Travel Agent Berridale

Wow! What a place! If you have never had the joy of visiting Banff then I suggest you put it on your list of places to see and things to do.

In August of 2008, my family and I spent three weeks in Banff as a base for our travels and we arranged for family and friends to come to us. As we are a family of five, we did find the selection of accommodation limited as we required a two bedroom facility in the budget range. But we did find it, we stayed at a small bungalow (of which there are quite a few) with its' own kitchen and could accommodate up to 6 people.

Banff offers a magnitude of activities in both summer (when we travelled) and winter. During summer, you can hike, mountain bike, heli-hike, flyfish, white water raft, ride horses & quad bikes and more...During the winter period, activities include both cross country and downhill skiing, skidooing, ice skating and again, so much more...

We found it very cold this time in Banff as we actually hit lows of about 2C and it snowed! Generally, June through August are the warmest months of early-mid 20s (C) and then it begins to cool in September with snow arriving shortly after!

Our three weeks in Banff enabled us to just relax and enjoy the scenery. We spent our days meandering the shops of Banff, experiencing the coffee shops and of course, trying to amuse our three little boys.

The options in Banff are endless, from 2star to 5star accommodation, fine French & Italian dining to burger places and fast food outlets. You can spend the evening at the restaurant, head to the Irish pub or take in a movie. If you're an early riser, you can always hike Tunnel mountain or have a workout up at the Sally Borden facility on Tunnel.

There is also plenty of excursions from Banff including the Sulphur Mountain Gondola, Vermilion Lakes, Lake Louise and the Valley of the Ten Peaks (Moraine Lake) and the beautiful drive up Highway 93 to Jasper where you can take in Athabasca Glacier and Falls, Angel Glacier and more...

Banff townsite is approximately 1.5hours from Calgary Airport and there are companies that offer transport or you can do as we did and rent a car. One of the things we enjoyed most was going for a drive to Lake Louise down the "old highway" Highway 1A and watching for animals. On a good day, you might spot big horn sheep, bears, elk, deer, a fox, some mountain goats and of course, squirrels and chipmunks.

Banff really is a great place for the family with a bit of everything for everyone! Just don't expect to want to leave after a couple of days - it really gets to you and you'll find that you want to spend a long time there.

So, go check it out. I'm sure you'll love it! We did!