Where to stay in Calgary: the best neighbourhoods and hotels

Downtown Calgary is compact and easy to like. Stephen Avenue, a pedestrianised street of sandstone buildings, restaurants and bars, runs through the middle; the Calgary Tower stands at one end; and the shops of the CORE, the arts centre and the convention centre are all within a few minutes' walk. In winter, locals get about through the network of enclosed walkways that link the towers above street level.

This is where the city keeps its best hotels, from a stately railway-era landmark to a sleek design hotel at the foot of the tower. It suits a first visit perfectly. The one caveat: the business district empties at weekends, so for evening buzz you may find yourself drifting south to the Beltline.

On the north side of downtown the towers stop and the Bow River takes over. Eau Claire is the neighbourhood that lines it, with footpaths and cycle tracks running along the bank and a footbridge across to Prince's Island Park, the city's favourite spot for a picnic or a summer festival.

Staying here gives you the best of both: the quiet of the river in the morning and Stephen Avenue a short walk away in the evening. Hotels include an all-suite option with an indoor pool and a waterslide, which goes down well with children, and a stylish newcomer that rents out gear for the river paths. The light rail to the zoo is close by.

Just south of the railway tracks, the Beltline is where Calgary goes out. Its main artery, 17th Avenue, is a long strip of restaurants, pubs, coffee shops and independent boutiques that stays busy late into the evening, and the streets around it are full of apartment blocks, parks and brunch queues.

It is also the handiest place to stay for the Stampede and for ice hockey at the Saddledome, both at the neighbourhood's eastern end. The Calgary Tower and the downtown core are barely half a mile north. Hotels here have more personality than most, including an arty boutique with a summer pool terrace, plus suites and apartments with kitchens for longer stays.

The north-west is Calgary's launch pad for the mountains. A cluster of hotels sits where 16th Avenue, the Trans-Canada Highway, meets Banff Trail, near the University of Calgary and McMahon Stadium. Point the car west from here and the next big stop is the Rockies, with Canada Olympic Park and its ski jumps on the way out of town.

It is a practical area, not a pretty one, but the prices are friendly, parking is easy and many hotels have indoor pools and breakfast included. The Banff Trail light-rail station is on the doorstep, putting downtown about seven minutes away.

After a long-haul flight, a hotel you can walk to has real appeal. Calgary has two inside the terminal, both four-star, with pools or health clubs and restaurants that are a cut above the usual airport fare.

A few minutes away by free shuttle is a wider spread of hotels, several with indoor pools and one with its own water park. Downtown is about 15 km away, and there are routes straight out to the Trans-Canada Highway, so you can collect a hire car in the morning and head for the mountains without touching the city centre.

South of downtown the city spreads into suburbs, shopping centres and some very child-friendly hotels. This is the land of the indoor waterslide: several hotels here have pools with slides, one has a full water park attached to a casino, and another offers two indoor pools and a spa.

Heritage Park Historical Village, with its steam train and paddle steamer, is nearby, as are the big Chinook and Southcentre malls, and the showjumping arenas of Spruce Meadows lie further south. You will want a car. Downtown is 10 to 15 minutes' drive on a good day.