Planning a Trip to Alberta

Best Shopping and Family Entertainment- West Edmonton Mall Dining and Night life- White Avenue Nightlife- Jasper Avenue Sports -Edmonton Oilers Hockey Games Summer time- Taste of edmonton, taste of all of edmonton's finest dining Parks and recreation- Heritage Park

I would have to say my biggest tip for Jasper is try to drive through it during the daylight. I have driven through it 3 times, and I've only seen it at twilight or sunrise at best. Although in all fairness, it is supremely beautiful even then. Watch out for Elk/wildlife! The park is rife with activity, and if you're not careful, you will end up with an unwanted hood ornament.

some of the best things to do in banff is shop and and sightsee. the gondola ride up to mount. sulphur is incredible and the view is incredible. there is a huge platform on top of the mountain which allows you to reach the very highest peak, but for those of you who cant take a minor decrease in oxygen, i dont recommend this. also, make sure your not quick to spend your money there. all the stores sell pretty much the same stuff and you have to walk around to each store before you know your getting the best deal and if your american, there is no currency exchange in any of the stores, so exchange your currency before you get to banff. banff consists of many side streets with hardly any stores, just keep on the main street because your not missing out on anything. the hotels in banff stay booked throughout the year. i recently bought a hotel room for 3 people and spent just $75 for a night. the beds werent as comfortable, but when your in a place that costs a lot of money to do anything, its best that you take the best deal you can get even when it means sleeping on a bumpy mattress. make sure that when you go to banff, its on a clear day. i recently went and had to deal with the harsh winds and snow blowing straight into my face which makes it a hard time to do anything and mount sulphur is no fun when the winds are harsh and the temperature is close to 20 degrees F. the restaurants in banff are nice, seeing as there are only a few. they dont serve much and they are expensive! a place called earls serves decent food and at a huge cost. if your going to save money and eat a decent meal, just go to mccdonalds on the main road. though, there are some disadvantages to going to this place. i would never say no if given the opportunity to go again. compared to the U.S, canada is heaven on earth to me. people are friendly, the air is clean, the mountains are spectacular, and the skiing areas could not be better. overall, if your going to take a trip to a place as fantastic as this, dont give it any second thoughts!

toujous trainer son appareil photo puisque le paysage est d'une beauté incroyable

When flying to the USA from Canada, be aware that you clear US immigration and customs IN Canada, and NOT the United States. It's bizarre, I know. This can pose very long queues as there are no separate lines for US citizens vs foreigners. At the Calgary airport, you need to allow at least 2 hours to get through immigrations, security, etc. if you are taking a morning flight. This is especially true on Friday mornings as lots of people are leaving for the weekend. US customs opens at 4:30 AM. I arrived at 4:35 for my 6:30 AM flight and there already was a long queue that took me a half hour to get through. While I was in line, the queue grew quickly. It was at least an hour long.
In the afternoons, it's not usually an issue but morning flights can be hellish.

It's not just the museum here, there are a lot of sites in town to check out- like the giant trex and reptile world, there is a coal mine site and some settler histric sites as well. There is nowhere in town to eat though, so be prepared to hunt something down or pack a lunch.

A must is the West Edmonton Mall. It has attractions for everyone...water park, dolphin show, tide pools and penguins, ice rink, hotel, Imax theatre and many shops.

The wind is crazy. park into the wind or your car door might swing too far and bend

Calgary tower, Saddle Dome and C.O.P are great attractions.

The Twin and Plainsman arenas, and One Eyed Jacks are great.