The landmarks, museums and views to show anyone visiting, and to finally see yourself if you've lived here for years and never made it up the Tower. Most are free, and the rest are worth it.
The 1968 tower that still defines the skyline, with a glass floor 160 metres up and the 1988 Olympic cauldron on top, still lit for Canada Day.
Pro tip: Check the haze before you buy a ticket. On a clear day you can see the Rockies.
101 9 Ave SW · Map for Calgary Tower · Website for Calgary Tower
Santiago Calatrava's red double-helix footbridge over the Bow, with no piers in the river. Locals call it the Finger Trap.
Pro tip: Cross it from downtown and keep walking into Kensington for coffee.
Twenty hectares of island in the middle of downtown, home to the Folk Music Festival and Shakespeare in the Park in summer and a skating lagoon in winter.
Pro tip: Skate the lagoon once it freezes, usually in December. Rentals are on site.
4 St and 1 Ave SW · Map for Prince's Island Park · Website for Prince's Island Park
A National Historic Site of sandstone buildings rebuilt after the 1886 fire, which is how Calgary earned the name Sandstone City. Patios in summer, and some of the best dinners downtown.
8 Ave S · Map for Stephen Avenue Walk · Website for Stephen Avenue Walk
The best view in the city, looking straight down on Stampede Park with the skyline behind it.
Pro tip: Come early on Stampede fireworks nights, or any summer evening at sunset.
A huge native-grassland park with sweeping views of the skyline and the Rockies.
Pro tip: Watch the sunset from the parking lots without ever leaving the car.
6465 14 St NW · Map for Nose Hill Park · Website for Nose Hill Park
A hectare of indoor garden under glass, with koi ponds and a living wall, right in the middle of downtown.
Pro tip: The perfect escape on a minus-30 day, reachable by the +15 skywalks.
CORE Shopping Centre, 4th floor, 317 7 Ave SW · Map for Devonian Gardens · Website for Devonian Gardens
A stunning building that turned ten this year, filled with Elton John's piano, the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio and instruments you can play. The King Eddy, the legendary blues bar, is part of it.
Pro tip: Book a backstage tour, offered on select weekends.
850 4 St SE · Map for Studio Bell, National Music Centre · Website for Studio Bell, National Music Centre
Rotating exhibitions inside the brutalist 1967 planetarium, a building worth the visit on its own. Admission is by donation for anyone 24 and under.
701 11 St SW · Map for Contemporary Calgary · Website for Contemporary Calgary
Calgary's best contemporary art space, free and on the top floor of a striking building on 9th Avenue. The Lantern Library lounge looks out over the skyline.
1011 9 Ave SE, 4th floor · Map for Esker Foundation · Website for Esker Foundation
A Snøhetta-designed library with a wood-clad entrance shaped like a Chinook arch cloud and the CTrain running right through it. Go up to the Great Reading Room on Level 4.
Pro tip: A free volunteer-led architecture tour runs weekly for up to 10 people. Register ahead.
800 3 St SE · Map for Calgary Central Library · Website for Calgary Central Library
Formerly Fort Calgary, where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet. The new Blackfoot-led exhibit tells the story of the land long before the fort, with more phases still to come.
750 9 Ave SE · Map for The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland · Website for The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland
A historical village on the Glenmore Reservoir, with a steam train, a paddlewheeler and costumed townspeople. Gasoline Alley's vintage car museum is open all year.
Pro tip: Go in December for Once Upon a Christmas on weekends.
1900 Heritage Dr SW · Map for Heritage Park · Website for Heritage Park
A pedal-powered party bike for up to 15, with a guide who steers while everyone pedals between two or three local breweries, bars or restaurants. Two-hour routes cover Brewery Flats and Inglewood or the Beltline. Book a single seat and join a group, or take the whole bike for a birthday, a bachelorette or an office outing.
Pro tip: With eight or more of you, book a private tour so the bike and the playlist are all yours.
1417 9 Ave SE · Map for PedalPub Calgary · Website for PedalPub Calgary
Calgary's science-meets-art festival, now a weekend at Telus Spark. Friday is Beakernight, an 18+ evening of live performances, demonstrations and themed drinks. Saturday is free, with hands-on experiments and a main stage, and Sunday adds Baby Beakerhead for kids eight and under.
Pro tip: Book Beakernight for a different kind of date night, and take the CTrain to Zoo Station to skip the parking.
220 St. George's Dr NE · Map for Beakerhead's Petri Dish
The zoo's 30th winter of more than a million lights, with walk-through gingerbread houses this year. Take the CTrain to Zoo station.
Pro tip: Buy tickets ahead for the best price, and dress warm, since most of it is outdoors.
210 St. George's Dr NE · Map for ZOOLIGHTS · Website for ZOOLIGHTS
Around 330 booths of gifts, food and decor at the show-jumping grounds, running four weekends for the first time in 2026.
Pro tip: Go early on a Friday to beat the crowds.
Local makers and food vendors on November weekend evenings, a short walk from Inglewood's 9th Avenue.
Calgary's biggest wine, spirits and beer tasting, with more than 125 vendors pouring wine, beer, spirits, seltzers and non-alcoholic options. Tickets are all-inclusive, so the tastings and the food are covered.
Pro tip: Buy tickets early. The Saturday session sold out weeks ahead this fall.
The historic village dressed for the holidays, with the holiday train running.
1900 Heritage Dr SW · Map for Once Upon a Christmas at Heritage Park · Website for Once Upon a Christmas at Heritage Park
Calgary's winter light festival, with light installations, music, markets and Drag on Ice on the lagoon.
Cafés and chocolatiers create their most inventive hot chocolates and compete for the city's best, with proceeds supporting Calgary Meals on Wheels.
Pro tip: Make a February date of it and walk to two or three in one neighbourhood.
Downtown's restaurant festival, with prix fixe menus at chef-led rooms, collaboration dinners and a Chef's Table series. Recent lineups have included Major Tom, Penny Crown, Francine's and Maisie. Stay & Dine hotel packages turn it into a staycation.
Pro tip: The Stay & Dine packages sell out, so book as soon as the lineup is announced.
The unofficial start of summer, when 4th Street closes to cars for a day of local vendors, food trucks and music.
The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. The rodeo, the chuckwagons, the grandstand show and pancake breakfasts all over the city.
Pro tip: Book a pancake breakfast or two, and go on a weekday morning for the calmest grounds.
Four days of music on the island, with tarps on the lawn and some of the best sets of the summer.
Dozens of restaurants, breweries and food trucks serving sample-sized dishes over five days. Entry is free, and you buy $1 tasting tickets, with most bites costing two to eight.
Pro tip: Bring a few friends and split plates so you can try more.
Cowboys Park, 1220 9 Ave SW · Map for Taste of Calgary
Calgary's oldest street festival, with 33rd Avenue closed to cars for 250-plus vendors, live music and a pet pageant.
Fireworks and a different country each night, now at Spruce Meadows with Alberta's largest drone show.
Pro tip: Parking is included with your ticket at the new location.
Wine, spirits and beer from around the world, plus bites from local kitchens, with chefs John Jackson and Connie DeSousa as food ambassadors. Live DJs, an outdoor stage and line-dancing lessons round it out. Entry covers the tasting hall, and you buy sampling coupons inside.
Pro tip: GA+ gets you in early with $40 in sampling coupons included. Take the free Ranchman's shuttle and leave the car at home.
A month-long pasta festival for National Pasta Month, with Calgary restaurants putting a special pasta on the menu and supporting The Alex Community Food Centre. This year's lineup included River Café, Rouge, Le Charme, Acme Pizza & Pasta, Posto, The Little Noodle Shop and Our Daily Brett.
Pro tip: Use it as the excuse to finally try somewhere new. The full restaurant list goes up on their site each fall.
Coming soon: Glenbow, the city's big art museum, is closed for a renovation and reopens in 2027 with free admission for good, a rooftop terrace and a conservation lab where you can watch the work happen.