Track Star

Oh, Canada! Much of the train’s route through southern Quebec takes in the scenery of the St Lawrence River and the Laurentian Mountains.

By Chris Krikpatrick, executive summary by darmansjah

Canada has long been a magnet for train buffs, with lines like the Rocky Mountaineer and the Polar Bear Express providing a front-row seat to the country’s epic landscapes. And now, there’s the Train of Le Massif de Charlevoix (lemassif.com; same-day return tickets US$277), which embarks on its first summer season in May. The brainchild of Cirque du Soleil co-founder Daniel Gauthier, the new train-actually a string of reconditioned 1950s railcars-piles a 140 kilometer route between Quebec City and the historic resort town la Malabaie, following the St.Lawrence River for much of the way. Passengers hungry for more than the passing scenery can look forward to an onboard menu that makes the most of the Charlevoix region’s cuisine in dishes such as escargot terrine and deer osso bucco.

The Train of Le Massif de Charlevoix hugging a cliff.