Calgary Travel Guide

Last weekend Brad and I headed to Calgary. He had some work there and asked if I wanted to join him. I had no plans so, why not?! Calgary is the perfect little weekend getaway! It’s a quick 8 hour drive, has a great food scene, great shopping, and a pretty good nightlife. Since it was such a last minute trip and we didn’t have much planned I took to IG for some guidance from ya’ll. As always, you guys hit me up with the hot spots! We really only had Saturday to fill so we couldn’t fit much in but I will share the common recommendations in case you’re heading to YYC anytime soon!

Where to stay?

We stayed at the Art Hotels and I would highly recommend staying here! I was first attracted to it because of the location. It’s located in the downtown arts and entertainment neighbourhood so it is close to great shopping on 17th Avenue, The Core, Inglewood and a five minute drive from Chinook Centre...hello Nordstrom!! It’s within walking distance to some great food spots as well including National, Craft, and Native Tongues! Aside from the location the restaurant located right in the hotel is freaking amazing!! We had brunch at the Yellow Door Bistro on Saturday morning and it was honestly one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had! The room was spacious, bright and clean, and the bed was very comfortable… overall a great experience!

Where to eat?

My favourite part of any getaway is the eating part, but like I said before, we had a very limited time in the city (we only stayed 2 nights) not to worry though, we packed in as much as we could! Upon our arrival to YYC we met up with some friends at National on 10th for some food and bevies then moved on to Craft (newly renovated) for some more drinks! Both places had good vibes and cocktails! On Saturday we met up with friends for happy hour at Bar Patricia, a cozy little spot just a few blocks from our hotel and then went to dinner at Native Tongues which was SO good! This was one of the highly recommended places and it did not disappoint! The tacos are tiny so don’t be shy when you’re ordering! The next morning we went to OEB as per every single persons recommendation… the menu was limiting for me as per usual, but I still really enjoyed it!

A few other spots that were recommended to us but we just didn’t have time to hit up were:

-Lulu Bar (Cocktails)
-Ten Foot Henry (Restaurant)
– Mercato (Italian)
-Little Henry (Restaurant)
-Made by Marcus (ice cream shop)
-Calcutta Cricket Club (Italian)
– Blue Star Diner (Breakfast)

Where to shop?

I had my heart set on going to Nordstrom because, well… Nordstrom, so we had to go to Chinook Centre and as per usual it didn’t disappoint. If you are on a limited time schedule like I was, I would suggest hitting up Chinook Centre, it literally has every single store imaginable and more! We also visited Cross Iron Mills for one reason only… Joe Fresh, to my disappointment, it is no longer there! I am SO sad about this! If you’re into thrifting, I would highly suggest visiting Peacock Boutique, I got a pair of Agolde jeans for $78… WEEKEND MADE! I would have loved to hit up the shops on 17th and some other boutiques but we just ran out of time!