guide for out of towners
I’m from out of town! What should I know?
Hey folks! This is Oliver, I’m writing this bit of the website since all my guests are coming from far and wide, I thought I’d put together a little guide for your benefit! Calgary is a really cool city, with so much to see and do.
Planes, Trains & Automobiles:
Flying & arrival:
Since all of you are flying in, this is a good place to remind you, Canada is the 2nd largest country on earth! The nearest airport and the one you should fly to is Calgary International Airport (YYC).
Any other international airport will be a multi hour or even multi day(!) drive away. For example:
Edmonton, Alberta International Airport (YEG): 3.5hrs driving
Spokane, Washington International Airport, WA (GEG): 5hrs driving
Vancouver, British Columbia International Airport (YVR): 10.5hrs driving
And just for fun, Toronto, Ontario International Airport (YYZ): 35.5hrs driving
Driving tips:
Driving in North America is really quite different from what you’re used to back home, here’s a few things to remember:
Everyone drives an automatic! You will be too, no car hire will have a “stick” as we call manuals here. That means a few things you’re used to back home won’t happen here, for example no amber before green, traffic lights turn green immediately and only show amber directly before a red, and almost no “give way” junctions. Stop signs rule here!
Calgary is arranged in a mostly “one-way” system meaning left and right hand turn lanes are fully segregated at junctions. In Calgary and across the whole continent, you may only park your vehicle facing in the direction of traffic, you will get a ticket for not doing this
You can’t park within 2m either side of a fire hydrant, you’ll get a $500+ dollar ticket for doing this.
You will not need any special permits or licenses to drive or hire a car here, your regular full British drivers license will suffice, and you do not need to bring the paper counterpart license.
The price of petrol (gas) can vary wildly from location to location and brand to brand, the cheapest gas is sold by Costco (and if you’re a member back home, you can use your Costco card here!), otherwise I recommend the “GasBuddy” app, it can route you to the cheapest fill up near you, outside of Costco your cheapest gas will almost always be on reserve lands. Even small economy cars here will take much more petrol in a tank than you’re used to, and will go further on that tank too.
Customs & Passport Control:
All British Nationals and Citizens of the EU must be approved for a Canadian ETA before they can be permitted to board an aircraft to Canada. It costs approximately 3 quid.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta/apply.html
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On arrival you can speed up your immigration and customs experience by using ArriveCAN to submit your passport, a photo and customs declaration up to 72 hours in advance of your arrival in Canada. Most people who use ArriveCAN on a British passport will have no need to interact with a border patrol officer, and will be able to use a special skip-the-queue lane at the airport.
https://www.canada.ca/en/border-services-agency/services/arrivecan.html
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Cash and cash-like securities such as cheques and domestic or foreign currency are NOT declarable as a gift to Canadian Immigration Officials, however any physical objects that were purchased for the purpose of gift giving must be declared and will be subject to import tax, value added tax and tariffs.
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If you’re planning on visiting the USA from Canada, you will need an ESTA from the Department of Homeland Security, if you already have one that is not expired, this will be valid for entry.
IMPORTANT: If you fly into Canada and depart from Canada, but visit the United States either by land border crossing or by plane, train, bus etc YOU MUST report your exit from North America to Customs and Border Patrol via their app, otherwise the Americans may assume you never left and record a visa overstay against your name, this will render you inadmissible to both Canada and the USA for 10 years.
This does not apply if you depart North America by air from the USA, or if you stay only in Canada.
https://www.help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-1330?language=en_US
What to do Downtown:
As mentioned in our FAQ, Calgary has a really easy to navigate downtown, that’s compact and laid out in an easy numerical grid system, as many cities in North America are. There’s also a tram system that can take you further afield, inside city limits. There’s plenty to see and do downtown; grab a drink in a Overlook Hotel inspired bar, shop the local markets, visit the zoo, or just enjoy some great food.
What to do further afield:
You’ll be smack back in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, and if you’re able to, I’d highly recommend hiring a vehicle to explore the surrounding world heritage sites and natural wonders.
I can provide a discount code for Enterprise/National car rental. If you go with National it will permit you to use the Emerald Lane at YYC airport, which means you can simply walk into the carpark and select a car to drive away in. Minimal hassle!
If you’d like to experience the wide open spaces of Banff or other rocky mountain destinations, but don’t wish to or can’t drive, the Rocky Mountaineer train can whisk you in luxury to Whistler, Banff, Jasper, Vancouver and more. It’s bloody expensive, but a once in a lifetime experience: