The capital of Alberta, Edmonton lies at the very center of the province and is a place that often appears to be in permanent party mode, hence its title as the ‘Festival City’. Blanketed in snow for roughly half of the year, the city nevertheless guarantees a warm reception and plenty of attractions, from its numerous ski centers and golf courses to its excellent shopping and heritage museums.
Alberta’s capital city is extremely spread out and therefore has a low population density, meaning you won’t have to jostle for space. The exception to this rule is at West Edmonton Mall, the largest shopping space of its kind in North America with up to 800 stores, theme and water parks, a hotel and an ice rink among other attractions. For the festival season, get here between June and September when the city has escaped the icy winter. The Edmonton Labatt’s Blues Festival and the Fringe Festival, both in August, are two of the best.
Eating-wise, Edmonton has a mind-boggling array of different restaurants and culinary styles from Indian and Indonesian to Tex-Mex and even Czech. The bar scene here is dominated by British and Irish style pubs, particularly on 82nd avenue, along with Canadian tavern-type places. A number of newly opened casinos mean that Edmonton is now commonly referred to as Canada’s ‘Las Vegas of the North’.
Highlights
West Edmonton Mall: one of the largest in the world, this mega mall ranks as Edmonton’s premier attraction, a place you could comfortably spend a two-week holiday without getting bored.
Royal Alberta Museum: some of the most impressive North American Indian artifacts on display anywhere, along with natural history and wildlife exhibits.
Rabbit Hill: the city’s best ski center is less than 30 minutes by car and close to the North Saskatchewan River.
TELUS World of Science: a museum dedicated to science with interactive displays and an IMAX cinema.
Art Gallery of Alberta: the biggest gallery in the province with over 5,000 Canadian and international works.
Whyte avenue: also called 82nd avenue, this is the place to party after dark in Edmonton with its concentrated mass of restaurants, bars and clubs.