Vancouver to Banff By Rail

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Ride the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Banff—two days of sweeping views, luxury dome cars, curated cuisine and a hotel overnight in Kamloops. Experience the Canadian Rockies at a pace made for wonder

Transcript

00:00Imagine riding through mountain passes so remote they can't be reached by road, where

00:13waterfalls rush alongside your window and peaks rise higher with every mile.

00:20This isn't just a train ride, this is a dreamy journey on the Rocky Mountaineer.

00:26A luxury train that rolls through the wild beauty of Western Canada, from the Pacific

00:32Coast all the way into the Canadian Rockies.

00:36This is their original route, and arguably still their most iconic journey, first passage

00:43to the west.

00:45It's all aboard in Vancouver, you step onto the train, greeted by those sweeping panoramic

00:52windows as you find your seat.

00:54The ground crew waves you off, and as you settle in, the city slowly slips away.

01:00In the gold leaf cabin, it's a classic dome car, glass ceilings above, elevated views all

01:06around, and a dining room just below.

01:10And as you sink into your seat, the calm starts to settle in.

01:15Coffee or hot chocolate on the way, and nothing left on the agenda, but to look out the window.

01:25About an hour in, it's down to the dining level.

01:28The first of many three course meals, made with locally sourced ingredients and paired

01:34with BC wines.

01:36Now between the meals and the snacks, the onboard host share stories.

01:41Stories about the First Nations people whose lands were crossing.

01:45The railroad workers who carved this line through the mountains.

01:49And the landscapes that have remained unchanged for centuries.

01:54It's an entire day off the grid.

01:56No cell phone service.

01:58Just rolling through the coastal rainforests, deep river canyons, and the dry interior valleys

02:05of British Columbia.

02:07You're literally watching the terrain change before your eyes.

02:11Then it's the stop at Kamloops, just before sundown.

02:15A dry, rugged town set in British Columbia's interior.

02:19About 10 hours from Vancouver, this is your overnight stop.

02:23Your chance to rest up before the journey climbs deep into the Rockies.

02:28The Rocky Mountaineer only travels by daylight, which means when the sun sets, you step off

02:33and check in to your hotel for the night.

02:35The next morning, it's back on board your dreamy ride.

02:39And get ready, day two, it's time to enter the heart of the Canadian Rockies.

02:45The terrain changes fast.

02:47Rivers get more narrow, mountains get steeper.

02:51There's a certain kind of silence in the dome car.

02:54Not from boredom, but for the opportunity to sit and daydream.

02:59By midday, you'll arrive at Lake Louise, where some passengers disembark.

03:04Or you can keep rolling all the way to Banff.

03:08Banff is like a postcard.

03:10You walk into a charming alpine town with glacier-filled lakes and wildlife is everywhere.

03:17It's worth it to take time to explore with a hike, a bike ride, and definitely a ride up the Banff Gondola.

03:26And that's just the beauty of a journey like this.

03:29You're not rushing to get somewhere.

03:31You're letting the land reveal itself.

03:34Each curve of the track brings something new.

03:37It's two days of stillness, wonder, and wide open views.

03:42A rare chance to slow down without missing a thing.

03:46We've been cleared for landing.

03:48We've been cleared for landing.

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