FRIENDLY ADVICE FROM TOM PRIESTLY ON

· Money

· “Seasons”

· Maps and local transport

· Travel to and from Banff

· Car hire

· Banff weather

· Viewing, being active, & dining

MONEY

As of early October 2007, the US $ and the Canadian $ have equal value: I make no forecasts for May 2008. Both Canadian and U.S. currencies will be accepted throughout Alberta (and elsewhere in Canada).

In all of Canada there is a tax named the G.S.T. (Goods and Services Tax), a 6% tax applied to all goods and services. This tax will be added to your bus fare and your accommodation charges, also to bills in restaurants; but it will not be added to groceries, for example.

However, this is a tax directed at Canadian residents only. Non-Canadians visiting Canada can apply for refunds of the G.S.T. they pay while here: see http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/nonresidents/visitors/individuals/menu-e.html and click on “Who can apply”, “What can you claim”, and the other questions for which you want answers; and you can download the necessary form also.

Hotels and other tourist accommodations in Banff will also add a 2% “Tourism Improvement Fee” and a 4% “Tourism Levy”. These taxes are cumulative: so, e.g., a hotel room with a base rate of $100 per night will end up costing $100 + 2% = 102% + 4% = $106 + 6% = $112. (I have omitted the cents). Note, therefore, whether hotel rooms and so on are quoted with or without taxes.

“SEASONS”

Most Banff hotels and lodges and even bed-and-breakfasts have different charges depending on the “season”. The “Highest” seasons are around Christmas and New Year’s Day; “High” are also the months when skiing is possible, and the holiday months of the summer. The remainder of the year are usually labeled “Off” or “Low” season, but some places have intermediate rates also. And, unfortunately, there is no general agreement as to the precise dates! Late April/ early May is normally one of the least expensive times to visit Banff, but if you are checking rates on the internet, be careful that you choose the one appropriate for the season.

(Europeans: note that virtually all tourist services in Canada, including hotels, use the U.S. system of showing dates numerically: month/day/year. This is not always the case; some use the [more logical] British system: day/month/year. A comparison of rates for different seasons will serve as a check.)

MAPS & LOCAL TRANSPORT

If your favourite internet map provider (MSN, Multimap, MapQuest, etc.) is not helpful enough, try

http://www.banff.ca/visiting-banff/maps-directions.htm This provides an interactive map if you hire a car in Calgary to drive to Banff

· using the page “maps for visitors”:

o attractions and accommodations (not very good for hotels!)

o bed-and-breakfast places (good!)

o restaurants

o walking trails

· using the page “getting around”:

o a public transport download page: schedules, map, fares

The Banff Public Transport system will be especially useful (a) if you choose inexpensive accommodations rather far from the Banff Park Lodge, (b) if you wish to try the Banff Gondola or the Banff Hot Springs. It will NOT get you to Canmore and back: for this, use the Calgary-Banff buses (see “TRAVEL”).

TRAVEL TO AND FROM BANFF

Those traveling by air, which will be almost everybody, should fly to Calgary [International] Airport and transfer to ground transportation. The trip to Banff takes between 2 and 3 hours, depending on the “season” and on specific factors such as the weather and the number of passengers to be dropped off / picked up en route.

To arrive in Banff in the morning of May 1 in time for registration and the official opening, you will have to get to Calgary and (if it is your first Canadian landing) through Customs, and collect your baggage and find your bus, all by about 0900. It will be less rushed, but of course more expensive, to arrive some time on April 30.

(You may wish to consider arriving Calgary April 30, staying overnight somewhere in the city, and taking the bus to Banff early on May 1). See http://calgary.foundlocally.com/Trans/Trans-Buses.htm for the easiest and the least expensive ways of getting to downtown Calgary, and the Greyhound terminal (if that is what you choose), from the airport.

Whichever bus service you select, book both ways in advance!

Here are three options for buses to Banff (there may be more: the web-site http://calgary.foundlocally.com/Trans/Trans-Buses.htm mentions “Sky Link” which may be only temporarily defunct)

(A) GREYHOUND

The Greyhound Bus company has 5 buses daily each way, at a fare of $47.50 one-way, BUT they depart / arrive Calgary ONLY at their downtown location; the cost of getting to this building from the airport will add on anything from $2.50 to $15 (or, by taxi, very much more) and many minutes. For Greyhound schedules and fares, see http://www.greyhound.ca/scripts/en/TicketCenter/step1.asp

and type in ‘Calgary’ and ‘Banff’ and select the dates required. Often Greyhound offers very good discounts for bookings made a long time in advance!

(B) BANFF AIRPORTER

Ten buses from Calgary Airport to Banff and back every day; $50 one-way. See http://www.banffairporter.com/index.php.

This is the best known and oldest service: two buses daily from Calgary Airport to Banff and back in the “winter” season and four in the “summer” season, at a $50 fare; note particularly that the change-over between the two “seasons” is April 30/May 1! See

http://www.sightseeingtourscanada.ca/airporter.aspx.

Notes

1. In Banff, the Greyhound terminal is about one block from the Banff Park Lodge. Brewster’s and the Banff Airporter set down and pick up at the Banff Park lodge and at several other hotels.

2. I recommend the Banff Airporter FAQ web-page http://www.banffairporter.com/faq.php#2

even if you are going to choose to travel by Greyhound or by Brewster’s; it answers the question “How long should I allow to get through customs and collect my baggage?”, and many others.

CAR HIRE

For some of the car hire companies operating in Banff, see

http://www.travel-library.com/carrental/north_america/canada/alberta/banff/

(there are others); for Calgary, see

http://www.travel-library.com/carrental/north_america/canada/alberta/calgary/

(there are many others).

BANFF WEATHER

Going on the experience of the past five years, you can expect cool nights (temperatures just below freezing) and variable days – warmer, but not very warm. It may well rain or snow, but it is unlikely to amount to much.

Weather (in metric measurements*) in Banff AB in the last five years, on the two days May 1 and May 4:

		Maximum degrees C	Minimum degrees C	Rain equivalent** mm
2003	May 1	14	4	0
	May 4	0	-3	2
2004	May 1	20	-3	0
	May 4	13	4	2
2005	May 1	7	-4	0
	May 4	15	-3	0
2006	May 1	6	-2	0
	May 4	16	-4	0
2007	May 1	10	-1	0
	May 4	2	0	3

*if you are ‘metrically challenged’ use http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/conversions.html

**”rain equivalent” is the amount of precipitation falling as rain. The rain-to-snow ratio depends on various physical factors but, as a rough guide, you can multiply by 10; so the precipitation on 4 May 2007 was 3 mm (0.1 inches) if it all fell as rain, and was 30 mm (1 inch) if it all fell as snow and did not melt. On 4 May 2007 it would not have melted very fast; but, given the average day-time highs, it is unusual for snow to lie long on the ground in early May – in Banff townsite, at least. All the mountains will still have snow on them: let us hope we have clear weather so that they can be seen.

You may therefore expect to find snow on the ground at the top of Sulphur Mountain if you decide to ride up on the Banff Gondola. Skiing may not be available, however, unless the spring is unusually cool (See Viewing & being active).

Statistics for the last 30 years for whole months for Banff:

April	May
average high + 9 C	average high + 14 C
average low -2 C	average low +2 C
total rain 11 mm	total rain 42 mm
total snow 26 cm	total snow 11 cm
number of days with 5 cm snow or more: 2	number of days with 5 cm snow or more: 2

Shortly before you leave home, you can get a forecast for the week ahead in Banff at

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/ab-49_metric_e.html

(and you can click on ‘Imperial’ if you cannot stand, or understand, metric).

If you plan to hire a car at Calgary, this link will give you the highway conditions between Calgary and Banff:

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/hwyfx/ab/caab0103

Click on the “1” to the left of Calgary on the map and follow instructions.

VIEWING, BEING ACTIVE, & DINING

Skiing? In the immediate area – not very likely. The closest Banff operation, on Mount Norquay, closed down for the season on April 16, 2007, so it will probably be out of action by BSS XVI time. There is however a possibility that there may still be skiing at Lake Louise (57 km / 35 miles away). See

http://www.discoverbanff.com/ToursActivitiesAdventures/SkiHillsResorts/#96.

Sulphur Mountain has a gondola ride to its summit, where there is a restaurant (and if you are lucky with the weather, spectacular views): see

http://www.banffgondola.com/highlights.asp

http://www.banff.ca/activities-events/year-round/gondolas.htm

Close to the location of the gondola up Sulphur Mountain is the Banff Upper Hot Springs, open year-round: outdoor hot pool, café, etcetera. Strongly recommended! See

http://www.discoverbanff.com/SightsAttractions/HotSprings/

http://www.banff.ca/activities-events/year-round/hot-springs.htm

For viewing wildlife, you will need to hire a car: for the best drives see

http://www.banff.ca/activities-events/year-round/wildlife-nature.htm

Other noteworthy sights and activities: see

http://www.discoverbanff.com/SightsAttractions/

http://www.banff.ca/activities-events.htm

If you plan to take advantage of your visit to the Canadian Rockies and travel further, both the short trip to Lake Louise and the longer trip to Jasper can be done using (for example) the Brewster ‘shuttle’ bus (as well as the Brewster and other companies’ sightseeing tour buses). However, note that the Brewster bus along the road to Jasper – the “Icefields Parkway” – does not go in the “winter” season, i.e., not before May 1.

RESTAURANTS

For a selection of 23 restaurants with menus but without prices, from the reliable-and-good-value “Earls” to the very expensive, see www.dininginbanff.com.

There are many more, both more and less expensive than those listed on this web-page.

The site http://www.rockymountainroomservice.com/ has menus for 11 restaurants in Banff and the vicinity (including the “Balkan”.)

Banff’s one good vegetarian restaurant moved to Canmore (26 km / 16 miles from Banff) a couple of years ago: see http://www.sunfoodcafe.com/