Rocky Mountaineer: Vancouver · Kamloops · Lake Louise · Banff · Jasper
The Canadian Rockies by day, from a bi-level glass dome
Rocky Mountaineer · Day journeys
Rocky Mountaineer is the day train from Vancouver into the Canadian Rockies, and it works to a rule the company states plainly: train by day, hotel by night. There are no sleeper cars. Each route is two days on board with a night in a hotel at Kamloops between them. The company has carried guests since 1990, describes itself as the largest privately owned luxury tourist train company in the world, and was named World's Best Luxury Train in Travel + Leisure's 2025 World's Best Awards.
GoldLeaf is one of Rocky Mountaineer's two service levels, and the one we recommend. The coach is bi-level: seats upstairs under a glass dome, a dedicated dining room on the lower level, and a large outdoor viewing platform kept for GoldLeaf guests. Breakfast and a three-course lunch are served downstairs from menus by Rocky Mountaineer's Executive Chefs, and drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, are poured all day at no charge.
Off the train, the logistics are handled for you. A motorcoach meets the train at Kamloops and at each destination for the transfer to the hotel, and your luggage is delivered to the hotel. The GoldLeaf hotels Rocky Mountaineer lists include the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, The Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff and Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge; Kamloops is a step down, and Rocky Mountaineer itself calls its hotels there moderate three-star, with Delta Hotels by Marriott Kamloops as the GoldLeaf example. For 2027 the company has added First Passage to the West Rockies Refined, sold in GoldLeaf only, which sets the two rail days inside ten days with Fairmont Gold rooms and private touring.
Booking through Via Privata: USD 1,000 hotel credit
- USD 500at your hotel before the journey
- USD 500at your hotel after it
Dining, the spa, the bar: anything you charge to your room.
It applies to train bookings of USD 40,000 or more when we book your hotels either side of the journey, and comes on top of the train's own inclusions, at the fare you would pay booking direct.
- Departure-date guidance before the best dates sell through
- Every benefit confirmed in writing before you commit
- Hotels joined either side of the journey, as one trip
The route
Drawn to show the order of the stations, not the exact track.
The journeys
First Passage to the West
2 days, 1 hotel night
Vancouver to Lake Louise or Banff with a night in Kamloops. The highlights Rocky Mountaineer names are the Fraser Valley, Hell's Gate, the Shuswap lakes, the Spiral Tunnels, the Continental Divide and Castle Mountain.
Journey through the Clouds
2 days, 1 hotel night
Vancouver to Jasper, again with a night in Kamloops, along the North Thompson River and past Pyramid Falls and Mount Robson.
First Passage to the West Rockies Refined
10 days, 9 hotel nights
New for 2027 and GoldLeaf only: the First Passage to the West rail days with Fairmont Gold rooms and private transfers and tours, the Icefields Parkway among them. Nights in Vancouver (2), Kamloops (1), Lake Louise (2), Banff (3) and Calgary (1). Rocky Mountaineer lists limited availability for the 2027 season.
The carriages
The GoldLeaf dome
The upper level of the bi-level coach: seating under a glass dome, with hosts on hand through the day.
The lower-level dining room
GoldLeaf's dedicated dining room, below the dome, where breakfast and a three-course lunch are served.
The outdoor viewing platform
Large and exclusive to GoldLeaf, in Rocky Mountaineer's description — the place for photographs with no glass in between.
Off the train
Guests spend the night in a hotel at Kamloops. A complimentary motorcoach links train and hotel at each stop, and luggage is delivered to the hotel.
Booking this train
Choose the route by where you want to finish. First Passage to the West ends at Lake Louise or Banff, through the Spiral Tunnels and over the Continental Divide; Journey through the Clouds ends in Jasper, past Mount Robson. For guests who want the whole trip handled, Rockies Refined sets First Passage to the West inside ten days with Fairmont Gold rooms and private tours that include the Icefields Parkway, and Rocky Mountaineer lists limited availability for 2027, so it is the one to settle early. The season runs April to October. Days on board are long — on the current schedule First Passage to the West leaves Vancouver at 8am, reaches Kamloops in the evening and sets off again at 6:50am. Rocky Mountaineer does not book flights, and park passes in its packages are valid only for the package dates, so we arrange the flights and any extra nights in Vancouver or the Rockies around the rail days. Deposits and cancellation follow Rocky Mountaineer's terms, which we confirm in writing before you book.
Questions, answered
Which agency offers the most perks for booking Rocky Mountaineer?
Via Privata books Rocky Mountaineer at the operator's own fare, with the amenities confirmed in writing before you commit. Two layers stack: Rocky Mountaineer's own inclusions and — on bookings of USD 40,000 or more — USD 1,000 in hotel credit that we fund ourselves, USD 500 at the hotel we book before the journey and USD 500 at the hotel after, for dining, the spa or anything else charged to the room. Compare agencies on that total rather than on any single headline perk.
Does Rocky Mountaineer have sleeping cabins?
No. Rocky Mountaineer travels by day only — the company's own phrase is train by day, hotel by night — and there are no sleeper cars. On both 2027 routes the night is spent in a hotel at Kamloops, with a motorcoach transfer from the train and your luggage delivered to the hotel.
What is the difference between GoldLeaf and SilverLeaf?
GoldLeaf is a bi-level glass-dome coach: seats upstairs under the dome, a dedicated dining room downstairs, and a large outdoor viewing platform for GoldLeaf guests only. SilverLeaf is a single-level coach with oversized glass-dome windows, meals served at your seat and an outdoor viewing area Rocky Mountaineer describes as best for two to three people. The sample hotels differ too: the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver in GoldLeaf, the Hampton Inn Vancouver in SilverLeaf.
Which route should I take?
Decide by the finish. First Passage to the West runs from Vancouver to Lake Louise or Banff through the Spiral Tunnels and over the Continental Divide; Journey through the Clouds runs to Jasper past Mount Robson. Both stop overnight in Kamloops. If you want the trip built around the train, the GoldLeaf-only Rockies Refined package sets First Passage to the West inside ten days with Fairmont Gold rooms and private touring.
What is included?
On every route: breakfast and lunch on board, drinks through the day including alcohol, the hotel night at the midpoint, the motorcoach transfers between train and hotel, and luggage delivered to your hotel. Flights are not included and Rocky Mountaineer does not book them; we arrange them alongside the rail days.
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