Taking in two of Canada’s oldest and best-loved national parks, Banff and Jasper, Alberta is a wild western prairie province where vibrant cities are gateways to some of the country’s most iconic landscapes. Come for the Rocky Mountains, fossil-dusted semi-desert Canadian Badlands, the Columbia Icefield and endless conifer forests. Stay for the unique cultural mix that takes in First Nations and Métis communities, and a long history of immigration from all over the world. Enjoy foraging trips and wilderness hikes, as well as pit stops in buzzing cities where exceptional restaurants sit side by side with eclectic street food and farmers’ markets that draw on livestock and produce from the province’s vast prairies.
Learn about Alberta’s rich history and heritage
You’ll find Eau Claire Distillery along Highway 22 — also known as the Cowboy Trail — at the foot of the Canadian Rockies. Billed as the nation’s most-awarded craft distillery, this hipster hangout in the former frontier town of Turner Valley (now part of the larger, modern town of Diamond Valley) makes small-batch gins, vodkas and whiskies, drawing on a hooch heritage that harks back to the Prohibition era. In 1914, vast reserves of oil and gas were discovered here, and as the temperance movement spread across Alberta, Turner’s newly rich high-rollers funded speakeasy culture. Take a tour of Eau Claire’s 1920s buildings, which once housed underground bars, a brothel, a theatre and an old-time bowling alley. Then try their range of spirits made with barley still harvested by horse power.
Other gourmet spots packing in cultural heritage and excellent local cuisine include the Longview Steakhouse and Country Inn, which serves beef raised at ranches spread across the sprawling plains; and Ten Foot Henry, a vegetable-anchored Calgary venue named after a beloved local 1930s cartoon character.
Flat iron steak with charred onion, truffle mustard and gai choy at Ten Foot Henry.
Farmers harvesting grain using vintage horse-drawn equipment at Eau Claire Distillery.
Embrace the great outdoors
Take in some of Alberta’s most breathtaking panoramic views on a Peak-Nic mountain hike in Jasper National Park (offered by Jasper Food Tours), where you’ll also prepare and enjoy a gourmet meal in the great outdoors with a back-country cooking lesson. And if you’re visiting in springtime, don’t miss ‘Devour! The Canadian Rockies Food Film Fest’, which brings culinary stars from around the world to the town of Jasper to celebrate cinema and innovative cuisine from 5-7 April 2024.
Between Jasper and Banff, glacier-fed Lake Louise is an Alberta icon cradled by peaks and patchworked with hiking trails. In summer, arrive for sunrise then take the chairlift up to gaze out over mountains, looking for grizzly bears. In the town of Banff, you’ll find Italian restaurant Lupo, which is feted both for its food and its novel, market-style setting. Or for a dining experience with sweeping mountain views, enjoy a short journey up to the summit of Sulphur Mountain on the Banff Gondola.
Métis knowledge-keeper Lilyrose Meyers in the field at Métis Crossing, northeast of Edmonton.
Discover Alberta’s First Nations and Métis cultures
Edmonton-based food education company Pei Pei Chei Ow offers Indigenous cookery classes using locally sourced ingredients. Alternatively, try the seasonally inspired dishes from its takeaway menu.
Métis Crossing, 90 minutes northeast of downtown Edmonton, is an excellent place to gain an insight into the culture of the Métis people, who have mixed European and First Nations ancestry. This 40-room lodge on the banks of the Red River offers cooking sessions where guests can learn how to make dishes with bannock bread and bison, alongside bead making classes and Métis-guided dugout canoe trips. The lodge is entirely Métis-made, from the architecture to the hand-sewn quilts on the beds. Visitors can also spend a night under the stars in one of their luxury sky-watching domes.
Way out west, in Jasper National Park, take a medicinal plant walk with Warrior Women, guided by a local Cree knowledge-keeper — seek out the food and cures that nature offers, with tips on how to make salves, soaps and mineral salts.
Sweetgrass custard tarts with pistachios and bee pollen at Pei Pei Chei Ow in Edmonton.
Drummer, singer, artist and certified guide Matricia Brown of Warrior Women.
Explore eclectic urban areas
With innovative itineraries in Banff, Canmore, Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta Food Tours offers the chance to uncover culinary treasures in Alberta’s diverse cities — like in the Kensington area of Calgary, where a self-guided food-finder game has players follow clues via an app, letting them taste their way through the neighbourhood.
Visit in May and sample brews at the annual Calgary International Beerfest, from 3-4 May 2024. Canada’s largest beer festival brings representatives from more than 200 breweries for tastings, brewmaster seminars and live entertainment in Stampede Park. Or head to Edmonton, where the downtown business district has seen an influx of cocktail spots, farmers’ markets and inventive restaurants over the past decade, with menus informed by the city’s history. From Vietnamese bao buns to Chinese barbecue, Mexican tacos to French and Belgian cuisine, Edmonton offers an endless choice of local and international eats.
Plan your trip
Calgary and Edmonton are Alberta’s gateways. There are direct flights between Calgary and London, and one-stop flights between Edmonton and many UK destinations. Buses connect the two cities, where you’ll also find shuttles out to the national parks, but the best way to explore Alberta is by car. Find out more at travelalberta.com
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