//
Metropolitan area in Alberta, Canada
Photo: Daniel from Glasgow, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Calgary Region is the region centred on the city of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. Traditionally an agricultural area, it is a mix of suburban towns and semi-rural areas that are becoming bedroom communities to Calgary. In 2016, it was home to 1.4 million people. The region's population is young, and diverse, with about 30 percent of its people being immigrants to Canada.
By car
For drivers, the highways offer great scenery, especially for motorcyclists. From the east (Saskatchewan) or the west (British Columbia), Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) is the principal route.
By bus
Numerous intercity bus lines operate into Calgary. See Calgary.
By train
There are no scheduled passenger trains that pass through Calgary or the surrounding area.
The Intercity Express (ICE) Route 900 runs every two hours during the day between Airdrie and Calgary, every day except public holidays.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Calgary · International · YYC
Loading places around the airport…
Home to many of Canada's oil companies, the Calgary Stampede, one-time Olympic host and the largest city in Alberta.
25 minutes north of Calgary's city centre.
25 minutes east of Calgary, next to Chestermere Lake.
30 minutes northwest of Calgary. Popular destination for short day trips from Calgary, to visit McKay's Cochrane Ice Cream and other shops and restaurants, and Cochrane Ranche Park and Provincial Historic Site. Also home to Studio West Bronze Foundry and Art Gallery.
town in the foothills 50 minutes southwest of Calgary; formerly the twin towns of Black Diamond and Turner Valley.
50 minutes south of Calgary, best known as the shooting location for the TV series Heartland.
35 minutes south of Calgary. Visit Big Rock, (also known as Okotoks Erratic), a glacial erratic between the towns of Okotoks and Black Diamond (18 km south of Calgary). The 15,000 tonne (16,500 short ton) quartzite boulder is the world's largest known glacial erratic.
45 minutes east of Calgary.
Beiseker is a small, agricultural village in the outermost part of the Calgary Region of about 800 people (2016). It is a popular stop for Calgary-area travellers going to and from Drumheller and Saskatoon.
a hamlet in the foothills 40 minutes west of Calgary's city centre. Close to Bragg Creek Provincial Park and Wintergreen Golf & Country Club. Popular destination for short day trips from Calgary.
a village in the foothills 65 minutes southwest of Calgary. Close to the Bar U Ranch, a Canadian National Historic Site.
Articles and travel topics about Calgary Region and Canada.
Travel tipsDiscover how to use AI to find cheap flights. Learn prompt strategies, smart fare engines, open-jaw routings, and error-fare booking techniques.
6 min read
Nature & adventureThe National Parks of Canada, and some of the National Historic Sites of Canada, are managed by Parks Canada, an agency of the Government of Canada.
Wikivoyage
Travel tipsAlthough trains are not nearly as ubiquitous and convenient a mode of travel in Canada as in Europe or East Asia, they remain popular with some travelers because of the spacious design of the cars, the scenic routes,…
Wikivoyage
Nature & adventureMany books have been written about hiking in the Canadian Rockies, particularly in Alberta and eastern British Columbia (the "Rocky Mountains" don't actually extend that far).
Wikivoyage
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.