For my brother’s 26th birthday in July we spent 3 full days exploring Alberta, Canada! It was a short trip but we were able to do SO much & I’m giving you all the details of our time :)

When first planning this trip we were looking at different destinations in the US but once we saw that flights to Calgary were the cheapest option our decision was made! Banff has been on my bucket-list for a while and my brother (who loves the mountains) had never seen the Rockies so we quickly booked our $260 round-trip flights!

TLDR Itinerary:

DAY 1 - Monday:

Arrive in Calgary at 10pm
Stayed in Cochrane AirBNB

DAY 2 - Tuesday:

Morning in downtown Cochrane
Brunch at Bison Food & Drink
Shop at: Found Bookstore, Cochrane Coffee Traders & The Social Spot Marketplace
Start route on Icefields Parkway to Jasper
Stop at Mountain Blend Coffee Roasters in Canmore
Lunch at Farm & Fire in Banff
Finish Icefields Parkway drive to Jasper, check into the Tonquinn Inn
Scenic dinner on Pyramid Lake at Aalto & watch the sunset

DAY 3 - Wednesday:

Breakfast at Harvest in downtown Jasper
Walk around & explore downtown Jasper
Coffee at Snowdome Coffee Bar
Drive Maligne Lake Road to Medicine Lake & Maligne Lake
Swim in Lake Annette
Drive back to Banff, dinner at Añejo
Check into The Gateway Inn

DAY 4 - Thursday:

Day in Banff!
Walk along the Bow River trail & see the Fairmont Hotel
Lunch at Brazen
Take Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain
Appetizers at The Bison Restaurant
Drive to Calgary, check into AirBNB

DAY 5 - Friday:

Check out of AirBNB, return TURO Rental Car
Direct flight back to RDU :)

For more details, below is the day-by-day breakdown of all we did in Alberta!

Monday - arrive in Calgary

We had a late afternoon flight out of RDU, a quick layover in Chicago and we made landed in Calgary around 10pm. We picked up our TURO Rental Car, drove a quick 30 minutes to Cochrane and stayed in this AirBNB (10/10 would stay at this airbnb again!)

Tuesday - Explore Cochrane, Lunch in Banff & Drive to Jasper National Park

Our first morning in Canada had brunch at Bison Food & Drink in Cochrane (highly recommend!) then walked around First Street in downtown which is *so* cute. We walked into Found Bookstore & Coffee, Cochrane Coffee Traders and The Social Spot Marketplace.

Then we stopped in Canmore to visit Mountain Blend Coffee Roasters where I got the best London Fog in my life per recommendation of the barista :) Afterwards we made a quick drive to Whitemans Pond (photos below) for some scenic mountain views before starting our drive on the Icefields Parkway, headed to Jasper!

Along the Icefields Parkway there are tons of scenic overlooks and places to pull off for pictures. Which we did a lot of :) Once we made it to Banff we had a late lunch at Farm & Fire inside of the Elk + Avenue Hotel. It ended up being happy hour with 1/2 off salads and $12 pizza! Their food was amazing and I would definitely recommend planning a meal there!

Then we completed our drive on the Icefields Parkway to Jasper. This is one of the most scenic drives in North America, google describes it best haha “The Icefields Parkway is a scenic mountain highway (Highway 93) in the Canadian Rockies connecting Lake Louise and Jasper, known for its breathtaking views of glaciers, mountains, and valleys.”

pic: Waterfall overlook off Icefields Parkway

When we arrived in Jasper we checked into the Tonquinn Inn (that I booked through Priceline) then made our way to dinner at Aalto in the Pyramid Lake Lodge. I ordered the steak and my brother got the bison, both were delish. This is a pricier, upscale spot with slightly smaller portions, so just be prepared for that. The food was sooooo sooo good!! We stayed after dinner to watch the sunset (10:00PM!), sit by a bonfire and soak in the peaceful views of Pyramid Lake :’)

Wednesday - Downtown Jasper, Maligne Lake, Lake Annette & Icefields Parkway

Wednesday was my brother’s birthday!! We checked out of the Tonquinn Inn and had an amazing brunch at Harvest Food & Drink; I ordered the Kale & Potato Hash that came with the best lemon hollandaise sauce I’ve ever tasted. Then we grabbed coffee at Snowdome Cafe which is located inside a Laundromat and explored downtown Jasper. The small town vibe and shops along Patricia Street and Connaught Drive are so great. Then we drove down Maligne Lake Road, stopping at the scenic views of Medicine Lake before making it to see Maligne Lake.

On Maligne Lake there are multiple cruises and water activities. There are also a few restaurants including The View and Lake House Cafe. If you are looking to stay on Maligne Lake they have the Maligne Lake Chalet and Guest House with accommodations.

We then stopped at Lake Annette, a popular swimming spot our waiter from the previous night recommended. I had been wanting to do a cold plunge in an alpine lake for sooo long and I could not pass up this opportunity. The water was so clear and crisp and I loved being able to take a swim!!

Then we had a very disappointing lunch at the Fiddle River Restaurant which claims to be a top rated restaurant in Jasper but the food was bland and very mediocre; the service was not great either. If I could have a “do-over” I would’ve gone to The Maligne Range. Their menu looks fantastic.

After lunch we made the drive back to Banff, making more stops along the Icefields Parkway that we didn’t see the day before. One of the most notable stops was Peyto Lake (pictured below!!)

pic: Peyto Lake, overlook off Icefields Parkway

Once we got back to Banff it was late and we were really hungry, so my brother found a Mexican Restaurant called Añejo that was one of the only spots open till Midnight. Their food HIT THE SPOT and was sooo good. Because it was my brothers birthday our waiter also gave us free churros with chocolate sauce!

After dinner we checked into our room at the Gateway Inn that we booked through Airbnb. This was the most affordable spot I could find in/around Banff and it was definitely a bit rough. It was fine for one night but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this spot.

Thursday - a Day Exploring Banff!!

This was the most perfect day to end our trip! It felt like the grand finale: a day full of walking around Banff and exploring downtown. Banff’s Central Park is so scenic, with people picnicking and playing soccer around the Louis Trono Gazebo. We walked along the Bow River trail and there were so many people out enjoying the sun and gorgeous views. We continued walking along the trail to see the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel; a well-known, luxury hotel in Banff.

pic: View along Bow River trail in Banff

We then journeyed out to see the Banff Upper Hot Springs — which, to me, was very underwhelming. The adult entry fee is around $17, the pool is quite small and there were a lot of people in it. The view from the pool is pretty, but not quite worth it. From there we walked to the Banff Gondola ticket booth. If this is an activity you’re interested in I would recommend buying online tickets in advance because walk-up tickets are rarely available. We ended up purchasing tickets to come back later at 6pm.

For lunch we ate at Brazen and everything we ordered was delish! I ordered the Kimchi Meatball dish and it was so good. We then walked around downtown Banff, exploring the shops down Banff Ave.

Around 5:00 we took a quick shuttle ride to the Banff Gondola. The Banff Gondola takes you on an 8 minute ride to the summit of Sulphur Mountain at 8,041 feet. Once you get to the top there is a 3-story building with a gift shop, 2 restaurants, a coffee shop, visitor’s center, and patio. There is also a boardwalk that expands nearly a mile with panoramic views of Banff down below.

pic: view from the Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk

We took the Gondola ride down around 8pm, got appetizers The Bison Restaurant, and then headed to our last Airbnb in Calgary (one we loved & would definitely stay in again!)

Friday - leave Calgary

Friday morning we checked out of our Calgary Airbnb, headed to the airport, dropped off our TURO rental car and flew back to Raleigh!

If you made it this far, thank you for reading!! Our time in Canada was so jam-packed and we were able to do and see sooo so much in 3 days. If you’re planning a trip to Alberta I hope this post helped and inspired you :)

itinerary: banff & jasper national parks