Day 19: June 2 — Calgary → Canmore → Banff

Some days on a trip are about ticking off bucket-list sights. Other days are about steak for breakfast, buying rain gear you didn’t budget for, and running across a bridge like a K-drama lead. Today was both.

Steak Before 9 AM? Yes, Please

We met up again with Sir Mervin — my brother’s professor — and his family, who treated us to breakfast just a short walk from our hostel at Denny’s. I went big and ordered the T-bone steak: CAD 25 (~₱1,000), before tax and tip.

Fueled up, we said our goodbyes and headed off to explore Downtown Calgary.

Things to Note (Canada Edition)

A few reality checks and travel notes for anyone following in our (still slightly damp) footsteps:
1. Skip the visa line — if you qualify. If you already hold a valid US visa, you don’t need a full Canadian visitor visa. You can apply for Canada’s Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) instead — it’s CAD 7 (~₱300), done entirely online, and most approvals land in your inbox within minutes (though it can occasionally take a few days if they request extra documents). Note: this is not technically a “visa” — it’s a lighter, faster entry authorization, and it’s only an option if you already have a valid US visa on hand. If you don’t, this shortcut won’t apply to you.
2. Tipping is real here. Expect to tip around 15–20% at sit-down restaurants with table service; fast food and self-serve spots are the exception. Fun bonus: several of the restaurants we ate at had free refills on drinks, which — as any Filipino traveler will tell you — instantly earns bonus points.
3. The roads feel narrower than the US, but don’t worry — Canadians still drive on the right-hand side of the road, same as the US, with the steering wheel on the left. It’s the lane widths and highway styling that feel tighter, not the driving side.
4. “Summer” is relative. Technically it was already summer in Alberta, but temperatures still dropped into the single digits Celsius, especially near the mountains. Pack layers no matter what the calendar says.
Days are long. Being this far north in June means extended daylight hours — great for sightseeing, less great for your internal clock.
5. Rent a car if you can. The Canadian Rockies are made for road-tripping, and having your own wheels means you’re not chasing tour bus schedules.
6. Parking is self-serve and paid, even in smaller towns — keep coins or a card handy.
7. Gas stations are smaller and self-service too. Compared to the sprawling stations back in the US, these felt almost tiny.
8.Canada is one of three co-host countries for the FIFA World Cup 2026, alongside the US and Mexico. Fun fact for fellow football fans: while Calgary isn’t actually one of the official match-host cities (that honor in Canada goes to Toronto and Vancouver), Calgary still got in on the action, hosting the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour and city-wide watch parties.
9. Cash isn’t king here. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted, but they don’t take USD in cash — make sure you’re carrying or paying in CAD.

Downtown Calgary: Gloomy but Good

The weather had other plans for us today — grey skies, drizzle, and a general dampness that made walking around downtown a bit of a mission. We still wandered along Stephen Avenue, a pedestrian-only historic block lined with shops, restaurants, and heritage sandstone buildings, and swung by the Calgary Tower for photos.

Ongoing road construction plus the weather meant we didn’t get the full downtown experience — it would’ve been lovely to duck into one of the cafés lining the street, but we made do. Calgary, we’ll be back for you on a sunnier day.

The Great Raincoat Splurge

En route to Canmore, we made a pit stop at Market Mall (still in Calgary) to raid Mountain Warehouse for proper rain gear — because 10°C and steady rain is not something you want to tough out in a cotton hoodie. I’ll admit it, I overspent here: CAD 45 (~₱1,965) for a rain jacket, plus another CAD 45 (~₱1,965) for rain pants. Ninety dollars for rain gear stung a little, but honestly? Worth every cent for the days ahead.

Canmore: Grey Skies, “Last of Us” Vibes

Canmore matched my mood — a little gloomy, honestly. But we still made our way to the Canmore Engine Bridge, and if you’re a fan of HBO’s The Last of Us, this will ring a bell: this historic bridge over the Bow River is where Joel and Ellie cross the “River of Death” in Season 1. Built in the late 1800s, it’s known for its distinctive vertical endposts. Pedro Pascal himself called Canmore “this magical little town” during filming.

No mountain views for us today thanks to the fog and cloud cover, but there’s something oddly cinematic about standing on a Last of Us filming location next to a swollen, brown river in the rain. We’ll take the atmosphere.

Banff: Finally, Some Blue Sky

Just when we needed it, the weather turned in our favor as we rolled into Banff.
Banff Gondola: This cable car climbs Sulphur Mountain, carrying you nearly 700 meters up to a summit station at over 2,280 meters above sea level, with panoramic views across six mountain ranges on a clear day (ours was more “snow flurries and mist,” but still magical). Heads up for future travelers: pricing is dynamic and changes by season and day, generally ranging from around CAD 55 to CAD 95+ for adults — so it pays to book online in advance rather than walk up.
Before heading up, I grabbed an iced macchiato at Castle Mountain Co., located right at the gondola’s station, for CAD 7 (~₱305) — a small luxury that felt very necessary given the cold. It was snowing lightly on the way up, so we didn’t linger too long at the summit. Fair warning: there are photographers ready to snap your photo, but that memory comes at a price too.

Banff Avenue: The Highlight of the Trip

If Banff Avenue could talk, it would tell you it stole the show. This is the town’s main strip — a walkable stretch packed with shops, restaurants, and mountain views practically at the end of every block.

We wandered into the Cascade of Time Garden, a beautifully terraced four-acre park established in 1930, just a short stroll from downtown. K-drama fans, take note: this is a filming location for Netflix’s Can This Love Be Translated? — the Canadian Rockies backdrop you see in the show is very real, and very stunning in person. The mountains were peeking through the clouds just enough to make it feel like a moment straight out of the drama. I even filmed myself running across the Banff pedestrian bridge, channeling my inner Kim Seon-ho — no regrets.

I could’ve stayed on Banff Avenue for hours longer. Next time, I will.

We also grabbed a bite at McDonald’s (yes, even on a bucket-list trip, sometimes you just want fries), and I couldn’t help but notice — as I have everywhere in Canada so far — just how many Filipinos are working front-of-house in food and beverage. It’s been a small, comforting constant on this trip.
I also finally tried poutine, Canada’s beloved dish that actually originated in Québec: fries topped with cheese curds and hot gravy. Not gonna lie — it wasn’t my favorite. Maybe I need to try it from a different spot before I write it off completely. And yes, unlimited drink refills continue to be a running theme in Canadian F&B.

Home for the Night: HI Castle Mountain, a Wilderness Hostel

We didn’t actually stay in Banff townsite — we tucked ourselves away at HI Castle Mountain Wilderness Hostel, tucked off the Bow Valley Parkway in Castle Junction, roughly halfway between Banff and Lake Louise. I paid CAD 52 (~₱2,000) for the night.

“Wilderness hostel” isn’t just a cute label — this place leans fully rustic. Think gender-separated dorm rooms (14 beds each, no private room option), shared bathrooms with hot showers, a self-catering kitchen, and a cozy common lounge warmed by a wood-burning fireplace where guests hang out, cook, and swap stories from the day’s adventures. Don’t worry though — there is WiFi on-site, so you can still post your mountain photos before bed.

Check-in runs 5–10 PM, and quiet hours kick in after 10 PM. There’s no public transit out here either, so you’ll need your own car to reach it (yet another vote for renting one, per Tip #6 above).

Having backpacked before, bunk beds and shared bathrooms don’t faze me one bit. Overall, a solid, no-frills stay — and honestly, waking up surrounded by forest and mountain air instead of a busy townsite had its own quiet charm.

Next up: My favorite leg of the entire Canada trip — the Canadian Rockies. Stay tuned!