You Can Take A 96-Hour Train Ride From Vancouver To Toronto & Here's What It Looks Like
Did you know that you can take a VIA Rail train across Canada? Travellers interested in exploring the country by train can hop on in Vancouver and end up in Toronto while crossing Northern Ontario Lakelands, Prairies and the Rockies. But it's certainly not a short or cheap trip.
VIA Rail's website states, "this rail journey is one of the longest in the world, taking four days to complete." But if you were curious about what that experience entails, then you're in luck because a content creator documented the whole journey and posted it online.
TikToker and YouTuber Sebastian Breuninger posted a video showing what the 96-hour journey on the VIA Rail The Canadian looked like, and the views are super scenic.
"On board you can experience fine dining, see beautiful sunsets, have regular stops like Jasper, and see the Rocky Mountains," the TikToker said. "My friend Mike and I are riding this train for 96 hours through five provinces. We're going to show you 'a life on board' and what it's like to ride this train."
@sebpic_ Full video out now. Link in bio!
The TikToker then posted a 13-minute video of the experience on YouTube to show what his and his friend, Micheal Downie's, $5,000 adventure was like, which seemed super magical and peaceful.
Breuninger told Narcity if he could use one word to explain the experience, it would be "mesmerizing."
The YouTube video starts with the pair getting on board and checking out their room with a private bathroom. Chatting with Narcity, the man advised travellers to "get the sleeper berth [as] it's the cheapest option that has a bed and food included and access to the dome cars."
The front of the train gives travellers "elevated views of the surrounding landscape," where Breuninger and Downie planned on spending "80% of the day when it's light out."
The German traveller then mentions that the train was running slow and would be at that speed most of the time.
Other awesome things to enjoy while on board include a bar, fine dining restaurant, lounge and a fresh coffee station.
Riding Canadas Longest Train for 96 Hourswww.youtube.com
The first stop where passengers could hop off the train and explore is Jasper. Next, they make their way through the Rockies and hopped off in Edmonton for the next stop.
"We're going through the most scenic stretch of the journey," Breuninger says. "The Rocky Mountains on both sides of the window just leave us at 'Awe.' Having seen them many times before but never from a moving train made it extra special for me."
@sebpic_ Worth it? Views from the Rocky Mountaineer!
The train then arrives in Saskatchewan and Breuninger says that many people told him that once he would hit the Prairies, "it [would get] super boring," but the vlogger disagrees.
"The longer I spend in the Prairies, the longer I appreciate the uninterrupted views from the train. Endless views of fields make it a great experience, and from my opinion, it's not boring at all," Breuninger shares in the video.
The travellers then head to Manitoba, where they enjoy a short time in Winnipeg. Afterwards, they enter Ontario and spend a day and a half crossing the province before offloading in Toronto.
"The thing with Ontario, there's a bunch of nothing. We drove through a bunch of forests, a lot of lakes, frozen lakes, and there's not much exciting stuff," the content creator says. "There's also no service."
@sebpic_ Train Rides in Canada 🇨🇦 😳
Toward the end of the train ride, Breuninger reminisces about the trip and says, "96 hours on a train seems like a long time, but it really didn't feel like it." The traveller also loved the Prairies and named them one of his favourite parts of the journey.
Breuninger told Narcity he would take the trip again. However, he warns other travellers is that the train has "no Wi-Fi and rare cell coverage, so bring a good book or a good friend."
If you were hoping to explore Canada through a different lens, then make sure to check out and book your tickets on the VIA Rails website here.
Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.
