8 Day Breathtaking Itinerary to Canada

This trip highlights amazing attractions in Eastern & Western Canada. Starting with a helicopter ride over Niagara Falls to climbing the Big Beehive and ending the trip in the heart of Calgary.

Planning:

Canada is huge and took a little bit of time and planning to figure out exactly where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. Me and my boyfriend both have summer birthdays and we both were celebrating 25 this year so this trip was something special.

Here are some tips when planning a trip to Canada, these tips can also be used when planning a trip to a large country and want to narrow down the details!

Tips:

Write out the concrete details first

I knew I wanted to take this trip in the summer, I had a few places that were a must visit, and a budget I wanted to work with.

Once you have a few set details, start filling in spaces around it

I knew I want to go in the summer, Well which month? Which week?

Lake Louise was one of those must visits for me and could still be thawing in June. That narrowed down the months to July and August.

Comparison shop modes of transportation, hotels and activities

Specifically with this trip, I found it was cheaper to book directly through hotels websites rather than Expedia or through my Chase Sapphire card which I would normally do. With booking directly with hotels there were deals such as book three nights and save 20%. Ultimately helping me save the most.

Would you rather save time or money?

This trip involves a lot of moving parts and especially when booking modes of transportation. The biggest decisions are ultimately do you want to save money and take longer to get there, or get there by fastest means but pay a little extra.

Book bulk of the trip before hand

Ideally I like to book the foundation for the trip before hand including transportation. It makes the trip go smoother having a bus outside the airport rather then trying to google things last minute. I also like booking before so a large portion of the trip is already paid for and the rest spent just be food, Ubers and shopping.

Day 1 Saturday: Niagara Falls

Hotel: Embassy Suites by Hilton Niagara Falls Fallsview I booked on the hotels website with their helicopter package.

We took a flight out of Philadelphia and landed in Toronto around 10am. I booked a rental car to take to Toronto, another option could have been taking a Mega Bus but it just took longer to get there and we really only had 24 hours in Niagara. We got to the hotel and got our key earlier and the tickets for the helicopter and headed right there.

The rental car came in handy when going to the helicopter because it was about a 15 minute drive away and I was under the impression there was a shuttle or bus that the hotel provides but the front desk guy seemed unsure. We waited in line for less than 30 minutes and the ride was amazing! You are in the helicopter with others but we got to sit in the front with the pilot so it felt like a personal ride.

After the helicopter, we went up to the room. One of the best hotel room views! It was a little bit of a splurge but WORTH IT! Next we went down to the falls, something that came by surprise was we couldn’t walk directly down to the falls from the hotel. You have to pay to take a lift that takes you down. So keep that in mind. The falls were breathtaking!

Our hotel gave us a bunch of coupons for restaurants in the area, but when driving in Tacos N Tequila caught my eye so we had to go there for dinner and it did not disappoint. Home of the 45 oz margarita.

Day 2 Sunday: Walking tour through Toronto

Hotel: Chelsea Hotel

After returning the rental car to the airport, we took the train to Union Station which took about 25 minutes. Then walked to a breakfast spot on the way to the hotel. Spent the day doing a (self-made) walking tour through Toronto’s Chinatown, Kensington Market, and Downtown Toronto. Enjoyed dinner and drinks at Warehouse Younge Street.

Day 3 Monday: A rainy day in Toronto

My original plan was to go kayaking on Centre Island, but it was raining. Instead we explored the Old Toronto area, went shopping on Younge Street and happy hour dinner and drinks at Craft Beer Market Toronto. Tip: Anytime things don’t go as planned due to weather, shopping is always fun and mostly inside!

Banff

Day 4 Tuesday: Explore downtown Banff:

Fox hotel and suites: This hotel was in the perfect location of downtown Banff. The staff was very helpful with advice for trails and getting around the national park. They also gave us free tickets for the local bus route.

We had a 9 am flight from Toronto and arrived in Calgary around 11:30am. We took the Brewster express on the way from Calgary to Banff- they picked us up right outside the airport. If you had any questions they had a customer service desk right before exiting which was helpful. We arrived in Banff early afternoon. We went grocery shopping for the hike the next morning, and then explored downtown Banff.

The weather shifted from Toronto to chilly evenings and warm afternoons. I was happy I packed layers especially sweatshirts for the mornings.

Day 5 Wednesday: Hike Sulphur Mountain Trail/Relax at the Upper Hot Springs

I changed my mind last minute from wanting to do Johnston Canyon trail. I checked the all trails app and there was a partial closure notice – the trail from lower to upper falls was temporarily inaccessible. With that being said I chose the Sulphur Mountain trail and it did not disappoint. You can do this a few different ways, some may hike up the mountain and take the gondola down, you could hike up and back down (what I did) or if you didn’t even want to hike you can ride the gondola up and down.

The hotel gave us those free local passes, we got the time table from our hotel and waited at the bus stop out front. Took route 1 and then we got off at the last stop, but you can get off second to last as well. I timed us from the start – gondola parking lot to the top of the mountain and back down. The best treats and views were available at the top.

Start: 10:50 – Top: 12:45

Left the top: 1:38 – Finish 3:10

After the hike which was by far easier to go down then up, we headed to the upper hot springs. It was about 18.50 CAD for the two of us and its recommended to limit your visit to 30-60 minutes. It was pretty hectic and packed when we went so we stayed about 45 minutes total. Just long enough to relax after that hike. We had the perfect post hike dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory with an amazing window view. The French onion soup and Fettuccine Alfredo were my favorites, the meal came with ice cream too!

Day 6 Thursday: Lake Louise, The Big Beehive and Everything in Between

To get to Lake Louise from Downtown Banff:

From: Banff High School Transit Hub
To: Lake Louise Lakeshore
Bus: Roam Transit

I booked the 8X – Banff to Lake Louise route tickets in advance because the buses got filled up quickly and it’s reservations first then they start taking walk-ons. You get picked up at Banff High School Transit Hub and you get dropped off at Lake Louise Lakeshore. Its a short – 3 min – walk to Lake Louise.

There are a few stops on the way to the Big Beehive:

Lake Louise
Mirror Lake
Waterfall Under Lake Agnes Teahouse
Lake Agnes Teahouse
Big Beehive

If you make it to the teahouse and you are physically able, you might as well head up to the Big Beehive. The switchbacks are quick and they don’t last too long before you are at the top. The views make everything worth it. It’s crazy looking down and seeing how far you’ve come, but from the bottom imagining getting to the top is seems even crazier!

Day 7 Friday: Last day in Banff/Exploring Calgary

Plans got a little derailed. We missed our bus back to Calgary from Banff. I really wanted to see the Peace bridge but we didn’t get there until 5 and there was just not enough time. The on it bus dropped us off at a prime location. Our flight was a little past Midnight so we had a few hours in Calgary.

There was a strip of restaurants and bars around the corner from the tour. Since we arrived around 5pm, it was happy hour everywhere!