Home›Tours›Day Tours From Calgary To Banff And Lake
Day Tours from Calgary to Banff and Lake Louise
Leave Calgary at 07:45, spend an hour at each of the two lakes and 75 minutes on Banff Avenue, and be dropped back in the city the same day.
Updated 24 October 2026
In shortDay tours from Calgary to Banff and Lake Louise run 8 to 10 hours and cover an hour at Lake Louise, an hour at Moraine Lake and 75 minutes of your own time on Banff Avenue. The group is capped at 24 people, pickup and drop-off are in Calgary, Banff or Canmore, and the guide works in English. It suits a first visit when you have one day and no car.
8–10 htour length
from CAD 155per adult
★ 5.0445 reviews
What Day Tours from Calgary to Banff and Lake Louise Cover in One Day
The day runs 8 to 10 hours and fits two lakes plus the town of Banff into it. Lake Louise sits 62 km past the town of Banff, and the Calgary to Lake Louise round trip alone is about 300 minutes behind the wheel, so the stops are measured out: 60 minutes at Lake Louise, 60 minutes at Moraine Lake, 75 minutes on Banff Avenue, then 15 minutes each at Bow Falls and Surprise Corner.
Moraine Lake Road has been closed to personal vehicles since 2023. The operator holds the licence and permit to drive it, which is the only reason that stop can sit on a one-day itinerary. Moraine Lake is on the route from June 1 to October 13; outside that window the tour goes to Marble Canyon instead, with ice crampons handed out for the catwalks above the frozen falls.
Pickup times differ by point: meeting at 07:30 for a 07:45 departure, then 09:00, 09:20 and 09:30. Be at the stop 15 minutes before your departure time, because the vehicle collects guests at fixed meeting points and not at every hotel door. With the 07:45 start, a short day has you back in Calgary by the end of the afternoon and a long one in the early evening; the 09:30 pickups shift everything forward by nearly two hours.
What a day of this length does not include is a teahouse hike above Lake Louise, an hour in a canoe or a long walk at either shoreline. You get the two lakeshores, the drive past the Three Sisters and Mount Rundle, lunch and shops on Banff Avenue, and two short viewpoints on the way out of town. If you want a third lake and a second national park, or the glacier road north of Lake Louise, the alternatives further down are built for that.
Moraine Lake and Lake Louise from Calgary, Canmore or Banff
One full day in Banff National Park with a maximum of 24 people, 8 to 10 hours door to door from the meeting point, and licensed access to Moraine Lake Road from June 1 to October 13. The earliest departure leaves Calgary at 07:45.
Lake Louise60 min An hour at the lakeshore under Mount Victoria, with the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise alongside. The guide shows you where the pictures work.
Moraine Lake60 min An hour at Moraine Lake, open June 1 to October 13. Walk up the Rockpile for the view down the Valley of the Ten Peaks, or stay on the shore. Outside that window the stop becomes Marble Canyon.
Canmore The vehicle passes Canmore without stopping. The Three Sisters and Mount Rundle are in view from the road.
The lake between Kananaskis and Canmore A roadside lake just past Kananaskis and before Canmore, seen from your seat.
Banff Avenue75 min 75 minutes of your own time in downtown Banff. Plenty of restaurants, including Alberta steak and poutine. Lunch is not included.
Marble Canyon ice walk60 min Between October 13 and June 1, when Moraine Lake is closed, the tour walks Marble Canyon on suspended catwalks past frozen waterfalls. Ice crampons are provided.
The Three Sisters In 1886 the Canadian geologist and surveyor George Dawson renamed these peaks the Three Sisters: Big Sister, Middle Sister and Little Sister, also known as Faith, Hope and Charity.
Stories of the mountain The guide tells the stories attached to the big peak as you drive under it.
The lakes photographers come for Photographers travel from around the world for these two lakes every year. The trees along the shore frame most of the shots.
Bow Falls15 min A 15-minute stop at the falls on the Bow River, which appeared in River of No Return in the 1960s.
Surprise Corner15 min 15 minutes at the viewpoint looking across to the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel.
Calgary300 min Calgary to Lake Louise and back is roughly 300 minutes of driving, which is where most of the 8 to 10 hours goes.
Photos: ours and the tour operator's
What is included
Included
A welcoming guide and driver for the full day
Small group guaranteed, maximum 24 people
Pickup and drop-off in Calgary, Banff and Canmore
Not included
Door-to-door pickup: guests are collected at the listed meeting points
Meals and all personal expenses, including activities, admission fees, phone and travel insurance
Meeting point, pickup and cancellation
Departure times by pickup point: 07:30 meeting for a 07:45 departure; 09:00; 09:20; 09:30 at the parking lot. Be ready 15 minutes before your departure time.
Cancellation: full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Ages: child 2 to 17, adult 18 and over.
Other day tours from Calgary to Banff and Lake Louise
The four options below visit the same two lakes with different lengths, starting points and prices. The Day Trip from Banff Calgary Canmore is the lowest entry at CAD 79 and makes most sense if you are already staying in Banff or Canmore. The Emerald Lake version adds Yoho National Park on the British Columbia side. The 10.5 hour routing from Calgary, Canmore or Banff spends longer on the road for more scenery and less town time, and the Johnston Canyon variant trades part of the lake time for the canyon trail.
Tour
Length
From
Rating
Moraine Lake and Lake Louise Tour from Calgary - Canmore - Banff (this page)
Departures leave from Calgary, Banff and Canmore, with Moraine Lake on the route from June 1 to October 13 and Marble Canyon in its place the rest of the year. The booking page shows which dates and pickup times are open.
