Christmas in the Canadian Rockies

After landing in Calgary, you’ll be introduced to your tour manager, and have the chance to unwind in your hotel, in the centre of the city.

During the build-up to the special day, cheery Calgary really is the place to be. This evening, you can make the most of the merriment by visiting one of two highlights on the city’s holiday calendar. Calgary Heritage Park Lights and Calgary Zoo Lights are both awash with family-focused activities and present just a taste of what’s to come.

Heritage Park’s Christmas lights festival is a striking showcase of ice sculptures, decorations and live entertainment. Illuminated antique treasures and trinkets are spread across the historical property, along with fire pits and food stalls serving up a selection of drinks and snacks.

A local favourite, Calgary Zoo Lights, features an ice skating rink, a Santa Claus stand, numerous light displays and themed areas, as well as a chocolate bar. Be sure to capture some family photographs at The Nutcracker Experience, which features a Nutcracker suite with giant nutcrackers and a sleigh.

Today, the tour will leave the bustle of city life and travel deep into the Rockies to Banff. After arriving in this winter wonderful, your tour manager will guide you around the resort town’s fairy-light lined lanes, pointing out popular Christmas-inspired activities, overlooked by snow-capped peaks.

If there’s anything unticked on your gift list, the Bear Street Holiday Market is conveniently the next stop. Within walking distance of the town’s boutique stores and restaurants, this ring of twinkling wooden stalls sells local, handmade goodies. The Banff Christmas Market, in a red-painted stable, is also worth checking out, even just to relax in its outdoor lounge, with a glass of eggnog in hand. 

Alternatively, you can pick from two optional excursions to experience the best of Banff. The Banff and Sulphur Mountain Gondola excursion involves travelling by cable car to the summit of Sulphur Mountain and witnessing the breathtaking views across the region. Dinner amongst the clouds is possible with the Sky Bistro and Gondola excursion atop Sulphur Mountain too. Once at the peak, you’ll be seated at the Sky Bistro restaurant and tuck into locally inspired dishes, overlooking six Rocky Mountain ranges.

It’s Christmas Eve, and you get to wake up in such a picturesque corner of the world. To ensure you see more of it, the tour will travel out to Lake Louise by coach. Lake Louise, backed by the grand Victoria Glacier and encircled by alpine forest, is a remarkable stretch of turquoise-tinted water.

There will be time for you to explore this hamlet of natural beauty on foot by venturing on one of the gentler hiking trails or you can choose one of the nearby cosy cafés to have a sit-down. Lunch, which will be on your own account, will be up next before the tour returns to your hotel later in the afternoon.

Once back at the hotel, perhaps laze by the welcoming lounge’s fireplace or visit one of the lively restaurants and bars, which will be extra festive the night before Christmas.

Christmas Day has arrived, and you’ll have this morning to potter around at your own pace. Depending on what is operating, you can pick from activities like dog sledging, ice skating and tubing. As the hotel allows for easy access to Banff’s world-class slopes, skiing and snowboarding can be experienced too.

A celebratory Christmas meal, served in a delightful, local restaurant by candlelight, will be the highlight of this holiday. And as night falls, be sure to wrap up warm, as you’ll be led along Banff’s Christmas Lighting Trail, ‘In Search of Christmas Spirit’. Passing through the ‘Cascade of Time Garden’, your tour manager will take you on an illuminated path, fringed with sculptures and puppets while a live Christmas story unfolds. You can also choose to visit the trail independently at your preferred time.

All alpine-inspired adventures are ago on Boxing Day in Banff. Embrace this day at leisure and bring your winter wish-list to life, one activity at a time. Hitting up the slopes or heading into the great outdoors with a helicopter flight, ice climbing excursion, sleigh ride, snowmobile tour, or ice cave tour is highly recommended. An outing for the whole family is a guided snowshoeing excursion, which follows an easy trail through Banff National Park.

A visit to a local wolfdog sanctuary, ice fishing in a nearby lake, or a stroll along Banff’s Hot Chocolate Trail might be more appealing for those looking to slow things down. Banff’s world-famous hot springs also serve as a steamy and salubrious way to defrost while still enjoying the dramatic surroundings.

Today, you’ll say farewell to Banff, and be transferred back to the airport for your return overnight flight.

This morning, you'll arrive in the UK after an unforgettable Canadian Christmas.