Winnipeg is a city in the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is a major Canadian centre on the Prairies. About 800,000 people live in "The Peg," a city as diverse in and of itself as the whole of Canada. It is the capital and largest city in Manitoba.

Winnipeg started out as a fur trading post located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, and was a crossroads for many early settlers. Many trails converged on the city and later became streets (which is evident when you see the city's somewhat haphazard road layout). After the construction of the CP railway across Canada, Winnipeg became a major transportation hub and "Gateway to the West." The city experienced a boom during the early 20th century, and for while was western Canada's major economic centre. Fortunately for the visitor, the economy slowed around the middle of the century, leaving intact a remarkable collection of period architecture, primarily in the city's downtown Exchange district.

The Red and Assiniboine rivers form Winnipeg's most prominent geographical features, and have played an important role in this city's development. "The Forks," where the Assiniboine flows into the Red, has been a meeting place since Aboriginal peoples first came there to trade. Today, it's the city's top tourist destination, with shops and restaurants representing the city's many ethnic groups, and a well-maintained expanse of riverside park.

Get around

Winnipeg is a large, spread-out city, and it can take a while to get around.

Bus
Winnipeg Transit has bus routes running throughout the city, including to the airport. As of January 1st, 2006, adult bus fare is $2.00 (CDN). There is a reduced fare of $1.65 for children, high school students, and seniors (65+ years of age), for which identification is sometimes required. Tickets and passes are also available from some locations at reduced rates. A transfer can be requested when you pay your fare, which entitles you to ride as many buses as you like within the next hour or so. Transit's website includes schedules and a helpful travel planner called Navigo.

Taxi
Winnipeg Taxicab Tariff : Starting fee: $3.05, then $0.10 for each additional 81 metres. If the taxi stops, there's a "waiting time charge" of $0.10 for each 14 seconds of metered waiting time. Here is how to calculate your fare ( waiting times, if any, not taken into account) : ($0.10 x # of kms)/0.081 km)+$3.05 . So, a 10 km ride works out to about $ 15.39 .
 • Blueline Taxi (204) 925 - 8888
 • Duffy's Taxi (204) 775 - 0101 or (204) 925 - 0101
 • Spring Taxi (204) 774 - 8294
 • Super Taxi (204) 925 - 2080
 • Unicity Taxi (204) 925 - 3131
 • Vital Transit Services Limited (204) 633 - 2022

Car Rentals
 •  AVIS (800) 437 - 0358 (Toll Free)
 •  Enterprise Rent-A-Car (204) 775 - 7100 (Voice), (800) 736 - 8222 (Toll Free)
 •  National Car and Truck Rental (204) 925 - 3529 (Voice), (800) 227 - 7368 (Toll Free)
 •  Thrifty Car Rental (204) 949 - 7620 (Voice), (800) THR - IFTY (Toll Free)

Attractions

 •  The Forks. A tourist attraction on the Red River. Filled with shops and great restaurants, it is a staple of the Winnipeg tourism industry. In the winter you can rent ice skates and go skating down the Red River.
 • St. Boniface. The city's French quarter. Attractions include the Saint Boniface Cathedral and Fort Gibralter.

Activities

Nightspots
 • Corydon Avenue/Osborne Village (Off of Pembina Highway) Take a stroll down the leafy streets during the summer. Lots of bars and restaurant.
 • Exchange District - The city's 20th century collection of buildings. 20 square blocks of historical buildings left from Winnipeg's boom period (1890-1920) - very impressive. Due to the rarity of such a wide area of period business buildings, many film companies can be found shooting in this area.

Bars
 • Au Bar (Beds as chairs), Empire Cabaret on Main St downtown.
 • The Pemby (18-24 year old crowd, large selection of cheap beer by the pitcher, decent music, pool, fussball, and free darts!)
 • The Zoo (Often punk-rock, sometimes strippers, but cheap beer and pool!)

Other
 • Mondragon Bookstore and Coffeehouse (Exchange District-Downtown) Definitely worth a quick look to sample a variety of organic fair-trade coffees and excellent vegan cuisine. While you are there you should take a look through the extensive collection of activist literature and music. The Mondragon often hosts lectures, musical performances and just about anything else 'left' you can think of.

Festivals
The city is home to several festivals.
 • The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is North America's second largest Fringe Festival, held every July.
 • Folklorama is the largest and longest running multicultural event of its kind in the world. Cultural pavilions are spread out at various locations throughout the city for two weeks in August, with a wonderful variety of music, dancing, and food showcasing the city's amazing ethnic diversity.
 • Winnipeg Jazz Festival is in June, with performers in multiple venues around town.
 • Winnipeg Folk Festival is every July in Bird's Hill Park, just a short drive north of the city.
 • Red River Exhibition runs from late June to early July in Exhibition Park, near the Assiniboia Downs Racetrack at the southern end of the city.
 • Le Festival du Voyageur is western Canada's largest winter festival. For 10 days in February, this fur-trade-themed celebration lights up Saint Boniface, Winnipeg's French Quarter.

Sports to watch
 • Manitoba Moose, Ice hockey (American Hockey League): MTS Centre, Portage Avenue and Donald Street. The Manitoba Moose are the farm team for the Vancouver Cannucks. Fans attending Moose games are able to watch many recent draft picks and future stars of the NHL. The MTS Centre was built in 2004 and is an amazing venue for hockey games and concerts. The hockey season begins in and ends in October and ends in May. Tickets for Moose games range from $12-$24.
 • Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Football (Canadian Football League): Canad Inns Stadium, 1465 Maroons Road (next to Polo Park Shopping Centre). The Blue Bombers have a long history of support in the city. The Bombers have made it to the league finals 21 times since 1937. They last won the Grey Cup in 1990; in 2001, they lost the final to Calgary. The CFL season starts in June and ends in November. Tickets to see a game at Canad Inns Stadium range from $13 to $58. In 2006, Winnipeg will host the Grey Cup.
 • Winnipeg Goldeyes, Baseball (Northern League): CanWest Global Park, 1 Portage Avenue East (next to the Forks). Since returning to Winnipeg in 1994, the team has been a perennial powerhouse, missing the playoffs only once and frequently finishing first in their division. CanWest Global Park is considered one of the nicest minor league baseball parks in North America. The season runs from May to September. Tickets are very affordable, ranging from $3-$15. With room for only 7,481, most games are sell outs.

Dining

 • Kelekis: A Winnipeg institution that started off with Mr Kelekis Sr.'s popcorn wagon in the early part of the 20th century. Later the family opened a hot dog stand by Selkirk Locks but moved to the present location in 1931. Simple food, but very well cooked. The shoestring French fries, made fresh every day, are justly famed. The restaurant is also known for the wall of celebrity photos. Because of the restrictive liquor laws in Manitoba in the mid 20th C., drinking establishments were often closed as early as midnight or 1:00 AM. Kelekis, due to it's late hours and good reputation became the night spot for many entertainers and politicians. The family rotates the photos on a weekly basis. 1100 Main St, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1 204 582-1786
 • Salisbury House 21 of them scattered all over the city. Started during the Dirty Thirties, the company still succeeded due to good food at decent prices. For some reason, Salisbury refers to hamburgers as "Nips", and as every Canadian knows, French fried potatoes are "chips". Hence a hamburger and French fries is known to all Manitobans as "nip'n'chips". Many expatriates returning to the city find it a necessity to have at least one Sals' "nip". (The other necessity is buying loaves of Winnipeg rye bread to take home to friends as "The best dang rye bread in the world!") A new investor in the company is Burton Cummings of the old Winnipeg rock and roll band, "The Guess Who".
 • Tavern in the Park Pavilion in Assiniboine Park (896-7275) Continental fusion cuisine in a one-of-a-kind locale in the Historic Pavilion in Assinboine Park.