Visit Banff, Canada (10 Must-Know Travel Tips)

before you visit Banff learn these surprising things you must know Banff is a town it is also Banff National Park inside Alberta Canada so when you are researching websites and social media posts be sure to notice whether it is talking about visiting Banff town or the Banff National Park I've got some surprising tips for Lake Louise and Moraine Lake that I'll talk about near the end if that's in your travel plans from Calgary you can only drive as far as Canmore without a national park pass any further and you must have a pass get it online so that you do not have to stay in the long lines in your car two tips for visiting Banff National Park and that is to stay in the right lane as you were entering or going through the checkpoint and the second one is to have the receipt of your national park pass on your dashboard or taped in the inside of your window while you are there like every day you were there but we forgot when we visited my name is Laurie and I share tips to help you travel the globe without a worry in the world I am a pilot wife so I hope this video helps you know what you must know before you visit Banff we were surprised at how easy of a drive it is from Calgary Airport it's a flat road so you're not going down steep roads if you're visiting in the winter and it's an hour and a half tops and then you're right there in the town of Banff one travel tip is that you can rent a car even though you just have a United States driver's license if you're wanting to take photographs an epic picture spot is the municipal building at the end of Banff Avenue I want you to walk from end to end which is probably over a mile of Banff Avenue that's like their Main Street okay I did not know that but you can take great pictures right in front of the Cascade mountain you can walk through that gate for free or you can drive behind the Municipal Building and park for free it's like a Hidden Gem that a lot of tourists do not know about One tip is that there are some free Gardens that look like Japanese Gardens behind that parking lot that are easy to just find a little hidden spot of shade to sit in for a while because you're doing a lot of walking another tip for taking pictures is it would be a beautiful photo behind that building with the Canada flag waving in front of the building and then the mountain and the third tip is the best time to take photos in Banff the town is from like mid-morning or right after Sunrise to about two o'clock in the afternoon everywhere you turn there are mountains like layers terraced mountains we were surprised being from Houston at how hot it was without the AC in a lot of buildings just be prepared by packing layers to wear in the summer and in the summer in the summer and in the winter I took my coat my sweatshirt off at 7am when it was 31 degrees while I was having coffee at the highly recommended by us coffee shop Wildflower Bakery because of their croissants they are like authentic croissants and all of the other food and delicious oh my gosh the cream on the latte I could have eaten with a fork it was so real right outside of that Bakery is a free fire pit and some Adirondack chairs so just take a rest and talk to locals there soak it all in it's going to be wonderful another thing that we were surprised at in Banff the town is that the food was amazing we're Foodies and we were expecting tourist level food but we were very surprised I highly recommend Lupo it has floor-to-ceiling Windows so you can sit inside the restaurant or on the outside deck with Gorgeous views of the Cascade mountain and my two friends in Calgary who are also Foodies or food snobs they said the chef at Lupo is very very famous in Calgary and we saw real Italians eating and talking to a waiter who was learning to speak Italian in Lupo there are a lot of shops restaurants and museums that are highly rated off of Banff Avenue and there are many of those streets so you can spend a lot of time on Memphis Avenue and be very happy we were very surprised that many places close after the Canadian Thanksgiving which is at the first or second week of October until the next season or until December be sure to do your research one thing we learned in Hawaii and I would also apply it in Banff National Park and that is do not go to a restaurant hungry because you could have to wait if you have not made reservations online we were also surprised at how beautiful the drive was coming back from Lake Minnewanka we took a boat tour before they closed for the winter season and they also have a beer tour that you can rent canoes and kayaks we got a picnic lunch from Evelyn's Cafe and drove to Lake Minnewanka about 15 minutes near Banff Avenue and got a boat tour but when we drove back we went across the dam that Lake Minnewanka is on and it's like a 20 20 minute drop but oh my word it's beautiful so if you have the time and a car we recommend that we were also surprised at how easy it is to walk to Beau Falls Trail from the end of Banff Avenue near where the municipal building is but a travel tip is you can drive to the Banff Springs Hotel the really pretty one that looks like it's set in the woods it's really right off of Banff Avenue but you park there on the street in front of the Banff Springs Hotel and then there are little signs that right there at the stop sign that tell you turn here to go to Beau Falls Trail you can drive there or you can hike on the little trail that is very it's like maybe a 10 minute hike you're along the road for most of the way to that Beau Falls Trail viewing point and there's a small parking lot if you do want to drive if you have someone with in a wheelchair but you can walk along there but there are lots of steps and there are some steep Parts but it's an easy walk or hike if you're like me from the Banff Springs Hotel we were also surprised before we visited Banff to know that the rooms in the bamf Springs Hotel have not been updated in many many many years if ever so what we heard not to stay there when we researched visiting Banff we were surprised to learn once we got there that Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are 45 minutes to an hour from the town of Banff so when you're researching and you see Lake Louise Banff it probably means Lake Louise Banff National Park the post hotel has the absolute best dinner that you will ever have in probably all of Canada but they're closed for October and November as well but they're up by Lake Louise not in Banff I know you're going to do your research about how to see Lake Louise or Moraine Lake the more photographed one you can reserve a spot on a charter bus online to visit Moraine Lake and Louise lake or either of the two and they Park you at the Lake Louise ski area so there's a lot of parking it's a lot easier and you're guaranteed a spot within that hour of buses that run and then if you are staying at the Chateau Fairmont Lake Louise we didn't know this so we bought the charter bus tickets but they can give you a 15-minute shuttle ride in a little van for ten dollars that'll take you to Moraine Lake and back to your hotel where you're staying at the Chateau if you're staying at the Fairmont Chateau you are supposed to make a reservation for that little van shuttle ride if you do treat yourself at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise like we did they do not have air conditioning in most of the rooms and it was 38 degrees or 31 degrees that night our hotel room was very warm even with the window open and the ceiling fan going so if you're staying saying there in the summer know that you're going to need the stand fan that they have for you in the closet we are just too tired to turn it on here's a great tip that a lot of you need to know and that is that if you are visiting Lake Louise or the Moraine Lake for pictures you need to get there like the best time to take pictures are anywhere from right after Sunrise till about one in the afternoon after that it changes the watercolor and they're not as real the watercolor is not as brilliant in the mid to late afternoon if you're visiting Moraine Lake you must not go past the parking lot and you have to go near the restrooms that are out there and look for the sign that says rock pile it has very easy steps that'll take you probably seven minutes to get up it's on top of like this rock pile that's not going to fall and that is where you can take the above water pictures of Moraine Lake lots of viewing points lots of places to take pictures of the lake if you want some selfies if you want to just hike you can just walk beside the lake and there are all kinds of high hiking trails back in there but if you want those epic photos of the water at Moraine Lake you're going to have to walk to the top of the rock pile and that's how you get there all right if you are visiting Banff you do not want to miss what I wore to Banff so check out that video when I make it and let us know when you're going what you're wondering about thank you so much for watching

Channel: Travel Tips by Laurie

Views: 53,623

Keywords: travel tips, 10 tips must-know before visit banff alberta canada, banff national park, visit banff lake louise, banff alberta canada, lake louise tips, where take pictures banff, bow falls trail, fairmont chateau lake louise, best coffee banff, best restaurant banff lupo, lupo italian, travel tips by laurie, tips for visiting banff canada, important tips for banff, how to see moraine lake

Id: 1UiG7sPG8RU

Length: 10min 9sec (609 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 23 2023