Banff

Introduction

Peyto Lake

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Banff is located in the province of Alberta in the west of Canada and is the largest town in the Banff National Park with roughly 7,000 inhabitants. It's also Canada's highest town at almost 1,500 metres above sea level. About 130 kilometres west of Calgary, this town might as well be the touristic capital of the country as no less than 4 million visitors go here and enjoy the town and it's magnificent surroundings every year!

Sights and Activities

• Banff Upper Hot Springs
• Skiing in winter
• Hiking, biking and mountain climbing in summer
• Mount Rundle/Cascade Mountain/Mount Norquay

Events and Festivals

• Banff World Television Festival
• Banff Mountain Film Festival

Weather

Winters are from November to March with frost and snow for months in a row though temperatures sometimes do get above zero as well. It has over 2 metres of snow a year and is even possible during summer! It's an excellent time to come if you like skiing and other wintersports, but temperatures can drop below -20 degrees Celsius easily at night. Summer temperatures in the warmest months (June to early September) are pleasant with an average high of 22 degrees Celsius and an average low of around 7 degrees.

Getting There

By Plane

Calgary International Airport, (airport code: YYC) is the nearest airport, almost 2 hours away from Banff. Air Canada connects Calgary to more destinations across Canada, the USA and the rest of the world direct from here. WestJet flies from Calgary to destinations across Canada, as well as select places in North America. In addition, many US airlines fly to Calgary.

By Train

By Car

Banff is easily reached by car along the Trans-Canada Highway. It's best to pick up a car at the airport in Calgary where there is much more competition and choice.

By Bus

Greyhound Canada has buses to Calgary (almost 2 hours) and Vancouver (14 hours) and many places in between.
Brewster Transportation offers pick up from the hotel to Lake Louise (1 hour) and Jasper (4,5 hours). Sundog Tours has transfers to Jasper as well.

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

Postal service is provided by Canada Post, a crown corporation owned by the government but run as an independent business. The lettermail service allows the mailing of a letter. The basic rate is currently set at $0.52 for one standard letter (30 grams or less). The rates for lettermail are based or weight and size and determine whether the article falls into the aforementioned standard format, or in the oversize one. The rate is the same for a postcard. Mail sent internationally is known as letterpost. It can only contain paper documents. The rate for a standard letter is of $0.93 if sent to the United States, and $1.55 if sent to any other destination. Oversize or overweight letters may be charged a higher fee ^[1]. Larger parcels can be shipped via Canada post both domestically and internationally, the rate is dependent on the weight and destination. ^[2]. Federal Express or DHL also provide interntional shipping from Canada.