A Landsby Spotlight on Edmonton

Last Updated: 20 July 2022

Written By: Landsby Editorial Team

Photo c/o Government of Alberta

With the largest urban park in all of Canada, tons of cool festivals and a great food scene, Alberta’s capital city should be on everyone’s list of must-visit Canadian cities. Sitting along the North Saskatchewan River, Edmonton is the furthest north of all of Canada’s provincial capitals. Visitors are often surprised at all there is to do in this vibrant city.

Getting to Edmonton is easy, with direct flights from a number of Canadian cities. Edmonton is also one of the stops on VIA Rail’s the Canadian train journey. Learn more about taking the Canadian with Landsby.

Related: Read about Tam Andersen, the Alberta farmer who is building a sustainable tourism business on her farm just north of Edmonton. 

Fireworks over Edmonton. Photo by Sameer Ahmed

Top things to do in Edmonton

Catch a festival

While Edmonton can sometimes be overshadowed by its mountainous cousin to the south, this dynamic city has a lot to offer. Visit and you’re likely to catch a festival or two happening: there is, of course, the city’s famous International Fringe Theatre Festival — the largest and oldest of its kind in North America — but you’ll also find smaller and quirkier happenings all year. There are canoe races in the middle of winter, an annual drag gala, a Byzantine winter fete and more than 50 other events that celebrate culture, history, art and music. It is no wonder that Edmonton bills itself as Canada’s City of Festivals.

Boats racing under the High Level Bridge in the river valley during the Edmonton Dragon Boat Festival. Photo by Curtis Comeau/Travel Alberta

Get out in nature

The North Saskatchewan River Valley stretches along the banks of the North Saskatchewan river and creates a huge urban park within the city — more than 20 times the size of New York City’s Central Park! The valley has opportunities for year round recreation from canoeing and jet skiing to gold panning and hiking.

Art Gallery of Alberta. Photo by Plaid Interactive

Take in the art and culture

Experience the city’s rich Indigenous culture by visiting one of the many Indigenous landmarks and spaces. Wander the city streets and take in the architecture or dive deeper into Edmonton’s culture scene by visiting one of the city’s many museums and galleries. Check out artifacts at the Royal Alberta Museum, admire an exhibit at the Art Gallery of Alberta, or take a tour of the Alberta Legislature. There’s plenty of highlights in the city to keep you busy throughout your stay.

Edmonton Cityscape with Walterdale Bridge. Photo by Sameer Ahmed

Our weekly 2022 Summer Spotlight series has short introductions to Canada’s 14 capital cities (10 provincial, 3 territorial and 1 national) and was created to inspire us Canadians to explore more of our own country. For more details on each province or territory, visit our Experiences page or search our Journal by location. Better yet, reach out to us! We’d love to tell you more about these great places and create travel itineraries for you to explore them.