The Rocky Mountaineer: Two Days by Train from Banff to Vancouver

For Darren’s mum, Maureen, the Rocky Mountaineer was the trip. It was the iconic train journey she wanted to do, so the three of us booked it together: two days by train from Banff to Vancouver, with a night in Kamloops in between.

It’s a trip that takes care of a lot for you. Our luggage went ahead to each hotel, the meals came to us, and the hosts told the story of the line as we went. All we really had to do was look out the window. And before we’d even left Banff, we found out we had the very front seats of the whole GoldLeaf section.

Here’s what the two days were really like, what’s changed since we travelled, and what’s worth knowing before you book.

Choosing the route and how we booked

Rocky Mountaineer has more than one route through the Canadian Rockies, and choosing just one was difficult. Based on the time we had, First Passage to the West was the right fit: Banff to Vancouver over two days, with an overnight stop in Kamloops. It’s the only passenger train on this historic line, and it runs in both directions, so you can just as easily start in Vancouver and finish in Banff or Lake Louise.

Because Maureen was travelling with us, we booked a tour package through APT. GoldLeaf came as part of the package, but having looked at the options, we’d probably have chosen it anyway.

Rocky Mountaineer sells its journeys as packages, from the two days on the train (with the Kamloops hotel included) through to longer trips with hotel nights in Vancouver and the Rockies. You’ll find the current routes and packages on Rocky Mountaineer’s routes page.

GoldLeaf or SilverLeaf?

There are two service levels on this route, GoldLeaf and SilverLeaf, and the difference is mostly about the coach you travel in.

GoldLeaf coaches have two levels. Upstairs, you sit in reclining seats under full glass-dome windows. Downstairs is the dining room, where breakfast and lunch are served, and a door out to the outdoor viewing platform. A spiral staircase joins the two levels, and there’s also an elevator if anyone in your group needs it (let Rocky Mountaineer know when you book).

SilverLeaf coaches are single level, with oversized windows. Meals are served at your seat, and there’s a smaller outdoor area that suits one or two people at a time. We didn’t travel SilverLeaf, so we can tell you what it includes but not what it’s like.

For us, the dining room and the outdoor platform were reason enough to choose GoldLeaf.

Good to Know

Both service levels include breakfast, lunch, snacks and drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and onboard hosts who share stories about the route.

Prices change each season, so check the current packages on Rocky Mountaineer’s website.

Boarding in Banff

When we arrived at the station in Banff, there were old rail carriages on display. If you have time before boarding, they’re worth exploring.

We found our carriage number on our ticket and walked along the platform to find our coach. It was the front GoldLeaf coach, with no other two-level carriages in front of us. Then we stepped inside and checked our seat numbers. Not only were we in the first GoldLeaf coach, we had the very front seats. Talk about the best seats in the house.

That was pure luck. Rocky Mountaineer allocates the seats, so there’s no way to book them.

Good to Know

Your seat is pre-assigned and printed on your boarding pass. Rocky Mountaineer can seat you near friends who booked separately if you ask at least 45 days ahead, but it can’t take requests for particular seats or a coach position.

Day one: Banff to Kamloops

Day one is the mountain day. Not long out of Banff, the line passes Castle Mountain, crosses the Continental Divide into British Columbia and winds down through the Spiral Tunnels, a pair of tunnels Canadian Pacific opened in 1909 to tame a dangerously steep stretch of track. We definitely remember the tunnels.

Each GoldLeaf coach has an outdoor viewing platform, and while it can be a bit windy and cold out there, it’s where you get the best photos. We went out regularly, not only for the photos but for that fresh Canadian mountain air. The train doesn’t stop for photos, but it does slow right down at the most scenic spots.

Inside, the hosts shared stories and commentary about the places we were passing, and the staff made us feel at home from the very beginning. Then there were the meals: three courses, in the dining room downstairs, with the Rockies going past the window.

Towards the end of the day, the line runs right alongside the Shuswap lakes for a while, and that stretch was a highlight. We pulled into Kamloops at sunset.

Lisa’s Tip

Taking photos through glass on a moving train isn’t easy. Watch for reflections when you shoot through the windows, and watch for motion blur too. The outdoor platform gets you away from the glass altogether.

A night in Kamloops

When you arrive in Kamloops, a bus is waiting to take you to your hotel for the night. We stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton.

Our luggage had been sent on from Banff and was already waiting at the hotel when we arrived. In Vancouver, APT looked after our bags from the train to our hotel, because we were on their tour. We didn’t need to worry about luggage at all.

We only had the evening in Kamloops, so we took a walk around the town and then tried our luck at the casino.

Good to Know

Rocky Mountaineer looks after you and your luggage between the train and the Kamloops hotel.

The Kamloops hotel is a three-star property, allocated a few days before you travel and shown on your boarding pass. It’s the same standard whichever service level you book (when we travelled, it depended on your service level).

If your package includes hotels before and after the train, luggage handling is included there too. It isn’t included at hotels you book yourself.

Day two: Kamloops to Vancouver

Day two looks completely different. The big Rocky Mountain peaks give way to the Fraser River and its canyon, and at Hell’s Gate, where the river rushes through a narrow stretch of the canyon, the train slowed right down so we could take photos.

There’s plenty of wildlife to see, but you have to be quick to get a photo. We saw a couple of black bears and some bighorn sheep, and the sheep were a bit shy and didn’t want their photo taken. This is one of my many “backside” shots of wildlife. Rocky Mountaineer’s list of wildlife you might see also includes elk, moose, bald eagles and mountain goats, but sightings are never guaranteed.

After the Coast Mountains, the land flattens out into the farmland of the Fraser Valley, and the line passes small towns and plenty of houses. The locals know when the train is coming, so you’ll regularly see people out waving as it goes by. We arrived in Vancouver late in the afternoon.

Was it worth it?

For us, definitely. The standout was simply the three of us sitting down to three-course meals while some of the most beautiful scenery we’ve seen glided past the windows.

But the best part was Maureen. This was the trip she’d wanted to do, and seeing her reaction made it for us. She absolutely loved it.

If you’ve been wondering whether a trip like this is manageable, for yourself or for someone you’d love to take, it’s one where a lot is done for you: the bags, the hotel, the meals and the storytelling. You get to enjoy the view. If you’re planning a trip with family, we’ve shared how we plan ours, from must-dos to money, in our guide to travelling with friends or family.

If you’d rather stop wherever you like and take your time, driving is the other way to do it. On a later trip to Canada, we drove between Vancouver and Banff, and it let us stop and explore the places in between. But I wouldn’t swap doing the train. It’s such a great experience.

Would we change anything? No. Next time we’re in Canada, we might try another Rocky Mountaineer route.

If you’re driving the Sea to Sky Highway north of Vancouver, our walk to the Whistler Train Wreck is an easy stop on the way to Whistler.

If you’re planning time in Canada, you’ll find more of our trips on our Canada page.

Until next time… keep wandering.

Last updated: 17 October 2026. Routes, service levels, hotels and luggage details checked against Rocky Mountaineer’s website, October 2026.

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