Alberta · Canada
Where to stay in Calgary
Calgary is a city in Alberta, Canada, home to about 1,307,000 people.
- Best months
- July and August
- Nearest airport
- YYC9 km · Calgary International Airport
- Currency
- CADCanadian dollar
- Time zone
- America/Regina
- Language
- English, French
About
About Calgary
Calgary is the largest city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, making Calgary the third-largest city and the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Canada.
Calgary was founded as Fort Brisebois by the Northwest Mounted Police (NWMP) in 1875. (The name was changed to Fort Calgary in 1876, named after Calgary Bay on the Isle of Mull.) The NWMP was sent west to ensure that Canada would not have an American-style "Wild West". Grave concerns about this were raised after the Cypress Hills Massacre of natives by drunken wolf hunters in 1873. Calgary was one of several forts established in Western Canada by the NWMP to ensure a police presence before the arrival of settlers. In 1883, the railway reached Calgary.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Calgary
See
The pamphlet titled "Calgary attractions" has discount coupons for 14 tourist attractions. Some coupons are modest such as $1 off Calgary Tower admission, but others can be substantial such as 50% off a second admission to Heritage Park Historical Village.
Do
- Calgary Stampede
- High Performance Rodeo
- Calgary International Salsa Congress
- Calgary Spoken Word Festival
- Calgary Expo
- FunnyFest Calgary Comedy Festival
- Lilac Festival
- Sled Island Festival
- Carifest
- Calgary Folk Music Festival
- Shakespeare by the Bow
- Historic Calgary Week
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Calgary to stay in
Accommodations are mainly located in the City Centre, Motel Village in the Northwest near 16 Avenue NW and Crowchild Trail, and in the Northeast near the Calgary International Airport and along Barlow Trail. There are hostels located in the City Centre. There are several campgrounds near Calgary, but only one is inside the city limits.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Calgary
74 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata; the 40 best known are shown, by the number of Wikipedia editions that cover them. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Fairmont Palliser Hotel Fairmont Hotels & Resorts | 1914 | 0.4 km |
| Calgary Marriott Downtown Hotel | 0.3 km | |
| Acclaim Hotel Calgary Airport | 12.3 km | |
| Aloft Calgary University | 4.5 km | |
| Alt Hotel Calgary East Village | 0.9 km | |
| Applause Hotel Calgary Airport | 10.3 km | |
| Best Western Airport Inn | 4.1 km | |
| Best Western Plus Calgary Centre Inn | 2.8 km | |
| Best Western Plus Port O'Call Hotel | 6.0 km | |
| Best Western Plus Suites Downtown Calgary | 1.5 km | |
| Best Western Plus Village Park Inn | 4.5 km | |
| Best Western Premier Calgary Plaza Hotel & Conference Centre | 5.7 km | |
| Best Western Premier Freeport Inn Calgary Airport | 12.1 km | |
| Calgary Airport Marriott In-Terminal Hotel | 10.0 km | |
| Centro Motel | 7.3 km | |
| Clarion Hotel & Conference Centre | 4.3 km | |
| Comfort Inn & Suites Airport North | 11.3 km | |
| Comfort Inn & Suites Airport South | 5.7 km | |
| Comfort Inn & Suites South | 3.9 km | |
| Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Calgary-Airport, AB | 6.1 km | |
| Courtyard by Marriott Calgary South | 20.1 km | |
| Days Inn by Wyndham Calgary Airport | 5.2 km | |
| Days Inn by Wyndham Calgary Northwest | 7.1 km | |
| Deerfoot Inn and Casino | 12.2 km | |
| Delta Hotels by Marriott Calgary Downtown | 0.3 km | |
| Delta Hotels by Marriott Calgary South | 9.2 km | |
| Emerald Hotel & Suites Calgary Airport | 5.6 km | |
| Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Calgary Downtown | 0.8 km | |
| Four Points by Sheraton Calgary Airport | 5.2 km | |
| Four Points by Sheraton Hotel & Suites Calgary West | 10.8 km | |
| Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Calgary University NW | 4.3 km | |
| Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Calgary-Airport | 6.0 km | |
| Hampton Inn by Hilton Calgary Airport North | 11.2 km | |
| Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Airport | 6.6 km | |
| Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Downtown | 0.7 km | |
| Holiday Inn Calgary Airport | 4.1 km | |
| Holiday Inn Calgary South Conference Center | 7.8 km | |
| Holiday Inn Express Airport Calgary | 6.9 km | |
| Holiday Inn Express Calgary South | 11.3 km | |
| Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Calgary | 1.6 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Calgary
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Calgary are July and August. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23 °C; June is the wettest, with about 99 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Calgary: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Calgary International Airport (YYC), about 8.7 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting around
It can be fairly easy to get to most destinations of interest by bus and/or light rail transit (LRT, trams). In the downtown core, 7th Avenue South is for public transit only. Calgary's public transit system was established in 1909. The first leg of Calgary's LRT (tram) system was completed in 1987 as part of preparation for the 1988 Winter Olympics. Today, the LRT lines are the backbone of Calgary Transit. Calgary's LRT is called the C-Train (or CTrain) and runs reliably, frequently, and is entirely accessible, with elevators at every station.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
YYC · Calgary International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Calgary
Eat
Calgary offers a wide variety of dining options. While Calgary doesn't have a single signature dish, residents are very proud of Alberta beef, and Calgarians are discerning customers of steakhouses. Speaking of beef, the popular Chinese-Canadian dish of ginger beef was invented in Calgary in the 1970s. Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut (also called Cococo), winner of international awards for chocolate-making, is based in Calgary, with many stores in the city. Calgary is also home to a very culturally diverse population, with a very wide selection of international restaurants, especially from East and Southeast Asia, and the Mediterranean from Italy through Lebanon.
Drink
Calgary is the original home of the Caesar cocktail, sometimes called Canada's national cocktail. There are many bars throughout the city, although the core is where the trendiest clubs are. There is also the ever-popular 17th Avenue SW (in City Centre), home to the Red Mile.
Stay safe
Although Calgary is generally a very safe place, walking at night should be avoided in the East Village and Victoria Park areas of downtown (generally speaking, this is the area adjacent to the Stampede Grounds and north to the Bow River). Calgary's 2011 murder rate of 1.1 murders per 100,000 inhabitants was, for example, roughly one-tenth the murder rate of Minneapolis and one-twentieth that of Memphis. Always keep your wits about you when the bars close, regardless of the area of town. Calgary drivers are typical drivers for a mid-sized western North American city. Culturally, Calgary is a mash-up of small town culture and big city living, and driving in Calgary is no exception.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Calgary: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Calgary?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Calgary are July and August. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 23 °C; June is the wettest, with about 99 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Calgary?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Calgary International Airport (YYC), about 8.7 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Calgary?
Canadian dollar (CAD).
Nearby
Destinations near Calgary
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.