Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Calgary International Airport (tel. 877/254-7427; www.calgaryairport.com) lies 16km (10 miles) northeast of the city. You can go through U.S. Customs right here if you're flying home via Calgary. The airport is served by Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.com), Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com), American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com), United (tel. 800/241-6522; www.united.com), Continental (tel. 800/525-0280; www.continental.com), Northwest (tel. 800/447-4747; www.nwa.com), and the homegrown WestJet (tel. 800/937-8538; www.westjet.com), a Calgary-based carrier with dozens of destinations across North America. Being a hub of international commerce, Calgary is also served by several commuter lines.

Cab fare to downtown hotels comes to around C$25. Several downtown hotels provide shuttle service from the airport; the only devoted airport shuttle is the Airporter Express run by Sundog Tours (tel. 403/249-9617; www.sundogtours.com; adult one-way C$15, child C$8), which now runs only pre-arranged shuttle service.

By Car -- From the U.S. border, Route 89 in Montana becomes Highway 2 at the Carway border crossing and runs to Calgary. It continues north to Edmonton (via Red Deer). From either Vancouver in the west or Regina in the east, take the Trans-Canada Highway.

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 Rocky Mountaineer Vacations (tel. 800/665-7245 or 604/606-7245; www.rockymountaineer.com). The lowest-priced tickets begin at C$889 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.

Visitor Information

The downtown Visitor Service Centre (tel. 800/661-1678 or 403/263-8510; www.tourismcalgary.com), now in the Riley & McCormick store at 220 8th Ave. SW, and at the airport, provides free literature, maps, and information.

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; 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 northwest 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

By Transit -- 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 for adults and C$1.25 for children; the C-Train is free (buses are not) in the downtown stretch between 10th Street and City Hall. Tickets are good for travel in only one direction.

By Car -- 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.

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

On Foot -- As a whole, Calgary is not a terribly walkable city. Suburbs sprawl outward in every direction, connected to the center, and each other, by a network of freeways. In the city core, though, there are a handful of pedestrian-friendly areas -- though you might have to drive or take transit just to get to them. Stephen Avenue, a pedestrian zone along the southern boundary of the financial district, is a pleasant place for a stroll, past sidewalk cafes and, at the far end, Olympic Plaza, a public space where medals were awarded during the 1988 Winter Olympics. Other walkable zones near the core can be reached on foot, if the connection isn't entirely pleasant. South of downtown lie the vibrant districts of 17th Avenue SW and the Mission, which can be reached from downtown by walking under a railroad bridge at either 4th or 8th streets SW. You'll traverse several semi-occupied blocks before you reach your destination. To the north, across the Bow River, lies Kensington, which you can walk over to the busy 10th Street Bridge -- which you reach by crossing several blocks of blank office-tower cityscape from Stephen Avenue -- or take the footbridge from Eau Claire Market (200 Barclay Parade SW; www.eauclairemarket.com) over to Prince's Island Park for a more amiable stroll. Through the lush greenery of the park and over to the other side, onto Memorial Drive, Kensington -- probably the city's most walkable district -- awaits.

A Word about Walking -- The "Plus 15" system is 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. All the downtown malls are connected, as are several office towers.

By Bicycle -- Calgary has an extensive bicycle path system that connects the central core to some of the far-flung suburbs, and everything in between. All in, Calgary had about 395 miles (635km) of devoted bike paths throughout the city in 2006 -- the most of any city in North America -- with even more planned. Ride alongside the Bow River, through downtown, and off and around the Glenmore Reservoir without ever seeing a city street. This ride, and many more, can be found on the city's cycling website, www.calgary.ca (search "cycling").

To ride, of course, you need wheels, and a number of places are happy to rent you a bike, in the summer months at least. Bike Calgary (www.bikecalgary.org), a local riders' association, is a good place to start for current listings, as they tend to be seasonal and offer different services -- or cut them off -- year to year. But Sports Rent (4424 16th Ave. NW; tel. 403/292-0077; www.sportsrent.ca) is a reliable option. They rent basic mountain bikes for C$25 per day, with kiddie bikes at C$10 per day.