Banff Town

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

British Columbia & the Canadian Rockies

$24.99

Shop Book

Gondola, Sulphur Mountain, Banff, Alberta, Canada

Getty Images

Overview

It seems hard to believe when you first lay eyes on Banff Town, but this overgrown village of less than 10,000 souls is the largest metropolis in the entire national park. Thankfully, Banff has largely avoided North America's notorious penchant for sprawl – though its few city blocks do manage to squeeze in a surprising amount of commercial hustle and bustle.

01 / Attractions

Must-see attractions

Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
Banff Town
Founded by local artists Catharine and Peter Whyte, the century-old Whyte Museum is more than just a rainy-day option. It boasts a beautiful, ever…
Cave & Basin National Historic Site
Banff Town
The Canadian National Park system was effectively born at these hot springs, discovered accidentally by three Canadian Pacific Railway employees on their…
Banff Gondola
Banff Town
In summer or winter, you can summit a peak near Banff thanks to the Banff Gondola, with four-person enclosed cars that glide up to the top of Sulphur…
Vermilion Lakes
Banff Town
West of town, this trio of tranquil lakes is a great place for wildlife spotting: elk, beavers, owls, bald eagles and ospreys can often be seen around the…
Banff Avenue
Banff Town
A little over a century ago, Banff Ave was Banff. Initially, the central street was home to little more than a handful of hotels, homesteads and trail…
Bow Falls
Banff Town
About 500m south of town, just before the junction with Spray River, the Bow River plunges into a churning melee of white water at Bow Falls. Though the…
Upper Hot Springs Pool
Banff Town
Banff quite literally wouldn’t be Banff if it weren’t for its hot springs, which gush out from 2.5km beneath Sulphur Mountain at a constant temperature of…
Marsh Loop
Banff Town
This 2.3km loop trail begins near the Cave & Basin National Historic Site and meanders through one of Banff’s most important areas of natural marshland…