The glacier-fed Bow River runs through the center of Calgary and connects to the Elbow River east of downtown.
Photo by Ryunosuke Kikuno/Unsplash
This article was originally published in 2022 and most recently updated on October 14, 2026, with current information.
Calgary has dual claims to fame: It’s an entry point for the Canadian Rockies, where you can hike and sightsee in Banff National Park and ski on the slopes that hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics, and it’s home to the annual rodeo spectacular that is the Calgary Stampede. But Alberta’s largest city is also one of Canada’s youngest and most ethnically diverse urban centers, with 165 languages spoken here. As a child growing up in a small town in southern Alberta, I often visited with my family; to me, Calgary was always “the Big Smoke,” a place with endless attractions. Even in the 1960s and ’70s, my grandmother would marvel at the cultural diversity and how much it had grown since her youth. I often wonder what she would think if she could see it today.
I still live outside the city, and on my regular trips into town, I continue to be amazed by its evolution. While a visitor could easily spend a week or more exploring Calgary, a weekend getaway is a perfect introduction, allowing you to discover museums and galleries, sip the locally invented Caesar cocktail, and soak up the city spirit shaped by cultures from around the world. When you do hear the call of the mountains, it won’t take you long to answer—they’re just beyond city limits.
Things to do in Calgary
Go for a boat or bike ride
Calgary is home to North America’s most extensive network of bikeways and pathways, creating a lattice of trails throughout downtown and the surrounding areas.
Photo by Kui Hu/Unsplash
Floating or paddling the Bow River is a relaxing way to get a unique view of downtown’s towers, bridges, and green spaces. You can rent a kayak or a river raft from the Paddle Station.
Calgary is also ideal for exploration by bike, with more than 600 miles of regional pathways and 60 miles of trails. Rent an e-bike from Bow Cycle East Village and cruise the Bow River Pathway to the tubular Peace Bridge, designed by Spanish starchitect Santiago Calatrava.
Explore downtown
Wander down Stephen Avenue Walk, a pedestrian-only National Historic District that stretches across three blocks of Eighth Avenue. It’s chock-full of buskers, boutique shops, cafés, and restaurants.
Architecture enthusiasts won’t want to miss the Central Library. The reflective facade imitates a chinook arch, a mountain-wave cloud formation commonly seen in the eastern Rockies. The wood-lined interior, meanwhile, resembles a massive ship and has a huge central skylight.
Calgary’s Central Library, designed by the architecture firms Snøhetta and Dialog, opened in 2018.
Photo by Birk Enwald/Unsplash
For impressive views of the mountains and the city through rows of windows and a glass floor, head to the Calgary Tower. Opened in 1968, the 626-foot-tall, freestanding observation tower was built to honor Canada’s centennial and promote Calgary’s downtown. For the 1988 Winter Olympics, a torch structure was placed atop the tower; it’s illuminated on special occasions, such as Canada Day.
Appreciate the arts
Five floors of interactive exhibits tell the story of music in Canada at the National Music Centre, a part of the Studio Bell complex, which also encompasses the CKUA radio station and the restored legacy concert venue and bar King Eddy. The interactive exhibits at the NMC include recording studios and live booths where guests can sing their hearts out or play guitars, drums, and more from a collection of 200-plus instruments. Afterward, walk along the Music Mile, home to more than 20 live music venues, such as Gravity Coffee Roasters, where a portion of the coffee sales supports the artists who play there, and the Attic Bar & Stage, where you can catch a burlesque show or a drag brunch.
Another arts landmark is Werklund Centre. Facing Olympic Plaza, it’s the largest performing arts center in Western Canada, presenting more than 1,800 dance, theater, and comedy shows each year across five theaters and the Jack Singer Concert Hall. The center is in the midst of an ambitious expansion—the largest cultural infrastructure project currently underway in Canada—but it remains open during construction.
Calgary is perhaps most famous for the Stampede, a rodeo that attracts more than 1 million people to the city each July. Thanks to the 2024 opening of the Sam Centre, visitors can now get a taste of the event year-round, taking in photographs, costumes, interactive exhibits, and a 15-minute, 270-degree multimedia presentation. From August to October, the center offers a two-hour Behind the Stampede trolley tour, including an inside look at Stampede Park and a visit to the Tipi sculpture to learn about the relationship between Treaty 7 First Nations and the event.
Look for new ways to experience Indigenous culture
Glenbow, a museum that houses Western Canada’s largest public art collection, has been closed for renovation since 2021, but a reimagined space, with the new Blackfoot Gallery and the Indigenous Peoples’ Contemporary Gallery, is scheduled to reopen in fall 2027, with free public admission. The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland also plans to introduce three new permanent galleries in 2027, and June brings an expanded version of the Indigenous music festival Stoodis Fest, which made a small-scale debut in 2026.
September 22, 2027, meanwhile, marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of Treaty 7; expect observances in Calgary and at Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park, 72 miles southeast of the city.
Where to eat and drink in Calgary
River Café, located in Prince’s Island Park, has been a Calgary institution for more than 30 years.
Courtesy of River Café
Start with breakfast or brunch
Stop at the East Village’s Sidewalk Citizen Bakery, known for exceptional sandwiches (including a breakfast one with a fried egg and chicken-apple sausage) on bread made from “Freddie,” the sourdough starter owner Aviv Fried has been using since 2009. A second location, Park by Sidewalk Citizen in southwest Calgary, has sit-down table service for brunch (think ricotta pancakes and shakshuka), lunch, and casual dinners; Guy Fieri visited in an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Carve into a spectacular steak
Agriculture has long been one of the most important industries in Alberta, and the province is especially renowned for high-quality beef cattle—so steak houses are plentiful in Calgary. Modern Steak has two locations that serve Alberta Prime, Wagyu beef, and Japanese Kobe beef. The restaurant is so committed to serving the best steaks that it teamed up with a local ranch to buy an award-winning bull to start a breeding program. It also has a deep wine list that’s especially strong on Italian varieties, as well as regular specials like Sunday Supper and Wednesday Date Night.
Go vegan
It may come as a surprise that beef-crazy Calgary has a burgeoning vegan scene. Perhaps the place to experience the trend is Nupo, at the Alt Hotel Calgary Downtown East Village. Here, chef Darren MacLean has a “Plant” menu that focuses on locally harvested vegetables, some from his own garden. (He also has a “Fish” menu and a sushi omakase.) Other vegan dining spots include Hearts Choices, which serves Asian, Thai, and meat-free versions of classic sandwiches in three locations, and the Coup, which has been doing plant-based cuisine for more than 20 years and is locally famed for its drunken noodles, shawarma, and hot pot dishes.
Reserve the toughest table in town
Also at the Alt Hotel, tucked behind Nupo, is MacLean’s Eight, an exclusive dining venue with eight seats, all at the chef’s counter. The tasting menu of about 20 courses changes daily, celebrating Canadian cuisine as a sprawling blend of ingredients (Quebec veal, British Columbia cod) and cultures (such as First Nations peoples and Chinese immigrants). It ranked No. 2 on the North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list for 2026.
Have a gourmet picnic
Aside from packing picnics, River Café has a sit-down restaurant that uses local ingredients, some grown in the gardens right outside.
Courtesy of Tourism Calgary
River Café in Prince’s Island Park—a popular public green space on an island in the Bow River that’s an easy walk from downtown—has been regarded as one of the best restaurants in the city for more than 30 years. During the spring and summer, you can order charcuterie, cheese, and sandwiches to go for a picnic along the water. Indoor dining is available year-round; the menu focuses largely on ingredients sourced from local producers.
Sip a craft beer
There are more than 60 craft beverage producers in and around Calgary, including distilleries, wineries, and meaderies, but it’s the 40-plus microbreweries that really shine. Get a taste of this thriving scene—which is concentrated in the bustling, artsy neighborhoods of Inglewood, Ramsay, and Manchester—at Cold Garden, Dandy Brewing, or High Line Tap Room. All serve exceptional beer made from Alberta barley in fun, communal settings.
Enjoy a quintessential Canadian cocktail
Bartender Walter Chell invented the Caesar at the Calgary Inn (now the Westin Calgary) in 1969, and today it is by far the most popular cocktail in Canada, with 400 million consumed annually nationwide. There are many versions of the drink, but the staple ingredients are vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, and clam juice (the key differentiator from a Bloody Mary). Some of the best places where you can try one are the Westin (where the bar is named Walter’s in Chell’s honor), the brunchy diner the Beltiner, and the venerable seafood destination Rodney’s Oyster House.
Where to stay in Calgary
For the literature lover: The Dorian
Book Now: The Dorian Hotel, Autograph Collection
Calgary’s only one-Michelin-Key hotel is inspired by Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, and it channels the famous novel throughout. In the lobby is an interactive portrait of the Irish author’s most famous character: Scan the QR code and make an anonymous confession, and then you’ll be able to judge another guest’s confession; your forgiveness or condemnation of that confession will determine whether Gray’s visage becomes more beautiful or more ghastly. The rooftop lounge Wilde on 27, meanwhile, offers Victorian afternoon tea service, craft cocktails, and à la carte and prix fixe menus, with views over the city. A copy of Wilde’s classic novel can be found in every hotel room, each of which is decorated with whimsical wallpaper and English touches.
For the foodie: Alt Hotel Calgary East Village
Book Now: Alt Hotel Calgary Downtown East Village
Over the past two decades, the East Village, once home to Calgary’s skid row, has become an attraction for its heritage buildings, shopping and dining, and the Central Library. This 152-room property sits on a prime location in the vibrant neighborhood, steps from the Bow River and the pathway along the river’s edge. Culinary-focused travelers may not want to leave, as the hotel is home to not one, but two of Canada’s best restaurants, Nupo and Eight. The room design leans minimalist and functional, and the floor-to-ceiling windows bring in lots of natural light.
