Vacation in Calgary

Alberta will enchant you with six UNESCO World Heritage Sites that attract nature lovers from all over the world. Follow the tracks of the dinosaurs in Dinosaur Provincial Park. Located in the Canadian Badlands, this is one of the world’s largest sources of dinosaur fossils. Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park features thousands of petroglyphs (rock carvings) and pictograms (rock paintings) that document the history of the First Nation Blackfoot people.

Banff National Park combines breathtaking landscapes in the Rocky Mountains with easy accessibility and a long tradition of hospitality. Towering mountains, jagged valleys, huge coniferous forests, upland meadows, glacier lakes, and gushing rivers characterize this unique landscape offering habitats for countless animal species. These and many other national parks are ideal for hiking, canoeing or e-bike tours. However you get around, the natural beauty of Canada will remain with you as a lifetime memory.

Who doesn’t dream of taking a road trip through Canada one day and exploring some of the remote and unspoiled natural scenery of the country? Alberta is criss-crossed by spectacular panoramic roads, such as the 230-km Icefields Parkway. The Icefields Parkway is bordered by mountains over 3,000 meters tall and leads over two of the highest accessible passes: Sunwapta Pass (2,030 m) and Bow Pass (2,067 m). Various overlooks and attractions can be found along the route, including the Columbia Icefield – the largest ice field south of the Arctic Circle.

The Cowboy Trail promises a glimpse into the life of the ranchers. The 640-km-long route officially runs from Mayerthorpe, northwest of Edmonton, to Cardston, and ends in Pincher Creek, close to the border with Montana. In the shadow of the nearby Rocky Mountains, the landscape is varied, with its diverse wildlife and fauna. Cowboys let their livestock graze on lush pastures along the route, and rodeos take place in summer in the small cities, many of which have preserved their original character.

The to-do list in Calgary is extensive: To learn more about the history of Canada, we recommend a visit to Heritage Park, Canada’s largest open-air museum. If you want to go up high, you can enjoy the breathtaking view from the Calgary Tower. Perhaps you can even make out the Canadian Rockies in the distance? Or visit the 10-day Calgary Stampede that takes place every year in July and is also known as the “largest outdoor show in the world.” Animal lovers will be especially pleased by this: the largest zoo in Western Canada. Over 1,000 animals are housed in over 2.5 hectares, and the “Canadian Wilds” zoo area is particularly impressive, with native animal species such as bears, wolves, mountain lions, elk, bison, big-horn sheep and mountain goats.

Calgary’s former main street from the 1890s is still the heart of the city’s shopping and retail center. A stroll across the centrally located Stephen Avenue can be easily combined with a visit to the CORE shopping mall and a quick jaunt to Kensington Village or 17th Avenue. The range of 180 shops and service providers in the ever-popular pedestrian zone covers everything from designer brands to popular restaurants. Numerous special galleries, boutiques, cafés, bistros, record stores and bookshops are also waiting to be discovered.

After a stroll through the center, the banks of the Bow River invite you to enjoy a picnic – the ideal place to take photos of the famous Peace Bridge. This pedestrian bridge, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, connects the Bow River Pathway to the south of the river with the city center and is considered an architectural masterpiece.