Arriving at Calgary’s YYC airport you probably will want to get to your hotel asap after flying quite a few hours. So after passing through customs, get some cash from the ATM and get a ticket for the airport transporter bus. It is about $ 15 and will get you straight to multiple downtown destinations. Just ask the driver where to get off the bus.

Making the most of you stay

After arriving this first day, with an 8 hour time difference, just relax, strawl around, have a coffee, eat out a little and turn in early. Your stay in Calgary will be 2 or 3 nights depending on the time you’ll have to complete your trip. During your stay in Calgary you will go up the 191 meters tall Calgary tower of course, but also visit other great venues like the Glenbow museum with art and historic artifacts illustrating the history of the west. Also impressive are the 1 ha indoor Devonian Gardens, and the arts, crafts and foodmarket “Eau Claire Market“. A bit further from downtown is Heritage Park Historic Village where you’ll find 150 historic buildings, a steamrollerboat and a basically a flashback into the late 19th, early 20th century.

Stampede

Last but certainly not least, early july for ten days, Calgary turns into cowboy and-girl town with the Calgary stampede. An event that attracts big crowds of dressed-up yippikayees. If this isn’t your thing.. well, it sure is a unique picture moment.

The Glenbow museum rocks!! Culturaly speaking… This museum has 20 permanent exhibitions with a million artifacts and nearly 30 thousand works of art. Eyecathers are the imposant collection telling the story of Western Canada through tons of cool artifacts, but also the Native North America exhibition. Another great one is a unique military and mounted police collection containing medieval weaponary and samoerai swords. Yearly this museum, art gallery, library and archive also has 3 major temporary dynamic exhibitions or programs.

Stay at the Glenbow museum for at least 4 hours, it will add value to the rest of your trip knowing how the great north west was colonized.

Usefull info:
Opening hours: closed on monday, visiting hours on other days: http://www.glenbow.org/visiting/
Admissions rates: http://www.glenbow.org/visiting/
Contact by phone: 403-268-4110

A strawl across this curiosity market in an old colorfull warehousing complex gives you a chance to experience all kinds of unique delicacy stores, arts and crafts stores, street artists, café’s and bars. It feels like an odd amusement park for your eyes and taste. With the aging state of existence of this focal point of the neighbourhood, there now are plans to demolish and completely redesign and rebuild the area. Through this market you will come across a pedestrian bridge across to Prince’s Island Park. On this little island in the middle of Bow river you can chill-out, relax and enjoy.

Spend an hour or 3 here before taking off to the suburbs.

With 127 acres, 51 hectares, this is one of Canada’s largest themeparks and by number of exhibits it actually is the largest living history museum. It features a 1930’s – 1950’s village including the heritage town square with old operating venues and a large collection of antique trucks and vehicles in the Gasoline Alley museum. Next is a 1900s living village with the famous authentic steamtrain you will board for sure. Then there is the pioneers lifestyle at the 1880s pre-railway settlement to experience and the 1860s Fur Trading Fort and First Nations Encampment.  Furthermore you surely want to enter the S.S. Moyie, a fully restored paddle steamer wich traverses the Glenmore Reservoir. All in all an intriguing leap into history.

Usefull information:
Openingshours are roughly between 9.30 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. on a daily basis during the summer season. In winterseason less parts are open and the park closes at 4 p.m. Therefore admissionrates are lower during winterseason.
Admissionrates: http://www.heritagepark.ca/park-information/rates-and-annual-passes.html
Contact: by phone call 1.403.268.8500
Directions: https://www.heritagepark.ca/park-information/contact-us.html

Every year in early july the 10-day rodeo-event “Calgary Stampede” takes place, the largest Canadian festival there is. During this time Calgary shows of its wild west cowboy image and everywhere you’ll look are cowboys and cowgirls of all ages. The main acts are the half-million dollar Rodeo and the chuckwagon races. Besides these there are concerts, shows, exhibits, contests, cow-wrestlingmatches and the parade in downtown Calgary on the first friday. When you get a chance to attend this bold festival it is a must-do on your travel list!