The Canadian Rockies' park town delivers lake-and-mountain scenery at a scale the Alps can't quite match: Lake Louise's turquoise bowl beneath Victoria Glacier, Moraine Lake's ten peaks and elk wandering the outskirts as though they pay rates. Base in Banff itself, soak in the Upper Hot Springs and ride the gondola up Sulphur Mountain. Lakeshore parking is now heavily restricted, so book the Parks Canada shuttle to Moraine Lake well ahead for a sunrise slot.
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Steaming outdoor water at 1,585 metres with the Canadian Rockies filling every sightline — the Banff Upper Hot Springs have been thawing travellers since 1886. Winter is the masterstroke: sit in 39-degree water while snow settles on your hair, then retreat to the baronial Fairmont Banff Springs for cocktails beneath the turrets. You may share the drive up with elk; give way graciously. Book January for snow-globe conditions and skating on frozen Lake Louise nearby.
Featured in Ten spa and hot-spring escapes to switch off together · Romantic