. Do the Johnson Canyon Ice Walk, a roughly four-hour guided walking tour that takes you through the natural wonder of Johnston Canyon in all its winter glory. On this exciting excursion you will trek across steel walkways built into the canyon walls and witness breathtaking views of the gorge below. The catwalks lead you into the frozen lower waterfalls and through a cave before your final stop at the upper falls, framed by gigantic ice pillars and frequented by athletic ice-climbers.

Leave the Rocky Mountains behind you and travel by road to The Great Central Plains and Calgary. Enjoy a free afternoon in downtown Calgary, where you can visit Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, which is a new state-of-the art international hub for music and technology. Calgary is known for its Calgary Stampede, so it is fitting that you should shop for cowboy boots at The Alberta Boot Company.

Fly from Calgary to Whitehorse and transfer to your hotel. Discover the first nations culture and interesting significance of this region at the MacBride Museum. For your entire stay in the Yukon you are provided a set of extra-warm outdoor clothing and in the evening are taken to a viewing site on the city outskirts to seek out the Aurora Borealis. Your guide will assist with photography and aurora information while making sure the fires are lit, and there are plenty hot beverages and fireside snacks. 

After a sleep in from your late-night sky gazing, you are transferred from Whitehorse to Southern Lakes Resort, where for the next three nights you can enjoy activities at the resort; snowshoeing, dog sledding, and snowmobiling. Situated on Tagish Lake, each cabin has amazing views of the frozen lake and distant mountains, perfect for Aurora viewing.

Transfer back to Whitehorse and bid farewell to the Yukon as you depart for the journey home.