The Comprehensive Guide for a Budget-Friendly Family Road Trip to Churchill: Part 1
Part 1: Journey to the Train Station and 16-Hour Adventure on the Via Rail Train
Conversations our boys have when they play: “Choo Choo! Thomas you can make it up that bridge!” “Chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga Choo Choo!” “Percy uncouple my car!” “Whoosh! Sir Topham Hatt is waiting for us”
We have two sons. They love trains. And they love Thomas the train. They have a wooden train set and they spend hours in their magical world of trains.
When the opportunity came to tell our boys about our adventure in Churchill and how we would take a train to get there, the boys were thrilled. Leading up to our trip, we watched videos of the VIA Rail train to Churchill and couldn’t wait to get on board! Months before the trip, they would ask “when are we going on the train?!”
Chris and I have always wanted to go to Churchill. It’s an international destination. It’s on many people’s bucket lists. We’ve lived in Manitoba all our life, why haven’t we gone before? This summer was the year. Our boys were 5 and 7 years old- perfect age to get excited to see some animals and explore the north.
Trip Inside a Trip: Camping in Northern Manitoba and Churchill Adventure
We ended up creating a trip inside a trip. Initially, we embarked on our road trip, spending a week and a half camping in our tent in the remote wilderness of Northern Manitoba. Following that, we hoped on the train in Thompson, Manitoba to enjoy our Churchill adventure. Our whole adventure took two weeks. Our outdoor family adventures took us to Clearwater Lake, Bakers Narrows, Wekusko Falls, and Pisew Falls/Paint Lake. A blog will be put up shortly about this part of the adventure.
Locals, Logistics and Luggage: Our time in Thompson
We drove to Thompson with a few hours to spare. First on our list was to see the largest lighted mural in the world- a painting recreated from Robert Bateman’s famous Wolf Sketch. After a nice walk to see the Wolf Mural, we got some groceries where we loaded up on milk, bread, cereal, ice, and snacks. We were given a great tip from a friend that lives in Churchill and she told us to buy groceries in Thompson and put it in a cooler to bring on the train. Once you get to Churchill, prices for food and everything else gets expensive. In contrast to an airplane, trains typically offer generous luggage allowances. Bringing luggage, a bag of food and a cooler was seen as normal. If you plan on traveling with VIA Rail, please check their website on baggage allowance for up-to-date information.
We thoroughly enjoy receiving advice and insights from the local community. In preparation for our Churchill adventure, we asked many questions to folks that had either traveled to or resided in Churchill. One particularly brilliant suggestion, offered by two locals, was to order pizza and have it delivered to the train station, allowing us to enjoy takeout on the train! It’s a fantastic concept and we decided to follow suit. The top two restaurants that were suggested were Tom’s pizza and Santa Maria pizza. As Tom’s Pizza was closed for the month, we ordered pizzas and Caesar salad from Santa Maria pizza.
Thompson Train Station, Campground Parking, and the Thrill of Waiting
Afterward, we headed to the train station. Chris dropped off Carolyn, the boys and the luggage and then headed to McCreedy Campground. Several locals had shared with us that we shouldn’t leave our vehicle at the train station overnight, suggesting it would be wiser to drop it off at a nearby campground for a nominal fee. We followed their instructions, and we were very happy to know that our vehicle was safe in the campground compound while we were in Churchill. After dropping the car off, Chris was promptly shuttled back to the train station.
The anticipation of embarking on an adventure is a mix of excitement and nervousness. However, waiting to board the train, especially with kids who have eagerly awaited this moment for a long time, was incredible and draining. The train station itself offered limited amenities, consisting of a small building with benches, a small kiosk, and restroom facilities. And here’s where I will remind the reader that we traveled with grandparents and two other families, making a group of 15, including seven children. Can I describe the scene at the train station as chaotic? Absolutely. Did we try to reign in their energy? Completely. Did it work? Nope. Seven friends ready to embark on an adventure of a lifetime, as well as board a train to get there- it was too much to handle. With their excitement and nervous energy, they ran around the parking lot, played with toys, ate snacks, argued, and wrestled.
Playing and Pizza: All Aboard the Night Train
Off in the distance, the train gradually came into view. Chugga-chugga choo choo! I wish I could have heard our sons’ inner dialogue. However, their faces said it all: pure joy. They were all smiles watching the train roll right up to where they were standing.
The moment had arrived for us to step onto the train. The boys’ eyes were in absolute wonder as they stepped up into the train car. Playing with toy trains is fun. But being aboard a real train? Absolutely magnificent. After presenting our train tickets and securing seats for the 15 of us, we settled in. Well, almost. Santa Maria Pizza delivered our pizza and we started to chow down while we waited for the train to move.
Because we left in the evening, with the lingering summer sunsets we spent the first part of our journey gazing outside. The observation deck (the dome) proved to be a great place to experience the breathtaking landscape of the north. Tree after tree, lake after lake and rickety bridge after rickety bridge we marveled at how vast, pristine, and wild Northern Manitoba is.
To while away the hours until bedtime, we played card games, explored the train cars, immersed ourselves in books, coloured in colouring books, listened to podcasts and watched a bit of tv. Food also played a key role in keeping us occupied. The train offered food service (sandwiches, muffins, cookies, crackers, microwavable food like oatmeal and soup, teas, and coffees), and we did make a few purchases there. However, we mostly brought our own food and snacks to entertain the kids.
Cabins vs Economy on Via Rail: How to Save Money
When traveling to Churchill by train, you have several options. The most expensive are the cabins, which come in configurations for 1, 2 or 3 people. Following that, there are upper berths and lower berths, with the latter being slightly more expensive than the former. Then, there’s the economy class, the most economical option with very few perks.
In the cabins and berths, you'll enjoy the comfort of a couch or armchair, a bed (or a superimposed bed), and access to a shower. For economy- you have a spacious seat. When planning our budget-friendly family road trip, the choice was clear for us. For our family of four, the economy class was the ideal selection. We were willing to sacrifice some comfort in exchange for savings.
Another strategy to cut costs is to drive to Thompson and take the train from there to Churchill instead of starting in Winnipeg. This approach proved significantly more cost-effective. The fare from Thompson to Churchill was only a third of the price, at $76 one way, compared to the $242 one-way from Winnipeg to Churchill. By opting for the Thompson departure and selecting economy class, we managed to save hundreds of dollars on our adventure to Churchill.
Getting Comfortable in Economy Seats: Will we sleep?
The train left Thompson at 5:00 pm and we were to arrive in Churchill the next morning at 9:00 am. Therefore 16 hours on the train. We would attempt to sleep for some of this. And some of us slept better than others. Sleep was shorter than usual but not altogether surprising under this circumstance. Around 9:00 pm we got our kids into “bed”. Thankfully the train was fairly empty so we could spread out and take a few extra seats. With the help of the train attendant, who swiveled two of our seats to face the other two empty seats. Chris and I came prepared to sleep in a train; pillows and blankets made the nighttime train more comfortable and warmer. We snuggled into our seats with our legs spread out and waited till we fell asleep. And if you forget a blanket, there are some available for purchase with Via Rail.
The Sunrise of Tundra and Caribou
Our children are early risers. But waking up at 5 am is excessively early. To make the best of a groggy situation, our family quietly crept to the observation deck and up to the dome. While the train clickety-clacked slowly along the track, the sun rose and treated us to a magnificent display of deep shades of blues and purples to inviting pastels of pinks and oranges. After covering many kilometers north in the night, the scenery had changed. Instead of forests of bushy lush green trees, it was a vast barren landscape consisting of sparce trees small and scraggily and pockets of water everywhere. And with the help of one of the Via Rail attendants, we were able to spot a caribou hopping away from the train.
Churchill in View
The morning consisted of sunrise snuggles, first breakfast, card games, shushing our children to be quiet, second breakfast and packing up. At last, Churchill came into view. The train had maintained a consistently slow pace throughout the journey from Thompson to Churchill, but it felt even more sluggish as we approached our destination. The town of Churchill’s skyline mimicked the surrounding natural landscape, small building of one or two stories tall, and earthy colours painted on walls.
The train was delayed by about 30 minutes, so we arrived in Churchill at 9:30 am. We had heard of longer delays and were thankful that our journey didn’t include those kinds of troubles. Once the train stopped, we piled out of the train, and found our shuttle to our hotel. Churchill is a small town and our hotel really is in walking distance to the train station but with all our luggage and cooler, a shuttle was a welcomed convenience.