I've put together a great Canadian Rockies roadtrip. I did an almost identical trip to this, and some of the accommodation choices are personal recommendations. I'd never driven on the wrong side of the road, so to speak, and it was eventful but amazing!
May is a great time to go, we were in 'shoulder season' so there was snow in places, the bears were coming awake and we were skiing in the last week of the season, as well as having bright skies too and dry weather. I've based it on two weeks, which I think is a great amount of time, it allows you plenty of time to do the hikes and enjoy the driving, rather than being under pressure to get to places.
15th May 2016
Arrive in Calgary and drive 1 hour to Canmore. A lovely place to visit, even though technically you aren’t inside ‘the Rockies’, it’s well worth overnighting here and there are some nice shops and restaurants. The first Canadian hike we did was Grassi Lakes and it is beautiful. Overnight at the Drake Hotel
16th -20th May 2016
Drive to Banff, spend 4 nights in Banff at Blue Mountain Lodge. From here you can look at skiing (if you can catch the last weekend at Sunshine Village) or visit Lake Louise.
20th – 24th May 2016
Drive the Icefields Parkway to Jasper, stay in Jasper for 4 nights. My own personal recommendation is a gorgeous basement apartment called Elkview, and the couple who own it live above. The guy Joe, runs wildlife tours of Jasper and is No1 rated, and has 160 5* ratings. You must go on one of their tours. The accommodation is clean and is a bargain at around £35 a night, book direct with them on the link below. The wildlife tour is http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g154918-d2688901-Reviews-Jasper_Tour_Company-Jasper_Jasper_National_Park_Alberta.html#REVIEWS
24th – 26th May 2016
Return to Banff for 2 nights in Banff (or you could spend it in Lake Louise which is more expensive). Plenty of places to drive from Banff. Accommodation is Bow Lodge.
26th -29th May 2016
Drive to Calgary and spend 3 nights in Calgary at the Econolodge.
Car Hire British Airways - £272 (2:02% TCB) I always get good prices with BA competitive through Avis and if you sign up as a member of the Executive Club (which is free) you automatically get free additional driver, as well as bonus Avios. I used them myself and had a brand new Fiat 500 which served the two of us very well (with luggage) over the two week period. http://www.britishairways.com
1 Night in Canmore Drake Hotel - £38.86 (8% TCB) at Hotels.com http://www.hotels.com
If all your cashback tracks, I'd say you could easily get another £40-£50 off this booking. There may also be discount codes working, but I haven't had time to check, but Expedia and Hotels.com frequently have 10% off codes. Enjoy!
This is my deal and itinerary and not to be copied by any thieving pirates looking to replicate similar deals... you had your chance and lost me!
Top comments
arthurplank
19 Oct 1531#20
I love travelling and I know how much effort goes into the planning and research of a trip like this.
I think it's really sweet that you decided to share your efforts with the rest of us.
Thanks and have some heat.
rachelandgromit
19 Oct 1525#2
Yes, this was one I took!
degudodger
19 Oct 154#15
I miss Banff dearly :disappointed:
Taken from the top of Sulphur mountain
All comments (75)
rachelandgromit
19 Oct 151#1
rachelandgromit
19 Oct 1525#2
Yes, this was one I took!
archer1204 to rachelandgromit
19 Oct 151#3
Great pic what do you think hes thinking
rachelandgromit
19 Oct 151#4
'dinner' or 'not more bl**dy tourists'
archer1204 to rachelandgromit
19 Oct 151#5
I thought it might be i wonder how fast you can run
rachelandgromit
19 Oct 15#6
Haha, yeah. Remember if you are hiking, borrow bear spray or make alot of noise, sing, clap, etc. whilst hiking especially if it is quiet. We had a couple of bear encounters and courtesy of me I'm sure there are some medical students studying the rare tic that decided to bury in my neck that I had to have removed!
archer1204
19 Oct 15#7
Really never heard of bear spray before
rachelandgromit
19 Oct 151#8
Yep, Joe (the guy in Jasper that did the tours) lent us some along with a great hiking book. They can be a bit grouchy when they've just woke up and are hunting for food. We saw many looking for spilt grain from the grain trains in Jasper.
stewie
19 Oct 15#9
Did a similar trip to this last year but started at Vancouver, working across to Calgary via Jasper and Banff. A bit of driving but amazing scenery and holiday.
rachelandgromit to stewie
19 Oct 15#10
Yes, we flew UK to Victoria, ferry to Vancouver, cruised Alaska then flew up to Calgary as we didn't fancy the drive from Vancouver up. You are right the scenery is fantastic, epic holiday.
PhilAB
19 Oct 15#11
Would love this deal, but as a teacher cannot get time off. As a result in school holidays price triples in price. Heat.
DocRobotnik to PhilAB
20 Oct 151#48
Ah well, I guess you'll have to console yourself with the 10 weeks+ you get as holiday each year :wink:
Daddio
19 Oct 15#12
You can save even more by hitchhiking. We did this a few years ago across a lot of Canada and it's a great experience. Such friendly people.
They came up on Opodo, managed to get to payment screen, they were also on Kayak. Have they gone up?
rachelandgromit
19 Oct 15#18
Is that the top of Tunnel Mountain Trail?
Oops, just seen and it wasn't. We hiked up Sulphur mountain in huge snow drifts, on the basis that once at the top you got a free cable car down. It was tough!
arthurplank
19 Oct 1531#20
I love travelling and I know how much effort goes into the planning and research of a trip like this.
I think it's really sweet that you decided to share your efforts with the rest of us.
Thanks and have some heat.
well worth the visit. we got married in Jasper last month. its the most beautiful scenery in the world. whilst going from banff to jasper it's worth stopping at (or hiking up like we did) the athabasca glacier. Can't wait to go back. this trip is good however it's not nearly enough time in Jasper for us for next time.
bluenosebignelly
19 Oct 15#24
pretty good deal and sounds like an awesome adventure
djbenny1
20 Oct 15#25
Awesome holiday - did something like this a couple of years ago. Unforgettable!
carabif
20 Oct 151#26
This package is defiantly the Rockies in a budget. We have just returned and yes it's a great place and the scenery is amazing. This is one of the once on a lifetime type holidays and worth spending a bit more on if you can. Its all personal choice I would say do your research via tripadvisor and the Canadian tourist board.
Canmore is lovely, more traditional and there are some great apartments there and definitely a better place to stay than Banff which is very tourist driven and expensive. Jasper is a definite yes but again very touristy and the prices reflect it for eating out etc. Accommodation prices at Lake Louise are way too high. Would definitely get a bigger car there is a lot of driving involved you want to be comfortable. We flew to Vancouver and drove across and came home from Calgary. Three nights in Calgary is way OTT. Although there is a great outlet mall near the airport one night is plenty.
cra1g0s
20 Oct 15#27
We enjoyed a similar road trip a few years ago, flew into Vancouver and after a few days in Victoria we drove to the Icefields Parkway through the Okanagan wine region. Lake Louise was beautiful and there is so much natural beauty on the drive from Banff to Jasper and back again. If you then fly out of Calgary, try to time your departure so you can visit the Calgary Stampede, the largest rodeo in the world, but this was in early July I think
rachelandgromit
20 Oct 151#28
I stayed in some of the places in this itinerary and whilst some of them are budget places they are not backpackers budgets or dorms. Hotel prices can be very expensive and the prices you often see on search engines exclude tax so remember to get the true price you need to ensure you go to the payment screen where taxes are added on. All the places we stayed had high TripAdvisor ratings and were under £50 a night, some with breakfast. We found alot of B&B places where basements were rented and these were cheap and had cooking facilities. In Jasper the supermarket is central and we saved on £ here by stocking up on essentials. The HI Hostel in Lake Louise was good value too and did reasonably priced food. Generally we found the standard of accommodation pretty good in Canada. Also May is still off peak season for some places so you can find pretty good bargains but once June hits the prices rise significantly as does the traffic and number of tourists.
Also bear in mind you'll be driving from one place to another with lots of stops. Many hikes to do, Glacier walks and bear spotting. The journey from Banff to Jasper took us almost quadruple the time on the GPS so make sure you allow for this in your planning, it's not just a case of non stop driving one place to another.
tflake
20 Oct 15#29
This is amazing! Thanks for putting this together. Saves anyone interested loads of time....
allpinknsparkly
20 Oct 152#30
Great itinerary and nicely put together but this really is doing it on a budget, I would say barely one step up from backpacking! No real 'deals' as such here, just low cost products.
If possible I would suggest upgrading in a few areas, hotels/B&Bs/Hostels are all personal preference & can make or break a holiday, so these are up to individuals but personally Id upgrade the flights & car.
Air Transat are a low cost airline so you will be flying 12+ hours with the likes of easy jet (fine if you've got little legs & bum!)
I would not drive through the rockies - a mountain range! - in a fiat 500! defo get a bigger car, if not for comfort alone but for safety.
On a side note - Please, please, please remember that bears are a dangerous wild animal! a can of bear spray aint gonna save you if a hungry, grumpy bear wakes up! I used to live in this part of the world and locals are amazed at the stupidity of tourists when it comes to bear safety. They are then angry when they have to send out search and rescue for bodies. If you actively go looking for a bear you are a fool!
Remember May is low season for (almost) all destinations around the world, its shoulder season for most countries so is always the cheapest time to travel if you want a long haul bargain. (exception is may school holidays to European destinations)
Heat added for effort. Great active holiday!
rachelandgromit to allpinknsparkly
20 Oct 15#39
We loved our little Fiat! Agree we were always some distance away from bears but as people were dangerously close!!!
livreg
20 Oct 15#31
Did something very similar a few years getting the trains through the Rockies and continued on east to Toronto/Niagara. Like others I would also recommend making it a trip of a lifetime if money/time/commitments allow. Would go back if I could!
aimeeMLVC
20 Oct 151#32
I've been meaning to do a Rockies trip for quite some time and this has given me the kick up the **** to get starting on the planning. Great jumping off point from the info given, much appreciated Rachel!
mivanpy
20 Oct 15#33
Looks like a brilliant trip, That i would love to do. Always wanted to go to Canada. Heat at a wonderful price that seems really reasonable.
spongeblob
20 Oct 15#34
If you do decide to go, try visiting Lake Louise and a Tim Hortons coffee shop!
widzmorrow
20 Oct 15#35
Extreme heat ..I've enjoyed the comments though il doubt if I ever get there but very thoughtful of you to share .. I can now pass on to my sons who love travelling they get it from me lol
dona3853
20 Oct 151#36
We did something similar staying in Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper and flying out of Calgary. Like a couple of others have mentioned we flew in to Vancouver and spent 5 days there before getting our car and heading over to the Rockies. Would highly recommend this. We loved Vancouver but weren't that taken with Calgary. We did the Olympic Park, Stampede grounds and hockey stadium but other than that we wouldn't rush back there. I would also recommend May/ June as a great time to be there.
bnxc
20 Oct 15#37
Great effort here, thanks for all the details. I am going to save this for future reference. We love a road trip, this June we did New York, Washington DC, Niagara, Boston, White Mountains and Main on a "planes, trains and automobiles" type trip we planned ourselves.
t rex to bnxc
20 Oct 15#40
Sounds fantastic. We are looking to plan a trip next year flying to New York and driving up to Niagara. Did you fly to and from New York or did you do a one way trip and fly home from a different airport?
MrFizzy
20 Oct 15#38
Remember, you don't need to be able to run faster than the bear, just faster than the others in your party. :wink:
spongeblob
20 Oct 15#41
Visit Lake Louise if you ever get a chance! and a Tim Hortons coffee shop!
rachelandgromit to spongeblob
20 Oct 15#42
We bought some Tim Hortons coffee and brought it home mmmmm.
bnxc
20 Oct 15#43
Hi, no we flew in and out of JFK in New York, cheap flights from Thomas Cook!
We got the train from NY To Washington, then flew to Buffalo for Niagra to keep travel time down (was a bit of disaster and ended up at Toronto airport, but that's a whole nother story) then flew to Boston, picked up the car, and did the 2nd week driving, finally flew back to NY from Portland the night before coming home.One piece of advice, the internal flights all had time changes after booking, so allowing the last flight to eb the night before took any work away of missing the international flight home.
Consider flying to Buffalo, then a hire car to Niagara instead of the 8 hour drive maybe? A small hire car was cheaper than a airport transfer to Niagara!
t rex
20 Oct 15#44
thanks for the tips / advice. Will certainly consider internal flights to save driving the whole journey.
reakt
20 Oct 15#45
Awesome deal. I'm not sure about the Fiat 500 as hire car though. I'd want an enormous pickup truck, so I didn't stick out!
t rex
20 Oct 15#46
Several years ago we flew to Vancouver and spent 2 weeks driving to Calgary via Banff and Jasper. We then flew home from Calgary. loved Vancouver, Lake Louise and baby moose, brown and black bears we saw on our travels. lovely Country and friendly people.
spongeblob
20 Oct 15#47
l
they have the best cafe mocca's and apple fritters! above all it's so cheap compared to starbucks and costa!
DCFC79
20 Oct 15#49
Heat for the effort you put into this.
yorkieboy1
20 Oct 15#50
Truly amazing - many thanks for sharing this with us!
bbeettaa
20 Oct 15#51
A good deal because of the flights, the route is quite popular.
Did a ten day tour through Canada about 15 years ago. Flew to Vancouver. Did the train through The Rockies. Did Lake Louise, Banff, Calgary plus other bits. Walked up glaciers and flew on seaplanes. I have to say that in 20 years of being big on travel, this was the only holiday I have been on that I have actively disliked almost from the get go. Honestly, I couldn't wait for it to be over. Never again...
rachelandgromit to Joe90_guy
20 Oct 15#54
IMO the train is the most expensive and overrated journey, but each to their own.
I guess the key message is do your research and plan your trip according to your interests. So far, some people have said they love Canmore that it is less touristy and quieter than Banff, some people prefer Banff when others have said it's expensive and touristy. Others like Jasper more. Some people will spend a few hundred £ extra and have business class flights, with a 4x4 and stay in lush hotels, others will hitchhike and stay in dorms. I did alot of research into this trip before I went and I'm pleased to say it all went well and everything was as to be expected, other than the amount of snow which was unusual for the time in May, but did allow us to ski, something we hadn't expected.
Everyone has different ideas on what they want to see and do and you can change this accordingly.
Lulu'sMammy
20 Oct 151#53
I highly doubt you will be able to do skiing at this time, the snow will of probably gone. The Bears Will start emerging from hibernation April may time so you will be in luck there hopefully. Bear spray and common sense is highly recommended. Lake Louise is beautiful, afternoon tea in the hot springs hotel whilst looking over the lake is stunning. You can hire a boat to go across the lake, there is a couple of trails, or you can just walk around the hotel gardens looking in all the various shops and looking at the scenery.
Canmore is approx a 40 min drive from Banff, a lot less touristy than Banff and not too much to do. Your hotel will likely have a hot tub and swimming pool as mist do. Personally I would leave out Canmore and go straight to Banff.
Jasper is a national park, you will still see lots of wildlife around Banff, the advantage jasper has, is you are more likely to see bear here, not impossible whilst in Banff though.
Calgary has lots to do, but I wouldn't stay 3 days. The outlet somebody mentioned near airport is cross iron mills which is handy for bargains, there are also a few other malls around. You could also see a show, go to Calgary tower etc or go on the luge ( not sure if it's open at the time but if it is do it!) I would stay 2 days max.
oliquito
20 Oct 15#55
Massive thanks to the OP for this. So well thought out. Saves me so much work and is just the kind of thing I love. Wish I could vote hot twice!
madda
20 Oct 15#56
Do you think we could do this trip with a baby if I am happy lugging 10kg on all our trips?
Lulu'sMammy to madda
20 Oct 15#60
Yeah why not? If you do manage to fall lucky and do skiing, they have crèche onsite. Can't think why any other reason, a baby would be hard. Saying that though be mindful of the sun, it gets very hot, and the Mosquitos.
Gamer_U
20 Oct 15#57
You got some nerve saying that in other countries people drive on the "wrong" side of the road. That's UK where they do, as well as a couple other.
buyer101
20 Oct 151#58
Oh the tempation..
Many thanks for the time and effort you put into this.
Exploring Canada is something I need to do very soon (bucketlist).
rachelandgromit
20 Oct 15#59
OK point taken!
stevetheman
20 Oct 15#61
Did a similar trip from NY. Got train to Boston, picked a hire car up, drove to niagra ( a disappointment although the falls are nice niagra is a run down dump) Toronto, a full loop of Lake Ontario back through New England. Happy days.
disarm
20 Oct 15#62
Really appreciate the thought and effort made for this deal - heat applied!
Joshimitsu91
20 Oct 15#63
Ditto!
Hightowerman
20 Oct 15#64
Was only thinking of this 48 hours ago with a mate. Heat.
ras468
20 Oct 15#65
This is a pretty awesome deal, and if i had the spare money id be all over it! We lived in Banff for almost 3 years, and its definitely one of the most beautiful places you can imagine. The drive from Banff to Jasper is AMAZING, and most likely one of the best drives you will ever make. I have no recollection of ever seeing Bow View Lodge or Blue Mountain Lodge, but for that price, you really cant complain!
Banff in May is great...you will catch the last week of the ski season, but it will be tshirt weather downtown, plus youll be around (in Jasper) for the Victoria Day long weekend, which is usually a pretty big party weekend!
Heat! If youre on the fence, go for it...you wont regret it!
tuggy
20 Oct 15#66
You don't need to run faster than the bear.
You just need to run faster than your co-traveller.
Joe90_guy
20 Oct 15#67
If you want to see Canada, don't let my negative experience put you off (but it IS boring, and it IS expensive and they CAN'T serve up a decent steak!)
However if you want mountains, fantastic scenery, wonderful people, fabulous food, whale watching AND you want it on a seriously cheap budget, then take some kindly advice and go to South Africa instead. And they drive on the proper side of the road!!
rachelandgromit to Joe90_guy
20 Oct 15#68
Boring?! Really, I can honestly say I didn't have a boring moment. And in my eyes it will always be the wrong side of the road.... Did anyone tell you all I'm always right ;):laughing:
Anyway I confess I didn't actually do the driving, I was navigating - badly!!! I did sit in the car, once - but I've never driven an automatic either!
degudodger to Joe90_guy
20 Oct 15#73
Are you high :smiley:
We have had some of our best holidays in Canada (7 so far), our best 2-3 weeks was spent driving from Vancouver to Calgary via Whistler, Salmon Arm and Jasper.
philomene
20 Oct 15#69
I haven't a clue about prices, but something else that's worth considering is hiring a camper van and doing basically this road trip described by the OP but staying in campgrounds. Even if you're not the camping type, campgrounds in the Canadian Rockies are just out of this world - loads of space, well equipped, not all jammed together, and sitting outside by a campfire at night you feel like you're right in the middle of the most incredible scenery, but in a camper you actually have most of the mod cons (mains electricity and water to plug in to the van etc.) so it's quite comfortable as well. Could well be more expensive than this deal, but my parents took us on a trip when we were kids and it's one I'll remember for the rest of my life.
Heat for bringing back the memories! :smiley:
Stefankemp
20 Oct 15#70
Wow fantastic trip. Love going to Canada thanks for the ideas the air is so fresh and people are really nice. makes me want to visit again.
escortboy
20 Oct 15#71
Are you likely to die through a bear attack going on this trip? Is there an option to take a shotgun with you?? Great deal thanks for posting!
degudodger
20 Oct 15#72
I would Kill for a box of Timbits and a Tim Hortons double double!
Joe90_guy
21 Oct 151#74
Not high (???). Just giving my two pennethworth. It's a while ago now but things I remember about that trip are...
- the train through The Rockies. The guide just wouldn't shut up! Two days of non-stop babble over the tannoy that you couldn't escape from. Torture.
- the weather. We went in June. It was miserable and damp. Everywhere. Stay by the lakes (eg Lake Moraine) and everything feels even more damp. If I want damp, I can get it at home.
- the scenery and wildlife. Great if you like pine trees and more pines trees and even more pine trees as far as the eye can see. Birds? No sorry. Birds are off the agenda. Little black specs that disappear (up into the aforementioned pine trees) by the time you get closer. Oh yes. That was a black bear. We did see a few goats. You do see elk but only in the towns.
- Calgary. Save yourself a fortune and spend a wet weekend in Canary Wharf. Same thing.
- Food. 'Hi!! My name is Don!!! I'm your server for the day!!! Yes it's 6:45am and you're miserable and the weather's miserable but hey!!!! Let's all be happy together!!!'. It's such a shame that machine-gunning Don the Server is judged a criminal offence in Canada. Oh, the food itself is expensive, over-hyped (eg 'Praire Greens is rubbish salad drowned in dressing) and generally naff.
I could go on but you get the general picture...
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
May is a great time to go, we were in 'shoulder season' so there was snow in places, the bears were coming awake and we were skiing in the last week of the season, as well as having bright skies too and dry weather. I've based it on two weeks, which I think is a great amount of time, it allows you plenty of time to do the hikes and enjoy the driving, rather than being under pressure to get to places.
15th May 2016
Arrive in Calgary and drive 1 hour to Canmore. A lovely place to visit, even though technically you aren’t inside ‘the Rockies’, it’s well worth overnighting here and there are some nice shops and restaurants. The first Canadian hike we did was Grassi Lakes and it is beautiful. Overnight at the Drake Hotel
16th -20th May 2016
Drive to Banff, spend 4 nights in Banff at Blue Mountain Lodge. From here you can look at skiing (if you can catch the last weekend at Sunshine Village) or visit Lake Louise.
20th – 24th May 2016
Drive the Icefields Parkway to Jasper, stay in Jasper for 4 nights. My own personal recommendation is a gorgeous basement apartment called Elkview, and the couple who own it live above. The guy Joe, runs wildlife tours of Jasper and is No1 rated, and has 160 5* ratings. You must go on one of their tours. The accommodation is clean and is a bargain at around £35 a night, book direct with them on the link below. The wildlife tour is http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g154918-d2688901-Reviews-Jasper_Tour_Company-Jasper_Jasper_National_Park_Alberta.html#REVIEWS
24th – 26th May 2016
Return to Banff for 2 nights in Banff (or you could spend it in Lake Louise which is more expensive). Plenty of places to drive from Banff. Accommodation is Bow Lodge.
26th -29th May 2016
Drive to Calgary and spend 3 nights in Calgary at the Econolodge.
*Breakdown*
Flights: £829/£414.50pp at Opodo (1:31% TCB) http://www.opodo.com
Car Hire British Airways - £272 (2:02% TCB) I always get good prices with BA competitive through Avis and if you sign up as a member of the Executive Club (which is free) you automatically get free additional driver, as well as bonus Avios. I used them myself and had a brand new Fiat 500 which served the two of us very well (with luggage) over the two week period. http://www.britishairways.com
1 Night in Canmore Drake Hotel - £38.86 (8% TCB) at Hotels.com http://www.hotels.com
4 Nights in Banff - £183 (4% TCB) at booking.com http://www.booking.com
4 Nights in Jasper - £140 http://elkviewjasper.com/Elkview/Rates_Directions.html
2 Nights in Banff - £102.08 (8.08% TCB) http://www.expedia.co.uk
3 Nights in Calgary - £129.90 (12% TCB) http://www.venere.com
Total £1694.84/£848.42
If all your cashback tracks, I'd say you could easily get another £40-£50 off this booking. There may also be discount codes working, but I haven't had time to check, but Expedia and Hotels.com frequently have 10% off codes. Enjoy!
This is my deal and itinerary and not to be copied by any thieving pirates looking to replicate similar deals... you had your chance and lost me!
Top comments
I think it's really sweet that you decided to share your efforts with the rest of us.
Thanks and have some heat.
Yes, this was one I took!
I miss Banff dearly :disappointed:
Taken from the top of Sulphur mountain
All comments (75)
Yes, this was one I took!
I miss Banff dearly :disappointed:
Taken from the top of Sulphur mountain
http://www.skyscanner.net/transport/flights/man/yyc/160515/160529/airfares-from-manchester-to-calgary-in-may-2016.html?adults=1&children=0&infants=0&cabinclass=economy&rtn=1&preferdirects=false&outboundaltsenabled=false&inboundaltsenabled=false&browsePrice=416&age=7
Oops, just seen and it wasn't. We hiked up Sulphur mountain in huge snow drifts, on the basis that once at the top you got a free cable car down. It was tough!
I think it's really sweet that you decided to share your efforts with the rest of us.
Thanks and have some heat.
Bravofly have them, and cheaper be quick:
https://www.kayak.co.uk/flights/MAN-YYC/2016-05-15-flexible/2016-05-29-flexible
Canmore is lovely, more traditional and there are some great apartments there and definitely a better place to stay than Banff which is very tourist driven and expensive. Jasper is a definite yes but again very touristy and the prices reflect it for eating out etc. Accommodation prices at Lake Louise are way too high. Would definitely get a bigger car there is a lot of driving involved you want to be comfortable. We flew to Vancouver and drove across and came home from Calgary. Three nights in Calgary is way OTT. Although there is a great outlet mall near the airport one night is plenty.
Also bear in mind you'll be driving from one place to another with lots of stops. Many hikes to do, Glacier walks and bear spotting. The journey from Banff to Jasper took us almost quadruple the time on the GPS so make sure you allow for this in your planning, it's not just a case of non stop driving one place to another.
If possible I would suggest upgrading in a few areas, hotels/B&Bs/Hostels are all personal preference & can make or break a holiday, so these are up to individuals but personally Id upgrade the flights & car.
Air Transat are a low cost airline so you will be flying 12+ hours with the likes of easy jet (fine if you've got little legs & bum!)
I would not drive through the rockies - a mountain range! - in a fiat 500! defo get a bigger car, if not for comfort alone but for safety.
On a side note - Please, please, please remember that bears are a dangerous wild animal! a can of bear spray aint gonna save you if a hungry, grumpy bear wakes up! I used to live in this part of the world and locals are amazed at the stupidity of tourists when it comes to bear safety. They are then angry when they have to send out search and rescue for bodies. If you actively go looking for a bear you are a fool!
Remember May is low season for (almost) all destinations around the world, its shoulder season for most countries so is always the cheapest time to travel if you want a long haul bargain. (exception is may school holidays to European destinations)
Heat added for effort. Great active holiday!
We got the train from NY To Washington, then flew to Buffalo for Niagra to keep travel time down (was a bit of disaster and ended up at Toronto airport, but that's a whole nother story) then flew to Boston, picked up the car, and did the 2nd week driving, finally flew back to NY from Portland the night before coming home.One piece of advice, the internal flights all had time changes after booking, so allowing the last flight to eb the night before took any work away of missing the international flight home.
Consider flying to Buffalo, then a hire car to Niagara instead of the 8 hour drive maybe? A small hire car was cheaper than a airport transfer to Niagara!
they have the best cafe mocca's and apple fritters! above all it's so cheap compared to starbucks and costa!
Try these alternatives for carhire:
http://www.carhire3000.com
http://www.uscarhire.com
I guess the key message is do your research and plan your trip according to your interests. So far, some people have said they love Canmore that it is less touristy and quieter than Banff, some people prefer Banff when others have said it's expensive and touristy. Others like Jasper more. Some people will spend a few hundred £ extra and have business class flights, with a 4x4 and stay in lush hotels, others will hitchhike and stay in dorms. I did alot of research into this trip before I went and I'm pleased to say it all went well and everything was as to be expected, other than the amount of snow which was unusual for the time in May, but did allow us to ski, something we hadn't expected.
Everyone has different ideas on what they want to see and do and you can change this accordingly.
Canmore is approx a 40 min drive from Banff, a lot less touristy than Banff and not too much to do. Your hotel will likely have a hot tub and swimming pool as mist do. Personally I would leave out Canmore and go straight to Banff.
Jasper is a national park, you will still see lots of wildlife around Banff, the advantage jasper has, is you are more likely to see bear here, not impossible whilst in Banff though.
Calgary has lots to do, but I wouldn't stay 3 days. The outlet somebody mentioned near airport is cross iron mills which is handy for bargains, there are also a few other malls around. You could also see a show, go to Calgary tower etc or go on the luge ( not sure if it's open at the time but if it is do it!) I would stay 2 days max.
Many thanks for the time and effort you put into this.
Exploring Canada is something I need to do very soon (bucketlist).
Banff in May is great...you will catch the last week of the ski season, but it will be tshirt weather downtown, plus youll be around (in Jasper) for the Victoria Day long weekend, which is usually a pretty big party weekend!
Heat! If youre on the fence, go for it...you wont regret it!
You just need to run faster than your co-traveller.
However if you want mountains, fantastic scenery, wonderful people, fabulous food, whale watching AND you want it on a seriously cheap budget, then take some kindly advice and go to South Africa instead. And they drive on the proper side of the road!!
Anyway I confess I didn't actually do the driving, I was navigating - badly!!! I did sit in the car, once - but I've never driven an automatic either!
We have had some of our best holidays in Canada (7 so far), our best 2-3 weeks was spent driving from Vancouver to Calgary via Whistler, Salmon Arm and Jasper.
Heat for bringing back the memories! :smiley:
- the train through The Rockies. The guide just wouldn't shut up! Two days of non-stop babble over the tannoy that you couldn't escape from. Torture.
- the weather. We went in June. It was miserable and damp. Everywhere. Stay by the lakes (eg Lake Moraine) and everything feels even more damp. If I want damp, I can get it at home.
- the scenery and wildlife. Great if you like pine trees and more pines trees and even more pine trees as far as the eye can see. Birds? No sorry. Birds are off the agenda. Little black specs that disappear (up into the aforementioned pine trees) by the time you get closer. Oh yes. That was a black bear. We did see a few goats. You do see elk but only in the towns.
- Calgary. Save yourself a fortune and spend a wet weekend in Canary Wharf. Same thing.
- Food. 'Hi!! My name is Don!!! I'm your server for the day!!! Yes it's 6:45am and you're miserable and the weather's miserable but hey!!!! Let's all be happy together!!!'. It's such a shame that machine-gunning Don the Server is judged a criminal offence in Canada. Oh, the food itself is expensive, over-hyped (eg 'Praire Greens is rubbish salad drowned in dressing) and generally naff.
I could go on but you get the general picture...