calling all Canadians
Ok I have some funny questions for all ye Canadians out there.....
We're thinking about going to the Canadian Rockies for our honeymoon. Banff, Lake Louise....
For anyone that's done it before- how much should we expect airline tickets to cost? Flying from Denver to there and back. How much will it cost us to stay in that area? Also, we don't need a passport right? It sounds really dumb to me, but he thinks that maybe things have changed.
And lastly, any suggestions for while we're there?
Thanks!!!!!
posted by TonyandKaylen @ 11:19 AM
12 Comments:
good choice! that's where i'd like to go for mine too (will cost me significantly less, though, since i already live near them!) were you thinking of hiking and camping and that sort of thing?
i think they (the border patrol people) recommend having a passport... they were going to start requiring one, but i don't know when that goes into effect... yeah that really wasn't helpful at all. sorry! haha.
passports are required for entering canada, my mom doesn't have one, and the only way they let her in is because she was just dropping us off, turning around and going back to the states within 2 hours. ESPECIALLY if you're flying though, airport customs are the worst. By canadian law, you need a passport to enter.
oo, fancy. i didnt know all that.
it depends where you go, kaylen, as to where to fly into. often calgary is the least expensive place to fly into, evne if you want to go somewhere on the bc (west) side of the rocky's it's cheapest to fly into calgary. from there you'll need to rent a car and drive yourselves into the mountains, there isnt really many other options. CNR does have one amazingly nice train that goes from calgary into banff, they just oepend the lines this year, and it is mother expensive i think because it is so nice, but it would be a nice romantic thing through the mountains with the panoramic roofs and stuff.
it is a max 2.5 hour drive into banff/lake louise from calgary, really more like 1.5 hours though. if you are considering jasper or anywhere less touristy they are farther north, so fly into edmonton instead.
when i flew to denver it was like $400 CAD round trip from edmonton.
oh staying in banff/lk.louise is a bit costly, especially banff the nightlife is expensive because all of the boring city people like me want to go there on weekends. it is very touristy. considering the currecny change though i bet it isnt higher than you'd expect. eating and everything are just "normal" priced, or a little high.
well, as far as the passport thing, i usually go to the states at least twice a week for various reasons and as long as you have a passport and a birth certificate, it's usually all right. because driver's license is your id and the birth certificate shows your citizenship. i've never had problems. but maybe all my border people are nice?
I find the US border patrol folk in the airports generally vaguely unpleasant, but you being American might be treated differently. and i do think you need your passport now. Banff was once a wonderful place, now i haven't been there in years, but the last time that i went it had become HORRIBLY over-crowded and touristy. Lake Louise is a bit less so. and if you want to be a bit more economical, Lake Louise has a BEUTIFUL youth hostel. Banff has one too, but it isn't as nice, and I think you have to share a room with strangers in Banff. Lake Louise has more private rooms, which would be better suited for a young honeymooning couple. Anyway, if you can bare the dripping tourism, and can see past it to the nature, the Canadian Rockies are indeed fantastically beautiful!
oh and things to do:
banff DOES have a fantasic candy store. at least it seemed fantastic when i was a child. i might also add that camping in the area is fun. just DON'T feed the bears. banff also has a mineral spa, although i think it might be costly. i heard once they sell paper bathing suits there for those who forget to bring theres, and have always been intrigued by the concept of paper bathing suits....ANYWAY, what to do depend on the season. when ARE you getting married by the way? in summer there is magnificant hiking (bring a ebar bell to scare away the bears) and in th inter there is the most wonderful skiing....ANYWAY hope we all our of some help!!!!!!!!
oh amy is so right!! there is in banff THE MOST AMAZING candy store!! also, the hot springs DO SELL paper bathing suits! obviously you would bring your own, but the mere existence of the bathing suits is remarkable to me.
kaylen, if you email me your address once you know where you are going, i have a MILLION coupons. i hate admitting im a coupon person, but it is just thrifty! there are a lot for the hot springs in the mountains, and for horseback riding, and gondolas and stuff - things you will want to do if you go.
something of note - most people when visiting banff or lake louise will stay in Canmore. it is a city less than an hour drive from both banff or lake louise, and it has less expensive but equally nice hotels.
maybe joemartinez fails to understand the questions
maybe joe martinez needs to earn the money for his own honeymoon to the canadian rockies
in that case, I understand his plight! thanks guys for so much info and ideas. When you think of more, feel free to add them!!! Oh, and the wedding is Aug 12
You DO NOT need a passport to enter Canada; however you may need it to re-enter the U.S. Because of the frequent traffic across the border, you do not need it.
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