Planning a trip to Banff National Park
The Banff Information Centre, at 224 Banff Ave. (P.O. Box 1298, Banff, AB T0L 0C0; tel. 403/762-0270; www.banfflakelouise.com), houses both the Banff Lake Louise Tourism Bureau and a handy and helpful national-park information center. The center is open daily June 15 to October 15 from 9am to 9pm and the rest of the year from 9am to 5pm. Ask for the Official Visitors Guide, which is packed with information about local businesses and recreation. For information on the park, go to www.pc.gc.ca.
Special Events
The Banff Centre, St. Julien Road (tel. 800/413-8368 or 403/762-6300; www.banffcentre.ca), is a remarkable year-round institution devoted to the arts and entertainment in the widest sense. From June to August, the center hosts the Banff Summer Arts Festival, offering a stimulating mixture of drama, opera, jazz, ballet, classical, and pop music, and the visual arts. Highlights include the International String Quartet Competition, with 10 world-class quartets vying for a cash prize and a national tour, and the Digital Playgrounds series, which brings performance artists to the stage. Tickets for some of the events cost from pay-what-you-can to C$25; a great many are absolutely free. In November, the center is home to the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Find out what's currently on at the Banff Tourism Bureau or by checking out the Banff Centre's website.
Getting There
If you're flying into Calgary and heading straight to Banff, call and reserve a seat on the Banff Airporter (tel. 403/762-3330; www.banffairporter.com). Vans depart from Calgary Airport roughly every 2 hours; a one-way ticket costs C$53.
The closest VIA Rail train service is at Jasper, 287km (178 miles) north. Brewster Transport (tel. 403/762-6767) offers an express bus between the two park centers five times weekly for C$79 one-way.
Greyhound (tel. 800/661-8747 or 403/260-0877; www.greyhound.ca) operates buses that pass through Banff on the way from Calgary to Vancouver. One-way fare between Banff and Calgary is C$26. The depot is at 100 Gopher St. (tel. 403/762-6767).
If you're driving, the Trans-Canada Highway takes you right to Banff's main street, Banff Avenue; the town is 129km (80 miles) west of Calgary.
Getting Around
Banff's new ROAM (tel. 403/760-8294) public bus system has hybrid buses zipping all over town, with stops at all the attractions and near most hotels. One route runs from the Fairmont Banff Springs down Banff Avenue and on to Tunnel Mountain; the other runs between the north end of Banff Avenue and the Sulphur Mountain Gondola and Upper Hot Springs. The bus operates year-round. Fares are $2 adults, $1 seniors and children 6 to 12, and free for children under 6. An unlimited day pass costs $5 per person. For a taxi, call Mountain Taxi and Tours (tel. 403/762-3351).
For a rental car, contact National at Caribou and Lynx streets (tel. 403/762-2688) or Budget at the corner of Banff Avenue and Caribou Street (tel. 403/762-4565). Reserve well in advance, as cars are frequently sold out.
Orientation -- Banff's townsite is a simple place to understand; Banff Avenue is the main drag running north-south, with the Bow River Bridge at the south end. Bear Street, which has become increasingly developed as Banff has grown in recent years, parallels Banff Avenue 1 block west.
Just over the river stands the park administration building, an historical landmark, in the midst of well-kept grounds. Banff Avenue ends on the south side of the bridge, splitting into a T; to the left are the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, the Upper Hot Springs, and the Banff Gondola; turn right, and you'll be on your way to Cave and Basin Historic Site, where the park was born.
At the northwestern edge of town is the old railroad station, and a little farther northwest, the road meets the Trans-Canada Highway again, branching off to Lake Louise and Jasper. In the opposite direction, northeast, is the highway going to Canmore and Calgary. The Greyhound and Brewster Bus Depot (tel. 403/760-8294) is located at the corner of Gopher and Lynx streets, at the north end of town, about a block west of Banff Avenue.
