
Train travel in British Columbia is a spectacular experience. This is true whether you go on the cheap or for luxury. In this post, I look at VIA Rail vs. the Rocky Mountaineer train experiences so that you can decide how you want to spend your travel dollar.
Towering mountains, winding rivers, pristine emerald green lakes, glaciers, wildlife and even a semi-arid desert.
The thing about train travel in British Columbia is that it's about the scenery. You can't say that for all train travel. But you can in B.C. And that's why you have a decision to make.
Do you want to add luxury (and price) to your train experience or do you want to go the budget route and save money for another trip? I've taken these prices from quotes in April 2025.
Budget options – Via Rail
- Prince Rupert to Jasper covers the northern part of the mountains. There is no sleeper option on the train. You need to account for a hotel in Prince George in your cost as well. Via Rail cost: $163
- Jasper to Vancouver cuts west then south through the mountains. It comes in at $172 for economy and $610 for SleeperPlus class which comes with meals.
- It's important to note the hours of this train as there isn't a stop on route which means some of the time will be in the dark. In Jasper in June, the sun rises at 5:27 AM and sunset at 10:21 PM. In Kamloops on June 21 sunrise is at 4:48am and sunset 9:17pm.
Luxury options – The Rocky Mountaineer
- Banff to Vancouver covers the southern part of the Rockies. There is a stop in Kamloops. They arrange your hotel there and manage your luggage for you but you are on your own for dinner. They offer two levels of service, Silver at CAN$2,245 and Gold at CAN$3,065.
- Jasper to Vancouver takes the same route as Via Rail but it is done slightly differently as they stop in Kamloops overnight. This gives you the whole trip during daylight. They offer two levels of service, Silver at CAN$2,245 and Gold at CAN$3,065.
The food, the service and the people are quite different on each train but the landscape is almost comparable with the Banff to Vancouver route having more variety than the Prince Rupert to Jasper route.
Below you will find a comparison of the VIA Rail and the Rocky Mountaineer experiences. I share with you the experience, service, and scenery I enjoyed on each train journey across British Columbia. I hope that it will help you decide which is best for you. This is a fairly long post so to help you get around here are links to:
- The Rocky Mountaineer Experience
- The Via Rail Experience
- Comparing VIA Rail and the Rocky Mountaineer
The Rocky Mountaineer Experience: Banff to Vancouver
The Rocky Mountaineer runs trains along multiple routes in Western Canada however it is best known for its Vancouver to Banff corridor. It is most definitely a full-service, luxury train experience. For many of my fellow passengers, it was a trip of a lifetime for which they had planned and saved. Cdn$2,245 is the base price for two days. It includes breakfast and lunch both days and your accommodation in Kamloops. The food on board is very good as are the wines and spirits which flow liberally. They also handle your luggage for you, making the whole experience very comfortable.
VIA Rail: Prince Rupert to Jasper (A Great, Cheap Alternative)
The trip on Via Rail was definitely more basic than the Rocky Mountaineer. Then again, it cost Cdn$2,000 less so one would expect that to be the case. That said I found it to be a great experience.
I met more people on the Via Rail train. In fact, I joined a tour group party one night and, once in Banff, I met up with another group for dinner. It was a social experience.
In practical terms, I brought most of my food with me, booked my own hotel (which adds about $100 to the cost of my trip) and schlepped my own bags to the hotel and back (by taxi at night which cost about $10, and on foot in the morning). The coffee was surprisingly good on the train and there were drinks, snacks, and meals to purchase if you wanted.
Tip: Sit on the south side of the train as you leave Prince Rupert. Sit on the north side as you're approaching Jasper.
Comparing VIA Rail and the Rocky Mountaineer
You've seen a comparison of the experiences above. Now here's are the details comparing the VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer in terms of food, comfort, services, and more.
Via Rail
- Prince Rupert to Jasper with a one-night stop in Prince George
- Comfort: Satisfactory – the seats are fine, not great. You do get to disembark periodically, stretch your legs and get some fresh air, which is nice.
- The scenery on this route gets an A- simply because it does not have as much variety as the Banff to Vancouver route which is only available through the Rocky Mountaineer.
- Services: None.
- No cart comes around. You have to go to the kitchen to get food or drinks.
- You book your hotel in Prince George, make your way to it and back in the morning for departure.
- Commentary: The commentary is given by the train services manager and my guess is that he does it because he loves the area not because it’s part of his job. The train services manager on our route did a great job given that he was responsible for everything on the train. I give the commentary a B. You can download a mile-by-mile guide here.
- Food: Not great. Bring your own.
- Sociability: Great! With only about 50 people on the train, it was easy to chat with people. There were two tour groups on the train. One of them was also going to be in Banff on the 25th and they invited me to join them for dinner that night.
The Rocky Mountaineer
- Banff to Vancouver with a one-night stop in Kamloops
- Service Class: Silver at CAN$2,245 and Gold at CAN$3,065
- Comfort: Good. The seats are comfortable. The train does not make stops so that you can get off.
- The scenery on the Banff to Vancouver route gets an A+. Note that the route from Jasper to Vancouver is the same for Via Rail and Rocky Mountaineer.
- Services:
- Breakfast, lunch and two snacks with full bar served. Good quality food and the right quantity as well. The servings are not too large given that you’re sitting all day. The wines are from British Columbia and quite good. They have a full bar with just about anything you could want.
- They book your hotel in Kamloops.
- They take your bags from you at the station in Banff and have them in your hotel room for you when you arrive in Kamloops. They collect your bag from your room and deliver it to you in Vancouver.
- Dinner is on your own in Kamloops.
- Commentary: Our car had three service people. Chase and Ben were our hosts/guides. Megan covered food services. Chase and Ben tag-teamed on the commentary. They were informative and very entertaining. They get an A+.
- Sociability: Despite the incredible efforts of Chase and Ben, the car just did not blend well with the exception of the second day when they played a mixing game called Manifest Bingo. Most people were part of a couple or family and with all seats facing forward mixing wasn’t natural. I chatted with the women across from me, but it didn’t go anywhere. I stood and faced behind me but still didn’t manage to get too much going on. I'm usually successful at meeting and chatting with other people.