Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Edmonton International Airport (tel. 800/268-7134 or 780/890-8382; www.flyeia.com) is served by Air Canada (tel. 800/372-9500; www.aircanada.com), Northwest (tel. 800/447-4747; www.nwa.com), and homegrown WestJet (tel. 800/937-8538; www.westjet.com), a Calgary-based carrier with several destinations across North America, among other airlines. Being a hub of international commerce, Edmonton is also served by several commuter lines.

The airport lies 29km (18 miles) south of the city on Highway 2, about 45 minutes away. By cab, the trip costs about C$35; by Airporter bus (tel. 780/465-8515; www.edmontontaxiservicegroup.com/skyshuttle) it's C$10.

By Car -- Edmonton straddles the Yellowhead Highway, western Canada's east-west interprovincial highway. Just west of Edmonton, the Yellowhead is linked to the Alaska Highway. The city is 515km (319 miles) north of the U.S. border, 283km (175 miles) north of Calgary. From Calgary, take Highway 2 north; from Banff, your best bet is through Calgary on the Trans-Canada Highway east, connecting to Highway 2 north.

By Train -- The VIA Rail station (tel. 800/561-8630 or 780/422-6032; www.viarail.ca) is at 104th Avenue and 100th Street.

By Bus -- Greyhound buses (tel. 800/661-8747 or 780/413-8747; www.greyhound.ca) link Edmonton to points in Canada and the United States from the depot at 10324 103rd St.

Visitor Information

Contact Edmonton Tourism (9990 Jasper Ave. NW; tel. 800/463-4667 or 780/496-8400; www.edmonton.com). There are also visitor centers located at City Hall and at Gateway Park, both open from 9am to 6pm, and on the Calgary Trail at the southern edge of the city, open from 9am to 9pm.

City Layout

The winding North Saskatchewan River flows right through the heart of the city, dividing it into roughly equal halves. Most of this steep-banked valley has been turned into public parklands.

Edmonton's main street is Jasper Avenue (actually 101st Avenue), running north of the river. At 97th Street, on Jasper Avenue, rises the massive pink Canada Place, the only planned government complex of its kind in Canada, a kind of one-stop-shopping destination for all government services. Across the street is the Edmonton Convention Centre, which stair-steps down the hillside to the river. Beneath the downtown core stretches a network of climate-controlled pedestrian walkways -- called Pedways -- connecting hotels, restaurants, and malls with the library, City Hall, and Citadel Theatre.

At the northern approach to the High Level Bridge stand the buildings of the Alberta Legislature. Across the bridge, to the west, stretches the vast campus of the University of Alberta. East of the U of A is Old Strathcona, a bustling neighborhood of cafes, galleries, and shops that is a haven for the hip crowd. The main arterial through Old Strathcona is Whyte Avenue, or 82nd Avenue. Running south from here is 104th Street, which becomes the Calgary Trail and leads to the airport.

West of downtown, Jasper Avenue eventually becomes Stony Plain Road, which passes near the West Edmonton Mall, the world's largest shopping and entertainment center, before merging with Highway 16 on its way to Jasper National Park.