Calgary (Canada)

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The City of Calgary experienced rapid growth due to beef cattle raised on the plains and the lucrative oil industry. The high rise buildings in the heart of downtown were funded by large corporations moving in to capitalise on the weatlh. Calgary's population is approximately one million, making it Canada's third largest city and it has the fastest growing population.

From the UK, there are regular flights direct to Calgary, ...
...-40C winter temperatures that hit Calgary for months on end. Most hotels have tourist maps in the lobby area which show the locations of the main malls.

There are numerous coffee shops and restaurants to choose from. The Subway chain is good for the economy lunch, serving a great choice of huge sandwiches, filled french sticks and wraps. They are about £3-4 each with a drink. My personal favourite for dinner was The Old Spaghetti Factory ... more

Calgary, is situated in the Province of Alberta, and nestles between the edge of the Great Plains and the magnificent Canadian Rockies. This makes it a perfect spot for a huge variety of holidays. You can spend your entire holiday exploring the city and surrounding area, or use it as a stepping stone to a ranch holiday or tour through some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, through the Rocky Mountains.

The City of Calgary experienced rapid growth due to beef cattle raised on the plains and the lucrative oil industry. The high rise buildings in the heart of downtown were funded by large corporations moving in to capitalise on the weatlh. Calgary's population is approximately one million, making it Canada's third largest city and it has the fastest growing population.

From the UK, there are regular flights direct to Calgary, with a flight time from London of approximately 7.5 hours. The time difference is 7 hours behind GMT, so the jet lag is not too bad to adjust to. Needless to say, the international airport is a distance from downtown Calgary. Whilst there are shuttle buses, after a long haul flight, a taxi is far easier. The ride takes approximately 20 mintues and cost in the region of £12.

Transport links are very good. As well as taxis, which can be costly, there are good train and bus links. There is also a tram system in the downtown area. A central core area downtown is serviced by a free tram. You just hop on and off and pay nothing. The rest of the tram system is operated on a trust basis. They trust you to purchase a ticket for the pay zone before you get on and no-one checks! The downtown area is relatively compact, so getting around on foot is quite easy. During the extreme winter temperatures, the downtown area can be navigated using enclosed walkways between buildings, above street level.

At first, shopping seemed quite limited. You soon realise that most of the shops are concealed in shopping malls. Again, this is to counter the -40C winter temperatures that hit Calgary for months on end. Most hotels have tourist maps in the lobby area which show the locations of the main malls.

There are numerous coffee shops and restaurants to choose from. The Subway chain is good for the economy lunch, serving a great choice of huge sandwiches, filled french sticks and wraps. They are about £3-4 each with a drink. My personal favourite for dinner was The Old Spaghetti Factory found at 222 3rd Street SW. You can have unlimited soft drinks and garlic bread, soup or salad starter, a choice of about 20 pasta dishes, and ice cream to finish for about £6 each! Believe me, you will come out completely stuffed. The service is excellent and the food superb.

I only spent 3 days in Calgary before travelling through the Rockies to Vancouver. I managed to pack in quite a few of the main tourist sights though. The Calgary Tower is worth a visit, standing at 207m high. From there you get great views over the City. It is located on 9th Avenue, together with the Glenbow museum and Fort Calgary. The Glenbow museum is superb and features mock ups of all aspects of Calgary's history together with a hands on section for kids.

A really good place to visit is the 1988 Winter Olympic Park. We took a taxi out there which cost about £12. However, I would suggest getting the train to the University and then hopping on a bus which will take you to the entrance. That will only cost about £2.50!

The park was used to film "Cool Runnings" and the Jamaican bobsleigh used in the film is in the gift shop. You can hold one of the Olympic torches, watch the Canadian national team practicing the the luge and bobsleigh in the ice house and tour the park. You can also take the lift up the 95m ski jump - remember Eddie the Eagle Edwards? That's the one he jumped off of. During the summer the park is open for tours and mountain biking and in winter it is a major training camp for international athletes.

If you have longer in town, you can visit the zoo, play golf on numerous courses, fly fish on the bow river, go horse riding, take a trip to Drumheller, famous for dinosaurs, or if you are in town in July, take in the world famous Calgary Stampede rodeo.

Calgary really is a remarkable city, on one hand you have the cowboys, on the other winter sports and the Rocky Mountains. It is clean, safe, friendly, easy to navigate. As well as being only one and a half hours from Banff and all that the Rockies offer, it is well worth taking the time to stop a little longer and explore what this city has to offer.
 

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