Fast Facts

Airport -- Edmonton International Airport lies 29km (18 miles) south of the city on Highway 2, about 45 minutes away. For general inquiries, call tel. 800/268-7134 (www.edmontonairports.com).

American Express -- The office at 10180 101st St., at 102nd Avenue (tel. 780/421-0608; LRT: Corona), is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Area Code -- Edmonton and Northern Alberta are in the 780 area code. Dialing anywhere in Canada and the U.S., simply add "1" to the number you're dialing. When dialing locally in-city, you must use 10-digit dialing; add "780" before every number.

Babysitting -- Hotel concierges can usually provide a list of approved sitters; higher-end or kid-friendly hotels like the Hotel MacDonald or the Fantasyland Hotel at West Edmonton Mall have their own internal sitters available.

Business Hours -- Most banks are open weekdays 10am-4pm, and Saturdays for a few hours in the morning or afternoon. Most shopping centers are open Monday to Friday 10am-9pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, and Sunday noon-5pm.

Currency Exchange -- Change bureaus abound, but your best bet is to use your bank card at any of the hundreds of ATMs in town. If you need to exchange cash, use one of the chartered banks: Bank of Montreal, TD Canada Trust, Scotiabank, Royal Bank, or CIBC. If you insist on using a currency exchange, you'll find Globex Foreign Exchange (tel. 780/426-5971) downtown at 10336 Jasper Ave. There's also a Calforex foreign exchange bureau (tel. 780/484-3868) in West Edmonton Mall.

Dentist -- Many dental clinics are open evenings and weekends. Ask your hotel to recommend one, or visit the Alberta Dental Association website at www.abda.ab.ca to find one.

Directory Assistance -- Dial tel. 411 to get local and long-distance directory help. You'll pay a fee from a private phone, but dial Directory at a payphone and it's free.

Doctors & Hospitals -- Medicentres offers walk-in medical services daily at 15 locations throughout the city; go to www.medicentres.com for the location nearest you. There is one downtown at 11087 Jasper Ave. (tel. 780/488-1222). The hospital with emergency service closest to downtown Edmonton is the Royal Alexandra Hospital (10240 Kingsway Ave.; tel. 780/477-4111; bus: 9).

Emergency -- For fire, medical, or crime emergencies, dial tel. 911.

Fishing Licenses -- If you're planning to fish, either in the city or outside of it, you need to obtain a license. They're available at most sporting goods stores, convenience stores, and gas stations at a cost of C$21. Under 16 and over 65 are free.

Libraries -- The main branch of the Edmonton Public Library is downtown in the city's cultural district (7 Sir Winston Churchill Sq.; tel. 780/496-7000; www.epl.com). Branches are located throughout the city, most with Internet access.

Newspapers -- The Edmonton Journal (www.edmontonjournal.com) and Edmonton Sun (www.edmontonsun.com) are the local daily papers. Arts, entertainment, and nightlife listings can be found in the weekly See (www.seemagazine.com).

Pharmacies -- Shoppers Drug Mart has over a dozen locations, most open till midnight. One central location is 8210 109th St. (tel. 780/433-2424; bus 6).

Police -- The 24-hour number is tel. 780/421-3333. Dial 911 in emergencies.

Post Office -- The main post office is at 103A Avenue and 99th Street (LRT: Churchill).