Organized Tours

A guided tour can help you get your bearings in Calgary and scout out spots you might want to come back to on your own. Several tour operators will help you on your way, on wheels or on foot.

Guided walking tours of the city typically trot out all the old chestnuts: the Palliser, Stephen Avenue, Olympic Plaza, Chinatown, and Eau Claire. Time Out for Touring (tel. 403/217-4699; www.tour-time.com) offers walking tours at C$25 per person.

A Calgary seniors' group leads informal walks through downtown Thursdays from June to September. Tours begin in the lobby of the Glenbow Museum at 130 9th Ave. SE. There is no contact number for this group, so you're taking your chances, but it's free.

Free walking tours of Union Cemetery, Calgary's oldest civic burial ground, are conducted Sunday afternoons in the summer. The 90-minute tours are led by Parks Department volunteers. Heroes, villains, and other colorful characters abound. For information, call City of Calgary Cemeteries at tel. 403/221-3660.

A walking tour for gourmands is the Urban Safari (tel. 403/283-3158; www.urbansafaritours.com). Starting at C$85 per person and going up to C$120 per person (which includes wine), the Urban Safari walks you to no fewer than five downtown dining hotspots for samples of fine cuisine and flights of wine.

Another offbeat walking tour is the Calgary Ghost Tour (tel. 403/472 1989; www.calgaryghosttours.com), which simply is what it says it is: a wander through Calgary's haunted past (and present!). Tours depart on a number of different days and from several different locations from May to October -- best to call or check the website for current information. Rates are C$13 for adults, C$9 for children 6-12 accompanied by an adult, or C$45 per family. Private tours for groups of 10 or more can also be arranged.

Exclusive Mountain Transportation and Tours -- This city tour takes three hours and stops at Fort Calgary, Scotsman's Hill, and the Chinese Cultural Centre, as well as Eau Claire Market and Canada Olympic Park. Tickets are C$40, and the tours operate year round but run more often in the summer, with morning, afternoon, and evening options. Call tel. 403/282-3980 for reservations.