This 8-day rail tour begins in Canada’s East Coast and propels you through Québec and all the way to fashion-forward Toronto on this delightful taste of English and French Canada.
Begin in Halifax where kindness is king and lobster so plentiful, it’s found at fast food or the finest restaurants. Grab a McLobster on the way to Pier 21, an emotional place, where immigrants entering Canada first disembarked, often coming from great hardships. Submit to the ocean and listen to the gulls cry over the deep blue waters on a day cruise around the harbour and look out for a sudden spray of water, it could be a humpback.
Aboard the VIA Rail’s The Ocean train to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick you wonder if you’ve ever seen such raw beauty out the window of a train as the rolling hills of the Baie des Chaleurs and the lovely curves of the St. Lawrence lull you to sleep.
In the pop-up museum which is Québec City, walk, dream and drink steamy café along cobblestone streets which have been there for three centuries. Why is it in Québec City, the most romantic of Canadian cities, thoughts of love bubble to the surface? Ah, maybe because here, crème brulée never tasted so good.
Next stop Montréal where St. Catherine Street is vibrating with new designers, live jazz, stand-up comedy and tiny bistros lit by candles. The competition for most romantic city in Canada is fierce but someone has to investigate so let the clickity-clack of the train bring you to trendy Toronto where the locals are polite and polished, the lounges slick and sultry in this modern city business centre with thick vein of art and innovation along the shores of Lake Ontario. Try any neighbourhood: Little Italy, Chinatown, Little India, Little Portugal, Little Poland, and more; in this pulsating centre of culture and diversity, you can dance salsa, dine on silky risotto and conclude the evening with kiwi bubble tea. Toronto will certainly charm your heart before heading home.
