Planning a trip to Winnipeg
Visitor Information
Contact Travel Manitoba (tel. 800/665-0040 or 204/927-7800; www.travelmanitoba.com). You can also visit the Explore Manitoba Centre at 21 Forks Market Rd., open daily 9am to 6pm mid-May to early September. For specific Winnipeg information, contact Tourism Winnipeg (259 Portage Ave.; tel. 800/665-0204 or 204/943-1970; www.tourismwinnipeg.com), open Monday through Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm, or stop by the information kiosk at 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 Avenue and Main Street, 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. Northwest of the Forks is the city's most famous corner, Portage Avenue and Main Street -- 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 Street from the Portage Avenue-Main Street junction will bring you to 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 Avenue and Main Street, if you go 6 blocks west along Portage Avenue (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 There
Winnipeg International Airport (tel. 204/987-9402; www.waa.ca) is a 20-minute drive 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$18 to C$25, or by city bus on Winnipeg Transit (tel. 877/311-4974; www.winnipegtransit.com) for C$2.35. Buses run from the south corner of the main terminal to Portage Avenue about every 15 minutes during the day, and then every 22 minutes until 12:50am.
The VIA Rail train depot is at 123 Main St., where Main Street intersects Broadway Avenue. For VIA Rail information, call tel. 888/842-7245 or 204/943-3578, or go online to www.viarail.ca.
Calendar of Events
Special Events & Festivals
The Winnipeg International Children's Festival (tel. 204/958-4730; www.kidsfest.ca), hosted at the Forks in mid-June, is a kids' paradise, with plays, storytelling, puppetry, competitions, and live music.
The Red River Exhibition (3977 Portage Ave.; tel. 204/888-6990; www.redriverex.com), at Red River Exhibition Park, usually starting the third week of June, celebrates the city's history, showcasing agricultural, horticultural, commercial, and industrial achievements. There are also the rural-themed Prairie Town Adventures for kids, a midway, a photography show, live entertainment, and other themed features such as a lumberjack show.
The Winnipeg Folk Festival (tel. 204/231-0096; www.winnipegfolkfestival.ca) is held the first weekend of July at Bird's Hill Provincial Park, north of the city. It is the world's oldest and largest folk-music festival. Over 85 acts perform on five daytime stages and one main stage each evening.
Folklorama is a 2-week multicultural festival in early August featuring more than 40 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 (tel. 800/665-0234 or 204/982-6210; www.folklorama.ca).The 10-day Festival du Voyageur (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.
Getting Around
Winnipeg Transit (421 Osborne St.; tel. 877/311-4974; www.winnipegtransit.com) offers daily bus transport throughout the entire metro area. Also operated by Winnipeg Transit are Downtown Spirit buses, part of a free service along three 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. For regular buses, adults need C$2.35 in exact change (C$1.75 for seniors and children). Call for route and schedule info, or visit the Transit Service Centre in the Portage-and-Main concourse, open daily 8:15am to 4:45pm.
In addition, in summer and early fall, River Spirit water taxis (tel. 204/783-6633) ply the waters of the Red and the Assiniboine rivers. Departing every 15 minutes or so, the covered boats link 11 riverside tourist and business 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, or pay $15 for a day pass. These water taxis are the easiest way to get to St. Boniface from the Forks, which is otherwise rather a challenge on public transport.
The five car-rental companies based at Winnipeg International Airport are Avis (tel. 204/956-2847), Budget (tel. 204/989-8510), Enterprise (tel. 204/779-2422), Hertz (tel. 204/925-6625), and National (tel. 204/925-3529). Each of these companies also has downtown locations.
You can find taxis at major downtown hotels. Try Duffy's Taxi (tel. 204/925-0101) or Unicity Taxi (tel. 204/925-3131).
