We started our recent Canadian holiday in Calgary. TBH a couple of nights in the city is all you need before you head out to explore Alberta and beyond. We only had 24 hours in Calgary for our sightseeing, which is really all you need.
The airport is a manageable size – meaning you don’t have to walk miles to get anywhere! It is situated about 17km north of the city and very easy to reach the centre. The cheapest is the bus which we took and had a great experience. You buy tickets at a machine at the bus stop just outside the terminal, the cost of each ticket was CAN$3.70 – about £2.12. No need for cash. We told our driver where we wanted to go, the road is a straight highway direct to the river and across to Downtown. Not only did he tell us where to get off, he helped us off with our bags and walked us to a corner and pointed out where our hotel was! Made us feel so welcome in the city.
We stayed at the Sandman Signature, good hotel with very comfortable rooms. Only downside is that the hotel is beside the light rail transit route which runs all night so you do have some noise. Our room was on the 22nd floor and not facing the trains but we could still hear it. It didn’t matter, we were both so tired on the 2 nights we were there – it didn’t keep us awake.
Staying downtown has its advantages though with the transit system – the CTrain between City Hall and the Downtown West/Kerby station is free. You just pay outside of this free zone. As a tourist, most of what you want to see is here. On our arrival night, we stayed fairly local to the hotel, so we could get our bearings and also because our body clocks were telling us to go to bed early.
Our full day of sightseeing was a beautifully warm day for the end of September. We got the Ctrain to the Calgary Tower, thinking that would give us a good perspective on the city. I love maps but sometimes its best just to look at the whole city and decide where to go. It
was a very clear day and we could see over to the Rockies in the west. Otherwise the area around the city is fairly flat so you can see long distances. Construction of the tower began in 1967. It has been used as an unofficial
Olympic flame during the Winter Games in 1988 with a cauldron installed on the top of the tower. There’s a revolving restaurant at the top of the tower (it only revolves slowly, taking an hour to go all the way round). From here, we were able to work out our sightseeing route.
Our first stop was to the right of the tower to Studio Bell, which is an excellent music museum, with tributes to Canadian musicians and music culture. The centre holds workshops and concerts. Otherwise the building is five storeys high, with a different aspect of Canadian music culture on each floor. Within the centre are several Halls of Fame – each is fascinating, even if you don’t know the artists. There are also instruments throughout so you can test your skills on drums, guitars, keyboards as well as your vocal skills. You can also book out a recording studio for your band! Definitely a good and enjoyable few hours, there was an exhibition about visits of the Beatles over the years, so we felt quite at home!
Our wander through the city then took us past City Hall and the Central Library to the Famous Five monument – not the Enid Blyton characters. These statues are located in the Olympic Plaza and represent a group of five Canadian suffragists who fought for the legal right of women to be appointed to the Senate in what became to be known as the Person Case in 1927. Next to Emily Murphy, the suffragist who led the fight, is an empty chair, inviting visitors to join them and make the world a better place in their generation.
By now, we were a little peckish and thirsty so we headed to Stephen Avenue – this iconic street in the heart of the city is full of bars and restaurants, as lively during the day as it is at night. A mainly pedestrian street, there are plans to extend the area to attract even more visitors. We were lucky enough to find a table outside at lunchtime and again in the evening (still warm enough to sit out).
From here, we walked to the Peace Bridge, this opened in 2012 and links to gardens on 
either side of the Bow River. Its a bridge for both pedestrians and cyclists to enjoy.
Other things to enjoy in Calgary are the world-famous Stampede which takes place in July every year – not only is it the world’s largest outdoor rodeo but other events like concerts and shows complement the daily stampede. You can explore more of Calgary’s history at The Confluence Historic Site and Parkland.
However Calgary is the starting point for more adventures – the tourist board and anyone who tells you about the city will tell you to get out and explore. Our next port of call was to pick up our RV and then head to Banff! You can read more on our RV adventure here and on what we discovered here