Planning a Trip

Getting There

Winnipeg International Airport (tel. 204/987-9402; www.waa.ca) is only about 20 minutes west-northwest of the city center (allow 30-40 min. in rush hours). You can get from the airport to downtown by taxi for C$20 to C$25 (US$20-US$25/£10-£13), or by city bus on Winnipeg Transit (tel. 204/986-5700; www.winnipegtransit.com) for C$2 (US$2/£1). Buses run to Portage and Garry about every 15 minutes during the day and every 22 minutes during the night.

The VIA Rail train depot is at 123 Main St., where it intersects Broadway. For VIA Rail information, call tel. 888/842-7245 in Canada, 800/561-3949 in the U.S., or 204/943-3578 in Winnipeg, or go online to www.viarail.ca.

Visitor Information

Contact Travel Manitoba, 155 Carlton St., 7th Floor, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3H8 (tel. 800/665-0040 or 204/945-3777; www.travelmanitoba.com). You can also visit the Explore Manitoba Centre next to the Forks Market, open daily 10am to 6pm year-round. For specific Winnipeg information, contact Destination Winnipeg, 279 Portage Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3B 2B4 (tel. 800/665-0204 or 204/943-1970; www.tourism.winnipeg.mb.ca), open Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm, or the Tourism Winnipeg InfoCentre at the Winnipeg International Airport (tel. 204/982-7543), open daily 8am to 9:45pm.

City Layout

A native Winnipegger once said to me, "I still can't get used to the confined and narrow streets in the east." When you see Portage and Main, each 40m (131 ft.) wide (that's 9m/30 ft. off the width of a football field), and the eerie flatness that means no matter where you go, you can see where you're going, you'll understand why.

The Forks -- the site of the original Winnipeg settlement, at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine rivers -- remains a hub of the city, with its historic warehouses converted to shops and restaurants and the ample riverside green space dedicated to festivals and concerts. Northeast of the Forks is the city's most famous corner, Portage and Main -- the focus of the city's high-rise commercial district. This intersection is also known as the historic site of the 1919 General Strike, and has the reputation as the windiest spot in Canada (it has to do with the way the business towers funnel the prevailing winds).

The Red River runs north-south, as does Main Street; the Assiniboine River and Portage Avenue run east-west. Going north on Main from the Portage-Main junction will bring you to the City Hall, the Exchange District, the Manitoba Centennial Centre (including the Manitoba Theatre Centre), the Manitoba Museum, and on into the North End, once a mosaic of cultures and still dotted with bulbous Ukrainian church domes and authentic delis.

From Portage and Main, if you go 6 blocks west along Portage (a major shopping district) and 2 blocks south, you'll hit the Convention Centre. From here, going 1 block south and 2 blocks west brings you to the Legislative Building, the art gallery, and south, just across the Assiniboine River, trendy Osborne Village.

On the east side of the Red River, across the Provencher Bridge, is the old French-Canadian settlement of St. Boniface. Boulevarde Provencher is the main commercial street through St. Boniface, while avenue Taché runs along the riverfront and past the ruined facade of the Roman Catholic cathedral.

Getting Around

The City of Winnipeg Transit System, 421 Osborne St. (tel. 204/986-5700; www.winnipegtransit.com) offers two forms of bus transport. In addition to regular buses, which serve the entire metro area, Downtown Spirit buses offer free transportation along four downtown routes that link popular tourist areas. A brochure detailing the service is readily available, and your hotel concierge can also help you navigate the system. There is no Downtown Spirit bus service on Sundays or holidays. For regular buses, you need C$2 (US$2/£1) in exact change (C$1.65/US$1.65/85p for seniors and children) to board. Call for route and schedule info, or visit the information booth in the Portage and Main concourse, open Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm.

In addition, in summer and early fall, the Splash Dash Water Bus Service (tel. 204/783-6633) plies the waters of the Red and the Assiniboine rivers. Departing every 10 minutes or so, the water bus links a number of tourist areas, including the Exchange District, Taché Dock (for St. Boniface), the Forks, and Hugo Dock, within easy walking distance of the trendy Corydon and Osborne districts. Tickets are C$3 (US$3/£1.50). These water buses are the easiest way to get to St. Boniface from the Forks, which is otherwise rather a challenge on public transport.

Car-rental companies in Winnipeg include Avis, at the airport, 234 York Ave., or 1350 King Edward St. (tel. 204/956-2847, 204/989-7521, or 204/956-2847); Budget, at the airport, 593 Ellice Ave., or 1355 Regent Ave. (tel. 800/268-8900, or 800/472-3355 in Canada); Hertz, at the airport, 276 Colony St., or 1577 Erin St. (tel. 204/925-6625, 204/925-6600, or 204/925-6600; www.hertz.com); National, at the airport or at five in-town locations (tel. 204/925-3531 at the airport); and Thrifty, at the airport, 420 Kensington St., or 112 Garry St. (tel. 204/949-7608, 204/949-7622, or 204/949-7620).

You can find taxis at the downtown hotels. Try Duffy's Taxi (tel. 204/772-2451 or 204/775-0101) or Unicity Taxi (tel. 204/925-3131).

Special Events & Festivals -- The Red River Exhibition, 3977 Portage Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3K 2ES (tel. 204/888-6990; www.redriverex.com), usually starting the third week of June, celebrates the city's history, showcasing agricultural, horticultural, commercial, and industrial achievements. There are also a midway, a photography show, and other themed features such as a lumberjack show.

The Winnipeg Folk Festival, 264 Taché Ave., Winnipeg, MB R2H 1Z9 (tel. 204/231-0096; www.winnipegfolkfestival.ca), held the first weekend of July, is the oldest and one of the largest folk-music festivals in the world. Over 85 acts perform on five daytime stages and one main stage each evening.

Folklorama, a Festival of Nations, is a 2-week cultural festival in August featuring more than 35 pavilions celebrating ethnic culture, with traditional food, dancing, music, costumes, entertainment, and crafts. It attracts more than 400,000 guests yearly. For more information, contact the Folk Arts Council of Winnipeg, 2nd Floor -- 183 Kennedy St., Winnipeg, MB R3C 1S6 (tel. 800/665-0234 or 204/982-6210; www.folklorama.ca).

The 10-day Festival du Voyageur, Le Rendez-Vous at 768 Taché Ave., Winnipeg, MB R2H 2C4 (tel. 204/237-7692; www.festivalvoyageur.mb.ca), held in mid-February in St. Boniface, celebrates the adventures of the original French voyageurs, or fur traders, the first Europeans to settle in Canada, as well as French Métis culture.

Film buffs may want to check out the National Screen Institute of Canada's FilmExchange film festival, running for over a week in early March. Screening only Canadian films, this festival is striving to become what the Sundance festival is for the U.S. For more information, contact the National Screen Institute -- Canada, 206-70 Arthur St., Winnipeg, MB R3B 1G7 (tel. 800/952-9307 or 204/956-7800; www.nsi-canada.ca/filmexchange).