Yep, I bit the bullet and booked up my dream trip to Canada! I will be going this year, in late spring, spending just over two weeks in total across a few different locations in the country. I will also be going it solo, so this will be my biggest trip to date all alone! Here are my plans so far…

Toronto

My trip will start in Toronto, where I will be staying for 4 nights in a central hotel close to all the major attractions and amenities. I haven’t yet booked up any day trips for my holiday, but I will definitely be sorting something out to go and see Niagara Falls! Other attractions of interest to me are the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, and the Royal Ontario Museum. In my “downtime”, I will be exploring the local eateries and chilling out in the hotel pool & spa!

Train

I will then be embarking on the biggest train journey of my life (so far, at least!) – the VIA Rail service from Toronto to Vancouver! This is a cross-country trek across the width of a large chunk of Canada, stopping briefly for breaks along the way at places like Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Jasper. I will be staying in a cosy cabin for one for the duration of this trip (4 nights), and I will be enjoying three course à la carte meals in the dining car every day! This is one of the real luxurious parts of the trip for me, which I splashed out a bit extra on, and I cannot wait to experience it!

Vancouver

After an early morning arrival by train, I will be heading to my waterfront hotel to offload my bags, maybe have a bit of a rest, then I will spend the rest of the day exploring Vancouver and everything that it has to offer. I likely won’t book up any trips or tours whilst I am there, since I will only be staying for 2 nights… I would like to at least visit Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium, with the rest of my time spent exploring Downtown & Central Vancouver.

Banff

After my brief stint in Vancouver, I will be flying to Calgary, from where I will be taking a coach ride to Banff. This will more than likely prove to be the pinnacle of my trip to Canada, surrounded by beautiful nature and a dramatic mountainous landscape. I will be booking up a tour or two for my time in Banff, to make the most of my surroundings, alongside exploring the small town itself and spending some time in the hotel jacuzzi! I will be staying a total of 4 nights in Banff, taking a coach back to Calgary at the end of my stay to fly back to the UK from Calgary International Airport. My flights from Vancouver and from Calgary will be my first business class flights, and I cannot wait! Flying business is something that I have always wanted to do at least once in my life, so this will be an extra treat at the end of my holiday!

Exciting times ahead!

This will be the trip of a lifetime for me, and I am so excited already to just research and plan it all! I am always interested to hear from my readers, therefore I invite any suggestions, advice, or recommendations relating to my trip. What, in your opinion, are the best things to do in Toronto/Vancouver/Banff? Have you travelled with VIA Rail before, and what was your experience of this like? I will be writing extensively about my trip, and including many photos of this too on both my blog and website (this will likely be across the summer). I cannot wait to share my experiences! In the meantime, you can expect the same posts from me, and perhaps details of additional travels planned for this/next year as I go!