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I just got back from a few days exploring Banff and WOW — this place exceeded all expectations. I knew this trip would be quite short — just 3 nights, so I was worried I wouldn’t see much. BUT, we were able to see SO much with the itinerary I put together below. Aside from seeing some of the best views I’ve ever seen, we also got lucky and saw some wildlife and a full rainbow! This guide is going to cover everything you need to know about Banff, including how to get there, where to stay, and what to do.
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Don’t have time to read the full guide? This top-rated tour is the BEST way to see the highlights of Banff National Park without a car, worrying about strict parking guidelines, or needing to purchase a parks pass.
Why You Should Visit Banff
Banff National Park and the surrounding area is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It’s been on my bucket list since I spotted some of the first OG travel influencers visit in like 2016 (aka Aspyn Ovard), and have dreamed of going ever since! When I saw a direct, round trip flight popup from Boston to Calgary for just $203, I knew I couldn’t miss out.
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Additionally, similar to a trip to Jackson Hole where you can visit numerous national parks, wildlife parks, and tourist towns, there is SO much to do in this area. Although Calgary is not the capital of Alberta, it is the largest city in the province and is the perfect jumping off point. It’s super easy to get to Banff, Jasper, and Yoho National Parks.
I also think this area caters to many preferences and interests. If you like to ski, you can visit during the winter months and see the Canadian Rockies and pine trees covered in fresh, white snow. Like wildlife and birding? The best months to visit are the shoulder months: April – June and September – October. If you enjoy hiking and just want to soak up the views, summer is your best bet. Peak tourist season here is June – August.
Airports Near Banff National Park: How To Get There
The most convenient way to reach Banff is by flying into Calgary International Airport (YYC), Alberta’s busiest airport. From here, the journey to Banff takes roughly 1½ hours by driving (about 90 miles). I recommend renting a car in the Calgary area so you can get to Banff and explore on your own time. You’ll want to head west on the Trans‑Canada Highway (Highway 1); the drive is straightforward and increasingly scenic — the Rockies first appear around the 45‑minute mark!
A number of shuttle operators, such as Banff Airporter, Brewster Express, and Discover Banff Tours, offer direct service from YYC to Banff (and sometimes Canmore). Budget‑minded travelers can also use Calgary Transit to downtown and then transfer to the On‑It Regional Transit for a weekend public bus, although this option runs only seasonally.
Affordable Places To Stay In Banff
Banff is an expensive place to stay. That’s a fact. The trip itself can be quite affordable if you find a good deal on a shared rental car, stick with mostly free hiking + sightseeing, and eat on a budget downtown, but the accommodation here is pricey. It will probably be your highest ticket item.
The town of Banff is quite small and is a grid with a few main streets. One of the main roads is Banff Avenue, which runs north to south through the town with incredible views of Cascade Mountain. Here, you’ll find many boutique hotels and more luxury lodges. While I found most of these hotels to be incredibly expensive (like $500+ a night), I do have a recommendation for you that is an affordable place to stay in Banff!
Banff International Hostel is located centrally right on Banff Ave. It offers both shared dorm rooms with bunk beds and semi-private rooms with 4-6 beds with lofts for groups! They have a kitchen so you can prep your own food, along with enjoy the free breakfast every morning. Additionally, there’s free WiFi, a common room, on-site parking, and a reception desk who can help you book tours, secure a parks pass, etc. This is definitely the cheapest place in the area and I liked it! If you’re looking for an affordable place to stay in Banff, check it out.
Pro-tip: Canmore is another touristy town located a bit closer to Calgary, and not too far from Banff. It has its own charming, historic downtown and many more affordable accommodation options since it’s located just outside of the park. Several day tours leave from here, but I would still recommend staying in Banff since it’s more central! We didn’t have time to visit Canmore during our trip, but people do.
Where To Eat In Banff
If you plan to stay in downtown Banff but want to have long, full days spent hiking and sightseeing around the national parks (like we did!), you will most likely be eating lunch on the road / with tour groups. However, I have 2 cafe recs for you for coffee and breakfast, and two amazing restaurants for dinner!
Breakfast & Coffee
Whitebark Cafe
Some of the best cafes in Banff can be found in the hotel lobbies. Whitebark Cafe is located in the Banff Aspen Lodge and has an amazing little patio out front. The coffee & treats are perfect for grab & go before a big day — be sure to try the egg cup, it was amazing and the perfect fuel.
Good Earth Coffeehouse
This spot is centrally located on Banff Ave and was highly recommended by a few. We loved the lattes here! Plus, they have healthier breakfast bowls and other options you can grab in the AM.
Dinner
Three Bears Brewery
This is the perfect spot to grab dinner after a day of exploring! This brewery and restaurant is located right in downtown Banff and is a casual but vibey spot. There are giant trees on the interior, plus TVs around the bar to catch some hockey.
The menu features tons of beer, but also unique cocktail creations. For food, they serve brewery classics like pizza and burgers, and also a mix of other cuisines. Try the poke bowl!
Hello Sunshine
This spot was highly recommended by other creators for where to eat in Banff, and now I want to recommend it to you! Hello Sunshine is a yummy and super fun Japanese restaurant located in downtown Banff. It’s known for its shareable, Asian-fusion appetizers and sushi rolls. They also have amazing cocktails and if you’re feeling bold — you can do some karaoke here!
Pro-tip: After dinner one night (or all of them), you MUST try BeaverTails. This place is a Canadian staple, and there happens to be a shop right off of Banff Ave. These desserts are basically a fried dough with toppings, with a shape that resembles a beaver’s tail! They are big so you can split one with others, but don’t miss it!
Banff Day Trips
Here’s a quick bulleted “bucket list” of the top experiences, excursions, and Banff day tours that most people try to do during their trip. Below, you’ll find a detailed itinerary with more information about these places.
🥾 Hike the Little Beehive or Big Beehive trails (and grab lunch at the teahouse!) at Lake Louise
⛺ Visit the Columbia Icefields and look for wildlife!
🏞️ Hike through Johnston Canyon to see waterfalls
🚵 Drive along the Icefields Parkway between Banff + Jasper National Parks
🛶 Canoe in one of the glacier lakes (Louise, Moraine, or Emerald)
🚠 Ride the Banff Gondola for panoramic views from Sulphur Mountain
🛍️ Stroll Banff Avenue for the shops, cafes, and galleries
Banff 3 Day Itinerary
Here’s how to maximize your time in Banff. This Banff 3 day itinerary is going to begin with your first full day — assuming you fly into Calgary the day before and slowly make your way to downtown Banff by night.
3 Days In Banff: Day One
Coffee / Breakfast
Start your morning at Good Earth Coffeehouse and grab a pastry and latte to go. Walk down Banff Ave to your tour’s pick up spot (they will specify where to go), and hop in the van!
Sightsee Lake Louise & Lake Moraine
This is the highly-rated, full-day tour we booked to see all of these highlights in Banff. I couldn’t recommend it more!
Your first stops this morning, ideally early, are Lake Louise and Lake Moraine! These are the two most famous spots to visit in all of Banff, as these lakes are known globally for their bright blue color. Many tourists try to visit here, so honestly if you can — try to get up for sunrise. At the very least, make sure your day tour comes here first. The ride is about 40 minutes from downtown.
Pro-tip: While my friend Taylor and I did rent a car, we chose to book a full day tour to visit the lakes. For one, Lake Louise gets so crowded, there will be very limited parking. The last thing we wanted to deal with was having to take laps around looking for parking. Secondly, personal vehicles are NO longer allowed at Lake Moraine — period. You either need to stay in the lodge here, or take a tour bus. So, if you want to visit, definitely book a tour!
If you book with a tour, you’ll have a hour at Lake Louise and a hour at Lake Moraine, enough to walk the lakefront paths and take photos. At Lake Louise, there are hikes you can do up to a tea house, but we didn’t have time. You can canoe at both, although the lakes don’t fully thaw until mid-June. It will cost about $140 CAD ($102 USD) for an hour at either.
Lake Moraine is about 25 minutes from Lake Louise. Here, be sure to do the short but steep Rockpile Trail. You can’t miss the trailhead — it’s located right by the bathrooms off the parking lot. There will be tons of tourists heading up here to see the views of the lake from above!
This lake is definitely one of the top 3 most beautiful things I’ve ever seen on this earth! The water really does look like Gatorade and seeing it with my own eyes was an experience I’ll never forget. The color comes from the glaciers that grind against bedrock, producing a rock flour that shines in the sunlight! Seeing this lake from above will be a highlight during your 3 days in Banff.
Lunch
From here, your tour group will most likely head to Lake Louise Village for lunch. I wasn’t super impressed with this — it’s basically a giant shopping plaza with a few restaurant options. The ramen was good here though!
Sightsee Johnston Canyon & Vermilion Lakes
After lunch, we explored Johnston Canyon! This area is one of the most popular hiking areas in Banff! It was crowded, but is an easy hike. The trail is mostly a boardwalk that runs alongside the river, bringing you through a narrow canyon, and past several waterfalls and lookout points.
Once you pass the Lower Falls, which is about 1.5 miles roundtrip from the parking lot, you can keep walking to the end of the trail where Upper Falls is (about 3.5 miles roundtrip). This is an out & back hike, so just keep an eye on the time. We ended up having to run pretty much the entire way back to catch our bus!
On the way back to Banff you’ll have a photo stop at Vermilion Lakes to see Sulphur Mountain. It’s located right outside of town and got this name because of the hot springs found here. We also spent about 30 minutes at Bow Falls, which is near the very famous (and very expensive!) Fairmont Banff Springs. Known as “Canada’s Castle in the Rockies”, there is a lot of haunted history here. Rooms cost about $1,000 per night.
Dinner
Once you’re back in Banff and had time to freshen up after the day tour, head to Three Bears Brewery for dinner! We had a reservation here at 7:30pm so we could explore all day. If you visit in the summer months it will stay light out until about 9:30pm, so although we were tired, we had plenty of time to get dinner, a sweet treat, and pop into a souvenir shop before heading to bed.
3 Days In Banff: Day Two
Coffee / Breakfast
Begin your second full day at White Bark for a latte and bite to eat! We again got breakfast to go this morning before heading out on an adventure! Today we used our rental car to explore at our own pace, and I recommend you do the same.
Sightsee Yoho National Park & Icefields Parkway
Start your morning at Yoho National Park! I’m sure you’ve heard of Banff and Jasper National Parks but did you know there is a third in the area? Yoho National Park is located right over the British Columbia border, about 30 minutes west of Banff National Park. It will take you a little over an hour to drive here from downtown.
The reason I recommend coming here is for canoeing at Emerald Lake! Unless Lake Louise and Lake Moraine, canoeing here is about $30-40 cheaper ($100 CAD for a hour), but it’s just as beautiful! I actually liked it here more since it wasn’t nearly as crowded. Plus, the lake gets its name from its striking emerald greenish-blue color, which was interesting to see after a full day of blue lakes yesterday. This was a highlight for me during my 3 days in Banff!
After spending time around the lake, drive 5-10 minutes down the road for a pitstop at Natural Bridge. As the name suggests, this is a unique rock formation in which the river has turned the granite into a natural bridge. The water is so strong here, it’s like a whirlpool… a bit scary, but beautiful from the various overlooks.
After leaving Yoho this morning, we drove 1.5 hours up to Jasper National Park. The drive was along the Icefields Parkway. This is known for being one of the most beautiful drives in the entire world. You will pass glacier-fed lakes, snowcapped ragged mountain tops, and lots of wildlife as you make your way from Banff up to Jasper.
Pro-tip: Icefields Parkway is very rural. You will lose phone service, and there is singular gas station. There is also no food along the way. Be sure to fuel up and grab some snacks and drinks in Banff.
Lunch
We ate a later lunch this day at the Columbia Icefields Visitors Center. Not only is this place an excellent spot to use the bathroom, get information about the surrounding area, and start a tour, but there are also two restaurants here. One is more causal (like a ski lodge buffet), and a second is a more formal, sit-down restaurant. We opted for the more casual one and loved the poutine! You must try poutine (fries with gravy and cheese curds… very Canadian) during your 3 days in Banff.
Sightsee Columbia Icefields
Did you know that Jasper National Park is huge? It’s the largest park in the Rockies and extends quite north. From Banff the center of the park (where the town of Jasper is located), is well over 3 hours away. A lot of people stay here for a night or two — which is ideal for hiking and exploring in this area, but since we were just doing a day trip fro Banff, we chose to explore the southern portion of the park. If you’re here, be sure to see Athabasca Falls and Sunwapta Falls!
Pro-tip: You will need a parks pass to access Banff, Jasper, and/or Yoho. You’ll need it in your car’s dashboard to even just drive through the area. You can purchase it online & in advance here OR plan to buy it at booths as you enter the park. If you plan to visit during summer 2025, it’s free!
Columbia Icefields is only about 1.5 hours from Banff and is located in the southern portion of the park. This is where you’ll find one of the largest glaciers in the area — Athabasca Glacier, some hiking trails, and the Skywalk. The Skywalk and Explorer Tour are two very popular excursions to book here, however, they are pricey!
Pro-tip: The Explorer Tour is the only way to actually get onto the glacier. Since it’s steep and the weather can change rapidly, you can only visit with a guide. The jeep / adventure bus will bring you up the side of the glacier and onto the ice. Alternatively, you can hike very close to the foot of it for free.
You can also hike to the base of the glacier from the visitor’s center, but this would require crossing the busy street. Plus, it’s a little far away. Instead, I recommend moving your car to the lower lot and doing the short (but steep!) hike up. I think if I knew about the Explorer Tour I would’ve spent the $$$ so I could actually step onto the ice. Either way, this stop is a MUST during your 3 days in Banff.
On the way back from Jasper you will pass several popular spots along the Icefields Parkway. There is Bow Summit / Peyto Lake, which is a short hike away from the parking lot and one of the most famous views in the area. You can also quickly pull over in front of Bow Lake to soak up some more teal blue lake views!
Dinner
Once we got back into Banff this evening, we went right to Hello Sunshine for sushi! I would make a reservation here in advance since it’s a popular spot, but wow it was amazing! The staff are great too — most of them are from Australia on seasonal work visas.
3 Days In Banff: Day Three
Coffee / Breakfast
We just ate breakfast at the Banff International Hostel to save some $$$. We had to pack and ended up driving back to the Calgary Airport for mid-day flights out of the city, but if you had a few more hours, here’s how I would spend the third day.
Sightsee Greater Banff
Ride the Banff Gondola. This ride is a popular excursion option since it’s located just 10 minutes from downtown Banff and has amazing views of the mountains and town below. It costs about $50 and tickets can be purchased in advance here. They have time slots available pretty much all day.
From here, I would shop around the town! We only got a few souvenirs but there are tons of charming boutiques around the city. If we had more than 3 days in Banff, I would’ve browsed the blocks a bit more. The street names will make you laugh — Beaver Street, Bear Street, Squirrel Street, etc.
You could also take a day trip to Canmore, cruise around Lake Minnewonka to learn about local history and soak in the stunning views, or visit Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary, a popular stop about an hour from Banff for up-close encounters with wolves. For $89 CAD per person, you can feed and interact with the wolves for an hour!
Those are all my recommendations for spending 3 days in Banff! I hope this guide answers any questions you have and encourages you to plan a trip of your own. I’ve been lucky enough to see so many corners of this world, and Banff is one of my new favorites. Check out my other travel guides for Canada here!
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