Banff's raison d'être is hot water. Not any old hot water but the soothing spring water gushing out of the depths of Sulphur Mountain at temperatures that oscillate between 32°C and 46°C. This geothermal gift of nature contains numerous revitalizing minerals including sulphate, calcium, sodium and magnesium and is kept at temperatures of between 37ºC and 40ºC in the public pools (hotsprings.ca/banff).
Upper Hot Springs Pool(parks.canada.ca; adult/child $17.50/15.25) get busy in season, so aim for an early or late dip if you prefer smaller crowds. Towels and swimsuits – including 1930s retro garments – are available for hire.
Several hotels once occupied the site where the present-day Upper Hot Springs Pool stands – Dr RG Brett's Grand View Villa, built in 1886, was joined by the Hydro Hotel in 1890, but both establishments burnt down and were replaced in the 1930s by a new bathhouse in the fashionable art-deco style.
Renovations have since masked some of the bathhouse's period elegance, but the hot springs still rank as one of the not-to-be-missed Banff experiences – there aren't many places in the world where you can take a hot bath with a mountain view as spectacular as this.