No matter how tall Calgary's mirrored-glass skyscrapers are built or how dense the modern city centre becomes, the snow-capped, jagged Rocky Mountains in the distance always seem to steal Calgary's thunder. Situated at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers, Calgary strikes the visitor as a place of natural beauty with the mountains to the west and rolling fields of wheat to the east.

Calgary's most identifiable man-made attraction is the Calgary Tower, a space-age sightseeing structure built in 1968 and located at the heart of the city centre. Across the street is the Glenbow Museum, three floors of galleries celebrating the Canadian West, including an excellent exhibition on Native Canadians. A short distance northwest, Eau Claire Market is a refreshing mall with cafes, bars, an IMAX theatre and craft market.

Connecting these attractions, as well as shops, offices and entertainment venues, is a series of enclosed elevated walkways (known as plus-15s, for their height of 4.5m (15ft) above street level) which shelter Calgarians from the worst of the winter chill and provide one of the city's most unique features. Also linked to the system are the Devonian Gardens, where 20,000 plants grace an indoor garden of 1 hectare (2.5 acres) on three levels of the TD Square complex.

To the east of Downtown, St George's Island stands in the Bow River and is home to Calgary's most popular tourist attraction, the Calgary Zoo, Botanical Garden and Prehistoric Park. Northwest of Calgary's Downtown, the city's conservative facade is broken by the more alternative Kensington neighbourhood - a place where interest shifts to trendy bars and restaurants, health-food stores, cafes and bookshops. The stretch of 17th Avenue SW to the west of Fourth Street is also a popular destination for shopping and dining.

Tourism Calgary
200-238 11th Avenue SE
Tel: (403) 263 8510 or 1 800 661 1678.
Website: www.tourismcalgary.com
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1700.

Other visitor centres are located at the base of the Calgary Tower (daily 0800-1700) and Calgary International Airport's arrivals level (daily 0600-2300) (tel: (403) 735 1234).

Discount coupon booklets are available free of charge at tourist information centres and at the Calgary Tower all year round. VISA offers a Visa savings passport to select hotels, restaurants and attractions in Calgary (website: www.visaperks.ca).