4 Days in Alberta: Banff, Calgary & Waterton!

Alberta: A province that I really didn’t want to miss while living in Canada.

As you guys know (if not check on my previous posts if you please) these months I’ve been to some beautiful places. I was thinking now that I have time and the resources, it gives me a great opportunity that I shouldn’t pass up. It is sad that we are all going through this pandemic, but I did my best to follow the measures set by the government.

Ottawa was August, Quebec in September, and for my birthday in October I couldn’t think of perfect excuse to visit Alberta. Canada is amazing! I wish I could travel more often and share my experiences with you. Many of my friends have asked me about the cost of the trip and it is a pleasure to share it here with you!

We flew in Flair Airline (both Roy and I). It was a direct flight going to destination but the return stopped for about half an hour at Winnipeg. In that moment I realized that I though got direct flights for the whole trip, but I guess I didn't lol. Any ways, the cost was CAD$375. It doesn’t include the price for luggage, we both only carried a backpack. They would charge you extra for a carry-on and a checked bag. But as we’re simple, we don’t need much. The total hours of flight are 4 hours from Toronto to Calgary.

We rented a car at Kayak’s website and got it at the airport. The price for day was CAD$32.26, some good advice would be to always full the tank before returning the car and arrive minutes before to avoid being charged.

Our stay was for 4 days, from Friday to Monday. And it couldn’t be better! We had a great itinerary that completed all the places we were expecting to visit and even more!

We stayed one night in a hotel and the rest of our stay in an Airbnb. Both were wonderful. I recommend this. For the hotel night we payed CAD$114.73 it included the breakfast, which was really good and incredible organized compared to the rest of the hotels that we have visited during the pandemic. When we arrived, we were very welcomed by the front desk team, the houseman also was helpful, the lady who served the breakfast was very kind and efficient. At Banff Voyager Inn, there’s a pool, a casino-restaurant on the ground floor. We liked the rooms, and the amenities, especially the soap, it was an Indigenous owned with a Sweetgrass fragrance.

I loved that the hotel was exactly at Banff Avenue which is just in the town and near by Minnewanka Lake, and in the other direction the Banff Gondola. Which were like 15 minutes driving. This hotel doesn’t seem as fancy as others around, but the service is amazing and there was nothing to complain about. You can even read their reviews for proof.

The rest of the days, we stayed in an Airbnb located in Calgary. The host was super polite and friendly. The place smells clean and was neat. If you are considering staying, PM for more details. For this lodge, the total price was CAD$90.15

We ate outside, excluding 2 meals. But we visited several restaurants, such as: Chili’s at Banff, A&W at Calgary, Sky 360 (the Calgary Tower Restaurant), and other fast food. For a total of CAD$131.41 with no restrictions, lol.

About the parks, we visited:

Banff National Park CAD$20 (for 24 hours, 2 people)

Banff Gondola CAD$72.45 (round trip, price for 2)

Waterton Park CAD$15.80 (for 24 hours, 2 people)

Once you pay the entrance for these territories, you are allowed to visit all the parks inside.

Our itinerary was basically:

Day 1:

Lake Louise

Day 2:

Minnewanka Lake and Banff Gondola

Downtown Calgary ride

Day 3:

Waterton Lakes National Park and Red Rock Canyon

Calgary Tower and night life at Downtown Calgary

Day 4:

Departing day

Believe it or not, my high light for the trip was the Red Rock Canyon, as nothing could prepare me for what I was about to see. It truly surpassed my expectations.

It was an amazing experience, which I consider extremely worth for the short stay. For more pictures and video please follow my “Alberta’s Story” on my IG: @awildarmr

Feel free to ask me anything about this or any another trip.