Grand Tour of Canada with Vancouver add-on 2014

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

Day 2: Toronto
You can explore Toronto on today’s included sightseeing tour. Canada’s premier city boasts superb shopping, fine restaurants and the 1,815ft high CN Tower dominating the skyline. We have included a sightseeing tour of the city today.

Day 3: Toronto/Niagara Falls
Today we include a visit to 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, standing at 180ft high with a crest of 2,200ft forming a horseshoe-shaped curve. For the most dramatic close-up view you can don waterproofs and take an optional thrilling ride on the ‘Maid of the Mist’ close to the thundering waters (operates mid-May to mid-October).

Day 4: 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 toyour hotel, where a two-night stay has been arranged.

Day 5: 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 6: 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 7: Calgary/Banff
Join this morning’s included short sightseeing tour of Calgary, including Fort Calgary and the site of the 1988 Winter Olympics. Later you’ll journey by road to Banff where we include a tour of its highlights and a three-night stay.

Day 8: Lake Louise
We include a full-day tour of Lake Louise today. This glacial, jade-green lake high in the mountains is surrounded on all sides by towering peaks and is described as one of Canada’s most beautiful locations.

Day 9: Banff
Today is free for you to explore Banff at your own pace. You can travel to 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 take a cable car up Sulphur Mountain for a panoramic view of the magnificent peaks or enjoy a helicopter ride over the Rockies for a bird’s eye view.

Day 10: Kelowna
Leaving Banff behind today you’ll drive through the Rockies via Revelstoke and Vernon to Kelowna, situated in the beautiful Okanagan Valley. We have arranged an overnight stay here.

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.

Days 15 – 16: Vancouver
Spend the rest of your holiday exploring Vancouver at your own pace.

Day 17: Vancouver
You’ll transfer to the airport today for your return flight to the UK.

Day 18: UK
Arrive in the UK.

Please note
The 2 night Vancouver add-on will not be accompanied by a Tour Manager.

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

The Bond Place Hotel in Toronto
The Holiday Inn Express in Montreal
The Sandman Downtown or the Sheraton Cavalier hotel in Calgary
Irwins Mountain Inn in Banff
The Best Western in Kelowna
The Best Western Carlton Plaza in Victoria
The 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.

Your 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.

All 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

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

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.”