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Lake Louise Transportation

TRANSPORT AND FACILITIES

Four Greyhound buses a day ($8) link Banff and Lake Louise (50min) and stop in the Samson Mall car park at the little office known as The Depot (tel 522-2080); three continue to Vancouver and the west. Four buses a day return from Lake Louise to Banff and Calgary. Laidlaw (tel 762-9102 or 1-800/661-4946) run one bus daily ($8) and Brewster Transportation (tel 762-6700) three buses a day from Banff ($11), and also continue to the Chateau Lake Louise (a good way to get up here if you’re without transport - you can walk back down to the village). Note that there are also direct Brewster and other connections to and from Lake Louise and Calgary airport . Brewster also run one daily service to Jasper from Lake Louise village and lake ($44; departs Samson Mall at 4.15pm) as well as bus tours on the Icefields Parkway (8hr one-way; $82, $112 return excluding accommodation in Jasper). If you need a taxi to ferry you to the lakes, call Lake Louise Taxi & Tours (tel 522-2020). The only car-rental agenc y is National at The Depot (tel 522-3870), but you’re better off renting in Banff or elsewhere as their cars go quickly.

The Samson Mall takes care of most practical considerations including a post office (daily 6.30am-7pm; tel 522-3870). Behind The Depot, which doubles up as a bag storage and booking office for coach tours and river-rafting trips, are a laundrette (tel 522-2143) and (downstairs) public washrooms with showers. The general store is good and has a money exchange . There’s also a currency exchange at the Chateau Lake Louise hotel . For the police , call 522-3811. The nearest hospital is in Banff.

Excellent basic food - snacks and coffee - can be had at the always busy Laggan’s Mountain Bakery (daily 6am-7pm) on the corner of the mall opposite the general store. For something more substantial than snacks, wander to the relaxed and reasonably priced Bill Peyto’s Café for full and varied meals (daily 7am-9pm; tel 522-2200), within the youth hostel but open to all; in summer the nice outdoor eating area makes a good place to meet people. The unique Lake Louise Station Restaurant (tel 522-2600) is housed in the restored 1909 station building - choose between hearty Canadian fare in the informal station building (garden dining in summer) and the more formal and expensive restored railway-dining carriages. Some of the best (and pricier) meals can be found in the Post Hotel (daily 7am-2pm & 5-9.30pm; tel 522-3989) - reservations are essential for dinner. The best local’s hangout is the hotel’s Outpost Pub (tel 522-3989), a snug bar that serves light meals from late afternoon. Other good drinking spots include the Lake Louise Bar and Grill (tel 522-3879) upstairs in the mall, and the lively Explorers Lounge (tel 522-3791) in the Lake Louise Inn , 210 Village Rd.

Airlines from around the world with frequent non-stop and direct flights. Amsterdam 9.0 hrs Los Angeles 2.5 hrs Chicago 3.0 hrs Minneapolis 2.5 hrs Dallas 3.5 hrs New York 4.5 hrs Denver 2.5 hrs San Francisco 2.5 hrs Frankfurt 9.0 hrs Seattle 1.5 hrs Glasgow 8.5 hrs Salt Lake City 1.5 hrs Houston 4.5 hrs Toronto 3.5 hrs London 8.5 hrs

Calgary International Airport 2000 Calgary Airport Road NE Calgary, Alberta, T2E 6W5 Phone: (403) 735-1200 Fax: (403) 735-1281 Website: www.calgaryairport.com

Road Banff townsite is 120 km (75 mi.) west of Calgary city limits and 16 km (10 mi.) west of Banff Park gate. To reach Banff, take the all-weather, four lane Trans-Canada Highway 1 Calgary to Banff driving time is under 90 minutes. Lake Louise is 58 km (35 mi.) west of Banff.

**Distances from Banff Lake Louise **37miles Calgary 80 miles Edmonton 249 miles Jasper 180 miles Kamloops 308 miles Vancouver 530 miles Waterton 244 miles Glacier National Park (USA) 229 miles Kalispell (USA) 305 miles Spokane (USA) 373 miles Seattle (USA) 656 miles

Airport Shuttle Scheduled van and motorcoach service connects Banff and Lake Louise with Calgary Airport and downtown Calgary frequently throughout the day. Contact:

Banff Airporter Phone: (403) 762-3330 or 1-888-449-2901 Fax: (403) 762-1677

Brewster Airport Service Phone:(403) 762-6767 or 1-800-661-1152 Fax: (403) 762-6750

Limousines or Sedans Alpine Limousine 403-762-3929 Alpine Tours 403-762-5466 Banff Limousine 403-762-8400 Banff Taxi Tours and Limousine 403-762-5600 Canadian Co. Tours Inc. 403-762-5558

Greyhound: Greyhound runs five times daily from Calgary (depot at 850 16th Street) tel. (403) 265-9111 to Banff.

Car Rentals Rental cars are available in Calgary at the airport and other locations, including in Lake Louise.

Rocky Mountaineer Railtours Sightseeing Tours Phone: (604) 606-7245 or 1-800-665-7245 Rocky Mountaineer Railtours operates seasonal two-day sightseeing trips, May to October featuring the Canadian Rockies by daylight. Both eastbound trips from Vancouver and westbound trips from Calgary/Banff overnight in Kamloops, B.C. Via Rail offers trips between Jasper and Vancouver and across Canada.

Via Rail Toronto -Edmonton - Jasper - Vancouver Phone: (506) 857-9830 Canada: 1-800-561-8630 USA: 1-800-561-3949