Calgary is beautiful?

musicmix96 · #1 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 8:45 AM**

Hi,my name is Andrea and I live in Italy.
I probably go to Canada next month.
For you, is Calgary a good city to visit?
thanks,
Andrea.

P.s= sorry for my bad english

suburb · #2 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 3:54 PM**

Calgary is a fantastic city to visit, not only because of the city itself, but also because of the region around the city including several world heritage sites. What to do and see in Calgary will depend on your taste. Most certainly, you'll want to try and be here for the start of the Calgary Stampede with the huge parade on July 8th. Prince William and Princess Kate will be here for that from the UK. In addition to the Stampede and related festivities, we have a fantastic zoo, a wonderful historical village, many places to explore in the downtown and surrounding areas, cultural options including events at the Epcore centre for the performing arts, etc. In the region around the city, there is Banff, Lake Louise, the Columbia Ice Fields and possibly Jasper. There is also Dinosaur Provincial Park, the Royal Tyrell Museum and Spruce Meadows (North America's premier horse jumping venue - Continental tournament in July).

Have a look at Tourism Calgary's web-site for more details and feel free to post specific questions:
http://www.visitcalgary.com/

Bigtime · #3 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 4:36 PM**

Suburb sums it up very well!

kw5150 · #4 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 4:44 PM**

stay in the hotel St Germain right downtown. Make sure and book at tour to the columbia icefield and lake louise and maybe even go all the way to jasper.

bigcanuck · #5 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 5:19 PM**

Also keep in mind that Canada is a very large country. It is not as easy to visit several cities in one trip unless you are willing to fly between major cities (ie. 4 hours flying between Toronto and Calgary) or staying for a lengthy period of time.

Coming from Europe, many visitors may not realize how long it takes to travel amongst cities across Canada.

1ajs · #6 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 5:26 PM**

yea its a nice city to visit there's the trails, river rides the various cool little restrants cafes its different from what you see in europe but worth the visit defiantly. don't forget about the rest of canada though!

polishavenger · #7 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 5:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicmix96

Hi,my name is Andrea and I live in Italy.
I probably go to Canada next month.
For you, is Calgary a good city to visit?
thanks,
Andrea.

P.s= sorry for my bad english

Coming from Europe dont expect great heritage buildings or much to see in terms of architecture. We have some nice parts, but they can be seen in a day or two at most. I would focus on festivals, a few of our good museums, and what Calgary has to offer in terms of parks and outdoor recreation. People are friendly and there are some good night clubs and restaurants to try.

freeweed · #8 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 5:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigcanuck

Also keep in mind that Canada is a very large country. It is not as easy to visit several cities in one trip unless you are willing to fly between major cities (ie. 4 hours flying between Toronto and Calgary) or staying for a lengthy period of time.

Coming from Europe, many visitors may not realize how long it takes to travel amongst cities across Canada.

First suggesting I make to every European (or Asian, for that matter, and sometimes American) visitor - check out Google Maps. I mean REALLY check it out. Measure the distance between places. Look at our major cities, and understand that an hour or two driving without gasoline is quite possible. All those little dots that you think are going to be towns and cities... they likely only have 10 people living in them.

Understand that to us, a 2 hour drive is "something close by".

1ajs · #9 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 5:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeweed

First suggesting I make to every European (or Asian, for that matter, and sometimes American) visitor - check out Google Maps. I mean REALLY check it out. Measure the distance between places. Look at our major cities, and understand that an hour or two driving without gasoline is quite possible. All those little dots that you think are going to be towns and cities... they likely only have 10 people living in them.

Understand that to us, a 2 hour drive is "something close by".

indeed hell 12hr drive is close by to me but then i've gone 5000kms or more in one go multiple times

musicmix96 · #10 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 6:04 PM**

yes,I know Canada is very big...

I don't know if I will visit other city.Calgary in internet is very beautiful city and I have many expectations from this city

.

polishavenger · #11 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 7:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicmix96

yes,I know Canada is very big...

I don't know if I will visit other city.Calgary in internet is very beautiful city and I have many expectations from this city

.

Do you mind if I ask why you are picking Calgary to visit instead of the more typical destinations such as Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver?

Dont get me wrong, its a good town to visit, especially during stampede.

suburb · #12 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 7:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by polishavenger

Do you mind if I ask why you are picking Calgary to visit instead of the more typical destinations such as Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver?

An odd question when so many thousands visit Calgary. You've almost positioned it as though we were ... Edmonton.

Calgary is probably the most different from Genoa, so coming here would be novel like for us going to and old and historic European city. Additionally we have fantastic proximity to some of Canada's best gifts from Nature (though Vancouver is somewhat good for that also). Then when you wrap in the Stampede, it is a shoe in!

Quote:

Originally Posted by polishavenger

Dont get me wrong, its a good town to visit, especially during stampede.

I've always considered it a city myself.

Tarsus · #13 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 7:22 PM**

Be sure to try and come during Stampede. It's a unique experience that you can't find anywhere else in Canada or anywhere else in the world. Make sure to take some time out to see the Rocky Mountains and the Badlands.

Tarsus · #14 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 7:26 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by polishavenger

Do you mind if I ask why you are picking Calgary to visit instead of the more typical destinations such as Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver?

Dont get me wrong, its a good town to visit, especially during stampede.

Depending on what you're looking for, Calgary can be a great visit for someone from Europe. I've met many Europeans that have been to Toronto, Montreal, etc.. and often they don't find those cities interesting the way someone from Calgary might. For example the history and old buildings in those cities might peak our interest, but wouldn't for someone from Europe where their buildings and history is so much richer.

Wooster · #15 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 7:32 PM**

You can get a nice sample of Canada visiting Calgary and its surrounding area. city, prairies, mountains, badlands.

musicmix96 · #16 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 7:42 PM**

I'd like to visit Calgary because is a clean city,is big but not too,is a bit underestimated(compared to Vancouver,Toronto,ecc).
Toronto is like Chicago or the biggest city in U.S.A and I think Ottawa is "English" style.
I see Calgary in internet and I like it.

Jimby · #17 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 8:29 PM**

You will love the fresh clean air and the big sky here.
My friend Andrea left Calgary yesterday for 2 weeks in Italy, so I laughed when I saw your name was Andrea and you are from Italy!

kw5150 · #18 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 8:30 PM**

Thanks. Now you just need a good tour guide. I would hate for you to be stuck up in the airport area.......make sure that you stay downtown and walk everywhere. Try as many places to eat and drink as you can!

freeweed · #19 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 8:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicmix96

I'd like to visit Calgary because is a clean city,is big but not too,is a bit underestimated(compared to Vancouver,Toronto,ecc).
Toronto is like Chicago or the biggest city in U.S.A and I think Ottawa is "English" style.
I see Calgary in internet and I like it.

This is great to see. You are correct, Calgary is a big city but not too big. And it is very underrated by most people not from here.

If you come in July it is one of the best times. The Calgary Stampede is world famous and a very fun party. It is very "wild west" themed and there are all kinds of events for 10 days straight. Here is the official website. It is basically Calgary's biggest party and the whole city takes part.

July is also some of our best weather. You will find it a bit cooler than Genoa but not too bad during the day. At night you may find it fairly cold and you may need to wear a jacket. You will also find it VERY dry here. The relative humidity is extremely low during the summer unless large thunderstorms are coming through. We're also at a very high altitude (1050m) so unless you're used to mountains, expect to find yourself short of breath occasionally.

If you like nature, make sure you get a chance to visit the mountains - Banff and Jasper are the 2 big national parks close to Calgary and every single European I know is very impressed with them. There is almost no development within other than a couple of highways and 2 towns. It is very different than the Alps.

If you do stay mostly in the city, the central (downtown) areas are the busiest and have the most to do. Stampede takes place mostly downtown and there are always other festivals during the summer. Our zoo is also very close to the centre of the city and is very nice. The areas towards the edges of the city are not very popular with tourists, they are mostly just houses with very little to see.

You are right, Calgary is a very clean city and it also is very safe compared to most places. You can walk around almost anywhere in Calgary at any time of the day without worry. You will likely find our streets very quiet, especially at night - but there are a few places that are busy! As someone else mentioned, a tour guide is a good idea.

Riise · #20 Posted **Jun 16, 2011, 8:58 PM**

I guess it depends on what you're looking for Andrea. When you talk about beauty it sounds like you're interested in the natural environment and ecotourism. If this is you thing, Calgary definitely has a lot to offer. Although I haven't done it myself, renting a bicycle and cruising the regional bike paths might be something you'd be interested in. By doing so you could visit a lot of the major parks and environmental reserves around the city. Before or after exploring the city's environmental gems you could head out to the mountains.