Edmonton - the friendliest city on earth? (Edmonton)

Member Name: arrnoosa

Product:	Edmonton
Date:	28/05/09 (5 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great location for the Rockies

Disadvantages: Not too much to do in and around the city.

We arrived in Edmonton after getting off the train from Toronto which was 26 hours late! We were travel weary and utterly exhausted, but arriving in Edmonton was probably the best place to arrive after such a hellish journey. It is probably the friendliest place we have visited across the world and one of the best bases to set yourself up for a trip to the Rocky Mountains. Within the first 24 hours of being there, a bus driver gave us free tickets on his bus and then got off the bus with us and walked us over to the next bus and told the other bus driver exactly where we needed to get off (we were looking for our campsite!). The other passengers were all so friendly and were were chatting to everyone the whole way! A street vendor selling hot dogs, stopped us and gave us free hot dogs. Opportunities like this, speaking with the locals is the best way to get to know a place and gain vital hints and tips of the place where you are.

If you're planning to visit this end of Canada then you are no doubt going to go to the Rockies. I would suggest hiring a car from Edmonton and if you really want to experience Canada then camping is the best way. There are 2 or 3 great camping shops where you can pick up gear if you haven't already got it.

Jasper National Park is the closest NP from Edmonton. Once out of the city, the drive is a piece of cake and beautiful, but once you arrive in Jasper, then "beautiful" doesn't quite cut it. It is about 320km and takes about 4.5 hours. Jasper is just stunning and the campsites are absolutely brilliant.

Not a huge amount to do in Edmonton, although it does boast the biggest shopping mall in the world (or used to be). Worth a shot bus ride to see it thats for sure. The city itself is nice and clean and easy to walk about in.

Time your visit well though. We arrived in Edmonton in August and it was starting to get very cold in the night but the day temps were lovely. A few weeks after this then camping would not be possible.

Summary: Wouldn't want to spend your whole holday here but a great place to stop off.