Grand Hotels of the Canadian Rockies

Day 1: Calgary to Banff

Your journey into the Rockies begins in the foothills as you arrive in Calgary, Alberta’s largest city. From there it is just a short, and very scenic, drive to Banff. Once you arrive in the town of Banff you'll be blown away by the sheer scope of your soon to be home-away-from-home. The world-famous Banff Springs hotel is a historic, landmark resort in the Canadian Rockies, nestled right in the heart of Banff. The luxurious hotel gives you easy access to some of the most sought-after mountain views in Canada. You have the evening free to take in the sights and enjoy the hospitality the town is known to offer.

Accommodation: Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

Day 2: Explore Banff

From scenic hikes to interesting museums, Banff has many attractions to keep you busy. Walking through the snow-covered trees with the towering mountains as your backdrop is nothing short of magical. As a bonus, Banff tends to be quieter in the winter months so you just might find you have some quiet moments to take in the splendour without the distraction of other visitors.

If you’d like to take a more guided approach to seeing the town, we recommend booking the ‘Discover Banff and its Wildlife’ tour which visits Banff’s top landmarks and historic places. Hear how the 11,000 year old human history of the Bow Valley changed when three railway workers rediscovered the Cave & Basin, now a National Historic Site. See and learn about wildlife behaviour, habitat, and their winter survival adaptations.If you prefer to escape the cold, you can always cosy up in your castle in the Rockies and enjoy the world class amenities at your hotel.

Accommodation: Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

Day 3: Drive the Icefields Parkway

Today you will embark on one of the world’s most scenic drives – the Icefields Parkway – as you make your way north to Jasper National Park.

The Icefields Parkway is a bucket-list drive dotted with more than 100 ancient glaciers, towering rock formations and sweeping valleys of snow-covered trees. Be sure to lookout for wildlife on the sides of the road – bighorn sheep, mountain goats, coyotes, elk and deer are often spotted in the winter along the Parkway. There is also a 20-km stretch of the road that runs through the heart of the winter habitat of the Woodland Caribou, a Canadian species-at-risk.

At the end of the journey, you’ll arrive in Jasper and head to your hotel -- the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, a 700-acre luxury mountain resort that wraps around the shores of Lac Beauvert. Surrounded by the snow-capped Rockies, this resort of interconnected log cabins and picturesque paths feels like a winter wonderland. Spend your evening enjoying the hotel's amenities.

Accommodation: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Day 4: Explore Jasper National Park

Wake up in a winter wonderland where trees and rooftops are dusted with snow and ice-covered mountains sparkle overhead. There’s plenty to do in town, from shopping and dining to winter hiking and skating.

For a truly unique experience, we recommend taking a guided ‘Ice Walk’ tour of the Maligne Canyon. Descend beneath the frozen surface of the Maligne River where the water levels have dropped with the freeze and left a magical world of ice formations and shelves. Learn interesting facts about the area while taking in the amazing scenery of the frozen canyon.

As evening sets in, be sure to look up at the sky. Jasper National Park is the world’s second largest Dark Sky Preserve and an excellent place to glimpse the Northern Lights, especially during the darker winter months.

Accommodation: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Day 5: Revisit the Icefields Parkway

See the Icefields Parkway in reverse as you travel along the famous highway from Jasper to beautiful Lake Louise. Enjoy the pristine wilderness and look out for wildlife.

At the end of the journey sits legendary Lake Louise, an alpine village with breathtaking scenery in the UNESCO-recognized Banff National Park. Your home for the next two nights is one of Canada's most iconic hotels, the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, perched right on the shores of the namesake lake. From this vantage point, you'll have an amazing view of the soaring mountain peaks and the Victoria Glacier.

Lake Louise is best known for its namesake turquoise blue glacier-fed lake. Although the colours are not visible in winter, the lake is otherworldly when covered in snow and ice. The lake is cleared daily of snow and maintained for skating by the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and we highly recommend partaking in this activity if at all possible as it is considered to be one of the most beautiful skating rinks in the world.

Accommodation: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Day 6: Enjoy Lake Louise

While there are plenty of more challenging hikes available in the area, the walk around the lakeshore trail is one of our favourite activities at Lake Louise accessible to any fitness level. There are also horse-drawn carriage rides that follow the same scenic path. Warm up with a hot chocolate beside a roaring outdoor fire. If you arrive in early January, you might catch the Ice Magic Festival where ice carvers from around the world create incredible sculptures.

Accommodation: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Day 7: Return to Calgary

Enjoy one final morning in Lake Louise before you say good-bye to the Canadian Rockies as you head out of the national park towards Calgary.