Planning a Trip

Getting There

If you're flying into Calgary and heading straight to Banff, call and reserve a seat on the Banff Airporter (tel. 403/762-3330; www.banffairporter.com). Vans depart from Calgary Airport roughly every 2 hours; a one-way ticket costs C$47 (US$38).

The closest VIA Rail train service is at Jasper, 287 kilometers (178 miles) north. Brewster Transport (tel. 403/762-6767) offers an express bus between the two park centers five times weekly for C$69 (US$55) one-way.

Greyhound (tel. 800/661-8747 or 403/260-0877; www.greyhound.ca) operates buses that pass through Banff on the way from Calgary to Vancouver. One-way fare between Banff and Calgary is C$23 (US$18). The depot is at 327 Railway Ave, Banff, AB T1L 1A9 (tel: 403/762-1091).

If you're driving, the Trans-Canada Highway takes you right to Banff's main street; the town is 129km (80 miles) west of Calgary.

Visitor Information

The Banff Lake Louise Tourism, at 224 Banff Ave., houses both the Banff Tourism Bureau and a national-park information center. Contact the office at P.O. Box 1298, Banff, AB T0L 0C0 (tel. 403/762-8421; fax 403/762-8545; www.banfflakelouise.com; info@banfflakelouise.com). The center is open daily June 15 to October 15 from 8am-8am and the rest of the year from 9am to 5pm. Be sure to ask for the Official Visitors Guide, which is packed with information about local businesses and recreation. For information on the park, go to www.pc.gc.ca.

Orientation -- Getting your bearings is easy. The Greyhound and Brewster Bus Depot is located at the corner of Gopher and Lynx streets (tel. 403/762-2286). The main street -- Banff Avenue -- starts at the southern end of town at the Bow River and runs north until it's swallowed by the Trans-Canada Highway.

Just beyond the river stands the park administration building amid a beautifully landscaped garden. Here the road splits: Fairmont Banff Springs hotel and the Banff Gondola are to the left; to the right are the Cave and Basin Hot Springs, Banff National Park's original site. At the northwestern edge of town is the old railroad station, and a little farther northwest the road branches off to Lake Louise and Jasper. In the opposite direction, northeast, is the highway going to Calgary.

Getting Around

Banff offers local bus service along two routes designed to pass through downtown and by most hotels. Service on the Banff Bus (tel. 403/760-8294) is pretty informal, but there's generally a bus every half-hour. One route runs from the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel down Banff Avenue to the northern end of town; the other runs between the train station and the Banff Hostel on Tunnel Mountain; the fare is C$1 (US80¢). The bus operates in summer only.

For a taxi, call Banff Taxi and Limousine at tel. 403/762-4444.

For a rental car, contact National, at Caribou and Lynx streets (tel. 403/762-2688), or Banff Rent A Car, 204 Lynx St. (tel. 403/762-3352), for a less expensive but reliable vehicle. Avis, Budget, and Hertz also have offices in Banff. Reserve well in advance as cars are frequently sold out.

Special Events

The Banff Centre, St. Julien Road (tel. 800/413-8368 or 403/762-6300; www.banffcentre.ca), is devoted to the arts in the widest sense. From June to August, it hosts the Banff Arts Festival, offering a stimulating mixture of drama, opera, jazz, ballet, classical and pop music, and the visual arts. Tickets for some of the events cost from pay-what-you-can to C$25 (US$20); a great many are absolutely free. In November, the center is home to the Festival of Mountain Films. Find out what's currently on by checking out the website.