The Best 4 Day Banff Itinerary

Banff National Park is an absolutely stunning place whether you’re spending summer in Banff or visiting Banff in winter. You could easily spend weeks exploring Banff and the surrounding arema all the way up to Jasper National Park or Yoho National Park.

But to answer the question “How many days in Banff?” I’d say that a 4 day Banff itinerary gives you plenty of time to tick off the most popular sights while enjoying a hike and some relaxation.

This 4 day Banff itinerary is ideal for people with limited time to explore the area, but who still want to visit those places they’ve heard about, or seen photos of before. With Rocky Mountain gems such as Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, Peyto Lake and more.

It’s a day by day travel itinerary but you can mix things around as you wish. Incorporate this 4 day itinerary for Banff into a longer road trip such as a Kootenay Hot Springs road trip, or Banff to Vancouver road trip.

How to Get to Banff National Park

There are numerous ways you can explore for travelling to Banff. Banff is in Alberta, super close to the border with British Columbia. Two of the best ways to get to Banff are by flying to Calgary or taking a road trip from Vancouver.

A popular vacation is to fly into Calgary and rent a car to visit Banff, Jasper and Yoho National Parks, then drive to Vancouver to explore all the beautiful sites on the West Coast & Vancouver Island. You can also do this Banff trip in the opposite direction.

I use comparison sites like DiscoverCars and RentalCars to book my car rentals as it’s easy to check prices and compare the best deals!

Calgary to Banff National Park

When planning a trip to Banff, I highly recommend renting a car. There is a shuttle from Banff to Calgary

If you’re travelling from outside of Canada, the easiest way to get to Banff is to fly to Calgary International Airport (YYC). Calgary is the closest international airport to Banff and it takes around 1.5 hours to drive from Calgary to Banff.

Skyscanner is what I use to find cheap flights.

Alternatively, you can take a shuttle from Calgary Airport to Banff National Park. There are also some shuttles from Banff to Lake Louise as well as buses around some of the top sites in Banff National Park.

Therefore it is possible to do your Banff visit using only public transit, but it does make things a little trickier.

Read more: Best day trips from Calgary

Vancouver to Banff National Park

If you’re coming from Vancouver, BC, the drive is around 10 hours. However, it’ll likely take a bit longer if you want to stop off at other places.

The quickest way is to drive through Kamloops and then through some of BC’s best mountain towns including Revelstoke and Golden. Alternatively, you can go from Vancouver up to Whistler to Kamloops through Lillooet and then onto Revelstoke to Golden.

When we visited Banff from Vancouver before, we drove up north from Kamloops to Jasper National Park and worked our way down the Icefields Parkway before arriving in Banff and Lake Louise.

Train to Banff National Park

If you’re looking for a truly epic way to travel to Banff National Park, you could take the Rocky Mountaineer. While expensive, the Rocky Mountaineer Train is an undeniably beautiful way to see the Rocky Mountains and the surrounding area. You can get the train from Calgary to Banff or even all the way across BC to Vancouver.

Where to stay in Banff National Park

There’s no getting around the fact that accommodation in Banff is expensive. In the summer accommodation also gets booked up quite far in advance so it requires some planning!

The cheapest accommodation in Banff is usually found by camping. You must camp in a designated campsite both in order to protect wildlife and yourselves.

You can learn more about where to camp in Banff National Park here.

For reference, we’ve stayed at Tunnel Mountain Village Campground both times we’ve stayed in Banff.

There is also a mix of hotels and hotels in Banff National Park. Some options and whereabouts they fit in terms of budget are below.

$$$ – The Hidden Ridge Resort: This luxury resort accommodation in Banff is in a beautiful setting. With an outdoor hot tub, free shuttle into town, sauna and pool, you almost won’t want to leave the resort. You can also get self-catered accommodation here too.

$$ – High Country Inn: This Banff hotel has an indoor pool, sauna and a hot top as well as mountain views from all rooms. There’s an onsite restaurant and you’re not too far away from downtown Banff either.

$ – HI Banff Alpine Centre: This hostel has double rooms available with a shared bathroom for around $100 a night making it one of the cheapest hotels in Banff. It’s also in a good location just opposite the Tunnel Mountain Campground in Banff. You can get a shuttle from here into town.

Read more: Banff vs Canmore? Should you stay in Banff or Canmore?

Getting around Banff and Banff National Park

It can be pretty expensive to park in and around Banff and it can also be difficult to find parking in the town. For those reasons, it’s sometimes just easier to use the Banff shuttles that go around town and some of the most popular Banff attractions

Banff’s public transit system is called Roam Transit and it’ll take you to the Gondola, along the Lake Minnewanka scenic drive and elsewhere. You can check the ticket prices, schedules and routes at Roam Transit.

You can also get a hop-on, hop-off bus pass for the day in Banff which takes you to all the popular spots without you having to worry about finding parking!

Best time to visit Banff National Park

Banff is a great year-round destination with the opportunity to ski and skate in winter and hike and paddle in the summer.

Though visiting Banff in winter can be done, I personally believe the best time to visit Banff is in the summer.

That’s because there’s no snow on the lakes so you can see their beautiful colours, there are more outdoor activities to try, the daylight lasts longer and you don’t have to deal with driving on snowy roads.

Plus, some of the best places to visit in Banff such as Moraine Lake are actually closed in winter!

The above comes at the cost of crowds but if it’s hiking and pretty lakes you want to see then visiting Banff in the summer is best. You may also encounter wildfire smoke in late-July/August which can obstruct the views!

Weather in Banff National Park

The weather in Banff typically results in warm, dry summers and snowy, cold winters.

Winter temperatures range, on average, from -14°C to highs of -5°C. Though it can be much colder. In summer, the weather in Banff on average sees high temperatures of 21°C and low temperatures of 8°C.

It’s important to note that you’re in the mountains and the weather can change drastically within a really short space of time. It’s not unusual to get snow storms at higher elevations in June, or on the Icefields Parkway in September.

Banff National Park Entrance Fees

To visit Banff, and all National Parks in Canada, you need to buy a Canada Parks Pass. You can buy these for a day, several days or more. If you think you’ll be spending more than 7 days in Canada’s National Parks within a year, then the Discovery Pass is a better value.

The Discovery Pass lasts for a year and can be used for all Canadian National Parks and Monuments.

You can buy your Banff National Park Pass online in advance, at booths along the highway, or from visitor centres in Banff and Lake Louise.

Your 4 Day Banff Itinerary

Looking for more of the best things to do in Banff? Read this!

Below is an overview of this 4 day Banff Itinerary. You can obviously switch around the days to suit you best depending on weather and if you’re jetlagged or not!

Day 1 in Banff:

• Ride the Banff Gondola
• Visit the Banff Hot Springs
• Explore the town of Banff
• Sunset from the Mt Norquay Lookout

Day 2 in Banff:

• Drive the Icefields Parkway to see Peyto Lake, the Athabasca Glacier & more!

Day 3 in Banff:

• Early wake up for sunrise at Morraine Lake
• Johnston Canyon
• Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake

Day 4 in Banff:

• Lake Louise and hike up to Lake Agnes Teahouse (+ to Devil’s Thumb if you want a challenge!)
• Drive the Bow Valley Parkway

The Best things to do in Banff: 4 day Banff itinerary

This itinerary covers some of the best things to do in Banff but there is so much more to discover. Feel free to pick and mix from this itinerary.

The one thing I’d say is a must is starting your days early! Banff is super busy in the summer and the roads and parking lots at the most popular attractions in Lake Louise get shut off quite early on in the day.

Day 1: Banff Gondola, Banff hot springs, Banff town, and Mt Norquay Lookout

If you’ve travelled to Banff from another country chances are you might be feeling a little tired so your first day doesn’t involve too much exertion.

Banff Gondola

Start the day off by heading to the Banff Gondola. This gondola takes you up Sulphur Mountain and gives you impressive 360-degree views of the town of Banff and the Rocky Mountains.

I’d advise going within the first hour the gondola is open (8 am in summer) as it gets busy quickly and it’s much more enjoyable to soak in the views from the top when there are fewer people. You can get coffee while you’re there too.

You’ll probably spend 1-2 hours up here.

Make sure to get your ticket in advance to avoid a queue!

If you’re feeling energetic you can also hike the Sulphur Mountain trail to the top of the gondola and then buy a download-only ticket.

Banff Upper Hot Springs

The hot springs in Banff are busiest in the afternoon so the best time to go is when they open at 10 am. This is when you’ll likely be done at the top of Sulphur Mountain and they’re super close by.

You can bring your own towel and swimsuit or you can rent from the hot springs. The swimsuits are very old-fashioned!

Banff Town

Head down from the Banff hot springs and go into town. Enjoy the shops, and the mountain views from the street, and take a walk along the Bow River that runs through Banff.

Grab lunch from one of the great Banff restaurants and then explore slightly further afield. You could hike up to Tunnel Mountain, find the Banff hoodoos or head out to Vermillion Lakes.

Sunset at the Mt Norquay Lookout

This is one of the best sunset spots in Banff and it was super quiet when we visited!

Mt Norquay is the closest ski area to Banff and in the summer you can drive up the road to the lookout point. This area is an open grassy space with amazing views over to Sulphur Mountain (where you started this morning) and down onto the town of Banff and Vermillion Lakes.

Day 2: Drive the Icefields Parkway

Today is a beautiful day where you’ll explore the Icefields Parkway!

The Icefields Parkway is a 232km long scenic drive that connects Banff Lake Louise National Park with Jasper in the North.

Along the way, you’ll be treated to absolutely stunning views of mountains, lakes, glaciers and potentially some bears!

If you have plans to stay in Jasper then save this drive until then, especially if you’re just looking for a 3 day Banff itinerary. If you’re not, you can do the Icefields Parkway in one day.

Some of the best stops include:

• Peyto Lake
• Athabasca Glacier + Interpretive Centre
• Waterfowl Lake

Read more: Where to stop on the Icefields Parkway

This is quite a long drive and you’ll likely want to stop off at various points, so plan a whole day to drive the Icefields Parkway.

Day 3: Moraine Lake, Johnston Canyon, Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake

This will be your earliest start of the trip as you head up to Moraine Lake to try and catch the sunrise!

Moraine Lake

Check the sunrise time for Moraine Lake during your visit and aim to get there at least an hour before sunrise.

Seeing the sunrise at Moraine Lake is one of the most popular things to do in the Canadian Rockies and it gets busy!

However, experiencing it is something special as the sun rises over the towers at the back of the lake and turns the sky from pink and gold to (hopefully) blue and makes the lake the most incredible colour!

After sunrise at Moraine Lake, you can take a quick hike around the area, or head off to your next stop on this Banff 4-day itinerary.

Johnston Canyon

Johnston Canyon is between lake Louise and Banff and is one of the main attractions of the Bow Valley Parkway.

The canyon has been carved into the limestone rock and there’s now a boardwalk that takes you through the canyon. You’ll pass crystal clear waters, forests and beautiful Banff waterfalls as you adventure back.

The lower falls are a short 30-minute walk from the parking lot. If you have more time or energy you can continue to the Johnston Canyon upper falls where the waterfall gets even more impressive! It’s one of the best day hikes in Banff.

You can also go out to the paint pots too.

Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake

These two lakes are ideal for spending a few hours just chilling out (especially with the early start you had today!)

Lake Minnewanka is 21km long and the only lake within Banff National Park where you’re allowed to use a motorised boat. We found a great spot by Lake Minnewanka on our first visit to Banff and read some books, boat watched and jumped in for a swim too.

Another great option is Two Jack Lake. Lake Minnewanka is actually connected to Two Jack Lake though it’s easy not to realize! Drive the lake Minnewanka Scenic Drive between these two lakes to soak up the views.

Two Jack Lake is bordered by some beautiful forest and there are picnic facilities by the parking lot. We took our kayaks out onto the water and had a great time exploring up and down the lake.

The Two Jack Lakeside campground is one of the most popular campgrounds in Banff and it’s easy to see why when you get these views from your tent or camper!

Day 4 in Banff: Lake Louise, Lake Agnes Teahouse and the Bow Valley Parkway

It’s your last day in Banff and it’s time to take on a hike!

Wake up early and head up to Lake Louise to secure a parking spot for the morning. Enjoy the views at Lake Louise, or head straight off on your hike and come back and enjoy them later (my pick before the trail is too busy).

It’s time to do the Lake Agnes Teahouse trail which takes you on a series of switchbacks up through the forest until you arrive at Lake Agnes and the famous teahouse up there.

The hike itself isn’t too strenuous if you’re relatively fit and there are places you can take a break along the way.

Once you’re up at Lake Agnes you can treat yourself to a cup of tea at the teahouse and a scone before deciding whether to hike back down or continue up to the Big Beehive or Devil’s Thumb.

We ended up hiking further uphill to Devil’s Thumb which is a strenuous hike with some scrambling. Don’t do this if you’re not an experienced hiker in Canada.

If you want to continue but aren’t sure about scrambling, you can go as far as the Big Beehive.

From both, you’ll get great views of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Lake Louise hotel that sits on the shores of the lake.

Return back to the lake via the Lake Agnes trail and take a break by Lake Louise.

You can grab some lunch in Lake Louise (we recommend Bill Peyto’s in the hostel) and then drive back to Banff via the Bow Valley Parkway.

Bow Valley Parkway, Banff

If you didn’t spend much time stopping off along the Bow Valley Parkway when visiting Johnston Canyon yesterday, now’s your chance.

The Bow Valley Parkway runs almost parallel to the highway but is much more scenic and has plenty of places to stop off at and enjoy the views, lakes, rivers and more.

Some of the best stops on the Bow Valley Parkway include:

• Backswamp Viewpoint
• Hillsdale Meadow Viewpoint
• Castle Cliff Viewpoint

Best Restaurants in Banff

There are so many tasty restaurants in Banff, below are my pick of some of the best Banff restaurants. In the summer you may have to wait for a table at your top pick of Banff restaurants unless you’re able to go early or reserve a table.

• The Eddie Burger Bar: We went here after running/hiking to Lake O’Hara and back earlier on in the day. They do a great burger and you can also get milkshakes and poutine too.  
• Block Kitchen + Bar: Great cocktails and Asian fusion small plates. Recommended for a special occasion or ‘date-night’ in Banff.
• The Bear Street Tavern: Classic Canadian pub food including pizza, burgers and craft beer.

Have more questions about how to plan a trip to Banff or this Banff 4 days itinerary? You can leave a comment below and I’ll reply!

Last Updated on April 18, 2023 by Hannah