The Canadian: Toronto to Vancouver by rail

Relax with complimentary airport lounge access before boarding your flight to Toronto. On arrival, you'll make your way to your centrally located hotel, attached to Toronto station – perhaps use the UP Express Airport train for a convenient connection. The Fairmont Royal York is a landmark building just minutes away from the city's main attractions, from the CN Tower to the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. Settle into your spacious, contemporary room, before heading out for the evening – perhaps dine on dim sum in Chinatown, or wander through the Entertainment District and soak up the buzzing atmosphere. Of course, if you prefer, your hotel offers a range of superb dining options, including REIGN, a modern Canadian Brasserie with a hint of French flair.

Stay: Fairmont Royal York

This morning, check in at Toronto's Union Station and board VIA Rail's "Canadian" for your famous journey across the prairies to the Canadian Rockies. Step back in time to the days of classic rail travel, riding in the original stainless steel 'streamliner' railcars made famous in the 1950s. Each has been restored with air conditioning, a cafe car, lounge car, and access to the dome car. Leave Toronto and cross the scenic lake lands and forests of Ontario. For the ultimate luxury rail experience, we recommend the Prestige Sleeper class. With just six high-end cabins onboard, complete with concierge service and an all-inclusive bar, it's the most spacious and comfortable way to travel.

Stay: The Canadian

Wake this morning and watch the scenery change as you enter Manitoba and travel through the prairies and the great plains of Canada.

Continue west through the breadbasket of Canada: Manitoba and Saskatchewan each have golden wheat fields stretching as far as the eye can see.

Over the next few days, relax as The Canadian glides through golden prairie fields, mirrored lakes, postcard-worthy towns and the snowy peaks of the majestic Rockies. You'll travel via Winnipeg, Edmonton and Jasper – Jasper is particularly beautiful, and the perfect place to escape into nature. Along the way, all sleeper car guests enjoy included gourmet meals served in the dining car, showcasing traditional Canadian cuisine and exquisite regional specialities. There's even the chance for wine tastings, presentations, and musical performances on certain departures. By day, you'll simply want to take in the scenic vistas, best viewed from the glass-ceilinged Skyline or Panorama cars.

Stay: The Canadian

Tonight, you'll arrive in Vancouver and check in to your hotel, another elegant Fairmont Hotel offering in the heart of the city. Perhaps venture out to the waterfront or to Gastown for dinner tonight – the latter has a quirky, bohemian vibe, and a buzzing nightlife. On day seven, you'll be collected from the hotel for a Grouse Mountain & Capilano Suspension Bridge Excursion. Cross the historic Lion’s Gate Bridge to Vancouver’s North Shore, where you'll stand above old growth cedar trees at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and experience the Treetops Adventure walk through the coastal rainforest. At the Capilano River Hatchery, a project dedicated to salmon and trout, you'll learn about the life cycle of salmon, while you watch hatching and juvenile fish being released into a nearby river. You'll round it all off with a Skyride to the top of Grouse Mountain, offering up ever-changing panoramic views of your surrounds.

Stay: Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

Enjoy some final free time in Vancouver before heading to the airport – we recommend taking the Skytrain from one of its central stops straight to the heart of the airport. Board your overnight flight to the UK, arriving on day nine.