Ready to trade Calgary’s stunning cityscapes for Canmore’s mind-blowing natural beauty? Luckily for you, The Best Calgary has you covered for that particular road-trip today!
We’ll go over all of your options for making the journey and even provide a comprehensive guide for each method. This way, you won’t have to make a wrong turn and end up in Timbuktu somehow.
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How do you travel from Calgary to Canmore?
You can travel from Calgary to Canmore by car, shuttle service, bus, or by using ride hailing apps.
1. Calgary to Canmore by Car
If you’re driving a car to Canmore from Calgary, it’s going to be a smooth and quick road trip. Note that you can follow the directions below on Google Maps too.
Step 1: Head to the Trans-Canada Hwy/AB-1
Wherever you are in Calgary, you should drive to the Trans-Canada Hwy/AB-1. It’s a major highway that’s usually the starting point of a lot of exciting excursions like this one!
Step 2: Take the exit at Three Sisters Pkwy
Just continue driving along the highway to Bow Valley Trail/AB-1 A until you see an exit that says Three Sisters Pkwy. There, you’ll have an opportunity to merge onto AB-1 A.
This path should continue for about 5.5 km before you officially find yourself in Canmore.
All that’s left to do now is to enjoy! Don’t forget to see the glorious Grassi Lakes which is a famous spot for active hikes and rock climbers.
2. Calgary to Canmore by Shuttle Service
Traveling to Canmore from Calgary by shuttle service is another hassle-free option. You can even choose to purchase a one-way ticket or a round-trip one.
Step 1: Finalize your schedule
Before you move forward with booking a shuttle service, you first have to finalize the date of your departure and return (for roundtrip tickets). Once that’s out of the way, you can proceed to the next step.
Step 2: Book a shuttle service
There are plenty of shuttle services that are willing to take you from Calgary to Canmore, such as Banff Airporter, RTB Tours & Shuttles, and Airport Shuttle Service.
All of them are credible establishments, but of course, only choose the latter one if you’re coming from the Calgary International Airport.
Anyway, to book a shuttle service, you simply go to their website, choose from their many amazing fleets, and input all the important information they’ll ask for.
Step 3: Wait for the date of departure
Now that your ride is ready, all you need to do is wait for the date of departure. While waiting, you can pack your bags, prepare a kickass playlist, and buy all travel essentials.
Step 4: Go to the place of pickup
Other shuttle services have different pickup areas to make it more convenient for passengers. Make sure to go there on time to avoid any inconvenience.
If you’ve booked an airport shuttle, the place of pickup is most likely at the arrivals area. Have fun and enjoy Canmore!
3. Calgary to Canmore by Bus
If you feel like the options above don’t feel like the best fit for you, you can always take the bus to Canmore.
We found that the best way to proceed in this specific choice of vehicle is to book from the Banff Express. There are also plenty of other options, but this is just what we most recommend.
Step 1: Finalize your schedule
Since you’ll be filling up a form on the website, make sure that you’ve already finalized your schedule before you book. This will avoid additional inconveniences that come with rebooking.
Step 2: Book a ticket at The Banff Express website
Now that planning is out of the way, you can now book a ticket! The Banff Express website will ask you about your desired place of pickup and drop-off.
From Calgary, they can pick you up at the following places: HI Calgary City Centre Hostel, Calgary Eau Claire Market (Good Earth Coffeehouse), and Calgary Foothills Hospital McCaig Tower (west entrance).
Meanwhile, the drop-off on Canmore is only at the Canmore Visitor Information Centre, where staff members can help you plan your exciting Canmore trip.
Step 3: Wait for the date of departure
While you wait for the date of departure, you can take this time to file a leave from work, look up about the best things to do in Canmore, and even splurge on a new camera if you fancy.
Step 4: Proceed to the chosen place of pickup
In just a few hours, you’ll finally get to witness the beauty of Canmore – but hang on! You need to go to the place of pickup first!
Make sure to arrive on time because they tend to leave on the dot.
4. Calgary to Canmore by ride hailing apps
Did you know you can go the distance when using ride hailing apps? You can even get to Canmore from Calgary!
1. Download the ride hailing app
If you still don’t have a ride hailing app on your phone, what are you waiting for? Go and download it right now especially if you like the convenience. We highly suggest downloading Uber for this one.
Here’s the download link for the App Store and Google Play.
2. Book a ride
To book a ride using Uber, just enter the pickup location and the destination. By the way, you can also do this in advance on their app, which is perfect if you’re a planner (and a Virgo).
You can also choose from different types of cars ranging from the cheapest to expensive, UberX, green, UberXL, and black.
3. Wait for the driver
Once you’ve booked a ride, you’ll be able to see the estimated time of arrival of your driver. Wait for them to arrive at the pickup location you entered and you should be good to go!
