The Canadian Rocky Mountains are famous for jaw-dropping natural scenery. Snow-capped mountains, alpine lakes, and home to incredible destinations like Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, and Lake Louise to name a few. Summer and Winter, both offer great things to see and do. However, if you want to get a true Winter Wonderland experience, then you must make a trip to Banff during Christmas and New Years’ holidays.

For this 5-day itinerary, start your Magical White Christmas by staying at the historic Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel - “The Castle of the Rockies”. This is a bucket lister and defines the Banff winter holiday experience you are seeking.

On the day of arrival, check-in and grab an early dinner in town. The next day take it easy and acclimatize. Explore the beautiful town of Banff, grab incredible coffee & crepes for breakfast, do lunch in town and wrap up the day back at your majestic hotel “castle” (they even have tours!). In the next 3 days experience the Banff Gondola ride to enjoy spectacular views of Banff National Park, Dog sledding on New Years Day, a Day trip to Lake Louise to ice skate and see the ice castle carvings enjoy great food all around including a New Years day dinner in the resorts Waldhaus Restaurant - a cozy Bavarian-style cottage (the hideaway location is incredible!). The day before departure just stay local and rent snowshoes in the morning from the hotel store and just walk about - there are beautiful trails with snow-capped trees just outside the Fairmont.

Tip -  Holiday season get super busy, so leverage the Fairmont's fantastic concierge to help with some hard to get dinner and activity reservations!  

Trip Highlights

Duration - 5 Days

Places - Banff, Banff National Park, Lake Louise, Spray Lakes

Best for - Family Luxury Adventure Vacation

Travel Pace - Active

Season - Winter (Christmas & New Year)

Experiences - Stay at Fairmont Banff Springs, Banff Gondola Ride, Dog Sledding (Spray Lakes Park), Snow Shoeing, Soaking in winter outdoor hot tub, Fairmont Hotel Castle Tour, Exploring Banff Springs Town (self-guided)

Trip Cost - $400/day/person excluding airfare. Due to the peak holiday season cost to stay at the Fairmont is very high but worth it! Cost includes 1 Junior Suite w/ Mountain View at Fairmont Banff Springs); Car Rental, Parking + Gas (prices were; Food and Drinks, Paid Experiences, and National Park tickets and passes.

Itinerary

DAY 1 ARRIVE IN BANFF

Assuming you flew in from California (2.5 Hr flight into Edmonton), you will likely arrive in Banff late afternoon (1.5 hr drive from Edmonton). Check-in by 4 PM and grab early dinner (it gets dark by 4:30 PM!) and cocktails in the resort town of Banff. It’s a beautiful 10 min walk from the Fairmont. Suggest grabbing a table at The Park Distillery (a local gin maker), a cozy and hip restaurant & bar. Head back to the Fairmont and soak in the super-heated outdoor pool and enjoy the moonlit snow-capped mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains, before getting a goodnight’s sleep in your warm cozy bed!

Tip -   Book the Junior Suite # 661 for a fabulous Mountain View

Duration: ~ 4 hours (Flight 2.5hrs from SFO + 1.5 hr drive from Edmonton Airport to Banff)

Good To Know: Winter holiday season is super busy (this trip was before the 2020 pandemic!), so plan at least 6 months ahead and know that most hotels have a 21 day before arrival cancellation policy! Note: At the time of publishing this post, there were Covid-19 restrictions. Please check policies for the respective experience (hotel, tour, place of interest and restaurant, etc..)

How to get there: Rent a car from the airport, preferably a 4x4 as you will be driving in the snow!

Evening

DAY 2 RIDE THE BANFF GANDOLA + EXPLORE HISTORIC BANFF TOWN

Ease into your first full day at Banff. Start around 10 AM! Head to town and grab some delicious coffee and pastry to get started. Take a walking self-guided tour of the town. It’s beautiful and you can do it in 1 Hour. Spend the rest of the afternoon experiencing the beautiful Banff Gondola ride to the Summit of Sulphur Mountain, strolling along the mountain boardwalk, and enjoying some spectacular views of the Banff National Park. Head back to the hotel by early afternoon and explore the hotel “castle” (maybe signup for a tour). Spend a few in the beautiful hotel lobby relaxing and sipping hot cocoa by the fireplace. Wrap up the day with a cozy dinner in one of Fairmont’s fabulous restaurants. Hit the outdoor heated pool again before retiring early to bed with a book or watch a movie!

Tip:  Consider renting a Fat Tire bike and riding (25min) or simply hike (~ 1 hour) from The Fairmont to the base of the gondola lift and make it an exciting super active day. 

Duration: Full Day

Activity Level: Moderate

Good To Know: Gondola tickets can be purchased online or at the lift base station. Parking is very very limited to factor that into your choice for transportation

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

DAY 3 DAY TRIP TO LAKE LOUISE + NEW YEARS EVE DINNER

On this New Year’s Eve day, plan on taking a beautiful drive to Lake Louise and spending about half a day in the area. Make Fairmont Chateau, Lake Louise as your base as it’s right on the Lake and you will likely park your car here. Start with enjoying the famous Ice Carved Castles (only during the Christmas holidays) on the Lake entrance. Then take a stroll or ice skate on the frozen lake! (in Summer this is icy blue - probably seen many pictures on IG!). You can also explore some snow-covered trails around the lake and head to the Fairview Lookout to get a birds-eye view of the beautiful lake. Wrap up the day with a fantastic Italian dinner for New Year’s Eve back at the Castillo Italiana (Fairmont Banff Springs).

Tip:  Book your dinner reservations atleast few days in advance of your arrival. 

Duration: Half Day (4-5 hours)

Activity Level: Moderate

Good To Know: 1. At Fairview Lookout, there is no wheelchair accessibility. 2. For New Years Eve Dinner, it’s best to choose a restaurant at your hotel as not many places are open this evening

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

DAY 4 Huskies Dog Sledding on New Year’s Day

Start your New Years’ day with an exhilarating day experiencing dog sledding adventure in the Spray Lakes area in beautiful Banff National Park. Book a guided tour with Howling Dog Tours (in business for 26 years!) prior to your arrival in Banff. The experience includes an opportunity to interact with the Alaskan-Siberian huskies, learn to drive the sled with the guide, or simply enjoy as passengers (2 per sled) in the comfort of the warm blankets provided by the tour guide. Halfway through the tour you will stop near Spray Lakes, get chocolate chip cookies with hot cocoa, and a little break to walk around the park, especially on the frozen lake -- it’s incredible! At the end of the tour, spend time with the huskies and reward them with food for the hard work! Head back to the hotel (tour provided transportation) by late afternoon and rest up. For dinner head to the Waldhaus Restaurant, a cozy Bavarian-style cottage serving gastropub delights. Wrap of the last night with a soak in the outdoor heated pool (yes we loved it!) and sleep well!

Tip:  You can rent the sled if you are experienced rider bu that has to be done with another company.

Duration: Full Day (including 2 hours roundtrip driving)

Activity Level: Moderate

Good To Know: 1. Wear super warm clothes - layer layer layer. Wear Sorel-like snow boots and definitely take hand and toe warmers. 2. No physical ability restrictions and travelers age 2+ can enjoy!

Morning

Evening

DAY 5 Snow Shoeing & Departure

On the morning of departure day, if your flight is not until the evening, make the best of your stay by renting snowshoes from the store located in the Fairmont and literally walk along the beautifully groomed trail - open for both snowshoeing and x-cross country. Spend 1-2 hours, grab lunch, pack, and head to the airport (Edmonton). Note: We had fresh snowfall the previous night, so the trails were perfect for snowshoeing! This is another must-have experience

Duration: 1-2 hours for Snow Shoeing and 2 hrs for driving to the airport

Activity Level: Easy

Morning

Late Afternoon

Before You Go

1. Reserve - Book your hotel direct with Fairmont Banff Springs and your dog sled tours through the hotel concierge or direct. New Years’ holidays get very busy. The tour cancellations are flexible till 48 Hrs -72 Hrs before the start. So you can always change /cancel upon arrival.

2. Pack - It’s very cold so pack layers, snow boots, gloves/mitts, winter jackets, Smartwool socks, beanies, and definitely take toe and heat warmers - you will need them for your dog sledding tour.

3. Planning - Days are short in Winter - gets dark by 4:30 PM so you can plan activities ideally that last 3-4 hours assuming start at 10 AM. Plan some freedom-free choice days so you can simply relax, unwind and enjoy this beautiful resort hotel.

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Plan Your Trip

Take this itinerary as is or if you like to make some tweaks you can consider swapping with the recommendation additions above. If you have less time, then pick and choose from the plan above to personalize your trip. If you have questions on planning your trip or have feedback on this itinerary, leave us a comment below.