Grand Tour of Canada 2013

Day 1: Toronto
Depart today on your scheduled flight to Toronto. On arrival you’ll transfer to your hotel for a two-night stay.

Day 2: Toronto/Niagara Falls
Today you’ll be able to explore Toronto, Canada’s premier city, which boasts superb shopping, fine restaurants and the 1,815ft high CN Tower dominating the skyline. We have included a short sightseeing tour of Toronto this morning. You’ll then visit Niagara Falls, situated some 80 miles south-east of Toronto. They are divided into two parts – the Canadian and American Falls. The Canadian Falls are the larger, 180ft high with a crest of 2,200ft forming a horseshoe-shaped curve. For the most dramatic close-up view, you can join our optional excursion and don waterproof clothing for a thrilling ride on the ‘Maid of the Mist’ close to the thundering waters (operates mid-May to mid-October).

Day 3: Montreal
This morning you’ll transfer to the railway station, where you will board a train to Montreal, in the French-speaking province of Quebec. Canada’s second city, Montreal boasts a wealth of historic sites amidst its 17th century buildings, beautiful gardens and parks. There are many fine restaurants, and the French influence is still evident in the open-air cafés and street markets. We have included a short sightseeing tour of the city which takes in the St Lawrence River, the Mount Royal and the Old Town, with its beautiful Notre Dame Basilica. Later, you’ll continue to your hotel, where a two-night stay has been arranged.

Day 4: Quebec City
You can spend today at leisure or join our optional full-day guided tour of Quebec City, the only walled city in North America, standing proudly on the mighty St Lawrence River. Quebec City has winding, cobbled streets, ancient churches, stone buildings, public squares and horse-drawn calèches. You will see the old town, the Cathedral, Château Frontenac, the Basilica, the giant star-shaped Citadelle and historic battle site of the Plains of Abraham. You can view the Laurentian Hills and Mont St-Anne from the Dufferin Terrace 200ft above the river.

Day 5: Calgary
This morning you’ll transfer to Montreal Airport for your flight to Calgary in Alberta, and on arrival transfer to your hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 6: Calgary/Banff
This morning you can enjoy a short sightseeing tour of Calgary, including Fort Calgary and the site of the 1988 Winter Olympics, before driving to Banff for a two-night stay.

Day 7: Banff
You are free to explore Banff today. You can travel to the Banff National Park to see snow-capped peaks, crystal-clear lakes and sparkling streams, drive through rugged canyons with crashing waterfalls, and marvel at a vast wilderness of huge pine forests where black and grizzly bears still roam free. We have also created an interesting programme of optional excursions to ensure you see as much as possible of the spectacular Rockies scenery. You can join a Banff orientation tour, take a cable car up Sulphur Mountain for a panoramic view of the magnificent peaks, or take a helicopter ride over the Rockies for a bird’s eye view.

Day 8: Lake Louise
Leaving Banff behind today, you’ll journey by road to Lake Louise – a glacial, jade-green lake high in the mountains, surrounded on all sides by towering peaks, described as one of Canada’s most beautiful locations. Following a visit to the lake, with its hiking trails and chairlift/ gondola, you’ll transfer to your hotel in Golden for an overnight stay.

Day 9: Kelowna
You’ll continue to drive through the Rockies, via Revelstoke and Vernon to Kelowna, situated in the beautiful Okanagan Valley. Accommodation for two nights has been arranged in the Kelowna area.

Day 10: Kelowna
Enjoy today at leisure exploring the largest city on stunning Okanagan Lake, or relaxing at your hotel, which boasts a fully-equipped fitness facility, heated indoor pool and a spa offering various body treatments.

Day 11: Victoria
You’ll leave the Okanagan Valley today and drive along the Coquihalla Highway to Merritt, then down to the rich green valleys of the Fraser River Delta, before transferring to the ferry terminal to catch the ferry to Vancouver Island. From there you’ll drive to Victoria, the provincial capital of British Columbia, for a two-night stay.

Day 12: Victoria
This morning, a sightseeing tour of Victoria and its famous Butchart Gardens is included. Victoria, situated across the Strait of Georgia on Vancouver Island, resembles an old English town with narrow streets and grand 19th century buildings, including the fabled Empress Hotel overlooking the picturesque inland harbour. The afternoon is free for you to explore Victoria further, or you can join an optional whale-watching excursion.

Day 13: Vancouver
Today you’ll return by ferry to the mainland and travel to Vancouver, where you can enjoy an included sightseeing tour visiting the city’s historic core, known as ‘Gastown’, Chinatown, Stanley Park with its famous totem poles, and the beautiful harbour. Later you’ll transfer to your hotel for two nights.

Day 14: Vancouver
You have a day free in Vancouver, offering the chance for further sightseeing at your own pace. An optional half-day excursion will be available on Vancouver’s Northshore, featuring the spectacular Capilano Suspension Bridge and a cable car ride up Grouse Mountain for breathtaking views of the city and the snow-capped mountains of Washington State (USA) and Vancouver Island.

Day 15: Vancouver
You’ll transfer to the airport today for your return flight to the UK.

Day 16: UK
Arrival in the UK.

Please note
To maximise your enjoyment of this holiday a certain amount of walking is essential.

Accommodation throughout is in hotels of a comfortable standard, typical of the hotels you will stay in are:

Bond Place Hotel in Toronto
Holiday Inn Express Centre Ville in Montreal
Sandman Downtown in Calgary
Irwins Mountain Inn in Banff
Prestige Inn in Golden
Best Western in Kelowna
Best Western Carlton Plaza in Victoria
Best Western Plus Downtown in Vancouver
All guest rooms feature en suite facilities, TV and telephone. Hotels usually have a bar and restaurant, and often other facilities such as a swimming pool and shop.

VIA Rail train
All VIA Rail trains are fully air-conditioned and well furnished with courteous and friendly on-board staff. For your journey from Toronto to Montreal a comfortable reclining seat has been reserved in the spacious economy-class carriage. There is ample space to move about, and carriages feature large panoramic windows from which you can view the scenery.

Hotels will be confirmed in your final documentation.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Included excursions and visits

Toronto tour
Niagara Falls (half day)
Montreal tour
Calgary tour
Victoria tour (half day)
Vancouver tour (half day)
Optional excursions

Quebec City tour (full day)
Banff tour (half day)
Whale-watching
Your holiday includes

Scheduled flights
Overseas transfers and other transportation
14 nights’ accommodation on a room-only basis
The services of a Travelsphere Tour Manager and Local Guide
Hotel porterage (one bag per person)
All airport taxes and security charges
UK Airline Passenger Duty
All state and local taxes

With 50 years’ experience in arranging escorted tours to exciting destinations across the globe, Travelsphere have built an excellent reputation founded on quality and value.

By choosing a Travelsphere escorted holiday you can travel with confidence, knowing that every aspect of your holiday has been carefully planned and arranged from start to finish. Further to this they are ATOL bonded and members of ABTA.

Travelsphere’s thorough planning of travel arrangements, itineraries and accommodation combined with the unique insight of their knowledgeable Tour Managers and Local Guides will enable you to experience the culture, traditions and hidden away places less accessible to other travellers.

Our Opinion
“Travelsphere are one of the biggest names in the Escorted Tour market. Finely tuned over the last 50 years their tours have been tried, tested and refined by thousands of customers.”