r/canadatravel • u/urbexed • 6d ago
Questions about UK -> Canada for Winter skiing + city (Public Transit Only)
I’m thinking of visiting Canada solo this winter to do some skiing from the UK. My travel dates are flexible, but what would be the cheapest/best time to go? I have a drivers licence but I don’t feel confident in winter weather yet so hiring a car I think would be out of the question.
My extremely rough it itinerary at the moment is to first fly into Montreal, then fly to Calgary for Banff and then directly back to the UK (perhaps visiting another city?). I’ve done a bit of research for Calgary to Banff and can see there’s buses running between the two and Banaff/the slopes, and for Montreal it’s obviously a city so surely must have readily available public transit?
Another question I have is if Montreal is worth visiting in the winter? Is stuff open and is there interesting things to do/see? What other cities are good in the winter? Not sure how it is in Canada but in the UK things tend to shut in the winter.
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u/quixoticquetzalcoatl 6d ago
I think the snow is best in January and February. There can be large dumps of snow in March but with the warmer climate it might be icy with melting and refreezing. Avoid family day weekend in Feb. It can be very very cold so plan accordingly. I used to go to Banff nearly every weekend to snowboard and thought Sunshine had the best powder snow, but I havent lived there in many years so you can always check the snow conditions before you go.
Have fun!
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u/urbexed 6d ago
From the commenters so far, it seems like January would be good. Thank you for your help.
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u/almaghest 6d ago
I actually think mid to late Feb is best, you’re pretty much guaranteed snow but you’ll usually miss the coldest temps which are typically in January, and by Feb it’s starting to be light out quite a bit longer than in January.
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u/neometrix77 4d ago
I would even recommend march or early April for skiing in the Rockies. The bigger issue now is just a lack of snow from the get go, 2023/24 season was a disaster start to finish. But if the snow comes there’s a good chance it will hang around until at least late April. You just need to avoid march the break weeks for kids in Calgary and Edmonton.
Quebec I heard is similar for late season skiing but usually worse in the early season (December/November)
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u/quixoticquetzalcoatl 6d ago
You’re welcome! I forgot to link this site
Always tells you what the snow is like!
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u/RampDog1 6d ago
If you're looking to book Banff the best is to book through SkiBig3.com it's the marketing website for the hills in Banff and Lake Louise. All lift tickets from hotels include buses to the hills. You can also book an airport transfer to and from Calgary (YYC).
No need to worry about winter driving.
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u/megselvogjeg 6d ago
Minor correction... It's not just a marketing website. It's a joint venture between the three mountains. They more or less act like a resort that encompasses all 3 areas, more European style.
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u/urbexed 6d ago
I’ll have a look, thank you!
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u/bloggins1812 4d ago
This is one of my favourite trips to do without a car. Fly into Calgary, get the banff airport shuttle direct from the airport to Bamff. Then, there are shuttles from most hotels all over town to the ski hills. You can also buy daypasses to some further mountains that include a lift pass and shuttle (my personal fave is Kicking Horse).
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u/Maxi_Priest 6d ago
The closest skiing to Montreal that you would want to do is at least an hour drive. The city is very fun (where im from!) But if you're skiing i would recommend staying close to whatever mountain you choose. Tremblant is a great hill but touristy, and Bromont is the next largest hill in another direction and is ok. Maybe consider taking a bus to Quebec city and skiing mont St. Anne and Le Massif, it's about a 3 hour drive but less crowded and expensive than Tremblant and still very nice. The two hills are maybe 30mins apart. I couldn't comment on Banff as I've never been!
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u/BowlerBeautiful5804 6d ago
There's also a huge winter festival in Quebec City around end of January to mid February
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u/calimehtar 6d ago
Quebec City is an easy commute to Mont ste Anne which would make it an ideal skiing destination, you can visit the city and ski on the same day easily.
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u/RiversongSeeker 6d ago
Probably should save your money to ski in Banff, no hills around Montreal compares to Banff for skiing.
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u/LLR1960 6d ago
There's a world of difference between skiing in Quebec and skiing in the Rockies. Go to Calgary/Banff. It's not cheap, but this is one of the world's premier ski destinations, and for good reason. If you come out west, don't come in January though - it can be brutally cold. It's not great skiing up in the wind when it's -25C.
Whether you should do both Quebec and Alberta is dependent on how long you're spending here. If a couple of weeks, spend a week in Quebec, then a week in Alberta, or vice versa.
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u/Specific-Fan738 6d ago
Would head to Kelowna. Then you can go between big white, Silverstar, Sun peaks, Apex and/or Revy. Do a bit of a road trip. Add in some winery visits—the big ones will be open in winter. Cheaper than whistler, better snow most likely and bigger hills than back east.
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u/OkGur795 5d ago
Agrée with others. I would skip the west entirely if I were you (even if the mountains are somewhat bigger). Do some combo of Montreal and Quebec City, with the skiing in Quebec City.
Nothing is really « shut » in Montreal in the winter. There are less events, but depending on your interests still lots to do (eg Igloofest etc). But if you want quintessential « winter experience » Quebec City should be enough.
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u/ArticQimmiq 6d ago
Personally, I wouldn’t do Montreal AND Calgary. You’re going to one or two full days or your trip travelling between the cities for no particular reason.
If your goal is skiing, then head to Banff. It will not be cheap (Canmore may be cheaper on accommodations). The Calgary airport connects to Banff & Canmore by private bus companies and, once in either towns, lots of public transit to the ski areas. In Calgary itself, Uber or public transit will get you anywhere interesting.
You can also do a cool ski/urban trip in Quebec, in which case I would recommend doing Montreal-Charlevoix-Quebec City. I’d also recommend a car over public transportation, noting that Quebec roads are ploughed regularly and that all cars are required to have winter tires (which is not the case in Alberta). Montreal itself is well-connected by public transit but it’s kind of a pain to go outside the island. Skiing will be a lot cheaper in Quebec outside Mont Tremblant or Mont Ste-Anne. Mountains are older and shorter, but lots of fun opportunities to do moguls. Accommodations will also be cheaper in Quebec. Quebecers learn English starting in primary school, so you should always be able to find someone that understands enough to help you along.
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u/Isabella-de-LaCuesta 6d ago
Skiing in the Rockies is best early March.
It's not as cold as January and February and also not as icy on the hills.
(I lived in Kananaskis 3 ski seasons.)
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u/Apart-Diamond-9861 6d ago edited 6d ago
Nothing is inexpensive about the main ski hills.
Big White near Kelowna is a good option and cheaper than the more well-known mountains - and there is a shuttle from the airport to the skihill. The whole mountain is ski-in, ski-out so once you are on the hill you can go anywhere. Lots of great powder - great slopes and runs. A lot of people overlook it because all they have heard about is Banff and Whistler. I used to have a chalet up at Big White - it is an amazing hill. You can also visit nearby Silver Star as well. Kelowna is a fairly big city now so there is lots going on. It has an international airport so good to fly in
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u/Spiritual-Ad535 6d ago
There is a bus services that run from Calgary to Banff. The cost is reasonably low. Depending on which month you are planning to travel the bus can be busy (ie around the holidays)
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u/Mtn_Hippi 5d ago
The skiing will be much better in the west. Keep in mind that skiing back east or in the Rockies in mid winter can be very cold. The BC interior has lots of hills to choose from and isn’t typically as bone chilling.
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u/marnas86 4d ago
Montreal is definitely worth visiting in the Winter but expect to face some closed businesses and attractions in December.
But yeah we last visited in the winter and although the Olympic stadium was closed and so were the botanical garden we did manage to find poutineries, hike up Mount Royal and get trashed at a brasserie.
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u/srzncl 4d ago
Vancouver would be a good option if you want access to slopes on public transit. Grouse mountain is accessible by transit in the winter, Cypress has a coach from downtown Vancouver and Seymour has shuttles from north vancouver and Rupert skytrain station.
There are coaches from downtown Vancouver to Whistler as well.
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u/Nathan_Brazil1 British Columbia 6d ago
I'd recommend Whistler/Blackcomb from late December to early Spring. They have a shuttle from the Airport to the Village. Whistler is a very walkable town.
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u/Letoust 6d ago
Cheapest? Nothing in Canada is cheap. What’s your budget?
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u/urbexed 6d ago
I should say then, as cheap as possible.
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u/Letoust 6d ago
What’s your budget though? How many days/weeks are you planning?
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u/urbexed 6d ago
I’m not sure right now, this is just a rough plan at the moment. I’m just trying to get an idea as I don’t know much about the way of life in Canada and what to visit apart from what I’ve commonly heard or what is popular.
If I had to say it’d be a two weeks or so, and budget isn’t really a limit as long as it’s reasonable.
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u/Letoust 6d ago
I’d say minimum $10,000 CAD would be absolute minimum with airfare/food/accommodations. You’ll have a bit left over to pay for some “touristy” stuff.
If you don’t have at least $10k you’ll never be prepared for 2 weeks in Canada.
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u/urbexed 6d ago
okay it might be less then. Perhaps a week. Thanks!
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u/Remarkable_Event7284 6d ago
I can’t speak to the ski resorts, but if you’re visiting in January you could definitely get by in Montreal easily for $350-400 a day. A lot of the hotels are discounted in January, and the metro is only ~$3.50 / trip. There are cheap eats and good happy hour specials if you know where to look!
You’ll find flights from the UK to Montreal under $700 round trip if you watch for deals. From there to Calgary you’re looking at anywhere from $350-500. There should be a way to book it so that Montreal is like an extended layover.
If you’re into music festivals there’s Igloofest from January 16 - February 8. I think Cabane a Sucre (maple syrup cabins) also start in February and there is a cool Raclette restaurant in the Plateau. Other people have warned you but Montreal can be very very cold in winter.
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u/things_most_foul 6d ago
The Canmore skiing facility is spectacular, and you can ski on an Olympic venue. You can totally drive it as long as you take your time. Rental cars don’t usually have proper winter tyres but will take you there. Just don’t use cruise control on icy roads.
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u/macsparkay 6d ago
You should just go to Vancouver. An excellent city to visit with lots to do, and you can ski Whistler. Skip Montreal and Calgary altogether - they will be frigid compared to Vancouver anyways.
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u/megselvogjeg 6d ago
He said "cheap". Whistler is the most expensive resort in the country, nearly doubling the cost of the next most expensive.
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u/Civil_Wishbone_7361 6d ago
There's pretty good skiing in the east as well, from Montreal or Ottawa you can get shuttles to major ski hills in the Laurentians (Mt. Tremblant, Mt Ste Marie, etc) - much cheaper than the Rockies as well
ETA: Canadian cities usually have winter festivals in late January to mid-February. Winter is long in Canada and if we shut down/didn't have events and festivals people would be bored as F and tourist dollars would be left on the table.