Alberta | Air & Water and Rail Travel, Airports and Travel Times

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Getting There by Air

The province is served by Air Canada (AC) (website: www.aircanada.com). Many other airlines also serve the province from worldwide destinations.

Approximate Flight Times

From Edmonton/Calgary to London is 8 hours 30 minutes, to Los Angeles is three hours and to New York is five hours.

Main Airports

Edmonton (YEG) (website: www.edmontonairports.com) is 28km (17 miles) from the city. To/from the airport: A shuttle bus service to downtown operates every 20 minutes (journey time - 40 minutes).

Calgary (YYC) (website: www.calgaryairport.com) is 20km (12.5 miles) from the city. To/from the airport: A bus service to the city operates every 30 minutes (journey time - 20 minutes). Regular transfer buses also operate to Banff (journey time - about two hours) and Lake Louise (journey time - three hours).

Facilities: Both Edmonton and Calgary also receive domestic services and both have duty free shops, banks, restaurants and car parking.

Getting There by Rail

VIA Rail (tel: 1 888 842 7245; website: www.viarail.ca) serves Edmonton and Jasper. The Western transcontinental train (The Canadian), crosses the province several times a week, originating from Toronto, Ontario, in the east and going via Edmonton and Jasper, to Vancouver in the west and vice versa. This train connects with the Skeena service at Jasper with a regular service to Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

The seasonal Rocky Mountain Railtours (tel: (604) 606 7245; website: www.rockymountaineer.com) is the only other rail service operating into the province. This is a two-day, all-daylight tour with routes from Calgary and Banff or Jasper to and from Vancouver and between Jasper and Whistler, running between mid April and mid October.

Getting There by Road

The Yellowhead Highway (Winnipeg-Edmonton-Prince Rupert-Vancouver) and Highway 2 (USA-Calgary-Red Deer-Edmonton-North Alberta) are the two main roads serving Alberta. Most of the roads in Edmonton are constructed into a grid system, making it easier to navigate.

Bus: Greyhound Canada (tel: 1 800 661 8747; website: www.greyhound.ca) runs coach services into Alberta, thereby connecting Edmonton with all other major capitals. The main Greyhound terminals are at Banff, Calgary, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Grand Prairie, Lethbridge and Red Deer. Coaches are also operated in Alberta by Brewster Transportation and Tours (Banff) (tel: (403) 762 6700; website: www.brewster.ca) and Gray Line Calgary (tel: (604) 879 3363; website: www.graylinebanff.com), which organise coach tours in the area. A coach is operated frequently between the two city centres of Calgary and Edmonton by Red Arrow (tel: 1 800 232 1958; website: www.redarrow.ca).

Car hire is available in all large towns and at Edmonton and Calgary airports. National driving licences are accepted in Alberta.

Note

When visiting in late autumn, winter or spring, travellers are advised to either ensure that their vehicle has snow tyres or to carry chains. It is also advisable to have an adequate supply of anti-freeze, warm clothing and food when crossing through mountain passes.

Getting Around Towns and Cities

Buses and the light rail system in Calgary are operated on a flat-fare system. Exact fares are required if tickets are purchased upon boarding; pre-purchased single- and multi-journey tickets are available. Edmonton, where there is a similar fares system, has buses, trolleybuses and a light rail route. Local buses operate in all other major towns.