Skip to content
Vacantier

Activity Calgary, Canada

Calgary Landmarks and History Private Walking Tour

2 h 30 min Private tour
Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Calgary Landmarks and History Private Walking Tour

About this activity

A native Calgarian writer, documentary producer, and historian whose work has taken him from London and Paris to monasteries in Germany and political circles in the Middle East. He has spent much of his career uncovering the hidden human stories behind politics, landscapes, and historical events. Today, he brings that same eye for detail and narrative to personal historical tours of Calgary and Southern Alberta.

He has developed dramatic projects rooted in early Southern Alberta history, including extensive work on the first cattle drives into the province and the ranching culture that followed. His historical interests lean toward social history and the original voices that shaped the West: cowboys, railway workers, immigrants, Indigenous communities, drifters, entrepreneurs, and political outsiders

Rather than treating history as a formal, he is interested in the lived experience of ordinary people and the atmosphere they inhabited.

Private and Luxury Private Sightseeing Tours Cultural Tours Historical Tours Walking Tours Short term availability Weather Dependent - Weather-Proof

At a glance

Duration
2 h 30 min
Confirmation
Instant confirmation
Ticket
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group
Your group only
People per booking
1–8
Guide
English
Operated by
Christopher Leeson

Ages: Children (10–17 years) · Adults (18–99 years)

What is included

Included

  • Included: Personal guided tour by myself

Not included

  • Not included: Gratuities
  • Not included: Personal Expenses

Itinerary

  1. Calgary Tower

    Passing by

    Built in 1968 to prove Calgary was thinking bigger than oil rigs and cattle. At 191 metres, it was once the tallest structure in Canada and gave the city an instant landmark. This is an exterior stop. I'll explain the quirky history. The tour does not enter the building. If you do want to visit the tower later Adult admission is currently about $24 plus GST. With tax, that is $25.20.

    Prices vary by date, and online orders have a $1.50 booking fee per order. The Calgary Tower recommends booking ahead for its best rate.

  2. Calgary City Hall

    Passing by

    We pass Calgary City Hall, take a moment to look at one of the city's oldest public buildings. Completed in 1911 from locally quarried sandstone, it has served as the Centre of civic government for more than a century. A few steps later we'll walk through the Municipal Building, its much younger neighbour. Opened in the early 1980s, it reflects a very different era of architecture, but together the two buildings show how Calgary has expanded without completely leaving its history behind.

  3. Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre

    Passing by

    Studio Bell is the home of the National Music Centre that contains the history of Canadian music under one roof.

    The building is hard to miss. Its unusual shape was inspired by the curves of musical instruments, although most Calgarians have their own theories about what it looks like. We will also have a look at the legendary radio station and the King Eddy the home of the blues. This is an exterior stop. IF you do want to visit exhibitions the current admission cost is: Studio Bell admission:

    Adults: $24.50

    Students and seniors aged 65+: $19.50

    Youth aged 4–12: $16.50

    Children 3 and under: free

    Seniors on Wednesdays: free

  4. The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland

    Passing by

    The Confluence marks the meeting of the Bow and Elbow Rivers, the place where Calgary began. Long before the city existed, Indigenous peoples gathered here to trade, hunt and travel, making it one of the oldest continuously used sites in the region. Later it became the location of Fort Calgary, established by the North-West Mounted Police in 1875. Today it is less about old buildings than the stories attached to the ground beneath your feet, a reminder that Calgary's history started here long before there was a skyline. This is an exterior stop. The tour does not enter the building. IF you do want to tour the Confluence admission at this time is General: $15

    Senior: $10

    Student: $10

    Youth aged 10–17: $10

    Child aged 4–9: $5

  5. Calgary Stampede

    Passing by

    Following the Elbow River, we arrive at Stampede Park, home of the Calgary Stampede. What began in 1912 as a celebration of the ranching culture that built southern Alberta has grown into the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. We will delve into the world's biggest rodeos colorful and eccentric past.

    The Stampede Park is far more than the home of the rodeo. It has become one of Canada's premier venues for concerts, festivals, conventions, exhibitions and major sporting events, drawing millions of visitors each year. As we explore the area, we'll see how this historic site has continually reinvented itself and how the surrounding Rivers District is transforming into one of Calgary's most ambitious cultural, entertainment and business developments, ensuring that this part of the city remains at the heart of Calgary's story for generations to come.

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

  • I'll meet you in Wonderland. Or at least in front of Wonderland, the remarkable public art that sits in front of the Bow Building.

End point

  • The tour ends at the C train station back to downtown Calgary

Cancellation

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

If you cancel You get back
Less than a day before 0%

Good to know

  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

  • Service animals allowed

  • Public transportation options are available nearby

  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

  • Admission fee - Calgary Tower admission is not included (approximately CAD $25.20 plus any applicable booking fees). CAD 25.00 per person

  • Admission fee - Studio Bell admission is not included (current admission fees vary by visitor type). CAD 24.50 per person

  • Admission fee - The Confluence admission is not included (current admission fees vary by visitor type). CAD 15.00 per person

  • The tour is a walking tour and will take up the entire 2.5 hours. We pass by four places that charge admission; however, there is no time to enter these attractions during the tour.

  • If you wish to visit any of these locations separately, such as the Calgary Tower, you may do so on their own after the tour."

Activities, prices and reviews are from Viator. Booking and payment happen on Viator; Vacantier may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Calgary Landmarks and History Private Walking Tour

Pick a day to see the times and the price

Necessary cookies keep the site running and cannot be switched off. With your consent we also load Google Analytics, which tells us how the site is used, and our affiliate partners' scripts (Travelpayouts, Kiwi.com), which set cookies to credit us with bookings made through us. Details in the Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary

    The session, form protection, signing in, your chosen currency and this choice. The site does not work without them.

    Always on
  • Analytics

    Google Analytics. Counts visits and which pages and offers are used, so we know what to improve. It never receives your name, email or account.

  • Marketing and affiliate

    The Travelpayouts scripts and the Kiwi.com flight search. They set their own cookies, through which the partner knows you came from Vacantier.