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Attractions

Downtown Office Core: Calgary's dense business area is roughly bounded by 3rd Avenue S (on the north), 9th Avenue S (on the south), 2nd Street East and 9th St W. It is a core of modern, glassy skyscrapers, with perhaps less character and streetlife than many of the other downtown and inner city districts. Many of the buildings are connected via a 16 km (10 mile) long network of elevated walkways and bridges. The system, known as the "+15" is the largest of its kind in the world.

Eau Claire/Festival District: A mix of riverside condominiums, unique shopping, restaurants, hotels, and urban parkland make Eau Claire and the Festival District among Calgary's liveliest urban districts. The area, which was developed from reclaimed industrial land fronts the Bow River and sits immediately north of 3rd Avenue S. North of Eau Claire is the picturesque, Prince's Island Park. In the summer, the Festival District can be found crowded with people enjoying the sights and sounds of Eau Claire Festival Market, one of the areas many pubs and restaurants, or a weekend festival. It is also the perfect starting off point for a stroll along one of the many scenic paths along the Bow River or Prince's Island.
Attractions:
 • Eau Claire Market : A unique market-style mall chock full of interesting shops, restaurants, and cinemas.
 • Prince's Island Park: Calgary's largest inner city park is located immediately north of Eau Claire in the Bow River. In the summer, it plays host to "Shakespeare in the Park" and is also the site of two of the city's largest annual festivals: the Calgary Folk Music Festival and Carifest (Calgary's annual festival celebrating the city's large West Indian population).
 • Barclay Parade: Barclay Mall is a pedestrian mall that runs from Eau Claire on the north to Stephen Avenue in the south. It is home to a number of high end shops and encompasses the Penny Lane Entertainment District.

 • Stephen Avenue Walk: This area, which includes the Stephen Avenue pedestrian mall is located south of the Office Core along 8th Avenue S (between 5th Street W and 1st Street E). Stephen Avenue itself forms the heart of downtown Calgary's shopping and retail zone. Immediately adjacent to the outdoor portion of Stephen Avenue is an indoor complex of three shopping malls. The malls, TD Square, Eaton Centre, and Scotia Centre span a number of city blocks. Everything from the Gap to high-end retailers and boutiques such as Holt Renfrew and Bang and Olufsen can be found here. The street is also home to a number of galleries, restaurants, pubs, off-beat cinemas, and nightclubs.
Attractions:
 • The Calgary Tower : The tower may not be quite as impressive as the CN Tower in Toronto, but it still commands a great view over the city and the surroundings. On a clear day you can see the Rockies to the west. It features a revolving gourmet restaurant, a bar, and an observation deck.
 • Devonian Gardens: The Devonian Gardens is a large indoor urban park located on the 4th floor of TD Square (above the shopping).

Chinatown: Canada's third largest Chinatown is located in the northeast portion of downtown Calgary. It is the heart of Calgary's Asian Diaspora, although much of north and east Calgary has a Pacific Rim influence. The area of about a half-dozen blocks is located along Centre Street S, from 4 Ave S (on the south) to the Bow River (on the north). Calgary's Chinatown packs in a dense network of Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and other Asian restaurants, shops, housing and cultural facilities. The area along Centre Street on the north side of the river almost functions as a loosely organized "second Chinatown" with Chinese-oriented businesses stretching for 20 or more blocks.
Attractions:
 • Chinese Cultural Centre: Calgary's Chinese Cultural Centre is the largest of its kind on the continent. It features an impressive domed ceiling patterned from the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

Olympic Plaza and the Arts District: The region immediately to the east of Stephen Avenue Walk contains a number of theatres, art galleries, and the Glenbw Museum. It is also home to Olympic Plaza, a large public square in front of city hall.
Attractions:
 • Olympic Plaza
 • Glenbow Museum: The museum is Western Canada's largest museum, with over 93,000 square feet of exhibition space spreading over three floors. More than 20 galleries are filled with artifacts from Glenbow's collection of over a million objects, emphasizing local history. Regularly changing visiting exhibits focus on art or more distant cultures.
 • The Art Gallery of Calgary
 • EPCOR Centre for Performing Arts
 • The Telus Convention Centre  

Other Downtown Districts: Other districts in downtown Calgary include the West End, the East Village, and the Government District. The West End and the East Village are primarily residential and are the focus of a major effort by the City of Calgary to encourage more people to make downtown their home. The Government District houses the city's Federal Building (the Harry Hays Building), the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, City Hall, and a number of other government offices, including a few international consulates.
Attractions:
 • Telus World of Science Calgary (formerly, The Calgary Science Centre): Located in the West End, Calgary's Science Centre has been a favorite of children and science-lovers alike since it opened 38 years ago. It contains a planetarium and telescope, a large domed theatre, and two exhibit halls.  

Inner City Neighbourhoods

The Beltline and 17th Avenue: 17th Avenue S is Calgary's premiere place to see and be seen. It boasts a large and eclectic variety of restaurants, unique shops, boutiques, and bars. This street is where Calgary parties, most notably becoming the "Red Mile" during the 2004 Stanley Cup (hockey) playoffs, where up to 100,000 cheering fans gathered to celebrate victories by the hometown Flames. While the entirety of the Beltline spans from the Stampede Grounds and Victoria Park on the east to Mount Royal on the west, the dense nightlife on 17th Avenue starts at about 2nd Street W and goes to 15th Street W.
 Attractions:
 • The Stampede Grounds: The site of Calgary's world-famous, Calgary Stampede is located on the east end of the Beltline in Victoria Park. Obviously the grounds come alive every July for the Stampede, but they also house a conference and exhibition centre (the Round-Up Centre) and a casino. The grounds can be accessed with Calgary's C-Train via both "Victoria Park Stampede" Station and "Erlton Stampede" Station.
 • The Pengrowth Saddledome : Located on the Stampede Grounds, Calgary's largest hockey arena plays host to the Calgary Flames (hockey), the Calgary Hitmen (junior hockey), the Calgary Roughnecks (lacrosse), and many concerts.

Mission: In many ways, Mission acts as an extension of 17th Avenue. Like the Beltline, it is packed full of interesting restaurants and shops. It does not share 17th Avenue's "late night" reputation, however and it generally lacks the bars and nightclubs. It runs along 4th Street SW from 17th Avenue to 26th Avenue.

Inglewood: Inglewood is Calgary's oldest neighbourhood and the site of the city's original downtown. It is also one of Calgary's most culturally influenced and eclectic areas. Inglewood contains everything from stores targeted at bikers, to unique boutiques, antique stores, galleries, and restaurants. It is not as developed as some of the city's downtown districts, but it is quickly becoming one of the city's most popular "urban chic" neighbourhoods. It lies immediately east of downtown (east of 1st Street E) and is concentrated along 9th Avenue S. Just to the north is the Bow River and the world-famous Calgary Zoo.
 Attractions:
 • The Calgary Zoo: (LRT 202 - Zoo station) The world-class zoo is home to over 1,000 animals from all over the world, as well as to the Botanical Garden and a Prehistoric Park for dinosaur lovers. It is the second largest zoo in Canada.
 • Fort Calgary Historic Park: Before becoming a city in 1894, the Calgary area was home to Fort Calgary. The Northwest Mounted Police (NWMP) fort was built in 1875. Today, Fort Calgary, located in Inglewood at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers is the city's oldest historic monument.

Kensington : Kensington is located along the Bow River on the north side of downtown. It is another one of Calgary's notable shopping neighbourhoods, with a somewhat more bohemian feel than 17th Avenue (one particular store specializes Birkenstocks and Futons). It offers a good variety of restaurants, with more of an emphasis on coffee shops than on bars. Kensington runs along Kensington Road NW from 14th St W to 10th St W, and also north along 10th St W to 4 Ave N.

Other interesting inner city neighbourhoods and districts include Bridgeland (1 Ave NE from 7 St to 9 St), a neighborhood with a strong Italian influence; Mount Royal (south of 17th Avenue, from about 20th Avenue to 30th Avenue), originally built for Canadian Pacific Railway executives and still housing many of Calgary's elite; Marda Loop (east of Crowchild Trail along 33rd Avenue S), which contains a large number of quaint shops, restaurants, and services; and Crescent Heights / Rosedale (Centre St to 9 St W, Crescent Rd to 13 Ave N), combining historic houses with an amazing view of the Downtown from Crescent Rd.

Suburban Attractions
Many attractions are LRT accessible, and the stops have been noted. A rental car is recommended for the less accessible attractions, although buses are usually still possible.
 • Canada Olympic Park. Take a tour of the site of the 1988 Winter Olympics, which includes going to the top of the ski jump for a fantastic view. 4 runs are available for your skiing pleasure during the winter months, and there is also an on-site museum, as well as the Canadian Olympic Hall Of Fame.
 • Heritage Park. One of the largest living historical villages in North America, on 66 acres of land near the Glenmore Reservoir. Attractions include a working Steam Engine, 155 historical exhibits, a candy store and bakery, old fashioned amusement park and ride on the S. S. Moyie, a paddlewheel boat.
 • Calaway Park. Western Canada's largest amusement park is located just west of Calgary's city limits in the Greater Calgary Area on highway 1.
 • Spruce Meadows. Located just south of the city proper on Highway 22X, Spruce Meadows is a world-renowned show jumping and equestrian facility.