Wegan Travels Alberta, Canada: A Guide To The Cities (Calgary)

Travel guide to Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The very first place we touched down on Canadian soil was the fabulous city of Calgary in Alberta. It certainly did not disappoint with its friendly locals, eclectic cafe's restaurants and bars as well as a thriving downtown area.

Also, it's super convenient that you can fly direct from London to Calgary in one straight shot!

This trip is in partnership with Travel Alberta, and we were lucky to have a wonderful guide / driver/ amazing guy called Daniel with us.

C A L G A R Y

Where To Stay:

ALT Hotel:

We had the pleasure of staying at the new ALT Hotel, located in East village overlooking Bow River. We instantly loved the style of the hotel, modern, chic and eco. The beds were very comfortable and the staff were incredibly friendly, which are always a big bonus!

We loved these clocks which showed the time for different Provinces in Canada.

We've never received such a personalised welcome card. Tyler, from the hotel, had hand drawn our card and included the flags that are all so special to us; including the British flag, Hawaiian flag and American. He also had hand drawn the city skyline of Calgary including a super sweet message. It was very thoughtful and we very much appreciated it. (Oh & those pastries were DELICIOUS!)

Beautiful view from our room of the Bow River.

What To Do:

The Calgary Tower:

After we checked in to our hotel it was time to explore and the first stop was the Calgary Tower. It was stunning as we arrived just as the sun was setting. If you are afraid of heights, then this may be tricky as it's 191 metres above the downtown core. It is still definitely worth visiting as you get subliminal 360 degree views of the bustling city and the gorgeous rocky mountains. It's a win/win!

We have to admit, standing on this was rather exhilarating! Would you lovelies do it?

We absolutely love sunsets so this was a real treat to be able to witness such a beautiful sunset.

Walk around Bow River

Just opposite Alt Hotel / Citizen Bakery is The River Walk in East Village, which makes for a lovely walk. We had some photo's on this gorgeous bridge but couldn't stay out too long as it was so cold (-25 degrees celsius) and Megan's eyelashes were sticking together!

Daniel was quick at learning! Look at him go!

The Calgary Public Library:

Located in the East Village is the new Public Library. The architecture itself is worth going to see and not only are there books (as you'd expect) but it also includes recording studios. How cool is that?

Explore Inglewood:

We explored local stores located in Inglewood. The first one we popped into was The Livery, opened by CotuKitsch and clothing brand Camp Brand Goods. We could have easily bought everything as it was all so cute. Plus, how adorbs is the outside?!

We also had a mooch around the plant shop, aptly called plant! We love succulents and air plants so this was a great find for us, if only we could take it all back. They also offer workshops.

Studio Bell - National Music Centre

We went on a backstage Pass Tour at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre. This included a behind-the-scenes look at all the instruments on site and the history behind them, including the the legendary Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. We didn't get a chance but we hear that you can find one of Elton John's piano's there!

Ollia Macarons and Tea:

We had a wonderful time visiting Ollia Macarons and Tea where they are serving up some of the most delicious (& pretty) macarons we've ever tasted. Plus, they do the tastiest hot chocolate which is actually made from steeped chai tea and infused with delicious chocolate and of course a macaron for garnish. We met with Lindsay, one of the owners who runs it with her French husband. We got to decorate macrons and learn about the process. They run weekly macaron baking classes, which we're sure would be super fun!

Where To Eat:

Sidewalk Citizen:

We popped across the street from our hotel to Sidewalk Citizen and first grabbed a very rich and flavourful coffee from Phil & Sebastian's (located in the same building, as you first walk in). Local coffee was a trend we found to be throughout Alberta, which we loved. For breakfast we both had an egg sandwich on a brioche bun with avocado and my goodness it was divine! We followed breakfast with a stroll around The River Walkway.

Attached to the library is Luke's, where we stopped for white chocolate matcha lattes and they were SO delicious!

Rosso's:

Located at the National Music Centre, we stopped for lunch after our tour at Studio Bell and had yet another super delicious coffee at Rosso's with honey in it to sweeten it. Highly recommend! We both opted for soup to warm us up on a cold day and shared a super tasty salad.

Bridgette:

Our first meal in Canada was at Bridgette and it set the bar high. We started with their eggplant fries and garlic bread with cheese curd. We had never had such great garlic bread! Megan also loved their roasted new potatoes (with Romesco, Labneh, Almonds, Scallion) and Whitney enjoyed their Maple BBQ Alberta Rainbow Trout (with Creamed Kale, Smoked Potato). Of course accompanied with local beers to wash it all down.

The Coup:

The Coup is an ethical vegetarian restaurant with local and organic food and beverages. Their also menu adjusts seasonally. You get a welcome shot with your food - not alcoholic but of vinegar to cleanse your organs. For drinks we tried out their rise hibiscus rose hip kombucha, as well as the cocktail version, a 'kombucha gimlet'. We had their tandoori cauliflower wings, which were ah-mazing! We were wowed by their 'woodlands' dessert - a maple graham cake layered with salted dark chocolate ganache, toasted house marshmallow, cherry bark smoked walnuts, birch maple caramel sap, accompanied by a mini balsam fir camp fire!

Then it was time to hit the road towards the mountains. This Yukon XL Denali was our ride for the week, which was perfect as it held all our luggage perfectly and was so spacious as well.