A few weeks ago my boyfriend Johnny and I went to Banff, Alberta Canada for a late Valentines celebration together. We decided it would be more fun to spend a weekend together at the mountains then to just buy each other some gifts and go out for dinner. There are endless things to do in Banff so I thought I would make this Banff travel guide and let you know what we did.
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Where To Stay
Staying in Banff can get a little pricey so I have got a hack for you! Canmore is only about 20 minutes outside of Banff and the hotels are cheaper. We stayed at the Windtower Lodge and Suites. This is the second time we’ve stayed here and this time we got a suite! The best part is that this suite was cheaper than most regular rooms in Banff. Definitely worth checking into if your trying to safe some money and don’t mind the little drive into town.
Windtower Lodge and suites has such a beautiful view of the mountains surrounding it. The hotel also has a hot tub outside and while we were there, there were two bunnies that kept hanging out near it. These bunnies were so friendly and got so close to you just wanting to see what you were doing. I seriously just wanted to take them home haha they were just so sweet. The hotel also has a free breakfast which is great. It’s a real breakfast too, it has meats, eggs, potatoes, cereals, waffle machine and more. It’s nice to get a big good breakfast that you don’t have to pay extra for.
One more place I wanted to include in this Banff travel guide is Brewster’s Mountain Lodge. I’ve also done a review of this lodge for you in another post if you want to take a read of it.
Our room was gorgeous! It had a huge king size bed, with memory foam and the softest sheets. I seriously had such a great sleep at this hotel. There was also a cute kitchen which is bigger than the one I have at home! With a dinning table and a little living room with a fireplace. Our room also had a washer and dryer in it in case you were staying for a longer amount of time and need to do some laundry.
Where To Eat
On our first day we had breakfast at our hotel because it was free and delicious. Then we got ready and went for lunch in town at Evelyn’s Coffee Bar. This coffee bar was so adorable. The vibe and the people working there were so friendly. I got a hot chocolate and a sausage roll and Johnny got a coffee and a slice of cheesecake. It was all amazing! I will definitely go back next time I’m in Banff. Also, this cafe had the biggest cups I have ever seen! If you get a large you are really getting a large haha. If your one of the people who really like and need your coffee this is the place for you haha
We went about the rest of our day and came back into Banff for supper. We went to Elk & Oarsman Pub & Grill. This place was so cute! Johnny and I are definitely burger bar type of people. I got a crispy chicken burger and Johnny got a cheeseburger. Both were so good and, my chicken was seriously so huge haha. They were also playing hokey on the TV’s which we like because we are pretty big hockey fans. Another thing I really liked about this restaurant is that you get to pick two sides and they have a lot so you get to try more than one. 🙂
The next day we were going to be heading home so in the morning we had breakfast at the hotel again and then went back upstairs to pack up. We wanted to check out a cafe nearby in Canmore called Le Fournil Bakery. This place was so cute! It smelt like fresh bread which is always a plus and had so many options! The only thing I would say about this place as a negative is that they only have one size for drinks and Johnny’s cappuccino was a little small. We both got a pastry for lunch and I got a chocolate mousse. We took our stuff to go and ate the pastries in the car and the mousse when we got home. The quality of the place was great and I would really recommend it.
What To Do
The major part of my Banff trael guide is the exciting things to do. One thing we wanted to do when we went to Banff was to hike Johnston Canyon. This hike is a pretty popular one and for good reason! This is a great hike to do in the summer or winter. If you going to hike it in the winter though I would suggest to get those spikes that go on the bottom of your shoes, especially if you don’t live in a place that has a lot of snow and ice like Canada. We just wore out normal boots and were fine, it was fun to slide down the hills using the railings to keep us up. There were several people that I could tell were having a hard time, however, I don’t feel bad for you when you wear tiny little sneakers to hike at least 3km on snow and ice!
This hike has a few waterfalls you can see that are frozen in the winter and a river all the way along the trail. You can also ice climb up the larger waterfall but this does cost money so it’s up to you if you want to spend it. We just watched and it was pretty cool! This hike also has quick sand at the end. We didn’t go to the end because we figured it wouldn’t be as cool in the winter so we are planning to go back to this hike in the summer to see it.
We also quickly went to Lake Minnewanka. This lake is really beautiful and surrounded by mountains. However, it was still winter when we went and when your standing on the ice in the middle of the lake the wind gets very cold!! It was cool to see the big tents set up on the ice for ice fishing though. I definitely want to visit this lake again in the summer to take in the scenery when I won’t be freezing haha.
Hope this Banff travel guide post helps you decide what you want to do in Banff. I absolutely love Banff and I would suggest visiting. Thank you for reading.
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Looks like a lovely place for a getaway Brianna. Followed you on Insta and Twitter. Have a great day 🙂
Thank you so much 🙂
Love the photos!! Banff is such an incredible place! Great post xoxo
Thank you 🙂
Woe that place looks amazing! Xx
It is 🙂
Since I do not travel I absolutely love travel posts! Thank you for making it a wonderful place to visit virtually!
Mimi
thedomesticatedrebellion.wordpress.com
Haha no problem! Banff is only about a 4hour drive away from me so it’s not to far 🙂
Ahh this looks like such a lovely place. It’s definitely on my travel list. You have some really useful tips, thank you xx
I hope you get to go someday 🙂 Your welcome 🙂
looks like an amazing place to visit. We are so ready to get out there to see what is available to see in this great world thanks for sharing
I’m so happy you feel this way! Great positivity 🙂
I loved visiting Banff as a kid, now I’m thinking we should head back soon!
You should! I think it would be more fun as an adult 🙂
It sounds like you had a lovely late Valentines celebration! I was thinking about taking a trip to Banff myself and I was looking at places to stay in Canmore too! The hotel prices in Banff were just too crazy! I’m going to write down the name of that bakery too because all of those pastries look delicious.
Thanks for sharing Brianna! 🙂
No problem! I would love to hear where you went when you go 🙂
Great post, never been there before but will definitely add it to my future travel destinations list.
You should definitely visit 🙂
I have always wanted to visit banff. I wish we lived closer! These pictures making me put it on my bucket list for sure!
Definitely worth the visit if you can make it 🙂
Wow! Very nice place to visit! Nice blog!!
Thank you 🙂