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We gather at London Heathrow this afternoon with our fellow travellers and Tour Manager to board a direct flight to the west coast of Canada, arriving in Vancouver early evening local time.

This picturesque city is regarded as one of the most desirable places to live in the world, thanks to its charming atmosphere and positioning amid the incredible setting of mountains and the Pacific coast. Blending the vibrancy and culture of a cosmopolitan city with spectacular scenery, Vancouver and its surroundings have calmly impressed visitors for many years.

Our elegant Fairmont hotel is in the heart of Downtown, set amongst high-end boutiques and impressive art galleries. Known as the 'Castle in the City' due to its châteauesque copper pitched roof, the Hotel Vancouver was built in 1939 as one of Canada's grand railway hotels. After check in there is a free evening to unwind or head out to try some of western Canada's finest cuisine, including top-class seafood, such as salmon, oysters and Dungeness crab, or delicious local versions of Asian and Mexican dishes.

A tour of Vancouver's most characterful and historic districts with a local guide awaits us on our first full day in Canada.

The rejuvenated area known as Gastown is Vancouver's original Downtown. Redbrick Victorian buildings dot the tree-lined streets surrounding pretty Maple Tree Square. Many upmarket fashion boutiques, trendy coffee shops, art galleries and the famous Gastown Steam Clock can be found in this area named after talkative Hull-born sailor and barman 'Gassy' Jack Deighton.

Crossing East Hastings Street, we arrive in Chinatown - the largest in Canada - where we relish the sights and sounds of the lively streets and tranquil squares. From leafy Stanley Park, where we view colourful totem poles celebrating local Native American history, we travel to Granville Island. This buzzing district boasts independent stores and mouthwatering food markets and is where our tour concludes.

The rest of the day is free to explore independently. You can spend time on Granville Island or return to our landmark city centre hotel. Dinner is on your own tonight, and you might choose to indulge at a restaurant nearby.

Today we embark on a daylight journey towards the Rockies on the iconic Rocky Mountaineer, travelling to Kamloops along one of the most dramatic stretches of the line. We pass through lush green forests and dramatic valleys, home to an abundance of Canadian wildlife, along the dramatic Thompson and Fraser Canyons before entering the desert-like environs of Canada's interior. Look out for Rainbow Canyon, where a myriad colours are reflected in the rocks. Other features to spot are 'hoodoos' - tall skinny spires of rock which protrude from the arid Thompson Plateau. Local mythology describes these as giants, turned to stone by the Great Spirit. We disembark in the town of Kamloops where we spend the night.

Our Rocky Mountaineer adventure continues this morning as we head into the captivating Canadian Rockies. With breakfast and lunch served on board, we can sit back at marvel at the beautiful sights enroute. Along the shore of sprawling Shuswap Lake, look out for the mythical Shuswaggi - an eight-foot monster similar to Nessie.

A foreboding environment for 19th-century pioneers, this evocative route oozes excitement and history - as well as spectacular vistas. In 1885 by the shores of the Eagle River, near Craigellachie, the 'last spike' was driven into the track, connecting nearly 3,000 miles of trans-Canadian railway from east to west.

Climbing the dramatic Kicking Horse Pass, we twist through the magnificent Spiral Tunnels. More striking scenery awaits as we cross the Continental Divide, passing photogenic Morant's Curve and iconic Castle Mountain before arriving in Banff this evening.

Our hotel is the beautiful Fairmont Banff Springs, one of the most historic properties in this charming mountain town, built in eye-catching Scottish Baronial style. On arrival, the evening is free to explore or savour some delicious local cuisine in an appealing restaurant.

After breakfast, we explore this sensational part of the world by coach. Our first destination is the glacial Emerald Lake, so-called due to its remarkable colour.

The first non-indigenous person to record seeing the lake was Tom Wilson in 1882, who was pursuing horses that had bolted. On encountering the lake, Wilson stopped to enjoy its beauty. A backcountry expert, Wilson was also the first non-indigenous person to view our next destination: Lake Louise, a turquoise glacial lake framed by towering snow-capped mountains. As one of the most photographed sights in the Canadian Rockies, it has become intrinsically linked with the region but is equally impressive in person. There is free time to lunch independently at one of the restaurants inside the iconic lakeside Fairmont hotel.

Wilson also played a role in discovering a pass through the mountains for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Having travelled this remarkable route yesterday, we view the Spiral Tunnels from the lookout point - hopefully seeing a train twisting its way through.

We return to Banff this evening for dinner at our wonderful hotel.

Leaving our beautiful Banff hotel by coach after breakfast, we journey along the famous Icefields Parkway, a 144-mile road between Banff and Jasper that passes through some incredible scenery.

We travel past many of the highest and most rugged peaks in the Canadian Rockies, pausing to admire the views across the turquoise waters of Peyto Lake, surrounding rugged mountains and the blanket of pine forests, before arriving at the Icefields Centre. Here, we stop to marvel at the otherworldly Athabasca Glacier squeezing between the peaks. There is the option to enjoy lunch or a ride over the ice field by giant, all-terrain Snocoach (payable locally). Afterwards, we make a short stop at the Athabasca Falls, where thundering waters cascade their way through the idyllic mountain scenery.

On arrival in the charming town of Jasper, we check into the luxury Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge resort, set in 700 acres of parkland overlooking the serene Beauvert Lake and majestic mountains in a UNESCO World Heritage landscape. Dinner this evening is at our hotel.

There is time to enjoy a wander round lovely Jasper after breakfast this morning. One of the most important towns for miles around and a popular destination for visitors to the Rockies, yet it retains a calm, small-town feel.

In the afternoon, we transfer to the train station for one of the world's most epic train journeys. Boarding the evocative steel carriages of the Canadian, we settle in for a three-night ride across Canada to Toronto. From our cosy private cabins, we can watch the Athabasca River flow beside the train as we wind down the Rocky Mountains into the verdant foothills. With dinner served on board, we can enjoy views of glaciers, plunging canyons, soaring mountains and endless pine forests.

As we cross further into Alberta, the scenery changes as remote settlements and serene lakes dot the landscape. Leaving Edmonton this evening, we can relax and look forward to a laid-back day as the Canadian continues its remarkable journey.

Waking up to our first full day on the Canadian, we are welcomed to Saskatchewan's vast prairies which we can view while enjoying our breakfast. The seemingly endless grasslands of the Great Plains stretch as far as the eye can see, with boundless farming communities passing by our windows as the Canadian rolls on.

With nearly half of its 1.2 million residents living in the province's largest city, Saskatoon, scarcely populated Saskatchewan is ideal for sitting back and watching the world go by. The ideal place to relax and observe the scenery is the glass-roofed panoramic observation car, either side of lunch. We travel through the southern plains of Saskatchewan, home to deer, eagles and, occasionally, antelope, moose and bison. Dinner is also served on board.

We later cross into Manitoba, a province with more than 100,000 lakes stretching all the way up to the shores of Hudson Bay. Its capital is Winnipeg, considered the geographical centre of Canada. Late this evening, the train pulls into this fascinating city, home to more than 50 ethnic communities before continuing eastwards overnight.

Over breakfast on the VIA Rail Canadian train this morning, we cross the rocky ground of northwestern Ontario, a wild landscape pocked with primordial lakes and thick, verdant forests of ancient trees.

For the isolated communities we pass through, the Canadian Pacific Railway has been a lifeline for decades. While Ontario might be the most populous of Canada's provinces, the remote areas we travel through today are raw Canadian wilderness, with moose, lynx and black bears prowling its dense woodlands.

After lunch on board, the Canadian changes direction, continuing its journey in a southeasterly direction towards the Great Lakes. Spend some time in the observation car or lounge as we travel through this evocative scenery before dinner is served. The Canadian continues its epic journey overnight towards its destination.

Our final morning onboard the Canadian begins with a continental breakfast as we travel south towards Toronto, arriving in the mid afternoon after brunch on the train.

Toronto's Union Station is Canada's largest and most elegant train station. Its Great Hall looks every bit a temple to the railroad, while its resplendent limestone exterior is dominated by 22 Romanesque columns. Built in 1927, this glorious Beaux-Arts structure is actually the third incarnation of the station - a testament to the importance of railways in connecting Canada. Nearby is the iconic CN Tower built by the Canadian National Railway Company and the world's tallest free-standing structure from 1975 until 2007.

We transfer to our historic Downtown hotel that has housed numerous luminaries from Mark Twain to Ernest Hemingway and the Beatles to Louis Armstrong. The rest of the day is free to unwind or explore Canada's most populous city, stopping off at one of its fine restaurants near our hotel.

An incredible highlight of our grand trans-Canadian adventure awaits today as we are joined on a coach by an expert local guide for a full day trip to the incredible Niagara Falls.

Connecting the Great Lakes of Erie and Ontario, the Niagara River plunges down three astonishing waterfalls. When we arrive, we set sail on a cruise to get closer to one of the world's most impressive natural sights - with protective ponchos supplied. Marvelling at the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and the iconic Horseshoe Falls is an unforgettable experience as the clouds of spray and thunderous roar emphasise the awesome majesty of nature.

Back on shore, there is time for lunch independently in one of Niagara's restaurants before viewing the falls from above at Table Rock. Continuing our exploration, we reach the whirlpool where the river bursts out of the Niagara Gorge.

We conclude our excursion at the pretty town of Niagara on the Lake, where there is time to stroll its quaint streets. Returning to Toronto, you can relive the day's dramatic sights as you dine independently.

After a relaxing morning in Toronto, we board the VIA Rail train service to Montreal. Following the shores of Lake Ontario and the course of the St Lawrence River, we arrive in this UNESCO city of design in the early evening, before continuing to tonight's destination: Québec City.

Founded as a French settlement in 1608, historic Old Québec is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has the only remaining fortified city walls in the Americas north of Mexico. On arrival, we check into the fairytale, 5-Star Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.

This opulent hotel was first of the iconic castle-like hotels constructed by Canadian railway companies from 1893. Originally built to attract tourists to the trans-Canadian railways, this revivalist masterpiece is regularly considered to be the most photographed hotel in the world. With steeply pitched roofs, a central fortress-like tower and a style reminiscent of the Loire Valley's grandest châteaux, it's easy to see why it is so popular. The opulence continues inside, with mahogany panelled corridors lined with chandeliers.

A guided sightseeing tour of Québec City gets under way with a delve into its history and the conflicts between France, Great Britain and the United States that led to the founding of Canada in 1867. Constructed between 1820 and 1850 on early French fortifications, the star-shaped citadel served to protect British North America. The British gained control of this important city in 1759 after the French surrender at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.

We visit this battlefield overlooking the St Lawrence River, before transferring by coach to an authentic 1920s sugar shack where maple syrup is produced. Amid a maple forest, we learn the history of the syrup during an informative short tour followed by a tasting of this iconic Canadian staple. Afterwards, we sit down for a three-course lunch of traditional food inspired by the syrup.

Returning to Québec City, the rest of the afternoon is free for independent exploration. This evening, we transfer to Sainte-Foy station and board VIA Rail's Ocean service for an overnight journey in private cabins to Nova Scotia and the Atlantic.

During the night, the VIA Rail Ocean train makes its way along the widening mouth of the St Lawrence River before crossing into New Brunswick near Chaleur Bay. Reaching the Canadian Maritimes in time for breakfast on board, the scenery changes once again. Windswept shores and shaded coves speckle the coast as the Ocean rumbles onwards. Inland, we push on through spruce forests, crossing the Miramichi River towards Moncton.

Lunch is served as we wind our way closer to our eighth and final of Canada's provinces, Nova Scotia. The terminus of our epic trans-Canadian overland adventure is the attractive city of Halifax on the Atlantic coast. A cultural centre of the Maritimes, Halifax retains many of his historic seafaring traditions. Arriving in the early evening, our 4-Star hotel is attached to the train station near the old port. Built in 1928, this is the easternmost of Canada's great railway hotels.

Arriving in the early evening, we check in to our hotel for an evening at leisure. Dining independently, you can choose between our hotel's on-site restaurant or one of the nearby eateries.

With an expert local guide, we explore beautiful Nova Scotia, a historic land of picture-book fishing villages and cosy coves dappled with small bobbing boats and wooded islands.

With Nova Scotia meaning New Scotland in Latin, it is perhaps unsurprising that its capital, Halifax, blends Celtic influences with unmistakable North American style. Our first stop outside Halifax is charming Peggy's Cove, a tiny settlement of colourful buildings on a headland dotted with wave-battered boulders. Keeping seafarers safe for more than a century is Peggy's Cove Lighthouse, reputedly Canada most photographed lighthouse. There are also many traditional inukshuks here - age-old rock structures used to navigate the frozen north.

A scenic drive leads us to pretty Mahone Bay, an idyllic village adorned with rustic Gothic revival buildings. The UNESCO-listed harbour town of Lunenburg is our next destination. Here, the splash of colour provided by quaint waterfront houses along Bluenose Drive is reflected in the tranquil waters.

This evening is free to try some delicious local food, including chowder and the famed Digby scallops.

A free morning and afternoon afford you the chance to explore Halifax at your leisure. You could head to Point Pleasant Park, in Halifax's south end peninsula. This wooded 75-hectare park is popular with locals and offers several walking trails. Alternatively, take a step back in time at the historic Alexander Keith's brewery, take a stroll along the bustling waterfront boardwalk, sample the renowned local lobster at a waterside diner, or spend some time in the maritime museum.

Departing the hotel early evening, we are transferred by coach to Halifax airport as we begin our journey back to the United Kingdom. A short connecting flight takes us to Montreal, before we board an overnight flight across the Atlantic Ocean to London Heathrow.

As our plane touches down at London Heathrow this morning, our luxurious Canadian adventure comes to an end.

This spectacular expedition has seen us stay in iconic Fairmont hotels and ride on world-famous trains as we travelled overland from Pacific Coast to the Atlantic, crossing the world's second biggest country and witnessing many highlights with new friends.

From the thriving cultural scene of Vancouver and the awe-inspiring vistas supplied by the Rocky Mountaineer and the beautiful national parks around Banff and Jasper, we travelled on board the incredible Canadian train for three nights, reaching vibrant Toronto. The unforgettable experiences continued as we visited the majestic Niagara Falls and an authentic sugar shack, before staying the night in Québec City's fairytale Fairmont Le Château Frontenac and arriving in charming Halifax, where we viewed some of Nova Scotia's most attractive towns.

We say farewell to our fellow travellers and Tour Manager with whom we will share these fantastic memories for a long time to come.