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Getting There By Air:

Calgary International Airport (YYC)
Tel: (403) 735 1372.
Website: www.calgaryairport.com  

Calgary International Airport is located 17km (10.5 miles) northeast of the city center. Calgary International is the busiest airport in Alberta and the fourth busiest in Canada, and is the transport hub for southern Alberta. It handles over 11 million passengers every year and features the largest civil aviation runway in Canada. It is served by some two dozen scheduled and charter airlines, providing service to over 80 Canadian and international destinations. The airport terminal has been undergoing expansions to keep pace with the city’s rapid population growth over the past five years, but is still playing catch-up.

Approximate flight times to Calgary: From London is 8 hours 30 minutes; from New York is 4 hours 50 minutes (plus transfer); from Los Angeles is 3 hours; from Toronto is 4 hours and from Sydney is 17 hours (plus transfer).

Airport facilities: These include duty-free shops, banks, ATMs, bureaux de change, baggage storage, mobile phone hire, an electronic hotel finder (French and English), an oxygen bar, medical clinic, post office, restaurant, food court, bars, visitor service center and car hire from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, National and Thrifty.

Business facilities: These include credit-card operated Internet and e-mail services. Some business facilities are also available in airline executive lounges.

Transport to the city: The Calgary Transit (tel: (403) 262 1000; website: www.calgarytransit.com) bus service (bus 57) connects to the C-Train at Whitehorn station for the city center. A variety of other shuttle services are also available. Airport Shuttle Express (tel: (403) 509 4799 or 1 888 438 2992; website: www.airportshuttleexpress.com) and the Airporter, operated by Cardinal Coach Lines (tel: (403) 531 3940; website: www.cardinal-cal.com), both service the city center. Sundog Tour Company (tel: (780) 852 4056 or 1 888 786 3641; website: www.sundogtours.com) connects airport passengers to city center hotels and the Greyhound Bus Terminal, and on to Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and Edmonton. Brewster (tel: (403) 762 6700 or 1 800 661 1152; website: www.brewster.ca) and Banff Airporter (tel: (403) 762 3330 or 1 888 449 2901; website: www.banffairporter.com) both service Banff. Taxis are available at metered rates, with journeys taking about 20 minutes to Downtown.

Getting There By Road:

The Province of Alberta is covered by an extensive network of primary and secondary highways. Primary highways are multi-lane thoroughfares that may or may not be divided by a median. They are indicated by shields that denote the one- or two-digit highway number. The maximum speed on primary highways is 110kph (68mph). Single-lane secondary highways exist outside highly populated areas and have a maximum speed of 90kph (56mph). Traffic drives on the right. The minimum driving age in Alberta is 16 years. Proof of insurance is compulsory and foreign drivers must possess a license from their country of origin. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.08%. Seat belts must be worn at all times.

The Alberta Motor Association (AMA) (tel: (403) 240 5300; website: www.ama.ab.ca) provides emergency road service, as well as a variety of other automobile-related services, including a 24-hour road report (tel: (403) 246 5853). The AMA is affiliated with both the Canadian Automobile Association and the American Automobile Association, for breakdown service in the rest of Canada and the USA.

Emergency breakdown service: AMA (tel: (403) 246 0606) or CAA/AAA (tel: 1 800 222 4357).

Routes to the city: The Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) becomes 16th Avenue as it passes through Calgary to the north of the city center, running east-west. It connects with Banff, Kamloops and Vancouver to the west and Medicine Hat and Regina to the east. Highway 2 runs through the city center, where it becomes Macleod Trail, connecting with Lethbridge to the south and Edmonton to the north.

Driving times to Calgary: From Banff - 1 hour 30 minutes; Edmonton - 3 hours; Regina - 7 hours 45 minutes; Vancouver - 11 hours 30 minutes.

Coach services: Greyhound Canada (tel: (403) 265 9111 or 1 800 661 8747; website: www.greyhound.ca) links Calgary with all major destinations in western Canada, as well as many in the western USA (such as Seattle, Portland and Salt Lake City). The Greyhound Bus Terminal, 850 16th Street SW, is the hub for most intercity coach services, both national and international. Facilities include a restaurant, bathrooms, storage lockers and a games room.

Red Arrow Motorcoach (tel: (403) 531 0350 or 1 800 232 1958; website: www.redarrow.pwt.ca) operates executive-style coach services to Red Deer, Edmonton and Fort McMurray. The service includes executive seats, snacks and refreshments, laptop plug-ins, mobile phones, newspapers, and on-board movies. Coaches depart from the Fording Coal Building, 205 Ninth Avenue SE, and a new building at 304 35th Avenue NE (pre-paid reservation required).

Getting There By Rail:

Canada’s national rail service provider is VIA Rail (tel: 1 888 842 7245; website: www.viarail.com), but the nearest station to Calgary lies 299km (186 miles) to the north, in Edmonton. Edmonton’s rail station, located at 12360 121st Street, has free parking (long and short term), although this is not recommended. The only direct passenger service to Calgary is offered by the privately run Rocky Mountaineer (tel: (403) 294 9298 or 1 800 665 7245; website: www.rockymountaineer.com), which terminates Downtown, near the Calgary Tower (reservations are required).

Rail services: VIA Rail’s transcontinental trains arrive at Edmonton from western cities, such as Vancouver (journey time - 23 hours) and Kamloops (journey time - 13 hours 25 minutes). Services originating in Toronto (journey time - 47 hours 10 minutes) pass through Winnipeg (journey time - 15 hours 15 minutes) and Saskatoon (journey time - 5 hours 35 minutes) on the journey west. The Rocky Mountaineer service is aimed at tourists, with the journey from Vancouver broken by an overnight stop in Kamloops, so that the entire rail journey through the scenic Rockies is in daylight. The thrice-weekly service runs from mid April to mid October.

Transport to the city: Edmonton is connected to Calgary by Highway 2 and frequent coach services are available (see Getting There By Road).

Getting Around:




Public Transport
Although Calgary does not have a subway, its combination of bus services, integrated with a light rail system (known as the C-train), provides effective transportation within the city center. The service is punctual, clean and cheap. Calgary Transit (tel: (403) 262 1000; website: www.calgarytransit.com) operates both the buses and the C-train.

The C-train comprises two lines, known as routes 201 and 202. The 201 line runs from Somerset Bridlewood in the south to Dalhouse (extended to Crowfoot by late 2008) in the northwest. The 202 line runs from McKnight-Westwinds in the northeast and ends at Tenth Street at the western end of Downtown. The stretch where both lines overlap along Seventh Avenue is a fare-free zone. The C-train arrives every five minutes or so during rush hour and every 15 minutes at other times; it operates Monday to Sunday 0400-2400 and 24 hours during Calgary Stampede.

Buses operate daily 0500-2400 (some main routes until 0100) throughout the city, its suburbs and to the airport.

Tickets for buses can be purchased upon boarding (exact change only), while travelers on the C-train must purchase a ticket from the vending machines, located at all C-train stations. Transfers (valid for 90 minutes) are available for switching between C-train and buses. Day passes are available.

Taxis
A great number of private despatch companies operate in Calgary. Taxis can be hailed in the city center at any time. They can also be ordered by telephone from companies such as Checker/Yellow Cabs (tel: (403) 299 9999 or 974 1111).

An initial charge applies and the price rises according to the time and distance traveled. A short trip within the city center should not cost more than C$15. Drivers are commonly tipped around 10 to 15% of the fare.

Driving in the City
Traffic is heaviest during rush hour (0700-0930 and 1630-1900), particularly on the highways connecting the suburbs with the city center. Calgary is laid out on an easy-to-follow grid system, although the way the city is divided into quadrants, such as Southwest (SW), may be a bit confusing at first. In the city center, the Bow River divides north from south, while Center Street separates east and west. Major streets and avenues are named according to number, with avenues running east-west and streets running north-south. Many streets are one way, and even the locals are often confused with the quadrant system.

Street parking is available, although rare in the city center during the day. Parking in one of the plentiful private lots is more reliable. The Calgary Parking Authority (website: www.calgaryparking.com) has details on locations, operating hours and rates.

Car Hire
Most major North American and international car hire firms operate within Calgary. Drivers must be 21 years or older and those under 25 may have to pay a surcharge with certain firms. A full driving license from your home country is usually sufficient. Insurance is essential and is available from the car hire firm.

The most central locations accepting international reservations are Avis, 211 Sixth Avenue SW (tel: (403) 269 6166; website: www.avis.com), Budget, 140 Sixth Avenue SE (tel: (403) 226 1550; website: www.budgetcanada.com), Hertz, 117 Fifth Avenue SE (tel: (403) 221 1676; website: www.hertz.com), National Car Rental, 114 Fifth Avenue SE (tel: (403) 263 6386; website: www.nationalcar.ca), Rent-a-Wreck, 113 42nd Avenue (tel: (403) 287 9703 or 1 800 327 0116; website: www.rent-a-wreck.ca) and Thrifty, Calgary International Airport (tel: (403) 262 4400; website: www.thrifty.com).

Caravan & RV Hire
A motorhome or camper van is a superb way to see the Rocky Mountains at a leisurely pace. Nearly a dozen companies rent RVs (recreational vehicles), most offering one-way rentals to destinations such as Vancouver.

A typical example is Alldrive Canada, 1908 10th Avenue SW (tel: (403) 245 2935 or 1 888 736 8787; website: www.alldrive.com), which has anything from a compact camper van to a luxury motorhome sleeping six. Tourism Calgary lists other companies online (website: www.tourismcalgary.com).

Bicycle Hire
You can arrange bicycle or rollerblade hire through Sports Rent, 4424 16th Avenue NW (tel: (403) 292 0077; website: www.sportsrent.ca).

Related Alberta Content

Alberta Airport Guides: Calgary International	Alberta City Guides: Calgary City Guide
Alberta Attraction Guides:
Banff National Park	Jasper National Park