Churchill, Manitoba is a special town—it’s got the unique title of the polar bear AND beluga whale capital of the world! This little town, located in the subarctic tundra of Northern Canada, should be on every traveler’s bucket list—but, given that there are no roads that lead here, it’s not exactly easy to get to. If you want to experience this magical place for yourself, here’s exactly how to get to Churchill, Manitoba, including insider tips on making your travel as affordable and comfortable as possible.
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How to get to Churchill, Manitoba
The incredible wildlife in Churchill is thanks to its remote and northerly location along the Hudson Bay.
In early June through August, 60,000 beluga whales migrate to the Hudson Bay to give birth and raise their calves in its protected waters. And, come mid-October, up to 1,000 polar bears(!!!) congregate in Churchill, given that it’s the first place that the bay freezes over, allowing the bears to get out onto the ice and hunt its main food source, ringed seals.
While Churchill’s location is awesome for wildlife, it’s not so great for travelers looking to get there—the closest town with roads that connect with southern Manitoba is Thompson, which is approximately 250 miles away. Accordingly, you only have two options of how to get to Churchill, flying or taking the train here.
While my husband, Justin, and I took the train round trip, it’s popular for many visitors to take the train up to Churchill and fly back to Winnipeg. So don’t feel like you just need to stick to one option for both legs!
Flying to Churchill, Manitoba
Generally, there’s two ways that travelers can fly to Churchill.
Charter flights to Churchill
Unlike any other place that my husband, Justin, and I have visited, most travelers purchase multi-day package tours from operators to get to Churchill, which include your flights, tours, food, and accommodations.
These tours tend to be quite pricey (often starting at $6,000 USD and up!). However, they can be worth it for travelers with flexibility in their budget, given the logistical challenges of planning a trip to Churchill. There are not flights, trains, or polar bear tours offered every day and accommodations in Churchill are extremely limited. Accordingly, planning a trip here can definitely feel like putting a jigsaw puzzle together.
So, if you happen to chose getting to Churchill via one of these options, like this 5-day polar bear tour, the package will typically include a charter flight.
Commercial flights to Churchill
Although it can be a bit confusing to plan your own trip to Churchill, it’s absolutely possible—and WAY more affordable—to plan your own trip here. In fact, we wrote entire guides about planning a trip to see the polar bears in Churchill and all of the best things to do in Churchill!
So, if you decide to go this route and want to fly, there’s basically only one commercial airline that goes to Churchill, Calm Air. These flights typically only fly out of the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport, so, unless you happen to already live within driving distance of Winnipeg, you’ll need to get here first.
Getting to Churchill via Calm Air has some major perks—namely, it only takes two and a half hours to fly from Winnipeg to Churchill.
The major drawback of flying, though, is the cost. It typically costs around $1,400 USD per person roundtrip outside of the popular times (i.e., beluga whale and polar bear seasons), but can cost up to $2,400 USD per person roundtrip (or more!) during peak times.
Insider tip: While we were in Churchill, we met another traveler who indicated she snagged cheaper airfare than what was quoted on Calm Air’s website, simply by calling their phone number. They also offer discounts for seniors, children, and students, which can only be applied if you book tickets over the phone. So, if you plan on flying to Churchill, I’d suggest calling Calm Air to possibly get a lower rate!
It’s worth noting that, while most of Churchill is walkable, the airport is decidedly not.
Accordingly, while you’re making your reservations for accommodations in Churchill, I’d try to find one that offers airport pickup, like Sarah’s Dreamhouse Bed and Breakfast or the Iceberg Inn. Otherwise, you may have to book a ride with North Coast Taxi Co., the lone taxi service in town.
Taking the Via Rail train to Churchill, Manitoba
The other option to get to Churchill, Manitoba is to take the Via Rail Adventure Line train, which departs from Winnipeg. The train only departs Winnipeg on Sunday and Tuesday of every week, with an additional service that exclusively departs from Thompson, , the northernmost town that has accessible roads to southern Manitoba, every Friday.
Part of the train tracks are built on permafrost, making the ride to Churchill notoriously bumpy and slow. In fact, the conductor told us that the average speed of the train was around 15 miles per hour! So the ride from Winnipeg to Churchill is quite lengthy, about 46 hours.
On the bright side, the train stops at about eight towns (and over 50 more upon request!) along the way. Accordingly, many travelers make the eight hour drive from Winnipeg to Thompson, which cuts down your time aboard the train to just 16 hours.
Insider tip: It’s not uncommon for the train to Churchill to be delayed, due to track maintenance associated with permafrost changes or freight trains. For example, on our return trip to Winnipeg, we were actually on the train for about 52 hours, due to other trains on the same route.
Accordingly, I would recommend giving yourself some buffer and would not plan on booking any tours or flights on the same day as you’re supposed to arrive on the train—and, if at all possible, even giving yourself an entire extra day of buffer. Almost all of the tours in Churchill are non-refundable, so it would be pretty crappy to sit on a train for two days straight and have to pay for a very expensive tour that you don’t even get to go on.
Justin and I got on the train in Winnipeg and were honestly not looking forward to the long ride in our economy seats.
And, while they weren’t exactly comfortable to sleep in (more on that below!), we loved pretty much everything else about the train ride.
We spent most of our time in the observatory car, where we were lucky enough to see some spectacular sunsets and an even MORE spectacular display of the Northern Lights. Plus, there were decent food and drink options aboard and we had a lovely time chatting with other travelers from around the world!
Regardless of which station you board the train, there’s a few different seating options that you can choose from.
Economy seats
The most common—and most affordable—seating option aboard the train to Churchill is economy seats.
Economy seats are grouped in pairs. However, if you’re traveling with a larger group, the seats can swivel around so that the two sets of seats can face each other.
The seat backs recline a decent amount and there’s also a footrest to extend your legs. Justin and I rode in economy seats roundtrip from Churchill and, after sitting in them for over 90 hours, I can definitely confirm that, while they’re fine for sitting, they’re decidedly pretty uncomfortable for sleeping.
Insider tip: If you luck out with a not-full train, try to snag two rows of economy seats together. You can flip one of the sets of seats around and raise one of the footrests to make a “bed” of sorts.
Contrary to what I’d read online, this isn’t particularly comfortable to lay down on—the footrests are elevated a few inches above the seats themselves, so when you’re laying down, your butt is higher than the rest of your body by a few inches. Still, it’s nice to spread out and provides you a bit more flexibility to get creative with your sleeping arrangements.
Despite the uncomfortable sleeping conditions, they have some other nice features, like two electrical outlets and plenty of overhead luggage storage. Plus, there’s a water dispenser and two bathrooms on each economy line train.
What economy seats lack in comfort, they make up for in affordability (especially compared to basically every other method of getting to Churchill). Justin and I each paid about $365 roundtrip for our seats during primetime polar bear season.
Sleeper class seats
There’s one sleeper class car on the Churchill to Winnipeg line, which offers six berth seats and 12 cabins, ranging from one to three people. You can see the diagram of the sleeper class train here (it’s the Chateau configuration).
Sleeper class has a few benefits, including, most importantly, your very own bed(!) and access to a shared shower. However, unlike most of Via Rail’s routes, the sleeper class does not include any kind of meal service. So, like economy passengers, most sleeper class ticket holders wind up bringing their own food for the journey.
Given the limited number of sleeper class seats aboard the Churchill line, these tickets often sell out EXTREMELY quickly during beluga whale season (late June through August) and polar bear season (mid-October through mid-November). So, if you’re hoping to snag a sleeper seat during those periods, I’d recommend setting an alarm to book your tickets on the Via Rail site as soon as they go live ten months before the departure date.
Berth seats
Unlike cabins, berth seats are not enclosed. Rather, during the day, they’re bench-like seats that face another berth and, at night, convert to a bunk bed. You do get a nice heavy curtain to pull across your bed at night, though, which helps block out light and noise and gives you a bit more privacy.
The biggest drawback is that berth seats do not come with an electrical outlet, so you have to charge your devices either in the shared bathroom or scope out an open economy seat.
Additionally, berth seats can be only nominally cheaper than cabins (costing around $1,000 USD per person roundtrip) during the peak seasons, despite having significantly less perks. This may vary significantly, depending on when you book, so be sure to check the price check for yourself!
Cabins
There are eight single, three double, and one triple cabin on the Churchill Via Rail line.
There are definitely some huge benefits to booking a sleeper cabin, including a super comfy bed (at least from what we heard from other passengers!), private heating and cooling controls, and private toilet and sink. Plus, you’ll have your very own electrical outlet.
The biggest downside is the price—during peak season, a two-person cabin can cost around $2,400 USD (or even more!).
There you have it—that’s everything you need to know about how to get to Churchill, Manitoba! Do you have any questions about getting to this special place? Let us know in the comments below!
