Stop right here if you’re looking for things to do in Banff in winter — especially if you’re in the throes of making Banff itineraries for your trip or someone else’s (I see you, Type A sandwich generation folks, making sure your parents are taken care of on their travels!). I’ve got the seven must-do things to add to any Banff itinerary, whether you think you’re a fan of winter or not.

If you’re not a winter sports fan, you might poo-poo the idea of a winter vacation in Canada. But, please, don’t make that decision while trudging through the cold and slush in your concrete jungle or suburban subdivision. Winter experiences aren’t created equally across this country, and Banff is one of the most beautiful spots from coast-to-coast-to-coast to embrace Old Man Winter.

Add these 7 things to your Banff itineraries

There’s a reason that photos of Banff Avenue are among the most stolen online; it’s one of the most beautiful “downtowns” I’ve seen with my own eyes. One street of shops, restaurants and hotels lined with tall street lamps and mountains staring at your from every direction:

It’s not especially robust — you can wander the entire core in an hour or two — but it’s filled to the brim with shockingly good restaurants and boasts an excellent, affordable public transit system to help get you to nearby highlights. There’s also free round-trip transportation available at several stops in downtown Banff if you’re heading to the slopes at Mt. Norquay, Banff Sunshine Village or Lake Louise Ski Resort.

One thing’s for sure: as you walk down Banff Avenue toward Cascade Mountain and its towering peaks that feel almost within reach, you’ll wonder if a Hallmark movie crew is following along. It’s that quaint. That picture perfect.

7 things for even the most discerning Banff itineraries

It’s go time. Here are the seven things you need to add to all of your Banff itineraries:

1. Riding the Banff Gondola.

We’ve been on quite a few gondola rides. From Big White Ski Resort to Jay Peak Resort, it’s also one of the activities in Mont-Tremblant that I even recommend to those who aren’t skiing or boarding. Surrounded by floor to ceiling plexiglass, your ride heads up Sulphur Mountain from the Bow Valley. On a clear day, you’ll see six mountain ranges as the gondola takes you up 2,292 feet to the 7,486-foot summit.

If you’re staying at The Rimrock hotel nearby, you can walk to the gondola base in seven minutes; however, if you’re staying at most of the other Banff hotels, you’ll want to hop on the ROAM bus — Banff’s easy-to-use, affordable bus. It’s only $2 per adult, $1 per youth (13-17) and free for kids 12 and under. There are a few different routes, so be sure to use the ROAM Transit trip planner if you need help.

A word, though. Look…I enjoy a scenic gondola ride — and you will, too. But you need to know going into your eight-minute Banff Gondola experience that it’s a small enclosure for four people maximum; it’s a far cry from the huge pods on the PEAK2PEAK gondola you’ll ride while skiing in Whistler and feels exceptionally compact even compared to the eight-person gondolas we barrel into at any given ski resort. If you’re travelling with bigger people, like my husband and son, you might want to break up your family and go two by two in separate gondolas (which is exactly what we did on the way back down) — because if the bigger people squirm or shift around, the whole gondola shifts with them and it was, frankly, pretty jarring. And I am not easily jarred.

PRO TIP: from November through March 31 each year, your Banff Gondola ticket includes Nightrise — an immersive light and sound experience from The Moment Factory. (I’ve written about these before here and here.) Time your visit so the sun sets while you’re at the top of the mountain, because you don’t want to miss this multisensory, indoor/outdoor installation. It’s hard to adequately describe a Moment Factory experience, because they must be seen and felt to really understand the magic. You’ll feel more deeply connected to nature and the universe — and you’ll see the spaces around you with childlike wonder. Get a glimpse of our Nightrise experience here.

2. Walking the Sulphur Mountain boardwalk.

Whether you hike up Sulphur Mountain or take the fastest route — by gondola — Banff itineraries are not complete without a walk along the boardwalk that leads from the gondola’s Summit Building to Sanson’s Peak. It’s about a kilometre long and you’ll gain another 82 feet of elevation as you walk up towards the peak, including 367 steps!

The views are impossible to share in photos alone, but here’s a small taste:

Keep in mind that you’ll want to wear layers because it can be as much as 10 to 15 degrees cooler between the base of Sulphur Mountain and the Summit Building — and the gondolas aren’t heated. We were so glad someone warned us or we might not have taken hats, mitts and an extra layer since it was a beautiful, mild winter day when we visited — but it sure was chilly on the way up and on the boardwalk.

3. Watching the sun set over the mountains during dinner.

I’ve had some great dinners in my lifetime and I’ve watched some epic sunsets, but I can’t say I’ve ever watched the sun dip down behind mountains with such a perfect view from my dinner table before dining at Sky Bistro.

We took the 6 p.m. Banff Gondola ride, then walked to and from Sanson’s Peak until about 6:50 p.m. before a 7 p.m. reservation at Sky Bistro — just in time to order drinks and apps before the sun turned into a horizontal shard of hot pink and was engulfed in the mountain greys. By dessert, we were surrounded by absolute darkness.

I was a bit worried that the food would be a tourist trap, but — like the rest of the restaurants we tried in Banff — it surprised me in the best way possible. Everything was memorable, from the décor to the service and especially the food. Reservations are only available 30 days in advance, and I do recommend them because just about every table was filled from the moment we arrived until we left. There is a nice option called the Sky Experience, which includes your gondola ticket and either a two-course lunch or a three-course dinner from $105 per guest — and the set menu does include many of our favourites.

No matter your approach, I suggest trying the Smoked Old Fashioned and Blood Moon cocktails, bison tartare, duck wings, the beef short rib (ask for the potato gratin that comes with the bison entrée — OMG, so yum!) and the apple tart dessert. Skip the house bread unless they promise you the boule will be drenched in herbed butter (we found it too sparse).

4. Visiting the Fairmont Banff Springs.

Even if you’re not staying at the Fairmont Banff Springs — or dining there — it’s worth a visit to Canada’s “Castle in the Rockies.” The hotel has been welcoming guests since 1888 and you’ll feel like royalty pulling up to the signature Fairmont architecture with snow-dusted evergreens greeting you along the way.

We’ve had the pleasure at staying at a number of Fairmont properties (like the Fairmont Tremblant, Ottawa’s Chateau Laurier and Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver) and they always feel grand, but there’s something extra about the Banff Springs. One fun way to experience it would be to do High Tea there, like we did at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, which I wrote about in this Things to do on Vancouver Island post.

5. Skiing in Banff National Park at Sunshine Village.

I have a standalone blog post dedicated solely to Banff Sunshine Village, because the place is pretty awesome if skiing or snowboarding is part of your plan. I’m still processing our week there, sorting through the hundreds of photos I took and organizing all of my thoughts so I can write a really useful post to help people plan a ski trip in Banff National Park. For those of you planning Banff itineraries who already live in mountainous terrain, you might be used to arriving at a ski resort that starts at 7,000 feet above sea level — but for we lowly Ontarians, that in and of itself is such a cool reason to ski at Sunshine Village!

Check out my Instagram Reel to see what it’s like to head up the gondola from the parking lot. From here, you can ski three different mountains, go up a chair lift with heated seats and a wind cover, ski down a 15km run, enjoy a free mountain tour with the onsite SnowHosts, and enjoy whooshing between mountain peaks and wide-open meadows covered in up to 30 feet of bountiful snow.

Need a ski trip packing checklist? Now you have a printable one!

6. Exploring Banff Avenue.

Like I mentioned, it won’t take long to wander up one side of Banff Avenue and then down the other if you’re not stopping to shop or eat along the way. It’s only a few blocks long and even with a few side streets that are also worthy of exploration, it’s a tidy little downtown area that you can easily check off any Banff itinerary in a single afternoon.

There are more souvenir shops than nearly anything else and there’s even a year-round Christmas store! The best shops, in my opinion, are the local Roots, where you can get really nice Banff-branded Roots apparel that’s better quality than the hoodies you’ll find at seven or eight other spots around town; The North Face store, which is really well-stocked and had a strong sale section during our visit; Patagonia, which makes some of the best, most long-lasting and warranty-protected gear on the planet; and the Banff Sweet Shop, with its hard-to-miss pink cruiser bike out front. (Seriously one of the most awesome candy stores ever.)

7. Eating All The Things.

Just when you think you’re going to be trapped in a typical tourist town filled with mostly unremarkable restaurants, get ready to be blown away and spoiled for choice in Banff. Holy smokes! It’s impossible to pick the best dining in Banff when everything we ate along Banff Avenue and up on Sulphur Mountain was so noteworthy. I definitely need to go back just to blow out this entire section, because — with only two days to stuff ourselves silly — we hardly scratched the surface. In addition to Sky Bistro, noted above, I can also confidently recommend:

• Bear Street Tavern — looking for something where every member of your group will find a menu item to love? And where the craft beer flows freely? This is the place. Just one caution: the pizzas are BIG. We ordered one each and absolutely did not need to, especially since we added the mac ‘n cheese (our kids preferred this one to the one at Brazen, below, BTW) and Caesar salad — both of which were family-sized. Big B tried three different beers and said they were all fantastic, especially the “Last Best ‘Tokyo Drift’ Hazy IPA” from Calgary. Of the four pizzas we tried — all of which won rave reviews from my entire family — my personal favourite was Viva La Pizza, topped with chorizo, red peppers, caramelized onions, goat cheese, ooey-gooey mozzarella and a really nice chipotle aioli

• Brazen — this sharing plate-style restaurant is warm, earthy and come-as-you-are with an elevated menu. The pork belly is as good as it gets, and the smoked beef tartare, unveiled table-side, is a warm-up act for the ginger beef, which has a fiery presentation worthy of filming (and tastes even better than it looks). For the ultimate in comfort food, the French onion mac ‘n cheese was out of this world; Big B and I agreed that it’s the best take on mac ‘n cheese we’ve ever had, bar none. Add the chipotle carrots and fried artichokes to round out your meal; both are mouthwatering. The kids’ menu was just OK here. Overall, we thought the prices were excellent for the quality of food and the location. And I’m just going to need a moment to pay homage to the Bootlegger Negroni, with its house-made orange and chili syrup — so incredible, I sinfully ordered a second

• Farm + Fire — breakfast or brunch, you decide. Just make sure it’s here. Normally I’m an avo-toast kind of gal, so we ordered that (especially with the promise of sundried tomatoes on it) but I have to say, while it was really lovely, the bison Benny with its hint of haskap compote hit so many high notes I’m still singing its praises weeks later! Wow, what a dish with texture and flavour in all the right places. Plus, it was great to have a kids’ menu for Miss Q who still eats like a bird. Trust me when I tell you to order a side of the tater tots for the table

• Good Earth Coffeehouse — I had no idea this was a Canadian coffeehouse chain until I went to find the link for you! I don’t normally like to point readers in the direction of chains because either (a) they’re nothing special or (b) you can find one at home, and the point of travelling is to try new things. However, I’m keeping it in here because not only was it conveniently located inside our hotel with windows that allowed us to watch for our airport shuttle, but it also had really healthy takes on bakery staples like muffins (think coconut-beet) and a small all-season patio with unmissable red Muskoka chairs

I also have it on very good authority that The Grizzly House is a must for its fondue and raclette, and I’ll be adding that one to our future Banff itineraries for sure!

PRO TIP: Oh, yes…speaking of airport shuttles — if you’re looking for a way to get to and from Banff from the Calgary airport, the Brewster Express is just the ticket. We found the schedule fit our flight times well, the direct-to-hotel service super helpful and our drivers in both directions were fantastic. Our kids would tell you the best part was the free onboard Wi-Fi and charging ports for every seat. There’s even a washroom onboard! Yes, it came with a $458 roundtrip price tag for our family of four, but that sure beat the $1,400+ sticker shock I got while searching for rental cars to get us between Calgary and Banff during our nine-day visit!

Affordable accommodations in Banff

If your Banff itineraries are still in flux and you’re looking for great lodging in Banff, I can vouch for both of these properties:

Mount Royal Hotel

Starting at $209/night*, Mount Royal is in the heart of downtown Banff. Across from the local wine shop and boasting two stunning rooftop hot tubs and some rooms with mountain views, it’s hard to beat the location of this hotel. It also has a really intimate lobby with a roaring fireplace and handsome sofas. The two drink tickets to at check-in (to use at Brazen) were a nice touch.

There are a few adjoining rooms, but they go fast, so if you absolutely must have one — reserve well ahead of your stay.

Elk + Avenue Hotel for budget-friendly Banff itineraries

If you’ve never been to Banff and you’re looking at a map to guide your hotel stay, you might think the Elk + Avenue is outside of the downtown core, but the town is so tiny and walkable that we’re really talking about two extra blocks on foot. And with rooms starting at $185/night*, it’s worth shortlisting. The rooms have Nespresso machines, people!

There are a number of really nice lounge areas throughout the main floor of this property, where you could relax with a good book or designate as a meeting point if you’re travelling with a larger group and want to avoid cluttering up the lobby. Across the road from the IGA if you need cheap snacks and bottled water, this property is also a mere one-minute walk to the Banff Sunshine Express shuttle and a ROAM bus stop.

The only thing I want to point out is that while there are lots of pillows on the bed, which are quite comfortable, they’re very small and sort of square-shaped instead of long rectangles. It was hard for me to re-create the Pillow Kingdom I need to feel like home.

If you’d rather stay in something ski-in/ski-out, there’s only one option and it comes with premium pricing: Sunshine Mountain Lodge.

Watch this space for Banff ski content, coming soon! Until then, I hope this helps round out your Banff itineraries with great places to eat, sleep and play. I know you’ll fall in love with this winter wonderland.

 

DISCLAIMERS: *For a Saturday night stay in a room with two queen beds this April for two adults, before taxes — calculated on April 2/24 specifically for this Banff itineraries post. The Pursuit Collection hosted us during our stay in Banff with additional support provided by BanffLakeLouise.com; neither reviewed or approved any of my content — all opinions and suggestions are my own.