5 Best Canada Vacations for 2026

Last updated: December 19, 2025

In Canada, journeys span a continent.

Welcome to our new tradition — our annual list of vacations for the upcoming year. Curated by our in-house travel experts, we want to help to-be travelers find the perfect vacation for 2026.

In our opinion, Canada is one of the best vacation destinations in the world. Being the second-largest country by landmass, it’s only right that it has one of the most diverse offerings. Beyond its famous Rocky Mountains, there are coastal rainforests, sub-Arctic tundra, and chic cities to discover.

If you’re just looking for the destinations we recommend, we cover that here.

Instead, we have selected our favorite journeys and experiences for 2026, curated to complement the year and the traveler.

Looking to visit Alaska? See our partner brand Alaska By Design’s list of top tours in Alaska for 2026.

Top Trips for 2026 Summary

If you’re short on time, here are our 5 recommendations for your 2026 Canada vacation:

The original Rocky Mountaineer route
Tour across Canada by train
A British Columbia road trip
A 2026-exclusive Rocky Mountaineer journey
Northern Lights viewing in the Yukon

Now, let's get into the details and discover where 2026 may take you.

Credit: Rocky Mountaineer

First Passage to the West on the Rocky Mountaineer Train

First Passage to the West is Rocky Mountaineer’s original route, and perhaps it’s most iconic. It’s no secret that it’s one of our favorite experiences in Canada, and one we can’t help but recommend at almost any opportunity. It’s also our single best-selling trip of 2025.

Starting in Vancouver, you’ll venture into the Canadian Rockies all while being pampered by Rocky Mountaineer’s famed luxury service.

Two of our Travel Designers took this journey in 2025 and returned with tales of decadent onboard meals, charismatic hosts, and jaw-dropping views from their seats. Needless to say, they rate it highly.

Rocky Mountaineer’s journey spans two days — broken up by an included overnight hotel stay in Kamloops — during which you’ll see the Fraser Valley, the arid Okanagan region, and, of course, the Canadian Rockies. And, as the only passenger train running on this stretch of tracks, you’ll enjoy it in utter exclusivity.

For our guests, we extend the trip for two days to spend added time in Banff, where we’ll arrange for your choice of excursions in the famous town.

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First Passage to the West on the Rocky Mountaineer Train

Rocky Mountaineer’s iconic original route.

Credit: VIA Rail

Grand Canadian Train Tour | Vancouver to Halifax

This tour is grand in both name and nature. The Grand Canadian Train Tour covers Canada coast-to-coast as you set out on an adventure connecting different rail routes, mountain tours, and time in Atlantic Canada.

Starting in Vancouver, on Canada’s western edge, you’ll take the truly iconic Rocky Mountaineer to Banff, where you’ll spend three days touring the Canadian Rockies.

Then, you’ll hop onboard VIA Rail’s Canadian train — the one typically known as the train across Canada — to Toronto, where we’ve treated you to a day-trip to Niagara Falls.

From Toronto, you’re off to Montreal (in business class, might we add) to see French-Canadian basilicas and historic markets, to Quebec City to see Old Quebec, and then back onboard VIA Rail’s Ocean train to Atlantic Canada, where tours of Charlottetown and Halifax are waiting.

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The Best Summer Road Trips in Western Canada

Venture across Canada by train.

Credit: Destination Canada / Brian Caissie

Whistler and Canada's Pacific Coast Road Trip

Are you visiting Vancouver for the FIFA World Cup 2026™?

British Columbia is one of the best places to visit for mountain activities and unique landscapes, and this is the best tour for extending your trip beyond the pitch to make the most of the city’s easy wilderness access.

Being based in Vancouver, we know the benefits of our location — weekends spent in Whistler or on Vancouver Island are exceptionally easy and something we often enjoy ourselves.

For you, our guest, we’ve designed a week-long trip that combines the two destinations, connecting you from the city to some of British Columbia’s most extraordinary landscapes.

You’ll take a short transfer from Vancouver to Whistler along the beautiful ‘Sea-to-Sky’ highway, and enjoy the mountain playground before taking the ferry (a personal favorite trip of our team) to Vancouver Island to see bears, whales, and rugged coastlines shaped by the Pacific Ocean.

You’ll spend time in Ucluelet — Tofino’s lesser-known neighbor, which found itself on Expedia’s Destinations of the Year list for 2026 — where wildlife-watching awaits. Then, you’ll end the trip driving south to Victoria for a slice of British charm right here in Canada.

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5 Best Canada Vacations for 2026

Drive British Columbia’s stunning coastal roads.

Credit: Rocky Mountaineer

Passage to Peaks Circle Tour with Rocky Mountaineer

Perhaps soccer isn’t your thing, and you’re looking to avoid the added bustle in Vancouver in June.

For this year only, we designed a 2026-exclusive journey that combines the best views of Rocky Mountaineer’s routes with our personal-favorite season to travel in the Rockies. And, it bypasses Vancouver entirely.

15 Must-Do Experiences in the Canadian Rocky Mountains

How to spend your time once you arrive in the Rockies.

Passage to Peaks is the 2026-exclusive Rocky Mountaineer route traveling between Banff and Jasper — something not possible on any other train route in Canada. You’ll enjoy two full days onboard Rocky Mountaineer, both in the very best of the Canadian Rockies.

We extended this trip with tours and excursions in both Banff and Jasper, as well as a day-trip to Lake Louise.

The Passage to Peaks route is available for an extremely limited time: from early June to early July, and for 2026 only.

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Passage to Peaks Circle Tour with Rocky Mountaineer

Our 2026-exclusive Rocky Mountaineer journey.

Credit: Northern Lights Resort & Spa

Northern Lights Resort & Spa | Winter at its Best

Our final choice takes you north to the Yukon to see the Northern Lights dancing above snowy boreal forests and mountains. As 2026 marks an end to the solar maximum — the peak of the 11-year solar cycle, resulting in frequent and spectacularly vivid Northern Lights displays — we urge anyone dreaming of the Aurora Borealis to make the trip now.

Seeing the Northern Lights is one of those true bucket-list experiences. In our version of it, you’ll spend four days at a collection of cozy log cabins and chic glass-fronted chalets tucked into a clearing in the Yukon’s boreal forests.

At the Northern Lights Resort & Spa, you’ll spend your days exploring the Yukon. Unique as it is, you’ll learn about its flora and fauna on guided nature walks with a local expert.

But, of course, the nights are the real draw.

Each night, you’re invited to join guided Aurora viewing from around the communal bonfire. S'mores and hot chocolate are provided. Or, if you’d rather keep to yourself, there’s no better place to watch from than your glass-fronted chalet.

Book early — our Northern Lights packages regularly sell out far in advance of travel dates, and space is already extremely limited. Our autumn/fall package also gives you a chance to snag a coveted spot for Canada’s natural light show.

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