Why Luxury Train Travel in Canada Should Be Your Next Trip

The case for a vacation by train has never been stronger. It can be seen in the way luxury train travel is trending worldwide in 2026 with rail aficionados and non-train-enthusiasts alike.

It seems like more and more luxury trains are popping up around the world. But in Canada, they've existed for years. They have a classic feel that others play at, shaped over years of offering world-class service along world-class routes.

We're lucky here in Canada that there are many options to embark on a rail travel adventure. The two main ones are VIA Rail, who offer vintage-feeling long-distance sleeper trains, and Rocky Mountaineer, offering the highest form of luxury train travel in the country.

A Summary

• Luxury train trips are one of 2026's most sought-after travel experiences
• Reasons to take a luxury train range from onboard fine dining to exclusive access to views
• Long-distance rail travel is easier than many other forms of transit, as multi-day journeys are included in a single ticket, and include everything you need while onboard

Credit: Rocky Mountaineer

The Most Luxurious Trains in Canada

If you're looking for a luxury rail experience in Canada, you first need to know what trains to take.

The most prestigious train in Canada is undoubtedly Rocky Mountaineer, which regularly ranks among the top luxury rail journeys in the world (counting third place in Condé Nast's 2025 readers’ choice awards among its numerous accolades). Both GoldLeaf and SilverLeaf Services scratch the itch for opulence and lavishness, but if you're looking for the best of the best, GoldLeaf is the way to go.

However, VIA Rail also offers luxury experiences through their Prestige Class of travel, which is in high demand and often fully booked months in advance of any desired departure date.

Prestige Class private sleeper cabins are gorgeously wood-panelled and are 50% bigger than the next biggest onboard. They feature a large L-shaped couch facing an oversized picture window, a flat bed for two (as opposed to bunk beds), and exclusive daytime access to the Park Car (the stylish bar in the final coach) as well as priority seating in the train's viewing domes.

Top 5 Reasons to Take a Luxury Train in Canada

Taking a train trip is wonderfully relaxing and sumptuously decadent all at once. Imagine: you have world-class cuisine in the form of gourmet dining onboard, exceptional service, and iconic landscapes from sun-up to sundown.

On Canada's sleeper trains — the ones running coast-to-coast — it doesn't stop at the end of the evening. Prestige Class tickets welcome you to sleep in the very best onboard cabins.

Simply put, these are the five reasons to embark on a luxury train adventure for your next vacation.

Credit: Canada Rail Vacations

5. The Onboard Dining

With little to do but gaze out the window, food onboard Canada's luxury trains is an unsurprising highlight of everyone's day. And you'll find that there's nothing more glamorous than multi-course gourmet dining onboard a train (and nothing will make you feel more like a star of mid-century cinema). Little touches, like focus on regional cuisine, make it even more spectacular.

When our team took VIA Rail's Canadian train in 2025, the most common recommendation they received (even over which mountains to spot or when to visit the Skyline dome car) was to try the lamb at dinner. It seems to have become the route's unofficial signature, and they reported it was as good as everyone said.

And in the morning, after waking in a private cabin, baked goods and fresh coffee in the scenic viewing dome (under the shadow of the Canadian Rockies, might we add), before making your way to the dining car for multi-course brunch, is an absolute treat.

Credit: Canada Rail Vacations

Two of our Travel Designers also recently returned from two days onboard Rocky Mountaineer's journey to the Rockies (in the spectacular GoldLeaf Service), and they had nothing but praise for the food, which was served in the dedicated dining room downstairs from their seats.

Favorites were the steak, served for a main lunchtime meal, and the brunch's Eggs Benedict, but the menu rotates frequently. The seatside signature cocktails and ever-appearing snacks garnered similar attention.

Feature Tour

Circle Tour by Train through the Canadian Rockies | VIA Rail | Rocky Mountaineer

Travel to the Canadian Rockies on VIA Rail's Canadian train and return onboard Rocky Mountaineer.

To sample the range of onboard dining options, we recommend a circle route with both Rocky Mountaineer and VIA Rail, enjoying a different train in each direction of travel. While Rocky Mountaineer offers gourmet multi-course meals twice a day, before you disembark in the evening for a night in a hotel, it's difficult to beat dinner on the train while the sun sets over the mountains on VIA Rail.

Credit: Rocky Mountaineer

4. The World-Class Service

'Comfort' is not enough to describe Rocky Mountaineer's onboard service. Drinks are brought to your seat, and snacks are the same (both offered throughout the day).

Multiple hosts are available in each car, assisting with your wants and needs, acting as expert tour guides, and creating memorable moments for every guest.

And on VIA Rail trains, where the focus is more on the rail-riding experience than constant seat-side service, your cabin attendant will still find you wherever you are in the train to provide any needed updates or information.

They'll let you know when your room is ready to be made up for bed, for example, and when you are arriving at your point of disembarkation. Onboard staff also host activities and talks in the common areas each day, with everything from train service trivia to local wine and beer tastings on offer.

Feature Tour

Classic Rocky Mountain Rail Circle Tour | Rocky Mountaineer

Two outstanding journeys with Rocky Mountaineer connected by a four-day tour through the Canadian Rockies.

For start-to-end service, we recommend a Rocky Mountaineer circle route. On this trip, we extend your time in the mountains with scenic tours to iconic stops and custom excursions in the Rockies' most famous towns.

Credit: Rocky mountaineer

3. The Exclusive Routes

Traveling Canada by train means seeing parts of the country you never would otherwise, and entering into an exclusive club of those who know these hidden routes.

Rocky Mountaineer offers three different routes connecting Vancouver and the Canadian Rockies. For one, the First Passage to the West route, it is the only passenger train permitted to service these tracks.

Credit: VIA Rail

VIA Rail's 'Canadian' train connects Toronto and Vancouver, covering 4,466 kilometers, a distance most only ever cover by plane. VIA Rail also offers the Ocean route, connecting Atlantic Canada to the rest of the country, the Corridor between Toronto and Quebec, and the Scenic Adventure routes through the most remote parts of the country. One of these, the Skeena train route, offers a unique (and much less-traveled) journey between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coast in northern British Columbia.

These are not places you'd see by car, and many of these landscapes are typically reserved for locals.

Feature Tour

Trans Canada Rail Vacation | Halifax to Vancouver

Ride Rocky Mountaineer's original route from Vancouver to Banff in luxury.

For the most exclusive rail route, we have to recommend Rocky Mountaineer's original route: the First Passage to the West. Daylight-only travel accompanied by the signature world-class service culminates in an experience of the Canadian Rockies that rivals the views in majesty.

Credit: VIA Rail

2. The Slow Travel Pace

'Slow travel' is a buzzword you've likely come across when researching your next trip.

Simply put, slow travel is the move away from jam-packed itineraries to a slower, more indulgent type of trip. Travelers spend longer in each destination, choosing to explore them deeply rather than breeze through. And when they do leave, slower, more scenic transport replaces direct flights or highway drives.

And that is where luxury train travel does it best.

Taking a long-distance train is less convenient (read: physically slower, but in many ways easier) than a flight, and requires you to dedicate several days to 'transportation.' But, in exchange, you get to see the world through a different lens.

On a long-distance train trip, you get the benefits of the slow travel lifestyle — lazy mornings spent over a long breakfast, hours spent digging into a new book, unplugging and unwinding from the bustle of modern life — without sacrificing the chance to see new destinations.

Feature Tour

Trans Canada Rail Vacation | Halifax to Vancouver

Slow travel at its finest, take the X-day journey from coast to coast onboard both VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer.

For the ultimate slow travel experience, we recommend the train across Canada, where you'll spend 16 days crossing the country on an interconnected series of trains and tours.

Credit: Rocky Mountaineer

1. The Scenery

If there is only one reason to take a train in Canada, it would be for the outstanding, world-class, endless scenery.

One of our favorite reasons to take a train in a new place is the chance to travel through lesser-seen areas and regions. From the tracks, you'll spot small local towns, travel along hidden valleys, and pass towering waterfalls usually shielded from view — all places you wouldn't usually see on a tour.

And if you're looking to come to Canada, you'll already know that this country has scenery for days. Literal days, in fact, as you can take the two-day Rocky Mountaineer trip surrounded by the very best of the West Coast and Canadian Rockies, or a four-day train hopping trip across the country spanning ocean, mountain, prairie, and forest views, before arriving back at the ocean at the end of the journey. That means these smaller, more down-to-earth spots you see are still mind-blowingly beautiful.

Modern luxury trains in Canada are purpose-built with panoramic views in mind. Long-distance VIA Rail trains feature the Skyline car, a domed viewing car that protrudes from the train's roof, resembling a glass bubble. Rocky Mountaineer offers upper-level seating with domed glass windows for GoldLeaf passengers, and large semi-domed windows for SilverLeaf ones. So you can trust that you'll get the best views of each landscape on either train journey.

Feature Tour

Passage to Peaks Circle Tour with Rocky Mountaineer

For one year only, experience Rocky Mountaineer's iconic service entirely in the heart of the mountains.

For scenery, we have to recommend the 2026-exclusive route: Passage to Peaks. Departing on select days in June and July, this route avoids the added bustle from the FIFA World Cup 2026™ in Vancouver, and remains almost entirely in the very best section of the Canadian Rockies.

Credit: Rocky Mountaineer, VIA Rail

Which Train is Right for You?

Luxury train travel typically includes much more than the price of admission in a ticket, so it's important to know what you are looking for out of your rail vacation.

Rocky Mountaineer is best for you if you're looking for the highest level of luxury that Canadian rail travel has to offer. Daytime-only travel means you'll be staying in a hotel overnight, offering maximum rest, and you'll enjoy world-class cuisine, service, and comfort along the way.

VIA Rail trains, on the other hand, are best for rail enthusiasts and lean much more into the nostalgic experience of long-distance train travel. That means sleeping onboard in a private cabin (when you book certain class tickets, as we do for our clients). It's more adventurous and a more authentic mid-century luxury train experience.

Booking with us, your journey will include additional hotels, transfers, and excursions to extend the rail journey into a full-fledged Canadian adventure. We offer both one-way train journeys and circle trips (best for visitors who want to experience both rail services in one adventure).

Credit: Canada Rail Vacations

Book Today with Canada Rail Vacations

Are you ready for your dream rail adventure? Reach out to a Travel Designer to begin planning your trip.

With Canada Rail Vacations, you'll get extra support from local travel experts when planning your train trip in Canada. We'll arrange your tickets, additional transfers, hotel rooms, and custom tours across your journey. In the meantime, subscribe to our newsletter to stay in touch.

FAQs

What is included in a luxury train ticket in Canada?

Tickets to ride on these rail services include everything you could need (or want) while onboard: your meals, drinks, and outstanding views of outstanding landscapes (ones often inaccessible by other means). But, depending on which train you take and which service level you travel in, it might also include an onboard cabin, a night in a hotel room, or just a seat.

Where do luxury trains go in Canada?

You can see most regions in Canada by train. The most luxurious experience, Rocky Mountaineer, is found in Western Canada and runs three routes between Vancouver and the Canadian Rockies.

You can also see Eastern Canada (including Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, among other cities) on VIA Rail's trains like the Canadian and the Ocean routes.

What is 'first class' called on Canadian trains?

All Canadian trains offer a variety of service levels or classes.

On Rocky Mountaineer, the highest service level is GoldLeaf Service, where you sit in an upper-level viewing car and have meals in a lower-level dining room (exclusive to GoldLeaf passengers).

On VIA Rail, the highest service level is Prestige Class, which includes a large private cabin with a double bed (as opposed to two bunks) and private shower. You'll enjoy meals in a dedicated dining car (included in your ticket) alongside Sleeper Plus class passengers.

Is there a train that takes you across Canada?

Yes! The train that takes you across Canada is VIA Rail's 'Canadian' train, which runs between Vancouver and Toronto.

If you want to take a train coast-to-coast in Canada, you have to combine three train routes: the Canadian (from Vancouver to Toronto), the Corridor (from Toronto to Montreal), and then the Ocean (from Toronto to Halifax).

More details on the trans-Canada train can be found in our dedicated post: Train Across Canada: How to Plan the Journey of a Lifetime.

Feature Image Credit: Rocky Mountaineer