Is the train travel included?

Yes, one night aboard VIA Rail's Canadian from Jasper to Vancouver in Sleeper Plus class is included, alongside a 7-night Alaska cruise and coach touring in the Rockies.

Is this trip escorted or independent?

It is an independent trip; for example you arrange your own breakfast before the train and make your own way to your hotel in Vancouver.

VIA Rail's Canadian, from Jasper to Vancouver, in Sleeper Plus class with access to the Skyline and Park Cars.

What ship is used for the Alaska cruise?

Holland America's ms Koningsdam, on a 7-night round trip from Vancouver through the Inside Passage.

What hotels are used?

Hotel options vary by town and star rating, from the 3-star Banff Ptarmigan Inn to the 5-star Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, plus properties in Lake Louise, Jasper and Vancouver.

What is not included?

Cancellation and travel insurance.

Great Rail Journeys · Independent rail holiday & cruise

Canada's Rockies and Alaska Cruise

Canadian Rockies rail touring plus a 7-night Alaska cruise

Great Rail Journeys' 17-day independent trip combines the Canadian Rockies with a 7-night Alaska cruise. It begins with two nights in Banff, where a guided tour visits Tunnel and Rundle Mountains and the Banff Gondola, before continuing to Lake Louise and Jasper. From Jasper, a single overnight aboard VIA Rail's Canadian carries you through the Rockies to Vancouver, with Sleeper Plus access to the Skyline and Park Cars. After two free days in Vancouver, you board Holland America's ms Koningsdam for a 7-night round trip cruise through Alaska's Inside Passage, calling at Tracy Arm Inlet, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, and Ketchikan. Days are mostly free to explore at your own pace, with optional excursions offered at each stop. It suits travellers who want mountain scenery, one classic Canadian train journey, and an Alaska cruise combined into a single independent trip, without a tour manager.

Price history

Across 3 checks, this price has held at £5,035 every time.

Each point is a day we checked this operator's own page, not a weekly average, and the line holds flat between checks rather than guessing at movement we did not see. Hollow points are values shown when the trip was first listed here and never confirmed with the operator.

What to know before you look closer

Hotels are offered as tiered options in each town, from the 3-star Banff Ptarmigan Inn to the 5-star Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, so the exact hotel depends on the tier you choose.
Only one night of this 17-day trip is spent on a train, VIA Rail's Canadian from Jasper to Vancouver; the rest of the rail-and-mountains portion is by coach, and 7 nights are on an Alaska cruise ship.
The trip includes overnight flights both ways: London to Calgary at the start and Vancouver to London at the end.

Day by day

Day 1overnight: Banff
Banff
Fly from London to Calgary and transfer to Banff, checking into the hotel for a two-night stay.
Day 2overnight: Banff
Banff
A guided tour of Banff taking in the Tunnel and Rundle Mountains, the Cave & Basin National Historic Site and the Hoodoos, plus the Banff Gondola to Sulphur Mountain. Optional Banff Hot Springs or an evening wildlife safari.
Day 3overnight: Lake Louise
Banff to Lake Louise
A free morning in Banff before travelling to Lake Louise, with an optional supplement sightseeing tour via Yoho National Park taking in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, Spiral Tunnels and Emerald Lake.
Day 4overnight: Jasper
Lake Louise to Jasper
A sightseeing journey along the Icefields Parkway, stopping at the Columbia Icefield, before arriving in Jasper.
Day 5overnight: Jasper
Jasper
A free day in Jasper, with options including the Jasper Tramway, a walking food tour, or a float trip on the Athabasca River.
Day 6railovernight: Aboard VIA Rail's Canadian
VIA Rail's Canadian
Transfer to the railway station to board VIA Rail's Canadian to Vancouver, with Sleeper Plus access to the Skyline and Park Cars for views of the Canadian Rockies.
Day 7overnight: Vancouver
Arriving in Vancouver
Arrive in Vancouver for a free day, with an optional hop-on hop-off tour taking in Stanley Park, the Vancouver Aquarium, English Bay Beach, Granville Island, Chinatown and Robson Street.
Day 8overnight: Vancouver
Exploring Vancouver
A second free day in Vancouver, with options including the Capilano Suspension Bridge, a Granville Island Market food tour, or a Stanley Park bike tour.
Day 9overnight: Aboard ms Koningsdam
Alaska Cruise
Transfer to the cruise ship terminal to board the Holland America ship for the first night of the seven-night Alaska cruise, sailing out of Vancouver.
Day 10overnight: Aboard ms Koningsdam
Joining The Inside Passage
Sail Alaska's Inside Passage past rainforests and fjords, from Misty Fjords National Monument towards Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, with breakfast onboard.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 11overnight: Aboard ms Koningsdam
Tracy Arm Inlet
Cruise through Tracy Arm Inlet's glacier-covered mountains and the Sinuous Waterway, arriving in Juneau in the afternoon with free time to explore, including the Mount Roberts Tramway.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12railovernight: Aboard ms Koningsdam
Klondike Gold Rush National Park
Stop at the gold rush town of Skagway, part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, with the Red Onion Saloon, the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway and the Skagway Museum.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 13overnight: Aboard ms Koningsdam
Glacier Bay
Cruise through Glacier Bay's dramatic rock walls and glaciers, joined by National Park Service rangers and Huna Tlingit guides, with dinner served onboard.
Meals: Dinner
Day 14overnight: Aboard ms Koningsdam
Ketchikan
Call at Ketchikan, with visits to the Tongass Historical Museum, Totem Heritage Centre, Saxman Village or the Misty Fjords National Monument.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 15overnight: Aboard ms Koningsdam
The Inside Passage
A day at sea sailing back through the Inside Passage, with breakfast, lunch and dinner onboard.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 16
Vancouver to UK
Disembark in Vancouver and transfer to the airport for the overnight flight back to the UK.
Day 17
Arrival in UK
Arrive back in the UK with lots of new memories.

The moments this trip is built around

Day 2A guided tour of Banff visits Tunnel and Rundle Mountains, the Cave and Basin National Historic Site, the Hoodoos, and the Banff Gondola to the summit of Sulphur Mountain.
Day 4The drive to Jasper on the Icefields Parkway stops at the Columbia Icefield, where an Ice Explorer crosses the Athabasca Glacier.
Day 6You board VIA Rail's Canadian to Vancouver, with Sleeper Plus access to the Skyline and Park Cars through the Canadian Rockies.
Day 11The ship reaches Tracy Arm Inlet and Juneau, Alaska's capital, through America's largest intact coastal temperate rainforest.
Day 13The ship sails through Glacier Bay, passing 16 glaciers with National Park rangers and Huna Tlingit guides aboard to narrate.

Included

Hotel accommodation for 7 nights
7-night round-trip Alaska cruise aboard Holland America's ms Koningsdam
Rail travel on VIA Rail (1 night on train)
Flights from London to Calgary and Vancouver to London
Airport transfers in Canada
All meals onboard the train and ship

Not included

Cancellation & Travel Insurance

Questions travellers ask

Is the train travel included?: Yes, one night aboard VIA Rail's Canadian from Jasper to Vancouver in Sleeper Plus class is included, alongside a 7-night Alaska cruise and coach touring in the Rockies.
Is this trip escorted or independent?: It is an independent trip; for example you arrange your own breakfast before the train and make your own way to your hotel in Vancouver.
Which train is used?: VIA Rail's Canadian, from Jasper to Vancouver, in Sleeper Plus class with access to the Skyline and Park Cars.
What ship is used for the Alaska cruise?: Holland America's ms Koningsdam, on a 7-night round trip from Vancouver through the Inside Passage.
What hotels are used?: Hotel options vary by town and star rating, from the 3-star Banff Ptarmigan Inn to the 5-star Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, plus properties in Lake Louise, Jasper and Vancouver.
What is not included?: Cancellation and travel insurance.