- Alberta beef: the steakhouse city takes it seriously.
- The Caesar was invented here in 1969; order one with a steak.
- 17th Avenue and Kensington for the restaurant strips.
Calgary City Guide
The Calgary downtown skyline. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Calgary is the Rockies' front door: a glass-towered energy city an hour from Banff, famous for ten days each July when the Stampede turns it into a cowboy town. The Bow River and a huge pathway system run through the middle of it.
The Calgary Tower's glass floor, the Glenbow's Indigenous galleries, Studio Bell's music museum and Stephen Avenue's sandstone blocks fill a day or two. Most travellers use Calgary as the launch pad for the mountains.
What to do in Calgary
Downtown
- 1
Calgary Tower The 191-metre tower with the glass floor over downtown. - 2
Stephen Avenue The historic sandstone main street, pedestrian by day. - 3
Glenbow Museum Western Canadian art and the Blackfoot gallery. - 4
Studio Bell The National Music Centre in its sculpted tower.
River and parks
- 1
Prince's Island Park The island park on the Bow, linked by the Peace Bridge. - 2
Heritage Park The living-history park with the 1912 steam train.
Calgary Hotel Guide
How to choose the best places to stay in Calgary. Verified properties below; for the full list, search live availability on Booking.com.
Where to eat
Getting there and around
Calgary International (YYC) is 15 km north; the CTrain's Blue Line extension reaches downtown. Banff is 90 minutes west on the Trans-Canada. The Stampede grounds sit by the Elbow River, a CTrain ride away.