Edmonton Transportation

Getting There:

By Air:

Edmonton International Airport (+1 780 890 8900/ http://www.edmontonairports.com ) is located 18 miles (29 km) from the center of the city and provides direct service and connections to several destinations from the following airlines:

Air Canada ( +1 888 247 2262/ http://www.aircanada.ca ) Air North, Yukon's Airline ( +1 800 661 0407/ http://www.flyairnorth.com ) Air Transat ( +1 877 872 6728/ http://www.airtransat.com ) Canadian North ( +1 800 661 1505/ http://www.canadiannorth.com ) Central Mountain Air ( +1 888 865 8585/ http://www.flycma.com ) Continental ( +1 800 231 0856/ http://www.continental.com ) First Air ( +1 800 267 1247/ http://www.firstair.ca ) Horizon Air ( +1 800 547 9308/ http://www.horizonair.com ) Jetsgo ( +1 866 440 0441/ http://www.jetsgo.net ) Northwest ( +1 800 225 2525/ http://www.nwa.com ) Peace Air ( +1 800 563 3060/ http://www.peaceair.com ) Skyservice ( +1 800 701 9448/ http://www.skyserviceairlines.com ) United ( +1 800 241 6522/ http://www.ual.com) US Airways ( +1 800 428 4322/ http://www.usairways.com ) WestJet ( +1 800 538 5696/ http://www.westjet.com ) Zoom Airlines (+1 866 359 9666 / http://www.flyzoom.ca)

Sky Shuttle ( +1 888 438 2342/ http://www.edmontonskyshuttle.com) offers transportation to and from the Edmonton International Airport every 20 minutes on weekdays from 6a-9p.

The following cab companies service Edmonton International Airport:

Barrel Taxi ( +1 780 489 7777/ http://www.barreltaxi.com ) Prestige Cabs ( +1 780 462 4444/ http://www.edmontonyellowcab.com ) Yellow Cab ( +1 780 462 3456/ http://www.edmontonyellowcab.com )

Rental Car companies include:

Aviscar Inc. ( +1 800 331 1212/ http://www.avis.com ) Budget ( +1 800 661 7027/ http://www.budget.com ) Hertz ( +1 800 263 0600/ http://www.hertz.com ) National ( +1 800 227 7368/ http://www.nationalcar.com ) Thrifty ( +1 800 847 4389/ http://www.thrifty.com )

By Train:

VIA Rail ( +1 800 561 8630/ http://www.viarail.ca ) operates service across Canada with a stop in Edmonton.

By Bus:

Greyhound Canada ( http://www.greyhound.ca ) accesses Edmonton from anywhere in North America. The downtown bus station ( +1 780 420 2400 ), located at 10324-103rd Street, is open M-F 5:30a-12:30a, Sa 5:30a-midnight and Su 10a-6p.

By Car:

Edmonton is on the Trans-Continental Yellowhead Highway and Highway 2 is the main highway from the United States to Edmonton.

Getting Around:

Edmonton Transit ( +1 780 496 1611/ http://www.edmonton.ca ) provides public transportation via bus, trolley and light rail throughout the city.

Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Edmonton International Airport (tel. 800/268-7134 or 780/890-8382; www.flyeia.com) is served by Air Canada (tel. 800/372-9500; www.aircanada.com), Northwest (tel. 800/447-4747; www.nwa.com), and homegrown WestJet (tel. 800/937-8538; www.westjet.com), a Calgary-based carrier with several destinations across North America, among other airlines. Being a hub of international commerce, Edmonton is also served by several commuter lines.

The airport lies 29km (18 miles) south of the city on Highway 2, about 45 minutes away. By cab, the trip costs about C$35; by Airporter bus (tel. 780/465-8515; www.edmontontaxiservicegroup.com/skyshuttle) it's C$10.

By Car -- Edmonton straddles the Yellowhead Highway, western Canada's east-west interprovincial highway. Just west of Edmonton, the Yellowhead is linked to the Alaska Highway. The city is 515km (319 miles) north of the U.S. border, 283km (175 miles) north of Calgary. From Calgary, take Highway 2 north; from Banff, your best bet is through Calgary on the Trans-Canada Highway east, connecting to Highway 2 north.

By Train -- The VIA Rail station (tel. 800/561-8630 or 780/422-6032; www.viarail.ca) is at 104th Avenue and 100th Street.

By Bus -- Greyhound buses (tel. 800/661-8747 or 780/413-8747; www.greyhound.ca) link Edmonton to points in Canada and the United States from the depot at 10324 103rd St.

Visitor Information

Contact Edmonton Tourism (9990 Jasper Ave. NW; tel. 800/463-4667 or 780/496-8400; www.edmonton.com). There are also visitor centers located at City Hall and at Gateway Park, both open from 9am to 6pm, and on the Calgary Trail at the southern edge of the city, open from 9am to 9pm.

City Layout

The winding North Saskatchewan River flows right through the heart of the city, dividing it into roughly equal halves. Most of this steep-banked valley has been turned into public parklands.

Edmonton's main street is Jasper Avenue (actually 101st Avenue), running north of the river. At 97th Street, on Jasper Avenue, rises the massive pink Canada Place, the only planned government complex of its kind in Canada, a kind of one-stop-shopping destination for all government services. Across the street is the Edmonton Convention Centre, which stair-steps down the hillside to the river. Beneath the downtown core stretches a network of climate-controlled pedestrian walkways -- called Pedways -- connecting hotels, restaurants, and malls with the library, City Hall, and Citadel Theatre.

At the northern approach to the High Level Bridge stand the buildings of the Alberta Legislature. Across the bridge, to the west, stretches the vast campus of the University of Alberta. East of the U of A is Old Strathcona, a bustling neighborhood of cafes, galleries, and shops that is a haven for the hip crowd. The main arterial through Old Strathcona is Whyte Avenue, or 82nd Avenue. Running south from here is 104th Street, which becomes the Calgary Trail and leads to the airport.

West of downtown, Jasper Avenue eventually becomes Stony Plain Road, which passes near the West Edmonton Mall, the world's largest shopping and entertainment center, before merging with Highway 16 on its way to Jasper National Park.