Oh, Canada

A bucket-list rail trip through the flawless wilderness of the Rockies inspires a sense of wonder — and a craving for diner food.

- Kirstie Clements

It’s the photograph that cinches it. A luxurious glass-domed train weaving a passage through the most spectacular, snow-tipped mountain landscape. “Experience one of the world’s great railroad journeys!” reads the press release. An opportunity to see the vast, untamed grandeur of Canada, from Vancouver to Banff, sitting on my backside, possibly with champagne, on the Rocky Mountaineer. I can’t sign up fast enough.

The journey begins with 24 hours in Vancouver, one of the larger cities in the Pacific Northwest region, a stylish seaport surrounded by mountains that has a cool, lifestyle vibe about it and is rumoured to be the next home of those sassy self-exiled Sussexes, Harry and Meghan. There are hip cafes, bars and bistros in Yaletown, shopping in historic Gastown, a frenetic charm in Chinatown and snazzy high-rise condo towers in chichi Coal Harbour. A visit to the adjacent Stanley Park should be first on your list: lush urban parkland that houses nine beautiful totem poles by the First Nations people, an important reminder of whose land you are about to traverse. Pack an umbrella and some sensible shoes, as Vancouver is famous for its near-constant rain, and head to the rustic Prospect Point Bar & Grill for lunch, with its sweeping harbour views. Dinner is at a fab eatery in Yaletown called Brix & Mortar, where I discover my never-fail tip when dining in Canada: order the salmon.