Alberta Travel Guide

An Alberta vacation is just right for travelers seeking stunning natural beauty, rich veins of paleontological finds, and more modern pleasures such as shopping and the world’s largest indoor water park. Your Alberta vacation begins as you fly across the majestic Rocky Mountains and into the capital city of Calgary, home to the world famous Calgary Stampede. Alberta offers the out-west hospitality and cowboy culture which still permeates this down-home province. No visit to Alberta would be complete without a visit to breathtaking Banff National Park, an icy wonderland in the winter and a green Eden in the summer, or exploring placid Lake Louise.

Airports and Ground Transportation
Good flights from several airlines offering discount airfare to Alberta can make your  vacation affordable and easy to plan for. Billing itself as the “Gateway to Banff and the Canadian Rockies,” Calgary International Airport is the largest airport in Alberta and offers a number of options when choosing your flight provider.

Depending on when you travel, United Airlines offers several direct, nonstop cheap flights to Alberta from about $450US from Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Chicago (ORD) and $525US from New York (JFK).  Northwest Airlines, Continental, British Air, and of course Air Canada also offer flights into Calgary International Airport. Securing cheap airfare to Alberta can often be achieved by planning your travel well in advance, or, alternately, taking advantage of last minute travel sales. Check each individual airline’s websites to see what offers may be posted. Generally, travel sales are updated each day or two. The savvy traveler can often find discount airfare to Alberta simply by checking back every morning or on a lunch break.

Once there, you can often find cheap airfares within Alberta for intra-provincial travel by using carriers such as Air Canada or Central Mountain Air.

Ground Travel
Renting a car is certainly a good choice available to you for the duration of your Alberta vacation. A rental car allows you to travel the entire province at your leisure and visit as many areas of this beautiful province as your schedule allows. For those who enjoy train travel, the Canadian railway is known for its lavish train travel, complete with gourmet meals and plush seats. Inexpensive public transportation is readily available in Calgary and most ski towns, as is reliable taxi service. For fun, enjoy renting bicycles!

Best Times to Go, Best Things to Do
The ideal time for your Alberta vacation can be either winter or summer, depending on the activities you and your family most enjoy. Winter facilitates traditional Canadian pleasures such as ice skating, cheering on not one but two National League Hockey teams, or skiing in some of the deepest, softest powder in the world. Come in from the cold and enjoy the West Edmonton Mall, the largest indoor shopping and entertainment complex in the world. An Alberta vacation during the summer provides a thrilling visit to the Calgary Stampede, a world-class rodeo and adventure for fans of all ages. Want to go back in time? Take a summer Badlands Bus Tour and view the fields where hundreds of dinosaur skeletons have been unearthed. Maybe you’ll unearth something fantastic during your Alberta vacation, too!

Hotels and Lodging
There are many options when choosing lodging for your Alberta vacation. Its grand lady, the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, is the ultimate refined luxury in the midst of the wild outdoors. But more affordable options are available, too.  The rustic Alpine Village cabins in Jasper are one option. Need cheap digs? Check out the family – and economy – friendly Rosslyn Inn and Suites in West Edmonton where free popcorn may come with the room. Renting a condo may be an affordable alternative for many families, especially when staying in one of the many ski areas.