Planning a Trip

Getting There

Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker Airport (tel. 306/975-8900; www.yxe.ca) is served primarily by Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262), Northwest (tel. 800/447-4747), and WestJet (tel. 877/952-4638).

VIA Rail (tel. 888/VIA-RAIL; www.viarail.ca) trains arrive in the west end of the city on Chappel Drive.

If you're driving, Highway 16 (the Yellowhead Hwy.) leads to Saskatoon from the east or west. From Regina, Route 11 leads northwest to Saskatoon.

Visitor Information

From mid-May to the end of August, a booth is open at Avenue C North at 47th Street. Otherwise, contact Tourism Saskatoon, 6-305 Idylwyld Dr. N., Saskatoon, SK S7L 0Z1 (tel. 800/567-2444 or 306/242-1206; www.tourismsaskatoon.com). Summer hours for both are Monday to Friday 8:30am to 7pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am to 7pm; winter hours for the Tourism Saskatoon office, in the old CP Railway Station at Idylwyld and 24th Street, are Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5pm.

City Layout

The South Saskatchewan River cuts a diagonal north-south swath through the city. The main downtown area lies on the west bank; the University of Saskatchewan and the long neon sign-crazed 8th Street dominate the east bank. Streets are laid out in a numbered grid system -- 22nd Street divides north- and south-designated streets; Idylwyld Drive divides, in a similar fashion, east from west. First Street through 18th Street lie on the river's east side; 19th Street and up are situated on the west bank in the downtown area. Spadina Crescent runs along the river's west bank, where you'll find such landmarks as the Delta Bessborough Hotel, the Ukrainian Museum, and the art gallery.

Getting Around

You may need to use transportation only when you visit the University of Saskatchewan and the Western Development Museum. Saskatoon Transit System, 301-226 23rd St. E. (tel. 306/975-3100; www.city.saskatoon.sk.ca/org/transit), operates buses to all city areas Monday through Saturday 6am to 12:30am and Sunday 9:15am to 9pm for an exact-change fare of C$2.25 (US$2.25/£1.15) for adults, C$1.70 (US$1.70/85p) for high school students, and C$1.35 (US$1.35/70p) for grade-school students.

Car-rental companies include Avis, 2625 Airport Dr. or 114-2301 Avenue C N. (tel. 306/652-3434); Budget, at the airport or three in-town locations in Saskatoon (tel. 800/844-7888); Hertz, at the airport (tel. 306/373-1161); National, at the airport or Avenue C N. (tel. 306/665-7703 or 306/664-8771); and Thrifty, at the airport or 143 Robin Crescent (tel. 306/244-8000). Try Saskatoon Radio Cab Ltd. (tel. 306/242-1221), which runs taxis and six-passenger minivans; or United/Blueline Taxi (tel. 306/652-2222), which also operates a limousine to the airport or VIA Rail for C$15 (US$15/£7.50) from downtown hotels.

Special Events & Festivals

The 8-day Saskatoon Exhibition (P.O. Box 6010, Saskatoon, SK S7K 4E4; tel. 888/931-9333 or 306/931-7149; www.saskatoonexhibition.ca), usually held the second week of August, provides some grand agricultural spectacles, such as the threshing competition in which steam power is pitted against gas -- sometimes with unexpected results -- and the tractor-pulling competition, when standard farm tractors are used to pull a steel sled weighted down with a water tank. The pay-one-price admission of C$10 (US$10/£5) for adults and C$7 (US$7/£3.50) for youths ages 11 to 15 (children under 11 go free with an adult) lets you in all the entertainments -- a craft show, talent competitions, thoroughbred racing, midway, and Kidsville, which features clowns, games, and a petting zoo. Parking is C$5 (US$5/£2.50).

In mid-August, the Saskatoon Folkfest (tel. 306/931-0100; http://saskatoon.com/folkfest) celebrates the city's many ethnic groups through food, displays, and performances; admission is C$12 (US$12/£6) for adults, and children under 12 go free if accompanied by an adult.