Destination Calgary (module 1)
Close to the world famous Canadian Rockies, Calgary’s International Airport is a favourite destination to start or end your Canadian travel adventure.
It’s worth to spend a few hours around downtown Calgary. Even if you’re on vacation in Canada solely for the fabulous natural scenery and exciting wildlife!
On this page:
Highlights -in and around- downtown Calgary
Related pages:
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Brief history of destination Calgary
1875 - Calgary is founded by the North-West Mounted Police.
1883 - The railway arrived, and with it, cowboys settled in the area, as pieces of land were
leased for just 1 cent per acre!
1912 - the first Stampede: ‘the largest Wild West show on earth’.
1914 - Local farmers became rich by the discovery of oil in the region (Turner Valley).
1988 – Calgary Winter Olympics
Today - With a population of over 1 million, Calgary is Alberta’s largest city.
The oil and gas industry are still one of the leading branches in the ‘Heart of the New West’.
Map of Calgary
Description of the highlights at destination Calgary
From my experiences as a tour guide, I hereby list my favourite Calgary highlights.
All of the described highlights are marked on the map of Calgary.
Stephen Avenue
Calgary Stampede
Devonian Gardens
Olympic Oval
Heritage Park
Other things to do
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Viewpoint downtown Calgary
The downtown viewpoint is my ‘secret’ free alternative for the Calgary Tower.
This viewpoint offers a splendid view of
- skyscrapers in downtown Calgary,
- Stampede Grounds,
- Calgary tower,
- Saddledome (home of the Calgary Flames, playing in the National Hockey League),
- Calgary’s vicinity,
- Rocky Mountains (on a clear day) approximately 90 km/55 mi west.
From Calgary International Airport, it takes about 20-25 min. to get to this viewpoint.
It all began at Stephen Avenue
Declared as a National Historic Site in 2002, Stephen Avenue (1880) is nice for a stroll, shopping or to enjoy lunch.
Historic buildings accommodate exclusive boutiques, shopping centres with high-end retail, and the finest restaurants.
Devonian Gardens
The ‘Devonian Gardens’ are botanical gardens inside the Scotia shopping centre at Stephen Avenue.
These, -1 hectare- indoor gardens count over 550 palm trees, several fishponds and many flowering shrubs.
Free admission.
The Calgary Stampede
Every year -starting the first weekend of July and the following ten days- downtown Calgary is home to the largest Wild West show on earth.
Calgary Stampede official website
Olympic Oval
Calgary's speed skating oval, built for the 1988 winter Olympics and home the fastest ice in the world.
Free admission.
Heritage Park
If your road trip ends in Calgary and you have some time left before your departure, I advise you to visit Calgary’s heritage park.
In this historic village, you seem to be in the early West. Costumed interpreters educate and entertain guests of all ages. Heritage Park’s exhibits span the early 1860s fur trade to the petroleum and automobile-dominated 1950s.
Heritage Park official website
Other things to do in Calgary
Visit Calgary for more visitor information such as restaurants, other things to do, and accommodation in Calgary.
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How to Use the Map of destination Calgary
Use the map within this website or access each map in a separate full screen window by clicking the [ ] upper right corner (recommended).
Layers
The map contains 3 layers.
1. my favourite highlights within Calgary.
2. a selection of my favourite sightseeing and activities in Banff and near surroundings.
3. facts along Hwy1 west, between Calgary and Banff
Check or uncheck the box of each layer to hide or show the specific highlights per location.
Place marks and icons
Points of interest are place-marked on the most accurate position in the map. The icon visualizes the nature of the site.
Zoom
Zoom in to enlarge a region. The zoom in/out icon ( + -) is located in the right bottom.
Hold and drag
Hold and drag to move around on the map.
Site info
Click on a specific site to read the description.
Directions
Find directions from any location to a specific site, by clicking the arrow at the bottom of the description box.
Related pages
Module 2: Road trip Calgary to Banff
Module 3: Sightseeing Banff
Module 4: From Banff to Lake Louise, Alberta
Module 5: Yoho National Park
Module 6: Best road trip: Icefields Parkway
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