Canadian rail trips.

bagand96

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82069246#Comment_82069246

I went to that very lake when I did the trip by car a couple of years back. The beauty of doing it in a vehicle is you can just pull in when you see something, which is exactly how we ended up there!

tom192

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82069771#Comment_82069771

Couldn't agree more with this we drove past lots of places that I would have loved to have stopped at but when you have 12 in the bus a quick stop turns into half an hour each time 😂😂

bagand96

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82069787#Comment_82069787

You end up with the same problem in the car, whilst you get to choose where to stop…. All those "oh look at that" photo stops do build up and you wonder why your're quickly 2 hours behind reaching the destination!

Wyndham

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82063953#Comment_82063953

I also did this and would recommend the car route. More flexibility, more chance to stop as you wish. And the Icefields Parkway is wonderful and I don't think the train goes there?

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82070064#Comment_82070064

It's not really either/or though - driving along the Icefields Parkway and getting the Rocky Mountaineer to or from the area are complementary in my book!

Nebulous2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82070064#Comment_82070064

Thanks everybody for all your comments.

If you look at my post from the 7th of July - I'm hoping to do both - they complement each other, as @eskbanker says.

The Canadian train to Vancouver - fly to Calgary, pick up a car and tour Banff / Jasper etc, then fly home from Calgary is a rough plan, though one way car hire from Vancouver is also still being considered.

I'm very much of the opinion that I only fly - especially longhaul - if I can get the time to enjoy it. I'd rarely go to Europe for less than 10 days, preferably a fortnight. Longhaul I prefer 3 weeks minimum.

MysteryMe

Years ago I did the Rockies/Banff/Jasper on a coach trip. Setting off from Calgary or Edmonton you got much closer to the landscape and not restricted by a rail track.