Ladypont

We are heading over from Australia next June to do Canada/Alaska. Is the gold & silver leaf trip worth the money? It seems very expensive - our other alternative was to hire a car a drive the loop.

Thanks ladypont

thursdaysd

You might also look at Via Canada. Cheaper than the Rocky Mountaineer and very good.

See this and the following post:

https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...ils-to-jasper/

kgsneds

I would choose the self drive. The Mountaineer offers good service, but is VERY pricey and it only takes you to the Rockies, not through the Rockies.

To see any of the Rockies, you need to take a separate tour or drive yourself. You can save a lot of money, have a lot more flexibility and see much, much more by renting a car and doing the drive yourself. Allow at least 6 nights split between Banff/Lake Louise and Jasper, plus at least two days to drive from Vancouver to the Rockies.

You'll want at least 10 days to do one way from Vancouver to the Rockies, two weeks for a loop. If your time is limited, consider flying from Vancouver to Calgary and renting a car there. Canadian Affair offers one way rentals without fees to/from certain cities in BC and AB.

rclark

The Gold Leaf experience is well worth it if you have the cash and don't want to do much else other than relaxing and taking in all the views. Self driving though will be a blast and much cheaper, it just depends on how much work you want to do.

ltt

if you are wealthy, then the rocky mountainer is suppose to be a great experience. if you want the train experience then you could take it one way, either calgary to vancouver or reverse and then rent a car for the return trip. have you looked at canadian affairs website? they offer one way rentals to australians.

marg

As a fellow aussie, I'd suggest you hire a car and do your own thing. You can stop whenever and wherever you like to take photos, admire the scenery, have a coffee, spend a night or two in a pleasant place. We always book our first few nights in Vancouver to get over that long long flight. While we are on the road, we don't book ahead and have never had a problem finding a motel for the night. So much to see and so different to our own country.
Hope you have a great time.