We are arriving late on a Thursday and will spend Thursday and Friday nights in Calgary before picking up an RV around 10 a.m. Saturday morning.

When I look at what's to see in downtown Calgary, there's nothing that jumps out and says must do.

We are budget travelers, so I need to know if it's worth the $40 roundtrip for the two of us to take the airport shuttle downtown and back to the airport. The RV company will pick us up only at the airport.

And, I'd like to know if the airport hotels are in areas with some services like movies, restaurants and some shopping.

We could also take public transportation downtown from an airport hotel if it's not too difficult to figure out.

Thanks to all of you Calgary folks and fellow travelers for your help on this question.

Hello islandpaddler,

The NE quadrant of Calgary, in which the "airport" hotels are located is a commercial zone in which there are warehouses, big box stores, etc. It's clean enough and safe enough, but it is not charming. I would hate to be stuck there for a day without a car.

If you stayed at the Coast Plaza Hotel, you'd be within reasonable walking distance of Marlborough Mall, where there are shops and restaurants (but no movie theatres as far as I know).

You'd also be within walking distance of Marlborough Station, where you could catch a train into the downtown core.

The Greenwood Inn is within walking distance of the #19 and #119 bus routes. You could use one of them to take you to Rundle Station, where you could transfer to a train to the downtown core.

The Greenwood Inn is witin walking distance of a couple of mid price restaurant chains. If I recall correctly Earl's and Joey Tomato's are around there. There are utilitarian shops nearby. I can't remember off the top of my head which ones they are. I seem to recall a branch of Toys R Us and stores along the lines of muffler shops and the like.

If you don't want to catch the airport shuttle into the downtown core, you could catch the #57 bus from the airport to Whitehorn Station, and from there you could catch the train into downtown. Ask the bus driver for a transfer, and then use the transfer ticket for the train. The combined bus / train ride will cost you C$2.25 per person one way.

Four transit fares (2 in and 2 out) would cost you a total of C$9. But you would spend that whether you stayed downtown or stayed in the NE quadrant and caught transit into the downtown core.

The regular city buses and trains don't have extra space for suitcases. Your luggage would be a pain in the neck to your fellow passengers if you were riding into the downtown core in the morning rush hour and out of the downtown core in the afternoon rush hour. However, you are likely to be travelling in the opposite direction from the prevailing ridership, so I think you'll be okay from that point of view.

Hmmm, I just read that you'd be arriving late on a Thursday. I don't know how late "late" is. If you're getting in late at night, I don't know if you want to fool around with the bus / train. By that time the frequency of the bus will have dropped off considerably, and the trip to downtown could take you quite a while.

If you'll arrive late, perhaps you could catch the shuttle into the downtown core and catch public transit out again.

My web site has a suggested walking itinerary of downtown Calgary:

http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...ofcalgary.msnw

Hope that helps.

To Judy,

We're getting in at around 10 p.m. I wasn't thinking of taking public transportation to downtown Calgary then, but rather the next day if we stayed at an airport hotel.

I had looked at the Coast Plaza, so maybe that will be a good middle ground.

Thanks.

I have been to Calgary several times, including last summer. I would not want to be there and try to get around much without a motorized transportation.

For the round trip price you cite, could you not rent a car for a couple of days?

Heritage Park is worth the effort, but I have no idea how you would get there on the bus.

I have never tried getting around Calgary without a car. And I would not consider it for myself.

On the northeast side of Calgary, there ae quite a few motels and hotels, as well as restaurants. They are, however, well strung out for walking.

I use the Greenwood Inn, and it is fairly close to shopping of various types, but not without transportation.

I hadn't thought of renting a car, but I'll look into that. Thanks.

Islandpaddler,

If you are willing to rent a car (which I think would be a great idea), it would open up the possibilities of where you could stay and what you could do.

If you want to stick with the NE quadrant, and don't HAVE to be within walking distance of public transit, you can choose from a much larger selection of hotels. There are several of them (Holiday Inn, Travelodge, etc.) that I imagine are more economical than the Coast Plaza Hotel or even the Greenwood Inn.

You also could stay in "Motel Village" in the NW quadrant of Calgary. There there are several hotels and motels in a range of prices. They are situated on a strip along Banff Trail NW, and they're stone's throw from Banff Trail Train Station. You can recognize them from the fact that their street address is Banff Trail NW or they have the words "Motel Village" in their name or else they have the word "University" in their name.

Unlike downtown hotels, most hotels outside of downtown include complimentary parking in their prices.

We have picked up an RV at the airport area (Canadream) many times and find the Travelodge in Sunridge Boulevard is very handy - you can literally wheel your case down the road to the depot. It's good value and is clean with a reasonable restaurant. They have movies I think.

There is also a great steak house a short walk away, The Cattle Barons. There is the Sunridge Mall and another shopping mall nearby, again within walking distance.

If you fancy, you can also pick up the train to downtown beside the Sunridge Mall for a few dollars.I have visited the City several times and there is, as you say, little to tickle your fancy.

Also bear in mind that if the RV company are going to pick you up, they will usually pick up the local guests first, so I'd recommend staying nearby. That gives you an early start for the day, as paperwork, unpacking your cases, vehicle induction etc can take a lot of time. If you rent from Canadream, they may recommend a Supermarket nearby, the name escapes me - I don't recommend it as everything is sold in bulk!

The zoo is very good, check out the rogue bear (Skoki bear) that terrorised Lake Louise and now resides more peacefully in the zoo, after several failed attempts at relocation. I'm not a big fan of zoos but this one was impressive.

Thank you, TheDoc,

I will check out Travelodge. We are renting from Canadream, so this may prove to be very handy. The Calgary Tourism Web site has a coupon for half off the second night, which may be a good deal.

I have stayed at the Sheraton Cavalier in Calgary. It is close to the airport and has a complementary shuttle that runs to and from the airport and downtown. (At least it did when I was there a couple of years ago - call to confirm). That might be a good option for you if you can get a decent rate.

I must admit I hadn't read all the replies before I posted my own. The Doc's suggestion sounds ideal for picking up your RV, especially with the coupon! The ease of access to public transit, if you want it, and the nearby shops and restaurants sound perfect for your needs.

Should also have said that the Travelodge run a free shuttle from the airport, you can call them from one of the free phones in the airport arrivals level that link to many of the local airports. Their minivan will collect you outsie the door on the arivals level, at a numbered parking station. Very easy to find. handy.