14 Days in Canada
Vancouver's seawall and Stanley Park, the turquoise lakes of Banff, the Icefields Parkway drive to Jasper, and Calgary's gateway to the Badlands. The canonical Canada family road trip — one of the world's great mountain scenery loops with direct flights from Australia.
Plan to save
Your weekly savings target
A$662 / week
to save before you go · A$17,873 total · 27 weeks until you leave
Estimates in AUD. No signup required to see your number.
Start saving for free →The whole story, autoplaying.
Your stop-by-stop itinerary
4 stops across 14 nights. Each one chosen so you experience a different side of Canada.
Stop
01
Vancouver
3 nightsFly into Vancouver International Airport (YVR) — direct from Sydney on Qantas or Air Canada
Highlights
- Stanley Park seawall walk or bike ride (10km loop, kids can do half)
- Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and Treetops Adventure
- Granville Island public market, kids water park, and Aquabus ferries
- Science World on False Creek (hands-on, great for kids 5-12)
- Grouse Mountain Skyride and wildlife refuge day trip
Local tips
- Book Capilano Suspension Bridge online — walk-up queues are brutal in July and August
- You don't need a rental car in Vancouver itself — the city is walkable and the SkyTrain is excellent. Pick up the car when you fly to Calgary.
- Granville Island Aquabus ferries are a cheap kid thrill in their own right — budget a half-day for the market and the water park
Suggested stayFamily hotel in downtown Vancouver or Yaletown
Stop
02
Banff
4 nightsFly Vancouver → Calgary (YYC, 1h 30m), pick up hire car at Calgary Airport, drive to Banff (1h 30m)
Highlights
- Banff Gondola to Sulphur Mountain summit boardwalk
- Lake Louise canoe rental on the turquoise lake (iconic family photo stop)
- Moraine Lake viewpoint in the Valley of the Ten Peaks (shuttle-only in summer)
- Banff Upper Hot Springs after a day of hiking
- Johnston Canyon waterfall walk (or ice walk in winter)
Local tips
- Moraine Lake is shuttle-access only in peak season — book the Parks Canada shuttle weeks in advance on reservation.pc.gc.ca
- Stay in Banff town for the amenities and day-trip to Lake Louise (40 minutes north) — Lake Louise itself has much pricier hotels
- The Banff Gondola gets packed at sunset — go mid-afternoon for shorter queues and the same view
Suggested stayFamily hotel or lodge in Banff town
Stop
03
Jasper
3 nightsDrive Banff → Jasper via the Icefields Parkway (5-6 hours with stops). Allow a full day.
Highlights
- Columbia Icefield Skywalk and Athabasca Glacier walk
- Maligne Lake boat cruise to Spirit Island
- Jasper SkyTram to the top of Whistlers Mountain
- Athabasca Falls and Sunwapta Falls on the Icefields Parkway
- Wildlife spotting drive on the Icefields Parkway — elk, bears, bighorn sheep
Local tips
- The Icefields Parkway drive between Banff and Jasper is one of the great drives in the world — allow the full day with stops at Peyto Lake, Bow Lake, and the glacier viewpoints
- Watch for wildlife at dawn and dusk. Stay in your vehicle if you spot bears on the roadside — do not get out for photos.
- The Jasper SkyTram is only worth doing on a clear day — check the forecast and skip if it's cloudy
Suggested stayFamily lodge in Jasper town
Stop
04
Calgary
4 nightsDrive Jasper → Calgary via Lake Louise (~5 hours). Return hire car at Calgary Airport (YYC) on departure day.
Highlights
- Calgary Zoo and the Canadian Wilds exhibit with grizzly bears
- Heritage Park Historical Village — a living museum with steam trains
- Day trip to Drumheller's Royal Tyrrell Museum (dinosaurs, 90 minutes each way)
- Calgary Tower observation deck and Stephen Avenue pedestrian mall
- Glenbow Museum (reopened after full renovation)
Local tips
- Budget a full day for the Drumheller dinosaur museum — the Royal Tyrrell is genuinely world-class and kids love the hoodoos at Horseshoe Canyon
- If your trip lands during Calgary Stampede (early July), add pancake breakfasts and a rodeo day to your plan — it's a genuine bucket-list event
- Fly home from Calgary (YYC) — the open-jaw routing from Vancouver saves a full day vs backtracking
Suggested stayFamily hotel near downtown Calgary
Real cost estimates · calibrated 2026, not glossy estimates
What it costs
All-in for a family of 4.
Here’s what Canada costs across the four components SaveToRoam tracks. Flights are shoulder-season ex-Australia; travel insurance and personal extras vary.
| Component | Family of 4 |
|---|---|
Flights Return economy flights ex-AU open-jaw YVR/YYC (mid-shoulder estimate) C$1,560 per person | C$6,240 |
Accommodation 4 stops | C$4,440 |
Activities & local transport Activities & local transport incl. rental car + Parks Canada pass (estimated) C$760 per person | C$3,040 |
Daily food & local transit 14 nights × family of 4 | C$3,976 |
Trip total Insurance & personal extras separate | C$17,696 ~A$19,820 |
What it covers
The ~A$17,873 estimate is all-in for a family of 4 — accommodation across 4 stops, shoulder-season flights from Australia, activities and local transport, and daily food. Travel insurance and personal extras vary, so we keep them separate.
What you get
When you use this template, SaveToRoam creates your trip with all 4 stops, every cost component pre-loaded, and a personalised savings plan with a weekly target. You choose your dates — we handle the maths.
Fully customisable
This itinerary is a starting point. Once it's your trip, add stops, swap hotels, adjust nights — your savings target updates automatically.
Read up on Canada
Cost guides and saving how-tos for this destination — written from the same research that calibrates this itinerary.
Start this trip.
Load this itinerary with stops, costs, and local tips. Your weekly savings target updates as you customise.
Free to start — no card required.