In August, 2018 I took a 10 day trip to Canada! I’ve always dreamed of visiting Banff National Park in Alberta, and Vancouver is the biggest Canadian city in the West, so that’s where I decided to go!
For those of you interested in going to Canada in the Summer, I would not recommend August. I had a great time, but in recent years Northern British Colombia consistently is overrun with forest fires in August and the smoke blows down into all of Western Canada. If you can, it’s better to go in June or early-July to avoid most of the smoke.
I started out my trip by flying in Calgary International Airport (YYC) and renting a car. Based on my research, I felt like a car was my best bet. Banff National Park is pretty big, and they do have shuttles, but I like being in control of my own destiny. I will say, parking was sometimes difficult and I did end up taking a few buses while in Banff, but I’m happy with my decision to rent a car. I got my car from Budget Rent-A-Car, but there are multiple car rental companies within the airport, which is really convenient! I grabbed lunch at the Cactus Club Cafe in Calgary, which is a chain of restaurants in Western Canada. The food was good, but I thought it was a little over-priced for the quality and quantity. After a late lunch, I hit the road and started the 1 hour and 45 minute drive to Banff.
Banff: (three nights)
In Banff I stayed at the King Edward Hotel. It was a GREAT location, right in the center of town! They offer free parking, which was really important to me because there is limited overnight parking in Banff. I also thought the staff was very friendly and knowledgable. I arrived in Banff around 5pm, so my first night all I did was check into my hotel, walk around the main drag, and eat dinner. Per the recommendation of the front desk, I ate at Block Kitchen & Asian Bar. The food was really good, but the service was slooooooooooww. It’s an Asian tapas style restaurant and there is usually a wait, so put your name in before you are hungry and window shop around Banff. I got the vegetable samosas, pork kimchi gyozas, and the Asian lettuce wrap. So yummy!
I started my first full day in Banff with the Cave and Basin Historic Site. Honestly, it was a little underwhelming. There was a path by the visitors center that took you down to the pond, which I enjoyed, but the thermal springs themselves were not super exciting. If you’ve been to Yellowstone, you’ve seen much more striking hot springs. I’d recommend skipping this stop.
After that, I had planned to hike Grassi Lake in Banff, but I talked to some Park Rangers and they advised against it. Always go to the Park Ranger Station before embarking on any hikes! They always have good information about trail conditions and at some parks you are required to declare when/where you are hiking before you start. The smoke was really bad that day and the Grassi Lake hike goes up into the mountains (towards the smoke) for a view (which would be covered by smoke).
Instead, I decided to have a spa day! Banff has many beautiful resort & spas in the area, and if the weather isn’t good for outdoor activities, I’d highly recommend spending some time being pampered indoors. I got a facial at the Rimrock Hotel Resort and Spa and took advantage of their spa amenities, including the hot tub, sauna, and steam room. It’s not the fanciest spa I’ve ever been to, but they booked a last minute appointment for me and I really enjoyed my time there! I even had an early dinner and a drink at the hotel bar, which had huge windows overlooking the scenery. While I was in the area, I also swung by the Upper Hot Springs, which is a popular tourist destination. They ended up being just a couple of very crowded open pools, so I wouldn’t recommend going there. If you want some relaxation a hotel spa is the way to go.
After my spa day, I took a bus over to Lake Minnewanka. There are public buses that leave from the center of town to all the main attractions of Banff. Each ride is $2.50 CAD and they only accept exact change. When I got to Lake Minnewanka I was greeted by a heard of mountain sheep! It was the only wildlife I saw the whole trip, and it was very exciting! I booked a boat tour at the dock and also bought my Banff Gondola ticket at the same time. Both are pretty expensive, but you get a slight discount if you buy them together, and they are both must-do’s! I loved the boat tour! The guide was fun and knowledgable and I always have a good time toodling around in a boat.
I ended the day at Parks Distillery Bar & Restaurant. I got the rotisserie chicken with mac & cheese and the cascade cocktail. Everything was very good and the place was lively and fun. Today, was also the first time I tried Cows Ice Cream. WOW! It was voted one of the best ice cream places in the world, and it did not disappoint! Get ready to wait in a long line, but don’t worry, it moves pretty quickly and the ice cream is really delicious and smooth.
The next morning I woke up early to get to Tooloulou’s for breakfast. There is a bit of a wait, so try to get there as close to opening as you can. I got the blueberry pancake and a side of andouille sausage. Everything was absolutely amazing! The sausage was so flavorful and the blueberry pancakes were fluffy and wonderful. Definitely go to Tooloulou’s for breakfast! This was a food highlight of the trip for me! After fueling up, I headed out on my hike! The air was still really smokey, and the Park Rangers suggested not hiking up any mountains, so instead I hiked into a canyon. I drove over to Johnston Canyon to start the hike to the Upper Falls. Johnston Canyon is a really lovely hike, and good for most hiking abilities! It’s a moderate-level hike, but even if you’re not an experienced hiker you can definitely make it to the lower falls, just take it slow. If you can, I would recommend hiking a little farther to make it to the upper falls. It is a really popular hike, so don’t expect to be hiking alone. The whole hike is only about 3 miles round trip.
After the hike I went to lunch back in Banff at Squish Sandwich Cellar. I got the reuben sandwich with potato salad and a pickle, and it hit the spot! The food was very yummy and it felt like a secret spot because you have to go downstairs into a basement to get to the restaurant. After lunch I meant to go to Surprise Corner, which is a scenic viewpoint overlooking Fairmont Banff Springs, but I completely forgot! Instead, I went window shopping around Banff and went for round 2 at Cows Ice Cream, which was a great way to spend some time. About an hour and a half before sunset, I got on a bus to the Banff Gondola. It’s a pretty expensive ticket to ride the gondola, but the view is amazing! (You can get a little bit of a discount if you book it at the same time you book your Lake Minnewanka boat tour). I had dinner at the Northern Lights buffet because I didn’t want to pay for dinner at the Sky Bistro. In retrospect, I regret that decision. The food at the buffet wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. I’d recommend splurging for the Sky Bistro, or waiting to eat dinner until you’re back in Banff.
Lake Louise: (two nights)
The next morning, I said goodbye to Banff with one more stop at Tooloulou’s, then I drove over to Lake Louise. Lake Louise is technically a part of Banff National Park, but it’s about a 35 minute drive from Banff town, so I decided to stay in a different hotel. I stayed at the Lake Louise Inn. It’s not the closest to the lake, but it was less expensive and still really nice. I checked into my hotel and immediately drove off to Emerald Lake. It’s about a 30 minute drive from Lake Louise Inn to Emerald Lake, although it took me a little longer because I made a stop at the Natural Bridge, which is a rock formation that has been carved out by a river and waterfall. It is a very surreal place to be, and right on the way to Emerald Lake! I actually ended up liking it more than Emerald Lake itself because it was so smokey that day around Emerald Lake it was hard to appreciate the color.
I had lunch at The Lake House at Emerald Lake Lodge. I got the charcuterie board and really enjoyed sitting in the hotel and taking in the beautiful scenery. Rain was on the forecast for tonight, so I was crossing my fingers for clear skies in the morning!
The next morning I woke up early and drove to Lake Moraine (about 5 minutes from my hotel). It is a very small parking lot, so I’d recommend getting there early (you can also take a shuttle, but it’s also less crowded in the morning, which is good for pictures). I got there a little after 7am and I didn’t have a problem with parking. It was absolutely breathtaking! The rain from the previous night cleared up most of the smoke so I could really enjoy the clear, gatorade blue water. I did the Rock Pile hike (which is more like a lot of stairs) to get an above view of the lake. Just a warning, even if you go during Summer it is cold by the lake that early in the morning!
After enjoying Moraine Lake for a bit, I drove over to Lake Louise (about 3 minutes from Moraine Lake). It was still pretty early in the morning and this lake has a much bigger parking lot (although it still fills up by the late morning/early afternoon) so I didn’t have any trouble finding a parking spot. But even at 8:30am, the crowds were already starting to roll in. Lake Louise is absolutely stunning! I snapped a few pictures in front of the lake then I embarked on the Fairview Lookout hike.
The Fairview Lookout hike is a very short hike, but it is killer because it is so steep! It was worth it because of the amazing view of Lake Louis and the Fairmont Chateau. I was also hiking solo in the morning so I was a little worried about bears, which probably increased my heart rate a bit. The bears in Banff are only aggressive if you surprise them, so I was blasting music from my phone to try to scare off any bears in the area.
Once I made it back down the hill, I went to the Chateau Deli in the Fairmont Chateau Hotel for breakfast. The Chateau Deli is open to the public, but I also snuck into the Fairmont Chateau lobby, just to check it out! I got a breakfast sandwich and a coffee to fuel me for my next hike.
The Lake Agnes Tea House is about 4 miles up the mountain from Lake Louise. Bulk supplies are helicoptered up to the tea house at the beginning of the seasons, and employees hike more supplies up to the tea house 2-4 times a week. This is a moderate hike that took me about 90 minutes. It is pretty steep, but if you just take it slow it is totally doable! Once you get up there, you have to order something from the tea house! The line was long, but definitely worth the wait. I got tomato soup and tea biscuits with jam along with a pot of earl grey tea. It was so rewarding to sit and enjoy my meal after a hike, and the food was delicious! It was one of my favorite things on my trip. Make sure you bring cash, the teahouse doesn’t accept credit cards. It also gets a little chilly up there, so I’d recommend bringing a light jacket.
For my last stop of the day I drove out to Peyto Lake, which is about a 30 minute drive from Lake Louise via Icefields Parkway. If you have to choose between Emerald Lake and Peyto Lake, choose Peyto Lake. It is so blue and it looks like a wolfs head. It’s only about a 5 minute walk (uphill) from the parking lot to the lookout. If you trek through the trees right before the lookout you can get to a big expansive rock that is a lot less crowded. I was exhausted after my long day, so I just got dinner at the restaurant at my hotel, which was good, but nothing to write home about.
The next morning, I got a bagel and egg sandwich for breakfast at the Trailhead Cafe in Lake Louise, then I hit the road. I stopped in Canmore to stretch my legs and grab some lunch. The restaurant I stopped at was just okay, but I got ice cream at Old School Bus Ice Cream and I would highly recommend that! It’s fun for the novelty of getting an ice cream cone from a school bus, and the quality of ice cream is also really good. I returned my rental car in Calgary and hopped on a plane to Vancouver. (If you get to the airport really early, do not go through security until you are ready to wait at your gate! There is much more to do/eat outside of security than there is past the security checkpoint.)
In retrospect, I think I would skip Emerald Lake all together and go to Peyto Lake on the first day instead. Then, the next day I would be able to stay in the area and have time to rent a canoe at either Lake Louise or Lake Moraine in the afternoon.
Vancouver: (four nights)
I arrived in Vancouver late in the evening and checked into my hotel. I stayed at the St. Regis Hotel in downtown Vancouver and it was very nice! They served complimentary breakfast every morning and it was actually really good.
For my first full day in Vancouver I signed up for the Stanley Park Tour with Cycle Vancouver (cyclevancouver.com). I would highly recommend this! Stanley Park is beautiful and huge, so it’s a great way to get your bearings on your first day in Vancouver. The only bummer is that I took the tour on a weekday, so it was just me and an older couple on the tour. I think it would’ve been more fun if there was a bigger group, but the tour guide was very informative and it was fun to bike around the city.
The best information I got on the tour was about a gelato place in Vancouver, Bella Gelataria. It has won awards in the Florence Gelato Festival and there is always a line snaking outside the shop, but it’s totally worth it! They have classic Italian flavors, as well as fun, innovative flavors. After ice cream, I took a bus up to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Free shuttles leave for Capilano and Grouse Mountain from the Vancouver Convention Center. The whole area is a little bit cheesy, but the bridge is really fun to walk across and the park has other walkways with great views of the surrounding nature.
For dinner, I went to Miku Vancouver, which is a sushi spot right by the water. The sushi was very good and it was clearly a popular spot!
On my next full day I signed up for the Vancouver Foodie Tour at Granville Island Market (foodietours.ca). I also bought a ticket for the hop on hop off Vancouver bus and had planned to take it to Granville Market. Unfortunately the Vancouver bus only goes in one direction around the city, so I ended up taking a taxi to get to my food tour. If you take nothing else away from my post, take away this: DO THE VANCOUVER FOODIE TOUR!! Oh my gosh, it was so much fun! We got to sample food at 8 different stands in Granville Market and everything was so good! The foodie tour guide was also very fun and informative. My favorite stop was Lee’s Donuts! The honey-dipped donuts are what they’re famous for; they’re light and sweet and absolutely wonderful.
After my foodie tour, I hopped onto a hop on hop off bus. I had a much better experience with it the second half of the day! I like to ride the bus in a full loop so I can hear all the commentary, especially if I get a good tour guide, and the women who was narrating my bus was great! Even, though it was cold, I like to ride on the top deck! I ended my day in Gastown, which is Vancouver’s oldest neighborhood and a really popular foodie neighborhood. I had dinner at Tuc Craft Kitchen. I got a seat by the window and people watched as I ate my meal. I ate tapas style and tried a few different starters and small bites, everything was great!
The next morning I woke up early to get picked up for my Vancouver to Victoria and Butchart Gardens tour.
It is one of the top rated tours on Trip Advisor, and it did not disappoint! I got picked up by the bus directly from my hotel and we took a ferry over to Victoria. I love riding on a ferry! The whole process to get from Vancouver to Victoria is definitely a lot of transportation, so I would recommend going with a tour group.
We got to spend a few hours exploring Victoria. It’s a really lovely town. I got dropped off at the top of Government Street in Chinatown and worked my way down towards the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. I also walked around the Empress Hotel. They are famous for their high tea, but it’s very expensive and you need to book in advance to get a table. I had lunch at Pagliacci’s, an Italian restaurant just off the main drag. The food was good but very rich!
Then, we got back on the bus and made our way to Butchart Gardens. They were spectacular! It was really crowded, but it was fun to walk around and enjoy all the beautiful flowers. My favorite garden was the Sunken Garden. It was a really long day, and a lot of it was spent traveling by bus or by ferry, but it was so much fun to see Victoria and Butchart Gardens, I would highly recommend it!
My last day in Canada was only half a day, but I made the most of it! It had rained the previous night and a lot of the smoke had cleared so I made my way back to Stanley Park for the best view of the Vancouver skyline. Afer that, I went back to Granville Island to get some lunch (and another donut) before I had to catch my flight.
Canada was absolutely wonderful, and I can’t wait to go back and explore more of this beautiful country!
lavitabloger
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