going to banff/jasper in may 2018
 

we are going to banff/jasper next may. We are flying into calgary.

1. We are looking into finding a somewhat affordable nice place to stay in Banff.. (I know it's supposed to be expensive.

2. We are thinking of taking a bus/shuttle to Banff and walk around/take shuttles in Banff for a few days and then rent a car there in Banff. We thought we might save a few days of car rental. how convenient is bus/shuttle service to Banff from the airport?.

thanks.

1. When in May are you coming? Accommodations tend to shift towards more peak pricing as of the holiday long weekend (Victoria Day). In 2018, that will be the 19-21st of May.

If you book well in advance, there are certainly more budget options in Banff. All accommodations in Banff are listed at www.banfflakelouise.com so you may want to see what options might fit in your budget. Generally an average hotel room is around $250. The YWCA is a more budget option and the Hi hostel has private rooms. Another option might be to stay in Canmore, which has a wider range of options.

There are certainly good airport shuttles to Banff. However, if you are coming prior to May 21, you may find limited options for getting around outside of Banff. They have been running free buses to Lake Louise village and up to Lake Louise this year, but those may not start until later in May. (no word on 2018 schedules yet). The shuttles to Moraine Lake, at least so far, have only been running in Sept and early October. There has been a commercial hop on-hop office shuttle that costs about $40-60, but again, that may not run until later in May.

Beyond that, though, you really need a car to get to sites. There are no shuttles, free or otherwise, on the Icefields Parkway. The only car free option for seeing that area is by a tour. If you do a Calgary to Calgary rental, you should be able to get a reasonable deal -- probably cheaper than from Banff where there are fewer options.

As kgsnesd mentioned, the park has been introducing new bus shuttle services this year and information can on them can be found here:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/parkbus

Depending on what you want to visit, they may get you to some of the destinations. You may want to watch that page for 2018 schedule updates or contact the park directly:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/agence-agency/courriel-email