Calgary 3-Hour Sightseeing Bus Tour

Downtown Calgary and the Calgary Tower

The tour begins at the base of the Calgary Tower, the 191-metre landmark that has marked the centre of Calgary since 1968. Around it stands the dense downtown core of glass office towers built on the oil and gas industry, linked by the Plus 15 network of enclosed walkways that let people cross the city centre in winter without stepping outside. Our guide points out the Stephen Avenue pedestrian street with its sandstone buildings from the early 1900s, the Glenbow area and the shopping districts before the bus turns towards the river.

Many visitors ask what to do in Calgary with only a few hours; a Calgary sightseeing tour like this one answers the question by covering the whole city in an afternoon. Admission to the Calgary Tower observation deck is not included, but it is right at the meeting point, so you can go up before or after the tour to see the Rockies on the horizon.

City Hall, Olympic Plaza, East Village and Studio Bell

A few blocks east of the tower the bus passes the sandstone Old City Hall of 1911 with its clock tower, standing beside the modern glass municipal building, and Olympic Plaza, the square built for the medal ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympics and used today for festivals and winter skating. Beyond it begins East Village, the once-neglected riverside district that has been rebuilt with the Central Library, riverside paths and Studio Bell, the striking copper-coloured building of the National Music Centre.

The guide explains how this part of Calgary grew from the original Fort Calgary site at the meeting of the Bow and Elbow rivers, where the North-West Mounted Police set up a post in 1875. From the bus you also see the Peace Bridge, the red tubular pedestrian bridge over the Bow River that has become a symbol of the city, and the edge of Chinatown with its Chinese Cultural Centre.

Stampede Park and the story of the Calgary Stampede

South of downtown lies Stampede Park, the grounds of the Calgary Stampede, the ten-day rodeo and exhibition held every July since 1912 that gives Calgary its nickname of Cowtown. The bus drives past the grandstand, the Saddledome arena with its saddle-shaped roof, built for the 1988 Olympics and still used for ice hockey, and the exhibition halls that host trade shows and concerts through the year. Our guide tells how chuckwagon races, rodeo events and the whole city dressing in western wear turned a ranching fair into a world-famous festival.

If you visit during Stampede week you will see the park in full swing; at other times the drive-by shows the scale of the grounds and the convention centre. Visitors planning a Calgary Stampede trip often take this city tour first to understand how the event fits into the life of the city.

Heritage Park Historical Village

The second photo stop is at Heritage Park Historical Village on the shore of the Glenmore Reservoir in the south-west of the city. It is among the largest living-history museums in Canada, with more than a hundred restored buildings arranged as a fur-trading fort, an 1880s settlement, a prairie railway town of 1910 and a 1930s streetscape, complete with a steam train, a paddle-wheel boat and costumed interpreters in summer. The stop gives time for photos at the entrance plaza and the historic Gasoline Alley exhibit area.

Admission to Heritage Park is not part of this tour, so the stop is short, but it shows you where the park is and how to get there from downtown if you decide to return for a full visit. Heritage Park opening hours vary by season, with the historical village open from late spring to early autumn and the Gasoline Alley museum open year-round.

Canada Olympic Park and the 1988 Winter Olympics

On the western edge of Calgary, the bus climbs to Canada Olympic Park, the venue built for the ski jumping, bobsleigh and luge events of the 1988 Winter Olympics. The tall ski-jump towers still stand above the Trans-Canada Highway and are visible from most of the west side of the city, and the park now works as a year-round sports centre with a small ski hill, mountain-bike trails, a zip line and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. The third photo stop here gives a wide view back over the city and towards the foothills.

Our guide explains how the 1988 Games transformed Calgary with the Saddledome, the Olympic Oval speed-skating track and the light-rail line, and how the park's bobsleigh track is still used by athletes today. From this viewpoint the Rocky Mountains appear on the western horizon on a clear day.

Crescent Hill viewpoint over the Bow River

The first photo stop of the afternoon is at Crescent Heights, the bluff on the north bank of the Bow River that locals simply call Crescent Hill. From the lookout on Crescent Road the whole downtown skyline stands in a line across the river, with the Calgary Tower, the curved Bow tower and the office blocks reflected in the water in good light, and the Rockies behind them when the sky is clear. It is the most photographed Calgary viewpoint and the stop most guests remember from the tour.

The guide allows enough time for photos and a short walk along the path before the drive continues. Crescent Hill is also easy to reach on foot from downtown via the Centre Street Bridge with its concrete lions, so if you want to return for sunset you will know the way. In winter the view is just as clear, so dress warmly for the stop.