Traveling across Canada by train

After deciding to go to Jasper, I just had to figure out how to get there. It's a distance of 3996 km as the crow flies! The easiest way would probably be to fly to Edmonton or Calgary, but I really didn't feel like doing that. I don't have a problem with flying itself, but all the hassle at the airport before takeoff just annoys me every time.

So, I chose an option that I found very interesting and appealing during my pre-trip research at home: by train, specifically Via Rail, more specifically The Ocean to Montreal and The Canadian from Toronto to Jasper. I took a bus from Montreal to Toronto to add some variety to the journey.

In Montreal and Toronto, I planned to spend a night at a hostel, take a shower, and sleep in a proper bed.

The first leg of the journey, from Halifax to Montreal, was like a test run for the long trip, as it was only 21 hours. The second journey later was a whole 3 days! Surprisingly, the worst part of the entire trip was the 6-hour bus ride from Montreal to Toronto :D

Overall, I absolutely enjoyed the train ride. If you have time, it's a great way to travel. But if you want to get from A to B quickly, I wouldn't recommend it.

Since train travel here in Canada is not exactly cheap, I chose the cheapest class, Economy. So, no bed for the 3 nights on the train, just a comfortable seat that can be reclined quite far back. And in the end, almost everyone had a whole row of seats to themselves. I, at least, could lie down quite comfortably and surprisingly got a lot of sleep. What I missed more was a shower - after 1-2 days, you would really like to wash properly.

Before leaving Toronto, I quickly went to the supermarket and then transferred my snacks to Ziploc bags at the train station. Taking 'real' food with me was difficult due to the lack of cooling facilities, but you could also buy food on the train (for me, it was a burger on the 2nd and 3rd evenings).

The 'Canadian' has several observation cars called 'Dome Cars', where you sit slightly elevated and enjoy a magnificent view through the dome windows. Most people like to sit there during the day and enjoy the changing scenery, starting with dense forests in Ontario, meaning you only see green on the first day, then the endless expanse of the prairies in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, and eventually the Rockies appear on the horizon.

In the Dome Car, you quickly get talking with the other passengers. Everyone tells their story, why they are on this train, where they come from, and so on. I also meet other (German) work and travelers on the train.

In between, I retreated to my 'camp' (my seat, on which I have spread out quite well), watched Netflix (I downloaded a lot beforehand because there is no Wi-Fi on the train), listened to podcasts, or read, or just closed my eyes for a while and enjoyed the monotonous and relaxing rumble of the train.

When we finally arrived in Jasper, I had gotten so used to the train that I almost would have preferred to keep going :D But eventually, you have to return to 'real life'.