Calgary

Old Jan 27th, 2007, 10:44 AM
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Calgary

Hello

I am heading to Calgary to see a friend. I am hoping to rent a car they seem to be cheaper away from the airport. If i want to rent away from the airport how long does it take to get downtown. And how? or best to rent at the airport

Also what is best to see in Banff when you only have 2-3 days in Feb?
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Old Jan 27th, 2007, 11:31 AM
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The car rental companies that are located at the airport are:

Avis
Alamo
Budget
Dollar
Thrifty
Enterprise
Hertz
National

Discount Rent-A-Car offers a shuttle service from the airport to its off-airport location.

You can catch a cab from the airport to downtown. In off peak hours it takes about half an hour. In rush hour it might take 45 minutes.

It's ages since I've done that ride in a cab. I'm guessing it's up around $40 now.

But the independent, cheaper car rental companies in any case are not located downtown, where rents are high. They're located in various other locations.

Frankly, by the time you've paid for cabs to and from the cheaper car rental company, I don't know how much -- if anything -- you will have saved.

When you say you have 2-3 days, I don't really know what you mean. It could mean 2-3 days including arrival and departure days or 2-3 days excluding arrival and departure days.

It also depends on what your interests are. For example, you might like to try dog sledding in Banff or Lake Louise.

If you have only 2 or 3 days at your disposal, I think it's too ambitious to try to get to Jasper and back again. And keep in mind that the Icefields Parkway, the road that connects Lake Louise and Jasper, has no services on it in winter. That means no gas stations, no restaurants and no flush toilets for the duration of a drive that normally takes 3 hours without stops.

I think you're better off just going to Banff and Lake Louise. I suggest you stay in Banff townsite, where there are more restaurants. Alternatively, you could consider staying in Canmore, which is 15 minutes east of Banff townsite.

You can stroll around Banff townsite, ride the gondola up Sulphur Mountain (just outside of Banff townsite), go on a horsedrawn sleigh ride in Banff or Lake Louise, and go on a dog sled ride in Banff or Lake Louise. Another activity that some people like doing is ice walking in Johnston Canyon. If you do that, you need cleats on your boots, and you would be well advised to do it in the company of a guide.

If you are not into downhill skiing, I think it would be enough to go up to the mountains for 2 days / 1 night.

Depending from your departure point in Calgary, Banff is about 2 hours away, and Lake Louise is about another hour beyond that.

The Ice Magic International Ice Sculpture Competition is in progress at Lake Louise as we speak. The ice sculptures probably will still be there during the time of your visit.

If you have another day, you could visit downtown Calgary and see the indoor Devonian Gardens, have a look at the western outfitting stores on Stephen Avenue Walk, maybe go up the Calgary Tower and, if you are interested, visit the Glenbow Museum.

Stephen Avenue is busy on a weekday, but is dead on a weekend. If you're in downtown Calgary on a weekend, your best bet (after looking at the Devonian Gardes, etc.) is to walk over to the northeast end of downtown, where Chinatown is located. It's bustling with Chinese families buying their groceries, doing general shopping, and eating in Chinatown's restaurants.

Depending on where your friend lives, you may find it convenient to get downtown by public transportation.

If you have a day to spare, it's neat to visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, 2 hours' drive northeast of Calgary. To get there you drive across the flat prairies, but the drive is more than worth it in my opinion, because the dinosaur skeletons are amazing. But be aware that in the winter the Tyrrell is closed on Mondays (except public holidays).

Speaking of public holidays, February 19th will be Family Day in Alberta. Schools will be out on the 15th and 16th while teachers attend the Alberta Teachers' Association Convention. So touristy places will be busier than usual on that long weekend.

Hope that helps.
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Old Jan 27th, 2007, 04:04 PM
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Thanks for the imput. I will be traveling the weekend of feb15-20 because that is when my friend would have to take less time off work. I know it will be busyer that weekend. My friend lives in Brooks. SHe was only wanting to go to calgary/ banff for the 2 days.

Thanks for the input lets me plan a bit better
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Old Jan 27th, 2007, 04:19 PM
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Anyone who lives in Brooks should want to go to Calgary for way more than 2-3 days.
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Old Sep 14th, 2016, 10:21 AM
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Brooks is nearly 2 hrs from Calgary and 3+ hrs from Banff. Renting a car is your only realistic option to get to Brooks, though there may be a Greyhound bus.

Given the distances involved, especially with the not-insignificant chance of encountering very wintry weather and driving on rural roads, I'd want to allot at least 2-3 nights if you want to go to Banff. Calgary could theoretically be a day trip if the weather is very good, but to do Banff, I would want to spend a couple of nights there to break up the driving.

Note that if you do want to head out a bit on the Icefields Parkway, the vehicle must have full snow tires. A proper emergency kit is also strong suggested -i.e. blankets, water, food etc., given the lack of any stores or gas stations along the parkway.
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Old Oct 14th, 2016, 07:10 PM
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We recently rented a car from the Avis right next to the Calgary Tower because the rental rate was approximately 1/2 of the rate at the airport. It took us about 1/2 hour to get downtown by cab and cost us about $40. But we saved about $300 so it was worth it for us. And the Avis location was very easy to find and the staff was very friendly and helpful.
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Old Oct 14th, 2016, 09:01 PM
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The thread is NINE years old (topped by a spammer)
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Old Oct 16th, 2016, 01:18 PM
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My goodness. I really need to read more carefully.
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Old Oct 17th, 2016, 11:59 AM
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Eek. Sorry - my error. Many apologies.
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