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City guide

Alberta, Canada (Rockies)

Alberta is a province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces.

Type PlacePopulation 4,262,635

Why go

  • Province of Canada.
  • Served by Red Deer Forestry Airport.

History

Alberta is a province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, the Northwest Territories to its north, and the U.S. state of Montana to its south. Alberta and Saskatchewan are the only two landlocked provinces. The eastern part of the province is occupied by the Great Plains, while the western part borders the Rocky Mountains. The province has a predominantly continental climate, but seasonal temperatures tend to swing rapidly due to its aridity. Those swings are less pronounced in western Alberta because of its occasional Chinook winds. Alberta is Canada's fourth-largest province by area, at 661,848 square kilometres (255,541 sq mi), and the fourth-most populous, with 4,262,635 residents. Alberta's capital is Edmonton; its largest city is Calgary. The two cities are Alberta's largest census metropolitan areas. More than half of Albertans live in Edmonton or Calgary, which encourages a continuing rivalry between the two cities. English is the province's official language. In 2016, 76.0% of Albertans were anglophone, 1.8% were francophone, and 22.2% were allophone.

Airports

Banff Airport (YBA) 11 km to the centre
Banff, AB, CA — Indoor waiting area, but you walk out to the aircraft to board — bring an umbrella or a coat if the forecast is poor.
Indoor | Outdoor
Red Deer Forestry Airport 56 km to the centre
Clearwater, AB, CA
Outdoor

Where things are

Full geo-intelligence in Better Mapping →
Local search powered by Geoverts and geo-intelligence by Better Mapping base map © OSM

Photographs

When to go

Tourist season
May – September

The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.

Shoulder season
April, October

Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.

Worth avoiding
Deep winter

Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.

Getting there & around

Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Red Deer Forestry Airport. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below.

Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Alberta, Canada (Rockies). Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.

Local transit

Bus · Banff, Alberta · Schedules & GTFS data (official feed)

Trains & rail

National rail

Coaches & shuttles

Intercity coach
Intercity coach

Private aviation

On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.

Fractional · Praetor 500, Citation CJ3+, Legacy 450 · Canada's fractional-ownership operator, based in Calgary.
Charter, management · Light to large-cabin · Toronto-based charter and aircraft management.
Charter · Learjet, Challenger · Vancouver-based charter operator.
Charter, management, FBO · Managed fleet, Challenger, Global · Canada's largest business-aviation company: charter, management and FBOs in Toronto, Montréal, Calgary and Vancouver.
Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.

Tours & experiences

Sightseeing