Canada, Niagara Falls & the Rocky Mountains

Meeting the Tour Manager at London Heathrow, we board our direct flight to the west coast of Canada, arriving in Vancouver early evening local time. The city is regarded as one of the world's most desirable places to live, thanks to its charming atmosphere and incredible setting between mountains and the Pacific coast.

After checking in to our downtown hotel, your evening is free to unwind or head out to try some of western Canada's cuisine. Seafood, such as salmon, oysters and Dungeness crab can be found in many of the city's restaurants. With a multicultural population, you can also find local versions of Asian and Mexican dishes.

Our first full day in Canada sees us embark on a guided sightseeing tour of Vancouver's most characterful districts. As Vancouver's original Downtown, Gastown is the city's most historic area. Redbrick Victorian buildings dot the tree-lined streets surrounding pretty Maple Tree Square. Many coffee shops, art galleries, upmarket fashion boutiques and the famous Gastown Steam Clock can be found in this area named after talkative Hull-born sailor and barman John 'Gassy Jack' Deighton.

Crossing East Hastings Street, we arrive in Chinatown - the largest in Canada - where we experience the sights and sounds of the streets and squares. From leafy Stanley Park, where we view colourful totem poles celebrating the region's indigenous history, we travel to Granville Island. Famous for its food markets, this is where our tour concludes.

The rest of the day is free to explore independently, and you could head to North Vancouver and find the Capilano Suspension Bridge hanging 450 feet above the forest floor. Alternatively, take the cable car to the top of Grouse Mountain for sweeping views of Vancouver.

Making the most of a full day on the wild Vancouver Island, we make our way by coach early this morning to Tsawwassen for the ferry over to Swartz Bay. Known for its population of black bears, this is Canada's 11th largest island and, while rugged in parts, is also dappled with charming towns and cities.

One of its most renowned manmade attractions is Butchart Gardens, where we head on arrival. These beautiful botanical gardens started as Robert Butchart's limestone quarry in 1904 before his wife Jennie spotted the potential to create a wonderful sunken garden. The grounds expanded to include a Japanese garden, an Italian garden and a fragrant rose garden.

After exploring this picturesque haven, we transfer by coach to British Columbia's capital, Victoria. There is free time to explore and get lunch independently. You could visit the Inner Harbour lined with grand buildings including the parliament, Royal BC Museum and Fairmont hotel, or wander the streets of Canada's oldest Chinatown. Later, we sail back to Vancouver where you can dine independently tonight.

Our trans-Canadian adventure gets underway today as we leave Vancouver by coach for a scenic journey along stunning valleys, with Canada's grand landscapes laid out before us.

Following the course of the Fraser Valley, we arrive in the historic trading post of Hope, surrounded by the immense Cascade Mountains. Here, there is time to grab lunch independently before joining the Coquihalla Highway. Swathes of land blanketed in deep forests pass our windows as we climb through the Columbia Mountains to Sun Peaks.

On arrival in the early evening, there is free time to find dinner and explore the village. A popular, year-round mountain resort with a European feel, Sun Peaks is home to the second largest ski resort in Canada and offers a variety of restaurants, pubs and cafés to enjoy.

Canada's iconic scenery becomes even more incredible today as we enter the Rocky Mountains. Joining the Yellowhead Highway after breakfast at the hotel, we follow the course of the North Thompson River to the small town of Clearwater. There is time to wander before continuing our journey deep into Canada's wilderness to the jaw-dropping Mount Robson.

With a summit at nearly 13,000ft, this rugged peak is often called the 'King of the Rockies' and its seemingly vertical southern face dominates views from miles around. The varied stratum of rock gives the impression of a road twisting around the mountain - a fact noticed by the indigenous Texqa'kallt people who call it the 'Mountain of the Spiral Road'. After time to explore Mount Robson, we continue our journey to Jasper.

Jasper is a beautiful enigma; although it is a popular destination for visitors to the Rockies, it retains a calm, small-town feel. Charming buildings line streets peppered with interesting shops and restaurants. After checking in to our hotel, you are free to explore this picture-perfect town this evening.

• Breakfast

A free morning gives you a chance to unwind at our hotel or take a casual stroll around Jasper, admiring its location nestled amongst imposing mountains.

This afternoon, we board our coach for a scenic excursion deep into the UNESCO-listed Jasper National Park on a tour of the Maligne River valley. Travelling through some of Canada's grandest landscapes, we view snow-dusted mountains, plunging waterfalls, hot springs and crystalline lakes. We visit Medicine Lake, where we are treated to an array of staggering vistas before we continue our route to Maligne Lake - the largest glacier-fed body of water in the region.

Before returning to Jasper for a free evening, there is plenty of time to admire the atmosphere and look out for some of the area's rare wildlife, including mule deer, moose, eagles and ospreys - as well as bears, caribou and wolves.

Waking up on the Canadian, we are welcomed to Saskatchewan's vast prairies which we can view while eating breakfast. The seemingly endless grasslands of the Great Plains stretch as far as the eye can see, with boundless farming communities passing by our windows as the Canadian rolls on.

With a population similar to that of Glasgow's and an area greater than France, Saskatchewan is ideal for sitting back and watching the world go by and the glass-roofed panoramic observation car is the perfect place to do this. We travel through the southern plains, home to deer, eagles and, in select areas, antelope, moose and bison. Dinner is also served on board.

We later cross into Manitoba, a province with more than 100,000 lakes stretching all the way up to the shores of Hudson Bay. Late this evening, the train pulls into its capital, Winnipeg, home to more than 50 ethnic communities, before continuing eastwards overnight.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Over breakfast on the Canadian train this morning, we cross the rocky ground of northwestern Ontario, a landscape pocked with stunning lakes and thick, verdant forests of ancient trees. We pass through an area known as the Canadian Shield, a geological formation of ancient rock that stretches over 3 million square miles across Canada. The shield is made of the exposed continental crust that lies below North America, as fascinating as it is beautiful.  

For the isolated communities we pass through, the Canadian Pacific Railway has been a lifeline for decades. While Ontario might be the most populous of Canada's provinces, the remote areas we travel through today are raw Canadian wilderness, with moose, lynx and black bears prowling its dense woodlands.   

  After lunch onboard, the Canadian changes direction, continuing its journey in a southeasterly direction towards the Great Lakes. Spend some time in the observation car or lounge as we travel through this evocative scenery before dinner is served. The Canadian continues overnight towards our destination. 

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Our final morning onboard the Canadian begins with a continental breakfast as we travel south towards Toronto. The views change from mountains and prairies to more familiar suburban scenes as we make our way around Lake Simcoe into the Greater Toronto area.   

After lunch on board, we arrive at Toronto's Union Station, Canada's largest and most elegant train station. Its Great Hall looks every bit like a temple to the railroad, while its resplendent limestone exterior is dominated by 22 Romanesque columns. Built in 1927, this glorious Beaux-Arts structure is the third incarnation of the station - a testament to the importance of railways in connecting Canada. Nearby is the iconic CN Tower built by the Canadian National Railway Company and the world's tallest free-standing structure from 1975 until 2007.     

We transfer to our downtown hotel where there is time to unwind or explore Canada's most populous city at leisure. There is no shortage of restaurants nearby for you to find somewhere to eat, from steak and seafood to European and Asian cuisine. 

• Breakfast, Lunch

Today is a highlight of this trans-Canadian adventure. On our coach, we are joined by an expert local guide for a full-day trip to the incredible Niagara Falls.   

Connecting two of the Great Lakes - Erie and Ontario - the Niagara River plunges down three astonishing waterfalls. When we arrive, we set sail on a cruise to get closer to one of the world's most impressive natural sights - with protective ponchos supplied. Marvelling at the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and the iconic Horseshoe Falls is an unforgettable experience as the clouds of spray and thunderous roar emphasise the awesome majesty of nature.   

  Back on shore, there is time for lunch independently in one of Niagara's restaurants before viewing the falls from above at Table Rock. Continuing our exploration, we reach the whirlpool where the river bursts out of the Niagara Gorge. We conclude our excursion at the pretty town of Niagara on the Lake, where there is time to stroll its streets. Returning to Toronto this evening, you are free to dine independently. 

There is free time today to enjoy Toronto. You could head out early to get some food independently. You will find that Canadian breakfasts range from light cereals and pancakes to the hearty peameal bacon sandwich, invented in Toronto.   

In the Distillery Historic District, you will find coffee shops and bakeries and get a glimpse of Toronto in the 19th century as you wander its car-free cobbled streets lined with independent boutiques and stylish eateries. If you have a head for heights, you could observe Toronto from the observation decks of the piercing CN Tower, where there is the option to experience the glass floor. Alternatively, to see the city from ground level, you could catch a ferry over to Ward's Island or Toronto Island Park.     

In mid-afternoon, we regroup at our central hotel and transfer by coach to the airport for our direct overnight flight to London. 

This spectacular expedition has seen us journey overland from the Pacific coast to the Great Lakes, witnessing many highlights of the world's second-largest country. Three nights aboard the Canadian provided a front-row seat to varied landscapes and a cruise into the Niagara Falls created unforgettable memories.  

Your Canadian adventure concludes as we land at London Heathrow early this morning.