Things to do in Calgary

Nature · Along the river, citywide

One of the largest urban pathway networks in North America, running along both rivers and out of the city in every direction.

Local tip: Over a thousand kilometres of connected paths, and almost entirely flat along the river. The stretch from Prince's Island through Edworthy Park to Bowness is the best of it, and it is plowed through winter — Calgary genuinely cycles year-round.

Neighborhood · Northwest of downtown, across the Bow

An independent high street across the river from the towers — bookshops, coffee, and the most walkable inner-city district.

Local tip: The best neighbourhood in Calgary for anyone who does not want a car. Walk to downtown across the Peace Bridge in fifteen minutes, and the Sunnyside C-Train station is right there for the days you would rather not.

Neighborhood · East of downtown

Calgary's oldest neighbourhood — antique shops, breweries, live music, and a bird sanctuary at the end of the street.

Local tip: 9th Avenue is the actual main street, and the Ramsay bluff above it gives the best free view of the skyline in the city. The bird sanctuary is a working conservation area rather than a park, and it is empty on weekday mornings.

Nature · 60–90 minutes west

The Rocky Mountains, closer to a major city than mountains generally get.

Local tip: Banff is the famous one and the crowded one. Kananaskis Country is closer, requires only a modest conservation pass, and has the same mountains with a fraction of the traffic. For a Calgary resident it is the genuine weekend default.

Culture · South of downtown

The grounds of the Calgary Stampede, and a year-round events and agriculture site the rest of the time.

Local tip: During Stampede week the free pancake breakfasts across the city matter more than the rodeo — communities, businesses and fire halls run them and the whole thing is genuinely open to anyone. Turn up in something western and nobody will comment.

Nature · North Calgary

Eleven square kilometres of native prairie grassland left undeveloped inside the city, with a view across to the Rockies.

Local tip: One of the largest urban parks in Canada and almost entirely unknown to visitors. It is genuine unmowed prairie rather than landscaped park, deer are common, and on a clear day the mountain view from the western edge is better than anything downtown offers.