Château Hopping through the Canadian Pacific Railway Hotels

The Fairmont Château Lake Louise could easily pass for a Canadian castle — or a princely palace. Nestled into the Victoria Glacier and overlooking the icy crystal waters of Lake Louise, the hotel was built towards the end of the 19th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway. Hiking, fishing and skiing have long been popular with guests at the Château Lake Louise, the birthplace of Canadian Mountaineering. They have been joined by a myriad of modern options including snowboarding and river rafting. The interior is as palatial and lavish as the exterior architecture and surrounding landscape. A trip to the Château Lake Louise will make you feel like members of Canadian royalty.

Swung inside the fortified walls of Old Quebec City, Château Frontenac is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a landmark site of this city and our country. Another outpost of the Canadian Pacific Railway, this Canadian castle hotel was intended to woo travellers for a stopover in Quebec City. How could they resist? The Chateau is every part a castle and you’ll likely wake up thinking you’ve arrived in Europe with views over the old fortifications and the St. Lawrence River. Romantic cobblestone alleys, winding stairwells and the sound of music spilling out of shuttered windows welcome visitors to a slice of France in Canada!

With all the magnificence of a French Château, it’s no wonder that the Fairmont Château Laurier is frequently mistaken for the “third chamber of Parliament” with its location just across from Parliament Hill. The building is made up of limestone, granite, and Italian marble masonry complete with turret rooms and a beautiful copper roof. Outside the door of this early 20th-century masterpiece, you’ll find the Rideau Canal, the world’s longest ice skating rink in the winter as well as miles of paths for biking and running during the warmer months.

Does it really get much more Canadiana than a giant wooden castle built out of over 10,000 Canadian red cedar logs? The Fairmont Château Montebello, at the halfway point between Ottawa and Montreal, was inspired by similar castles in the Swiss Alps and has turned Montebello into a veritable “Lucerne-in-Quebec”. These accommodations might have a rustic touch, but the Château could hardly be called “roughing it”. You can swim laps in the pool or try the 18-hole golf course. Come winter, indulge in the ultimate Canadian royal activity: dogsledding.

The Bess, as the Bessborough Hotel is affectionately called by locals, has been around since the early decades of the 20th century, built and designed in the same famous Canadian castle hotel style of other Canadian National Railway hotels before passing through to the hands of CP. Similarly, The Bess is a landmark, set on the banks of the river and surrounded by five acres of Elizabethan gardens where one can still play a game of croquet or catch one of their numerous community events. Once inside, you can waltz away in the Adam Ballroom, restored to all its swinging Twenties glory. The hotel has been tastefully redecorated while maintaining that unique exterior which brought this humble city onto the map in the heyday of railroad travel.

The Fairmont Royal York was built to be the most opulent hotel of its day in Canada. It was once the tallest building in the British Commonwealth with 28 floors reached by a highly ornamented ten passenger elevator. The hand painted ceilings are still here, looming above crystal chandeliers, ornate furnishings and dazzling gold details. Located on the rooftop are the Honeymoon Suite, the Royal Sweet and the V.I. Bee Suite, housing the Royal York honeybees as they pollinate the in-house garden which provides herbs, veggies and honey to the nine on-site restaurants. Looking for a different kind of Queen? Ride up Elevator Number 9 to follow in the footsteps of Her Majesty up to the Royal Suite on the 16th floor, her home-away-from-home in Toronto.

Built to compete with CN’s Hotel Nova Scotian, The Lord Nelson Hotel & Suites was considered one of the first modern hotels to come to Nova Scotia largest city. Commanding the sixteen acres of Halifax’s Public Gardens, The Lord Nelson toes the line between old-school British luxury and Maritime charm. A recent renovation brings a breath of fresh air and modernity to this 85-year-old Halifax landmark by the way of Nespresso machines, Aveda bath products and pillowtop mattresses made for a King or Queen.

The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is easily one the most recognizable Canadian castle hotel and a National Historic Site. It is nestled into the Rocky Mountains in Banff National Park, just a stone’s throw from Bow Falls and the thermal springs that initially brought visitors to this once remote area. The hotel is lined with turrets and dormers, giving it that distinctive “castle” feel, echoed in the plush rooms. The hotel is reputed to be haunted by a bride who lost her life falling down one of the hotel’s sumptuous staircases, so beware the ballrooms at night, where she is said to perform her sad dance.

The Fairmont Empress is about as “Royal” as it gets. This elegant hotel has been meticulously restored so it glimmers brightly alongside the beauty of Victoria. During a 1989 restoration, a Tiffany-style stained glass roof was discovered behind some wood and today it shines its multi coloured sunlit beams into the marble foyer. A 1919 visit from Edward the Prince of Wales saw him waltzing until dawn with some lucky ladies of the local population. Later in 1939, a dashingly young King George VI and Queen Elizabeth graced these hallowed hotel halls when they embarked on their Canadian Royal Tour, marking the first visit by a reigning monarch to Victoria. The British Royals are not the Empress’ only fans however–Hollywood visitors can also be counted as the Empress’ many admirers.