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Calgary

Travoley
Calgary
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Calgary Travel Guide

  • About Calgary
Oil riches meet the Wild West in Calgary, a brash, flash cowboy city that’s also the jumping-off point for adventures in the Rockies.Calgary stands at the point where the vast Canadian prairie touches the jagged, snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains. At the city’s heart is a cluster of glitzy towers, from which sprawling suburbs fan out into the prairies. Among the show-offs of Downtown’s shiny skyscrapers are The Bow, a crescent-shaped Norman Foster creation, and Telus Sky, a glassy construction that looks like it’s been squished by a child’s fist. Not forgetting Brookfield Place, soaring skywards to become the city’s tallest building.The Rockies may pull the crowds, but Calgary is a happening destination in its own right. Its cowboy reputation draws over a million visitors annually to Calgary Stampede, a raucous celebration of Western heritage, where the city transforms into a giant party town and every second person seems to be wearing a cowboy hat. Then there are irresistible attractions like Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, the snazzy Telus Spark science centre, and Studio Bell, a striking contemporary building home to Canada’s National Music Centre.Calgary’s hip set enjoys a fast-evolving foodie scene matching their insatiable demand for fresh culinary creations, whether it’s Argentine small plates at charbar, Korean pear pancakes at Anju or the juiciest Albertan beef at Modern Steak.Trendy eateries extend throughout Calgary’s diverse and vibrant neighbourhoods. Hit the Beltline for starters; steps from Downtown, its revitalised heritage buildings mingle with jazzy new condo and office blocks in this rapidly growing community, where locals shop for organic groceries, grab a java fix on a patio café, or compare goggle tans over cocktails.And with the Rockies beckoning like a siren at sea, it’s hard to resist the lure of the great outdoors. Phenomenal hiking and world-class ski resorts are little over an hour away. Classy city and gateway to nature? Calgary’s pretty special.
  • Calgary History
Calgary has come a long way from the fort established by the North West Mounted Police in 1875.Before Calgary was settled by white Europeans though, it was the domain of the Blackfoot natives, whose presence has been traced back 11,000 years.The first recorded European presence here took place in 1787, and by 1860 settlers began arriving to hunt buffalo and sell illegal whisky.Keen to put a stop to dodgy whisky dealing, Canada’s first prime minister sent a troop of Mounties to impose the law and make the prairie suitable for immigration.The sleepy little trading post of Fort Calgary was born. The population began to swell with the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1883. The following year, Calgary became a city.But 1914 was Calgary’s big turning point: oil was discovered in the Turner Valley, 35km (22 miles) southwest of the city.Overnight, Calgary became a boomtown, attracting settlers and investors and generating massive amounts of money.Additional oil discoveries throughout the century saw continued growth, and Calgary became the administrative centre for the Canadian oil industry.As oil prices dropped in the early 1980s however, so did the city’s economic fortunes, and unemployment escalated. It took until the late 1980s for Calgary to recover.The city’s successful hosting of the XV Olympic Winter Games in 1988 put Calgary firmly on the map.Calgary’s population growth has continued into the 21st century, along with dramatic urban sprawl. Construction companies have barely been able to keep up with the demand for new suburban housing, and identikit subdivisions have sprung up.But fluctuating oil prices mean Calgary has come to realise it cannot depend on its natural resources alone and the city is already diversifying into areas such as manufacturing, transportation and IT.
  • Did you know?
Calgary is named after Calgary Bay on the Isle of Mull in Scotland. Calgary’s +15 skywalk network was devised by architect Harold Hanen and opened in 1970. Despite finishing last, Eddie ‘the Eagle’ Edwards set a British record of 71m (233ft) in the ski-jumping event at the Winter Olympics in Calgary.
  • Weather in Calgary
To explore Calgary’s outdoor attractions and nearby national parks, the best time to visit is during July and August, with warm, dry weather and long daylight hours. Calgary Stampede, the city’s famous rodeo competition, runs each July. There’s plenty going on either side of the summer too when the weather is still pleasant. Cold winters can be a shock to visitors, but the city is often blessed with clear blue skies. For many, this is the best time to visit as it provides convenient access to the nearby world-renowned ski resorts at Banff and Lake Louise.

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