Banff Travel Guide

  Banff Ave with Cascade Mountain
by CndnSugarPlum
 
  • Banff Ave with Cascade Mountain
      Banff Ave with Cascade Mountain
    by CndnSugarPlum
  • Castle in the Rockies: The Fairmont Banff Springs
      Castle in the Rockies: The Fairmont...
    by CndnSugarPlum
  •   Banff
    by Twan
  •   Banff
    by Twan
  • Cascade  Gardens at Canada Place
      Cascade Gardens at Canada Place
    by 807Wheaton
 

Pro

londonlover profile photo

 Great resort town, with lots of shops and restaurants, in a gorgeous mountain setting! 


Con

zrim profile photo

 people, people everywhere 


In a nutshell

Jareotto profile photo

 City conveniences in a rustic, mountain setting! 

 

Explore Banff

Things to Do  

The Cascade Gardens

The Cascade Gardens, Banff

 10 Reviews  I was told the Cascade Gardens are beautiful, and that I must see them as I enjoy gardening and flowers. I think I must have been here at the wrong time, as there were hardly any flowers in bloom, I was disappointed. The lawns were nice, as was the setting, and I loved the stone building which is... 

Mountains/Lakes / Falls

Mountains/Lakes / Falls, Banff

 49 Reviews  The Rock pile at Moraine Lake is right by the front of the lake as you arrive. The view from the top is excellent and surprise surprise, it is one of the favorite places for couples to take their wedding/engagement pictures. 

Banff Avenue

Banff Avenue, Banff

 13 Reviews  Don't miss the chance to have a walk on its streets. It is a fairy tale town and you get to have great views and chances are you ran into a bear! Much of what happens in Banff happens on Banff Avenue, the main street, full of restaurant, shops, the Banff Park Museum, etc. 

Chateau /Lake Louise.

Chateau /Lake Louise., Banff

 13 Reviews  In the wintertime, a small part of Lake Louise right in front of the Chateau Lake Louise is cleared off so people can skate on it for free. There is no place to change inside, but there are benches to change into your skates and a rack to leave your shoes. I just left my shoes and purse under the... 

Animal sightings

Animal sightings, Banff

 7 Reviews  I was hiking off Moraine Lake one afternoon. It was nice and quiet, not many others around. I looked up and I saw this bird looking at me. It sure looked like an owl at first glance, but don't owls just come out at night? The owl was kind enough to wait long enough for me to take a few pictures of... 

Banff

Banff, Banff

 12 Reviews  For some reason, I have never been a real big fan of gondolas. If you aren't hiking these can be a nice way of getting to some truly beautiful viewpoints, so make sure to take your camera. In Banff township go to the end of Mountain Avenue, you will find the entrance there. That is about 2.5 km... 

Hotels  

The Fairmont Banff Springs

 14 Reviews and 1639 Opinions  I didn't stay here, but would certainly love to. This is one of the original Canadian Pacific... 

Banff Caribou Lodge And Spa

 8 Reviews and 796 Opinions  We were 2 couples staying at the Banff Caribou Lodge And Spa and had a great time. We got a great... 

Restaurants  

The Grizzly House

The Grizzly House, Banff

 7 Reviews  We give these comments to travelers and management. First, we need to mention that we travel frequently to high-end quality resorts and restaurants, and usually do research before we travel to new places. Moreover this was not our honeymoon, we have been married 41 years and gone to many places, so... 

Balkan Restaurant.

Balkan Restaurant., Banff

 10 Reviews  June 12, 2011 I (we) have enjoyed the Balkan Restaurant over the years, great food, awesome service and relaxing atmosphere UNTIL TODAY...never have I (we) been so so thoroughly disgusted and mortified by the behaviour of not only a patron with horrid language, loud and obnoxious voice but the... 

Nightlife  

Night Clubs in Town

Night Clubs in Town, Banff

 4 Reviews  Banff nightlife is plentiful. The cheapest place is the saloon at the HI Hostel on Tunnel Mountain Road. Bear in mind this is NOT in the town center so if you have been drinking you will need to take a cab back downtown. Buses do get up there but I don't know how late at night. Along Banff Avenue... 

rose and crown

rose and crown, Banff

 6 Reviews  I was a cool place with both tourists and locals. This ois a medium large pub with a British favor. This is not a dance club but there was live music . Good option to start a nighttime in Banff!! Casual 

Transportation  

Trolley/Bus

Trolley/Bus, Banff

 5 Reviews  Greyhound operates buses to Banff from the station at 327 Railway Avenue. It used to share the bus terminal with the local tour bus company until a few years ago. Honestly, checking the greyhound site it seemed a whole lot easier to take the shuttle bus to Calgary and go from there. (1.75 hours,... 

Horse drawn Carriage.

Horse drawn Carriage., Banff

 2 Reviews  You can hire these elegant BANFF CARRIAGES for a personal tour around Banff or along the Bow river . The cost is $13 per person for a 15 minute ride, a two person minimum. Longer or charter tours are available . Blankets are provided. The carriage stand is usually located near the Trail Rider Store... 

Shopping  

Novelty /Souvenir Store.

Novelty /Souvenir Store., Banff

 7 Reviews  You will see what looks like First Nation artifacts, beadwork etc look carefully, not all of these are made by local craftsmen, The easy way to tell- the more expensive stuff is more likely to be handmade, and possibly local. Some of the rest of the stuff might even be made in China. 

Specialty Stores

Specialty Stores, Banff

 6 Reviews  This is a wonderful little shop.... On the opposite side of banff Avenue to most of the other shops. Is a store which is part of the friends of Banff national park charitable organization. These are committed to increasing the awareness and appreciation of Banff National Park, which I think is a... 

Warnings and Dangers  

wild animals!

wild animals!, Banff

 5 Reviews  Well I was reading on here that only the Mountain Lions, and Bears are dangerous. I just want to let people know that Elk cause the most injuries in the park. They may look docile, but they are a huge animal that is everywhere so stay clear. The Bull Elk (ones with antlers) are especially dangerous... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Falls/mountains

Falls/mountains, Banff

 5 Reviews  MARTIN STABLES HAS THE BEST HORSEBACK RIDE. IT IS A 3 HR. BREAKFAST RIDE. YOU RIDE FOR AND HOUR THEN EAT FOR AN HOUR THEN RIDE A DIFFERENT TRAIL BACK FOR AN HOUR. WHAT A BLAST. A MUST TRY FOR HORSE LOVERS OR NOT 

Sports & Outdoors  

Lake Louise Ski Resort

Lake Louise Ski Resort, Banff

 1 Review  My canadian friend has skied and snowboarded at nearly every mountain in the Rockies, living in Calgary its rude not to. This is one of her favourite mountains to baord out of them all. But, put simply, it is the best mountain to board in all the areas around banff. Several lifts to take you up to... 

Ski Mount Norquay

Ski Mount Norquay, Banff

 2 Reviews  Mount Norquay is a great skiing destination. I thought I'd just mention a couple of cool features you can ski right to the base of the mountain where you can stay at the Timberline Inn so that is convenient and the rooms are affordable there. I remember the road was winding to get to the ski... 

Favorites  

Banff /Banff Avenue

Banff /Banff Avenue, Banff

 10 Reviews  I'm going in October and I'll just be turning 27. If it does turn out to be 'very young' we can go and buy a pipe and a pair of slippers and be old gits together lol. I do undstand where you're coming from though as the maturity difference between 18 and 25 is paramount but I'm hoping there'll be a... 

Snow /Mountains/Lakes.

Snow /Mountains/Lakes., Banff

 14 Reviews  This photo was just lucky truthfully. Most of the time when I take a picture from a moving bus the photos end up being well, not that great usually. The light was magnificent and with the background of the mountains. Didn't even have to pay the driver extra to drive slower:) 

Comments

Map of Banff