An Awesome One Day in Calgary Itinerary (2025)
This March I spent some time in Banff, Canada on my own, but halfway through the trip, my fiancé started his spring break, so he joined me! That meant he was flying into Calgary, so I grabbed a rental car and waited to pick him up…that is until his flight got delayed and delayed and delayed. I ended up spending a day in Calgary discovering the city!
Luckily, I had just spent days in Banff with a Calgary local and got lots of great recommendations on things to do in Calgary for 1 day. Here’s how to spend a memorable one day in Calgary including local gems, top attractions, and some food recommendations.
Summary of Your Calgary Trip
🛏️ Where to stay: Homewood Suites Calgary Downtown ($135+ per night) — great location and breakfast with a pool
⛰️ Top day trip tour: Discover the Rocky Mountains from Calgary (12 hour mountain, lake, and glacier tour with transit)
🐎 Must see attraction: Calgary Stampede (day rodeos or night experiences are both great!)
Map of your Calgary itinerary
How to Spend One Day in Calgary
Before we dive in, I know you’re busy planning your travels, so if you want a quick version, I’ve condensed this itinerary down into a free downloadable version. It has links to all the activities and a map, just tell me where to send it.
Fuel up with local coffee
First, start your Calgary itinerary at Phil and Sebastian Coffee Rosters in Calgary Place. This will put you in a central location for the rest of the itinerary and of course, you can fuel up with caffeine.
Next door is Hoopla Donuts. You know (or at least now you do) that I LOVE donuts, so this is a must!
Enjoy the Devonian Gardens (the most underrated activity in Calgary)
One of my favorite stops on my day in Calgary was my trip to the Devonian Gardens, recommended to me by my local friend. These are a collection of indoor, free gardens including fountains, ponds, greenery, flowers, and art all located inside a mall!
When I was there, it was the perfect place to warm up and relax by the fountains. There was even a pianist playing “Once Upon a December” from Anastasia when I was there. Not to mention, the glass windows surrounding the gardens provide some great views of Calgary and you’ll forget you’re in a mall.
Relax and grab lunch at Prince’s Island Park
From there, head to Prince’s Island Park where you can see some more great views of the city.
Relax by the water on a bench or take a walk along the Chevron Learning Pathway, an educational walkway that has signs to teach about environmental education. You’ll learn about the wetland (that you’re walking around), wildlife of the area, and the importance of maintaining this habitat.
For lunch, on Prince’s Island Park is a lovely restaurant, called River Café. They serve Canadian seasonal cuisine with elevated dishes including roasted eggplant, pan seared Yukon arctic char, and a fish and game board appetizer. Plus, all meals are served with rye sourdough bread.
Admire the architecture at the library
This next activity may seem odd, but the architecture of this building is worth the trip! I’m sending you to the Calgary Central Library. Completed in 2018, it was designed by Snøhetta to reconnect the city and acts as a portal and a bridge allowing visitors from multiple sides of the city to interact and explore the library easily.
Explore the collections, admire the interior, and if needed, charge your phone at the library’s many outlets (one of my favorite travel hacks).
Take in the views at Calgary Tower
You can’t visit Calgary without visiting the Calgary Tower. This iconic structure was built in 1967 and finished a little over a year later. The Tower was renovated in 1985, a glass floor was added in 2005, and in 2018 a theatre room was opened.
The lobby on the ground floor has a gift shop where you purchase tickets to the observation deck and houses the hostess podium for checking into the Sky 360 Restaurant, which sits on the top of the tower and rotates once an hour.
On the second floor, you’ll also find a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.
The main attraction is the Observation Deck, located 626 feet high. You can walk on the glass floor, learn the history and architecture of the tower, and of course, take in all the views of Calgary and the Canadian Rockies. Fingers crossed for clear weather! Don’t forget to watch the informational videos in the theatre room.
Tickets are $23 CAD regardless if you purchase ahead of time or walk-in (this wasn’t always the case).
Choose your own dinner at a food hall
For dinner, I highly recommend First Street Market, a food hall just a few blocks from Calgary Tower.
Inside, you’ll find a collection of some fantastic restaurants serving Indian, Italian, Vietnamese, smoothies, burgers, and also a bar. I opted for Indian at Saffron Street and y’all, it was SO GOOD. Super flavorful and delicious.
There’s lots of seating inside so you can eat at one place, grab a drink from the bar, and have dessert at another spot.
Alternatively, dive in to Calgary’s foodie scene a bit at Rodney’s Oyster House!
This is where my day ended in Calgary because I had to go to the airport and pick up my fiancé. But, I do have one final evening activity if you have more time than I did. If I had more time, this is what I would have done!
Cap off the evening at a speakeasy
I would have visited Betty Lou’s Library, a speakeasy and cocktail lounge with jazz bands and dancers. When you arrive at the address, there is a phone that you use to speak the password and enter.
If you’re a walk-up, you speak the word “Gatsby” into the phone. If you have a reservation, which is recommended, you’ll be texted a password to speak into the phone. You’ll want to make a reservation for around showtime, which is 7pm so you can stay for the duration of the show! Looks like such a fun spot!
Or visit the Calgary Stampede
One thing that Calgary is known for is the Calgary Stampede. So, if you’d rather, you can also opt to experience a night time rodeo show!
How to get to Calgary
The main international airport in Calgary is YYC where there are often flight deals from the US cities of Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York for as little as $200!
You can also drive there as part of a larger road trip. Calgary is ~8 hours from Missoula, Montana and ~12 hours from Seattle.
How to get around Calgary
If you can rent a car, that is certainly easiest and best to maximize your time since you’re only visiting Calgary for a day. (I like browsing on RentalCars.com, which is a rental car price aggregator — meaning it compares prices from a bunch of sites and compiles it one spot).
Many of the activities on this itinerary are also within walking distance. I personally rented a car but parked centrally and walked mostly everywhere.
You can also take public transportation run by Calgary Transit. To get from YYC to the city center, you’ll have to take bus route 57 and train route 202.
Where to stay in Calgary for one day
If you’re only visiting for one day, you may not need a hotel here. I didn’t stay the night. However, if you are spending the night, I’d go with Homewood Suites (~$135+ per night) near the Central Library or Fairmont Palliser (~$190+ per night) near the Calgary Tower. I haven’t stayed in either place, since I went back to Banff for the night, but the reviews and locations look good!
How much does one day in Calgary cost?
$75
Food – $50
Activities – $25
Transportation – $10
When is the best time to visit Calgary?
Calgary has true seasons where winter in December and January are truly cold with temperatures in the mid to high 20s (Fahrenheit). Summer is most pleasant weather-wise with temperatures in the mid-70s peaking in July – this makes summer Calgary’s peak season and therefore, most crowded.
I visited in shoulder season (spring in March) and it was still very cold with temperatures in the high-30s, but with no crowds whatsoever. I basically had Calgary Tower to myself!
I recommend a shoulder season if you don’t mind cold weather or summer if you’re searching for that warm weather. Summer is also a great time to road trip through Canada and specifically the Canadian Rockies, although Banff in winter is spectacular as well!
Still planning? Check out these helpful posts:
My Travel Essentials
- Travel Insurance – Going on an international trip? Don’t forget travel and medical insurance with SafetyWing.
- Travel Card – If you’re new to travel hacking, fear not! My favorite card for beginners gives you $750 in rewards when you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months, plus lounge access, 10x points on hotel bookings, and free TSA pre-check!
- Get Your Guide – Check out Get Your Guide for a one-stop-shop for booking travel activities.
- Booking.com – This is my favorite hotel search aggregator, specifically for reading reviews. On Booking.com, the reviews can be searched for keywords like WiFi, breakfast, pool, amenities, etc.! So helpful!
- Anti-pickpocket bag – Worried about having your valuables swiped? PacSafe makes the best travel bags with zippers and straps that lock and with mesh steel enforced fabric.
- Give the Gift of Travel – This is the perfect gift for travelers in your life! Tinggly allows you to gift experiences around the world, perfect for birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries.
- Staycation Idea – Check out Resort Pass, which gives you day passes to resorts so you can use their pool, spa, and fitness center, a great staycation idea!
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Hi Alanna, I really enjoyed reading your one-day itinerary for Calgary. You covered a lot of ground and gave some great tips for exploring the city. I especially liked your photos of the Calgary Tower. They look amazing! I have never been to Calgary, but your article makes me want to visit someday.
Thank you! I hope you get a chance to visit. It’s a great city, especially for a day trip.