Alberta — Travel Tips
International Travel
Getting There By Air
Air Canada (AC) (www.aircanada.com) operates flights to Alberta. Many other airlines also serve the province from worldwide destinations.
Main Airports
Edmonton International Airport (YEG) (www.flyeia.com) is 28km (17 miles) from the city. To/from the airport: A shuttle bus service to downtown operates every 20 minutes on weekdays, and every half hour on weekends and holidays (journey time - 40 minutes).
Calgary International Airport (YYC) (www.calgaryairport.com) is 20km (12.5 miles) from the city. To/from the airport: Public transit service to downtown operates every 20 to 30 minutes (journey time - 35 to 45 minutes, including a bus to light rail transfer). Regular transfer buses also operate to Banff (journey time - about 2 hours) and Lake Louise (journey time - 3 hours 30 minutes).
Facilities: Both Edmonton and Calgary also receive domestic services and both have duty-free shops, banks, restaurants and car parking.
Getting There By Rail
VIA Rail (tel: 1 888 842 7245; www.viarail.ca) serves Edmonton and Jasper. The Western transcontinental train (TheCanadian) crosses the province several times a week, originating from Toronto, Ontario, in the east and going via Edmonton and Jasper, to Vancouver in the west and vice versa. This train connects with The Skeena train at Jasper with a regular service to Prince Rupert, British Columbia. The Skeena trip requires one or more overnight off-train stays en route.
The seasonal Rocky Mountaineer (tel: 1 877 460 3200 or 00 800 0606 7372, in the UK; www.rockymountaineer.com) is the only other rail service operating into the province. This is a two-day, all-daylight tour with routes from Calgary and Banff or Jasper to and from Vancouver and between Jasper and Whistler, running between mid April and mid October.
Getting There By Road
The Yellowhead Highway (Winnipeg-Edmonton-Prince Rupert-Vancouver) and Highway 2 (USA-Calgary-Red Deer-Edmonton-North Alberta) are the two main roads serving Alberta. Most of the roads in Edmonton are constructed in a grid system, making it easy to navigate.
Bus: Greyhound Canada (tel: 1 800 661 8747; www.greyhound.ca) runs coach services into Alberta, thereby connecting Edmonton with all other major capitals. The main Greyhound terminals are at Banff, Calgary, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Grand Prairie, Lethbridge and Red Deer. Brewster Transportation and Tours (Banff) (tel: 1 866 606 6700; www.brewster.ca) also operates coaches in Alberta. Red Arrow (tel: 1 800 232 1958; www.redarrow.ca) provides coach service to Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray, Red Deer, Banff and Lake Louise.
Car hire: Available in all large towns and at Edmonton and Calgary airports. National driving licenses are accepted in Alberta.
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