Top 5 things to do for free (or cheap) in downtown Calgary
I spent a year and a half living in Calgary, if you can stand the cold weather there are some amazing things you can do in the city! I will also be making a blog post regarding the top 5 things to do near to Calgary so keep your eyes open for that! Downtown Calgary is very easy to Navigate, and you can easily do all of the things on this list within a day or two as they are all within the C-train downtown free fare zone!*
Calgary can get very cold during the winter, regularly hitting -30 degrees Celsius, but it gets up to +30 in the summer. They don't really have spring and autumn in Alberta, it goes directly from winter to summer, the best months to visit for warm weather are between June and August, but if you like the snow and plan on heading out to Banff to do some skiing or other winter activities I suggest going between February and March. So, without further ado, here are the top 5 things to do in the city of Calgary!
Keep in mind that I am posting this during lockdown, so it is very likely that many of the places here will be on limited hours for the foreseeable future, so please make sure to check the website of each place before heading there.
If you're looking for something free to do, the Glenbow Museum hosts a free entry night the first Thursday of every month from 5pm to 9pm! The Glenbow has 4 unique floors with exhibits covering art, history, and anthropology, these exhibits regularly change so it's worth going more than once. My all time favourite exhibit that they have is the "Nitsitapiisinni" exhibit, which looks at Blackfoot Native Canadian history, this is a permanent exhibit so you won't miss it! They have a lot of historical artefacts, and they have some exhibits where you are encouraged to touch things, so it is also a fun educational day out for kids.
If you're going on the free entry night, I suggest arriving early as it can get very busy, arrive at 4.45 and beat the queue. If you're not fortunate enough to be in the city on the first Thursday of the month then entry is $19, which is well worth it in my opinion given how many different exhibits are in the museum!
Nearest C-train station: 1st street / Centre street
Cost per person: Free on the first Thursday of every month between 5pm and 9pm, $19 per person regular days.
Olympic Plaza is a multi-purpose urban park in the centre of Calgary which was built for the 1988 Olympic games. Depending on the time of year there are different events happening here. During the winter months between November and March you can go ice-skating here for free if you have your own skates, but don't worry if you don't because they also have rental skates available for $12, you can also pick up a helmet and a skating aid for a bit extra in case you're nervous or it's your first time skating. Between the months of May and October it is turned into a reflection pond with sprinklers for the kids to play in. The city also occasionally hosts other events in the Plaza, such as music events and markets, so be sure to check it out any time of the year!
Nearest C-train station: Center street / City Hall
Cost per person: Free, $12 if renting ice-skates.
Peace Bridge and Prince's Island park
These two locations have been lumped together because they are so close to each other. Peace Bridge was completed in 2012, built by a Spanish architect and has been nicknamed the "finger trap bridge" because it resembles a Chinese finger trap. It crosses the Bow river and connects downtown Calgary to the Sunnyside district.
Right next to the Peace bridge is Prince's Island park, this park sits on the Bow river and is a green escape from the busy city. There are a lot of walking, hiking, and cycling paths in the park and there are many events which happen here throughout the summer such as Shakespeare by the Bow, a live outdoor theatre performance of different Shakespeare plays. There are also picnic areas, playgrounds, and a cafe. This park is a great way to experience some nature in Canada without needing a car to get there!
Nearest C-train station: 7th street / 8th street.
Cost: Free
Scotsman Hill
Scotsman Hill provides an amazing view of Calgary, and is walk-able from the downtown core. To get here you have two options, you can either walk from City Hall which is about a 2km walk to the top of the hill, or take the train to Victoria Park Stampede station and walk 1.4km to the top, if you take the train to Victoria Park Stampede then you will be leaving the free fare zone, so you will need to get a train ticket, which when I was living in Calgary cost around $3.30. Personally I recommend walking from City hall because it's not much further and allows you to explore the city a bit more. To get to the top of the hill you will have to climb quite a lot of stairs, but it is completely worth it!
Nearest C-train stop: either; City hall with 2km walk, or Victoria Park Stampede with 1.4km walk.
Cost: Free, $3.30 train fare if walking from Victoria Park Stampede.
This is the most expensive option on the list, but I couldn't make a list about things to do in Calgary without mentioning the tower, if you read on you'll see that there are a few different price options, some as low as $10!
Calgary Tower is an almost 200m tall observation tower right in the centre of the downtown core which will give you a 360 view of the city. At the very top of the tower there is a rotating restaurant which makes a full rotation every 45 minutes, if you eat in the restaurant, entrance to the tower is free. The food is a good quality but in my opinion it is very expensive for what it is, they offer dishes such as cheeseburgers, pasta, and salmon, prices start at around $30 (CAD) per dish. You should also keep in mind that tipping is mandatory in Canada, so you should also expect to add an extra 15-20% to your bill for that.
During the month of March the tower also hosts the 802 Challenge every Tuesday, this is a walking challenge where you climb all 802 stairs to the top of the tower, if you're a fitness person this could be a fun day out for you! It costs $10 to participate in this, which isn't bad considering that the regular general entry is $18. For the past few years this has been hosted between 4pm and 7pm and you don't have to pre-register to take part, this may change in the future so I suggest checking the Calgary Tower website closer to the time.
Nearest C-train station: 1st street / Centre street
Cost per person: $18 general entry or $30+ for food with free entry.
*The C-train is free between Downtown West/Kirby and City Hall, if you leave this zone you will need a train ticket.