Calgary Travel Guide

Getting There

By Plane -- Calgary International Airport (www.calgaryairport.com) lies 16km (10 miles) northeast of the city. The airport is served by Air Canada (tel. 800/372-9500), Delta (tel. 800/221-1212), American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300), United (tel. 800/241-6522), Continental (tel. 800/525-0280), and Northwest (tel. 800/447-4747), among others. An air shuttle service to and from Edmonton is run almost hourly by Air Canada.

Cab fare to downtown hotels comes to around C$35 (US$35/£18). The Airporter bus (tel. 403/531-3909) takes you downtown for C$15 (US$15£7.50).

By Train -- The nearest VIA Rail station is in Edmonton. You can, however, take a scenic train ride to/from Vancouver/Calgary on the Rocky Mountaineer, operated by the Great Rocky Mountaineer Railtours (tel. 800/665-7245 or 604/606-7245; www.rockymountaineer.com). The lowest-priced tickets begin at C$889 (US$889/£445) for 2 days of daylight travel, which includes four meals and overnight accommodation in Kamloops; many other packages are available.

By Bus -- Greyhound buses (tel. 800/661-8747 or 403/260-0877; www.greyhound.ca) link Calgary with most other points in Canada, including Banff and Edmonton, as well as towns in the United States. The depot is at 877 Greyhound Way SW, west of downtown near the corner of 9th Avenue SW and 16th Street SW.

By Car -- From the U.S. border in the south, Highway 2 runs to Calgary. The same excellent road continues north to Edmonton (via Red Deer). From Vancouver in the west to Regina in the east, take the Trans-Canada Highway.

Visitor Information

The downtown Visitor Service Centre is at the base of Calgary Tower at 101 9th Ave. SW (tel. 800/661-1678 or 403/263-8510; www.tourismcalgary.com). There's also a tourist office at the airport. Send written requests to Tourism Calgary, 200 238 11th Ave. SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0X8.

City Layout

Central Calgary lies between the Bow River in the north and the Elbow River to the south. The two rivers meet at the eastern end of the city, forming St. George's Island, which houses a park and the zoo. South of the island stands Fort Calgary, birthplace of the city. The Bow River makes a bend north of downtown, and in this bend nestles Prince's Island Park and Eau Claire Market. The Canadian Pacific Railway tracks run between 9th and 10th avenues, and Central Park and Stampede Park, scene of Calgary's greatest annual festival, stretch south of the tracks. Northwest, across the Bow River, is the University of Calgary's lovely campus. The airport is northeast of the city.

Calgary is divided into four segments: northeast (NE), southeast (SE), northwest (NW), and southwest (SW), with avenues running east-west and streets north-south. The north and south numbers begin at Centre Avenue, the east and west numbers at Centre Street -- a recipe for confusion if ever there was one.

Getting Around

Calgary Transit System (tel. 403/276-1000; www.calgarytransit.com) operates buses and a light-rail system called the C-Train. You can transfer from the light rail to buses on the same ticket. The ride costs C$2.50 (US$2.50/£1.25) for adults and C$1.50 (US$1.50/75p) for children; the C-Train is free (buses are not) in the downtown stretch between 10th Street and City Hall. Tickets are only good for travel in one direction.

Car-rental firms include Avis, 211 6th Ave. SW (tel. 403/269-6166); Budget, 140 6th Ave. SE (tel. 403/226-0000); and Hertz, 227 6th Ave. SW (tel. 403/221-1681). Each of these has a bureau at the airport.

To summon a taxi, call Checker Cabs (tel. 403/299-9999), Red Top Cabs (tel. 403/974-4444), or Yellow Cabs (tel. 403/974-1111).

A Word About Walking -- The first thing you'll note about Calgary is how long the east-west blocks are. Allow 15 minutes to walk 5 blocks. You should also make good use of the "Plus-15" system, a series of enclosed walkways connecting downtown buildings 4.5m (15 ft.) above street level. These walkways enable you to shop in living-room comfort, regardless of the weather. Watch for the little "+15" signs on the streets for access points.