Testimonials & Reviews

With almost 30 years of planning personalized tours, we love helping visitors experience the very best of Canada. Below you'll find what our guests have to say about travelling with Canada Rail Vacations.

Dedicated to Making Every Guest Experience Outstanding.

Now that my wife and I have rested after our very enjoyable tour of Canada and are back into our normal routine we would not like the time to pass without passing on to Canada Rail staff our sincere thanks for making all the reservations and organizing the itinerary.  Suffice it to say that things went like clockwork obviously due in large part to the experienced and dedicated Canada Rail Vacations staff. We will happily refer you to any of our friends and acquaintances who are considering travelling in Canada and will look to you next time we choose to travel in Canada. Many thanks to all!

Doug & Norma L, Farrer, Australia (The Canadian Trip of a Lifetime)

Thanks for helping make this a once-in-a-lifetime experience for my daughter and myself. We had many planned, and unplanned, adventures and have many memories. Cannot say enough wonderful things about the staff on both VIA and Rocky Mountaineer. There were some hiccups with scheduling but the graciousness of the staff was superb. Our hotels were very good and thanks for the special gift in Vancouver. We also used your suggestions for touring the city, spot on! Will most likely never tour Canada again as my husband and I toured from Toronto East, but I am recommending Canada Rail Vacations to my family and friends. Thanks again.

Judith & Cameron C, Alabama, USA (The Canadian Adventurer)

Now safely back in Cyprus and settled in again after a great holiday with you in August. Big thanks to Canada Rail Vacations for leaving the excellent wine at the Sutton Place Hotel in Vancouver, it certainly dampened down the trail dust! Shame you couldn't join us to drink it! You have a great team from the ladies who sorted us out before we left the hotels in Vancouver and Banff, to the staff waving us off and those welcoming us at each stop. The entire trip was memorable on so many levels, but an understated highlight for me was standing at the water's edge of Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park, and gazing in wonder at the Walcott Quarry/Burgess Shale! I read about and studied the fossils but to see it in real life was awesome!

Anthony, Cyprus (Rockies Circle Essentials)

We just returned home from our recent trans-Canada train adventure and wanted to pass along our thoughts on the holiday. We arrived in Vancouver and stayed at the Fairmont, which was lovely. All of the Fairmont accommodations were outstanding. The Rocky Mountaineer was exceptional! The aesthetic, the staff, the food... everything was amazing. The staff in particular on the train were outstanding, I was so touched, as a vegan they went out of their way to accommodate me and went so far above and beyond (I never would imagine that level of service!). We were also so pleasantly surprised by the Delta Kamloops, our room was gorgeous and the location was great. Of course, the scenery in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper was incredible, and we so often found ourselves speechless. Both of our tours in Banff and Lake Louise with Julian were outstanding. He was so knowledgeable and kept us entertained every moment of the tour! All in all, an incredible experience from booking to the actual trip. Thank you for a memorable holiday!

Stephanie, Hovan & Doris K., Toronto, Canada (The Canadian Adventurer)

This has been the tour I dreamt of doing. Along the route, the Rocky Mountaineer was the best in service! They know how to wow the client and are good at it. I have glowing accolades for them. Everything in Alberta was amazing. Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff ... all those stops were incredible. We will arrive home on Saturday at about 3 pm. While there’s no place like home, our journey with Canada Rail Vacations was where it all began in September 2017. Thank you Martin, for operating a tour company that fit our needs....and then some. You gave us options to customize this trip to meet our wishes. Thanks to your staff who know their stuff and coddled me along the way, especially Spencer. And a huge shout out to our Tour Guide Julian. Absolutely knowledgeable about the routes we took and of the trains going through the spiral tunnels. Julian really made those four days of private tours so worth it for us. You have in us four happy clients who will now recommend Canada Rail Vacations to others, plus we have amazing memories. Thanks Martin!

Lori, Brian, Ruby and Rudy, Virginia, USA (The Canadian Adventurer)

Hi, We are close to the end of our vacation, now. We have had beautiful weather and also a goodly snowfall! We have seen highways and back roads, wildlife and forests, tourist towns and country villages. Thank you for arranging Julian to be our guide. We saw things and learned things that few if any other tourists get exposed to, thanks to Julian. I have made a recommendation to a friend in North Carolina. I hope he will contact you as I have suggested. I’m not sure what plans he wants to pursue, but should they be such that it is appropriate I hope you can have him and his family assigned to Julian for the appropriate portion of their vacation next summer. Thank you for your expertise and your help in making this trip truly memorable.

Jamie & Susan K, North Carolina, USA (Rockies Passage Plus Westbound)

Hello! We just returned home from our recent trans-Canada train adventure and wanted to pass along our thoughts on the holiday. We arrived in Vancouver on August 11th and stayed at the Fairmont, which was lovely. All of the Fairmont accommodations were outstanding. The Rocky Mountaineer train was exceptional! Both from the aesthetic, the staff, the food, everything was amazing, there was nothing you could want more! The staff in particular on the train were outstanding, I was so touched, as a vegan they went out of their way to accommodate me and went so far above and beyond (I never would imagine that level of service!). We were also so pleasantly surprised by the Delta Kamloops, our room was gorgeous and the location was great. Of course, the scenery in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper was incredible, and we so often found ourselves speechless. Both of our tours in Banff and Lake Louise with Julian were outstanding. He was so knowledgeable and kept us entertained every moment of the tour! All in all an incredible experience from booking to the actual trip. Thank you for a memorable holiday!

Stephanie, Hovan & Doris K., Toronto, Canada (Canadian Adventurer Eastbound)

Spencer, I received my package with diabetic test strips yesterday and really appreciate your efforts in retrieving them from the Sandman in Kamloops. We had a trip of a lifetime traveling from Toronto to Jasper on VIA Rail then through the Canadian Rockies on the Rocky Mountaineer (GoldLeaf) to Vancouver. Your help in designing our trip was most helpful and we're looking forward to designing another package in a couple of years with you as our agent. Many THANKS from both Jackie and I! Best Wishes.

Steve & Jackie C, Washington, USA (Canadian Adventurer Westbound)

Martin, Hard to believe, but it’s been 3 weeks since we returned from our Canada vacation. We still talk about it and tell our family and friends about it almost every day! Without a doubt, it was the best vacation we’ve ever taken! The accommodations you chose for us were all outstanding! The tours and excursions were all great fun and the sights were just breathtaking! We especially liked Victoria and the Rocky Mountaineer. Victoria is just the most charming place and Butchart Gardens was amazing. But of course, the best of the best was the Rocky Mountaineer. I’ve told my friends and family that it’s like living a National Geographic travelogue while riding atop a 5-star restaurant! What service!! So thank you for your choices and planning for our vacation of a lifetime!

Robert & Barb C, Ohio, USA (Rockies Essentials Westbound with Victoria Add-On)

Dear Martin and all the team at Canada Rail Vacations, thank you so much for arranging yet another fantastic holiday in Canada. We arrived home early Friday morning after almost 3 weeks in your beautiful country and are just about to start trawling through the thousands of photographs we took in order to produce another stunning souvenir photo book to look back on. As before, everything you’d booked for us went smoothly, plus of course, we were delighted to see (Canada Rail's guide) Julian as well as Joe and Patti – it was great to catch up with them all again. Thank you too for treating us to lunch with Julian at Storm Mountain Lodge – the food was delicious! The Rocky Mountaineer journey was fantastic (as you know we took a different route this time) and we met some wonderful people on the train. A nice surprise was seeing Adriane again (one of the hosts who we recognized from the Vancouver/Kamloops/Jasper trip three years ago!), it was her first time assigned to the route. We absolutely loved our stay at Moraine Lake Lodge so our grateful thanks to you for getting us booked in. We can quite see why there is such high demand for accommodation there. Although the weather on arrival was damp, it did not detract from the beautiful view from our cabin which just got even better the next morning at sunrise. Once again, the Fairmont hotels were fabulous and we were lucky to get a rooftop/beehive tour at the Chateau Whistler. The Jasper Park Lodge accommodation was far nicer this time and all the Fairmont Gold Floor staff we met at all the hotels were so helpful and friendly. We both very much look forward to returning to Canada again soon.

Anne & Mark W, Essex, UK (Their Third Custom Rail Tour with us)

Just a note to thank you all for the superb planning you did for our Canadian Rockies trip!!! It was a fantastic experience. The beauty we saw all over Northwest Canada was unbelievable. We loved every second of the Rocky Mountaineer and all the Fairmont Hotels were exceptional. Thanks again for a wonderful trip and many happy memories.

Candace M (AAA Travel), Pennsylvania, USA (Rockies Relaxer Westbound)

Just to let you know that our trip was wonderful. All accommodations were comfortable and the Rocky Mountaineer was spectacular. I was surprised that you arranged for snow on the summer solstice in Jasper (hehe!). Coming from Utah, snow was not a treat but made the trip more memorable. My "train enthusiast" husband loved the entire experience. Once again, thank you for following through with the champagne. Jim did forget our anniversary but relished the surprise of drinking cold champagne as we pulled out of the station in Vancouver. A truly remarkable experience. Thanks again for your attention to detail.

Patricia and James M, Utah, USA (Train Lover’s Dream)

Dear Martin, We have recently arrived home from our time in Canada and I want to thank you for your organization of our travel in the Rockies. Everything went like clockwork and we very much enjoyed our stays, tours and train trips. Your choice of tour operators was excellent and we particularly enjoyed the experiences we had on the small group tours. Thanks again for such good organization. I won't hesitate to recommend your company to friends visiting Canada!

Dr. Sandra & Werner G, Queensland, Australia (Train Lover’s Dream)

My wife and I were extremely happy with the wonderful personalized service your company offered on our recent trip from Vancouver to Montreal, using the Rocky Mountaineer and VIA Rail. Your staff kept us informed of schedule changes and chose excellent tour guides for those portions of the trip where we were in small group settings. All accommodations were excellent. and all tours went off on time and featured sights that greatly enhanced our experience.

Roger and Virginia R, California, USA (Canadian Trip of a Lifetime Eastbound)

Dear staff at Canada Rail, my husband & I recently went on the Train Lover's Dream, June 10-18. I am writing to say how much we enjoyed this vacation and how well-organized it was. Everything went according to schedule. Everyone was most helpful. I would certainly recommend this journey to anyone. Thank you!

Cynthia & Bruce M, Monmouthshire, UK (Train Lover’s Dream)

Hi Canada Rail Team, just wanted to pass along feedback from the Thalls regarding their trip. The word used was “SPECTACULAR”. Thank you for all of your efforts to help make their vacation a great one. They very much appreciated the Gold Floor upgrade in Calgary as well. I look forward to the possibility of working with you again in the future. Thanks again, and have a great day!

Tim M, Travel Agent, Pennsylvania, USA (Rockies Essentials Westbound with Victoria Add-On)

This has been the tour I dreamt of doing. Along the route, the Rocky Mountaineer was the best in service! They know how to wow the client and are good at it. I have glowing accolades for them. Everything in Alberta was amazing. Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff... all those stops were incredible. We will arrive home on Saturday at about 3 pm. While there’s no place like home, our journey with Canada Rail Vacations was where it all began in September 2017. Thank you Martin for operating a tour company that fit our needs....and then some. You gave us options to customize this trip to meet our wishes. Thanks to your staff who know their stuff and coddled me along the way, especially Spencer. And a huge shout out to our Tour Guide Julian. Absolutely knowledgeable about the routes we took and of the trains going through the spiral tunnels. Julian really made those 4 days of private tours so worth it for us. You have in us four happy clients who will now recommend CRV to others plus we have amazing memories. Thanks Martin. Southern hugs!

Lori, Brian, Ruby and Rudy, Virginia, USA (Canadian Adventurer Westbound)

Martin, I wanted to let you know that the Prestige Service trip was utterly fantastic!! VIA RAIL has an incredible service product with that trip. The staff (two crews) was wonderful, and the features were great. We cannot give the experience enough praise. Thank you!!

Fotios & Joan B, Colorado, USA (The Canadian Nostalgic Eastbound)

Hi Team, we just wanted to thank you for your tips on seeing Vancouver! Our first day there was nice and sunny and we walked over 10 miles - including most of Stanley Park. We saved the “Hop-on, Hop-off” bus for the next day, and we’re glad we did as it was a typical rainy day in Vancouver. But our highlight of the day was Granville Island’s incredible market and the Sandbar restaurant, upstairs, for lunch!! What a great place, with great seafood, and a warm atmosphere which, being from Florida, was much appreciated! As to the train trip- what to say? Beyond expectations, first class all the way, impeccable service, everything in place, on time, super nice employees, as well as our other travellers. All in all, a FANTASTIC trip! You all made it happen, and Deb and I thank you!

Deb and Christopher M, Montana, USA (Rockies Adventurer Eastbound)

Hello Canada Rail Vacations staff, a message from Gudrun and Fred and thank you for the good care regarding our trip through Canada, especially the fantastic help from Spencer. We discovered Vancouver via sights and had our transfer to the train with the message that your luggage was being taken care of. The trip with Rocky Mountaineer was fantastic with an optimal service. The panoramic roof gave us a wonderful overview. From Banff we went with a guide and six other passengers over the route of the Rockies to Jasper. On the way we visited the Athabasca glacier and met a black bear walking across the road, luckily we were on the bus. Our stay at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge was well arranged with the nature tour with hiking. Then with VIA Rail through Canada to Toronto with friendly crew and excellent care and another panoramic roof for a fantastic overview. After an interesting stay in Toronto and our visit to the gigantic Niagara Falls, we flew back to Amsterdam and returned home to the German-Dutch board after 52 days and a trip around the world. On behalf of my German wife Gudrun and myself as a Dutchman I can only say, crew of Canada Rail, thanks for the good care of our trip through Canada and good cooperation, especially thanks to Spencer. Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Fred & Gudrun R, Bad Bentheim, Germany (Canadian Adventurer Eastbound)

Hi Canada Rail, just back from a few days spent with family in Algonquin Provincial Park, and had a hike through snow and saw a beaver, appropriately working hard. No bears on the trail which was probably a mixed blessing! We fly home in 2 days, having had a wonderful time in Canada. Helen and I especially wanted to thank you for helping to make our stay so special. From things to do in Vancouver, Granville Island, Grouse Mountain, Hop-on Hop-off, Stanley Park was especially enjoyable and with the hotel in the middle of town. We went to the fish restaurant, Roy’s Oyster Bar, and the food was excellent, but the experience, if possible, was even better. Rocky Mountaineer was a great way to see some remote country in comfort, enjoy talking with some interesting folks, and enjoy nice food. Unfortunately, I lost my phone and hence camera with Vancouver photos out the back of the train. Pity, but replaceable. The choice of hotels in the centre of Jasper and Banff, and less importantly Kamloops was excellent, again meaning we could walk around and enjoy the life around us. The tours you chose were also excellent out of Jasper, especially Kendra, and we managed to get to the skylift in time. The day tour from Lake Louise was cancelled being so late in the season. And the view at Lake Louise was as iconic as its reputation. Ice is tricky to walk on...... and walking in the snow, as I discovered half treading on an unseen rock, can easily sprain an ankle. YakTrax turned out to give one confidence walking on ice and allowed us to see more up the top of Banff. Calgary was well worth a visit and exuded wealth, the highlight there being the fort and the way everyone seemed to live and work and shop and walk one story up. Again, good hotel choice, strategically chosen. Toronto flight easy and bus down to London OK. The trains to Ottawa, and to the cities in Quebec were excellent, and again, we were not hungry during the journeys. Business class was a good call and the waiting rooms in the stations were pleasant. In my mind, trains and excellent food will tend to be associated forevermore. And there were some interesting business phone conversations, unsurprisingly, in the business carriage. I’ve never had so much space on a train! All three hotels in the eastern cities were very well situated, and highlights of our time were in Ottawa, the War memorial, and the very moving Holocaust memorial across the road. The old buildings along the riverfront and the statues near them were well worth a look. A walk over the bridge to Gatineau was worthwhile. Again, a walk up the hill in Montreal was excellent, and a food tour there was also most enjoyable, and an Italian restaurant, was superb. For our last hotel stay, again, in Quebec, our hotel was an excellent choice with respect to position, in the old town and not far from the station. And the food was superb, despite my atrocious French. So, all in all, we have had a wonderful time, and a significant part of that was due to your choices and suggestions. Thank you very much!

Helen & Blair C, Tamworth, Australia (Rockies Relaxer Eastbound)

Hi Spencer and team! I just spoke to Suzanne, she's back in after her and Graham's trip over to Canada. They absolutely loved the experience and kept raving about how it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip and it all went so smoothly and stress-free so I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone for taking care of my customers and making this trip such a special experience for them!

Laura L, Travel Agent, Western Australia (Canadian Trip of a Lifetime Eastbound)

Hi there! We have just returned home from our vacation with you and felt we must let you know how delighted we have been. We had a fabulous time and had so many memorable experiences and happy memories. From the very first day arriving in Vancouver and meeting Ryan at the hotel to the very end in Toronto - the organization was second to none. We were amazed when meeting people who were obviously on different tour packages that we were all together and yet the luggage, bus pick-ups, etc. all went like clockwork. It was very welcome when arriving later into the evening at a couple of hotels that we were already checked in and were given our room keys prior to arrival. The quality of the hotels was excellent. The Rocky Mountaineer was amazing - despite the smoke from the wildfires! The service on the Rocky Mountaineer was exceptional - to the degree that we asked for a brandy - not knowing it wasn't on the bar list - however the next day ... there was a brandy!! That went beyond the call of duty we thought! The tours and guides that we had were extremely knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble. Lake Louise was brilliant and we had a wonderful room looking straight over the lake to the glacier - couldn't stop looking at the view! Niagara Falls was amazing and our trip on the boat was fantastic. We got stuck in your Bank Holiday traffic getting to Niagara which delayed everything - felt very sorry for the guide as he had to re-shuffle everything to get it all in. He remained cheerful and professional despite an extremely hard time with a couple of guests!! Both he and the driver did a wonderful job under the circumstances. Just - a big thank you so much for such great organization and for looking after us so well. We will definitely recommend you to our friends.

Deanne & Tony D, Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom (Canadian Adventurer Eastbound)

Hi Martin, we are safely at home now happily going over all the photos from our wonderful vacation, and I am certain that we will be going over them for years to come. I cannot thank you enough for all of the assistance that your staff provided to me in the organization of this sensational experience and the wonderful personal attention that you provided to my family in Jasper and Lake Louise. We have all gained a new appreciation of the wonders of the Canadian National Parks as well as Canada itself. I honestly cannot think of any way that you could have done a better job taking care of us and showing us around. Your love of the wilderness is obvious, and the pleasant manner in which you pass along your extensive knowledge and understanding of nature and historical aspects of the land is deeply appreciated. I sincerely hope that I will have the opportunity to cross paths with you again someday. Tremendously grateful!

Agnes, Rina, Carmen & Paul K, California, USA (Rockies Adventurer Eastbound)

Greetings to Spencer, Martin and the team at Canada Rail Vacations! I am writing to thank you for creating a once in a lifetime grand vacation for Kim and me. From mid-January through the trip launch in mid-September, Spencer and team helped to plan, organize and book the best adventure ever. You started with your Train Lover’s Journey, and modified and customized it to fit our requests. You added two days in Victoria, two days in Vancouver, an upgrade to Prestige-class on VIA Rail to Jasper, two nights in Jasper, and excellent private guide (Andrew) for four days in the mountain phase from Jasper to Lake Louise to Banff, and finally the GoldLeaf Journey from Banff to Vancouver on the Rocky Mountaineer to wrap up the trip. I am a discerning customer, because I appreciate attention to detail and patient communication so that we as the customer get what we are asking for while you as the business make a deserved profit for your work. We were satisfied in every way with Spencer’s professionalism, and we also appreciated Martin reaching out several times with the personal touch of company leadership. We will wholeheartedly recommend Canada Rail Vacations to our friends for facilitating this amazing trip. We stayed at the Fairmont Empress, Fairmont Pacific Rim, Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Fairmont Banff Springs, and returned to the Pacific Rim for our last night. The Gold Floor service was great. The Fairmont Pacific Rim was our favorite, as they were kind enough to provide an upgrade to a suite on our last night. At the Jasper Park Lodge we enjoyed the herd of elk that decided to camp around the cabin while we were there. Again, thank you for all that your team did to make this our biggest and best vacation ever. If we get back to Canada for any trips, you will be the first company that we contact to work with.

John and Kim G, Anguilla, Train Lover’s Dream

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