I am super excited to share my travels to Canada with all of you! This was my first time traveling to Canada AND internationally together as a couple (I have been international before but solo). My friend suggested to go to Banff after she had a great time when she went in April 2018! So, we went to Banff in October 2019! October is my favorite month EVER (you’ll see a lot of posts about this- or already have if you follow my Instagram). I normally do not travel in October since I love how New Jersey looks 😉 We had the most fantastic and relaxing time! I am going to start from the beginning by discussing how we got to Canada.
We flew into Calgary airport (YYC) on Monday morning from Newark (direct flight which is about 4.5-5 hours) and picked up our rental car. I would strongly recommend getting a rental car since Banff is about 1.5 hours away from the airport. We rented a Jeep Wrangler because I felt it was super fitting for the area and because we knew winter was already there! We rented through Enterprise, but there were a ton of different options there. From there, we headed right to our hotel to check in! Again, that drive is about 1.5 hours from the airport. The drive was honestly so beautiful and the ride did not feel like 1.5 hours. Upon check in, the hotel offered to upgrade our room for an additional $20/day, which wasn’t so bad since we weren’t staying that long anyway. The hotel we stayed at was Moose Hotel and Suites. This was recommended by my friend as she also stayed here. I absolutely loved the hotel! It was simply gorgeous, and walking distance from everything. I also really loved the cozy/outdoorsy vibe I got! It was just perfect for Canada.
I didn’t plan anything for the day of arrival since I knew we would be exhausted from the flight and drive. So we just explored downtown and grabbed some essentials (water/snacks) from IGA, the local supermarket. That night we relaxed in one of their heated rooftop pools, which was so pretty because it started to snow a little and we were able to watch it with the mountains in the background. The next day I had already planned to visit Lake Louise, which is about a 40 minute drive from Banff. This lake was the most magical thing I have ever seen! The pictures do not do it justice. If you are into skiing / snowboarding you can do that here. You can also rent a canoe and canoe around the lake! Unfortunately canoe rentals ended the day before we got there! They do that because the lake freezes pretty early in the season, but it wasn’t frozen just yet. We also walked around in the Fairmont Chateau. Simply Stunning. We wanted to see Lake Moraine but all roads were blocked getting there due to avalanches! See above for pictures of the beautiful Lake Louise!
The following day I had already planned out and bought tickets for in advance. We did the Banff Gondola! This is a MUST see if you are visiting Banff. It is an 8 minute gondola ride up to the mountains. I never get too afraid of heights but this gave me all the butterflies!! At the top of the mountain there is an observation deck, 2 restaurants, a small museum, and a gift shop. I had bought tickets for the one restaurant, which was a buffet, called Northern Lights, in advance. Beforehand we grabbed a drink at the other restaurant called Sky Bistro. Everything was so breathtaking!
For the last 2 days we decided to take it day by day. I had nothing planned except I wanted to see the Cave and Basin National Historic Site. Very informative and cool to see! You can easily spend a few hours there learning all about Banff!
When to Visit Banff:
I get asked this question frequently because everyone can see in my pictures that John and I are bundled up. I must say we truly lucked out because some days were 50 degrees (fahrenheit). Other days it flurried for a little and then stopped. This was absolutely gorgeous, by the way, to see the snow and the mountain scenery. June through August is the nicest time to visit Banff, but this is peak season and there will be many tourists. We went mid-October and things started to close since it was the end of the season. I would personally say that mid-September would be the best! Everything should be open for the most part, kids are back in school, and it is the end of peak season so there shouldn’t be too many crowds. The weather shouldn’t be too cold either!
Other things to do:
We ate at a few different places but the one we both agreed that we liked best was Pacini; the Italian restaurant in our hotel! This place was of course convenient since it was in our hotel. The food was delicious! We ate here 2 or 3 times (breakfast and dinner for sure). My favorite was the spinach and artichoke dip! It was SO good! They also have an all you can eat bread bar. You can make whatever bread you like (white, whole grain etc) and put whatever you want on it (butter, jam, peanut butter etc).
Coffee Shops- White Bark and Wild Flour – both so good!
Best Breakfast spot-Â TooLouLous! This place gets packed so get there early!
Park Distillery, Bar, and Restaurant– The drinks here are so good and it is a plus if you like beer (we don’t! but it was still a nice spot to eat and hangout)!
Meadow Spa– located in our hotel and you receive a discount off a service if you are staying at the hotel. I decided to give John a little break and have him relax and watch some games in the hotel room while I got a facial. I really enjoyed my facial and what I loved most was that before/after you can utilize their jacuzzi overlooking downtown Banff and the mountains! So I made myself a cup of tea and relaxed a little in the jacuzzi!
All in all this was one of my favorite vacations and destinations that we have been too. I have always went somewhere “warm” and “beachy” so this was something new and different. We relaxed so much this trip! I also felt so at home, everyone was just so nice out there! I hope I covered everything for you guys! If you are wondering about anything else, please do not hesitate to ask! Thank you for following my journey 🙂 !
