Porter Airlines to Edmonton
Take a flight to Edmonton, the gateway to Jasper
An outdoor explorer's dream, travellers arriving on flights to Edmonton, Canada will be surrounded by a plethora of natural experiences such as awe-inspiring views of the Northern Lights and hiking the Canadian Rockies just a few hours away. The scenery alone is worth the trip, but the city is also home to culinary and cultural experiences to make any visit one to remember.
Edmonton is the capital of Alberta — with over one million Edmontonians calling Edmonton home — and the fifth-largest city in Canada. And with Jasper National Park a scenic drive away, Edmonton is the gateway to one of Canada’s most famous destinations.
As a meeting place for centuries, European settlers established Fort Edmonton as part of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1794 to open a trade route with the indigenous population.
Travellers looking to fly to Edmonton will be welcomed by the diversity of its inhabitants, which is reflected in the festivals, music, art and food found on its city streets.
Things to do in Edmonton
Whether you're looking for great restaurants, invigorating experiences in nature, live music to dance to, the rush of watching local hockey legends take the ice, or cultural experiences for the whole family, when you arrive on a flight to Edmonton, the city will not disappoint.
Known as "festival city," Edmonton is a town that never sleeps on a good celebration, street festival, or tasting tour of the city. Art festivals such as The Works Art & Design Festival, Edmonton International Street Performers Festival, the Freewill Shakespeare Festival, Kaleido Family Arts Festival, and Edmonton Mural Festival all run throughout the year, giving art lovers something to look forward to pretty much any month they opt to hop on flights to Edmonton.
Music festivals that come to town range from the well-known Edmonton International Jazz Festival, Nextfest for emerging local artists, Edmonton Reggae Festival, Edmonton Blues Festival, Disco in the Park, and Cariwest for a celebration of Edmonton's Caribbean community. For a taste of true Albertan musical talent, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival takes place every August in Gallagher Park with a scenic backdrop of the city.
Edmonton also hosts the oldest and largest Fringe Festival every summer, as well as Northwestfest for non-fiction film and the Edmonton International Film Festival. And, since Edmontonians don't hibernate, some of their winter festivals include the Silver Skate Festival celebrating outdoor winter sports in Hawrelak Park, while the Flying Canoe Volant is a truly hysterical night festival and team race featuring activities like racing a canoe down a ski hill and axe throwing. For winter Instagram-worthy events, check out Chiseled: Edmonton's International Ice Carving Competition held in the city's ICE District.
Take a steam train back in time at Fort Edmonton Park and try your hand at tasks from the past with characters from Edmonton of yore for a well-rounded look into the city's history. The Indigenous Peoples Experience Exhibit focuses on early life before Edmonton was formed. For a family-friendly experience, visitors can learn to make bannock, understand historical life from a First Nations perspective, and gain insight into relationships with fur traders and how that influenced modern-day Edmonton.
At the southern end of the city, River Valley's Victoria Park sits on the North Saskatchewan River and is a great place to escape the heat on a hot summer day. Pack a picnic, play some horseshoes, bike, canoe, or stand-up paddleboard in the river. As a fun way to experience the park, the Commonwealth Walkway Quest app (for Android or iOS) offers 5 self-guided tours through the 10 km trail. Indigenous, History, Family, River, and Winter tours all lead the listener along the routes to follow clues and uncover the Golden Key. In the winter months, the park is also a popular destination for skating and snowshoeing.
Edmonton's food scene is sure to impress with its amazing restaurants. Uccelino serves up Italian dishes while Fu's Repair Shop specializes in Asian fusion cuisine. For Canadian cuisine, check out Bündok or RGE RD. Travelling with a group? Consider a food tour for a whirlwind culinary tour of Edmonton's best and tastiest. Of course, it wouldn't be Edmonton without food festivals throughout the year to highlight local talent. Check out Taste of Edmonton at Churchill Square downtown and sample some of the best food from locally established restaurants, food trucks, and amateur chefs. Downtown Dining Week in March offers a chance to dine at some of the best restaurants in Edmonton at a fraction of the price with their prix-fixe multi-course menu options for both lunch and dinner.
If impressive drinks are what you're after, the World's Best Bartender of 2021 takes up residence at Baijiu, where Asian-inspired cocktails embody the best of boozy sophistication. Clementine and Woodwork are also well-loved hotspots known for their elevated drinks. Continue on your nightlife exploration of Edmonton by heading to Whyte Avenue and checking out Commercial Hotel-Blues on Whyte Pub for live music seven days a week.
If you're looking to get out of the city and embrace nature, Edmonton is surrounded by plenty of National Parks that are sure to give even the most outdoorsy person in your group chills.
Elk Island National Park offers hiking, canoeing, kayaking, or stand-up paddleboarding at Astotin Lake, the chance to hang with free-roaming bison in the park during the day, and ample stargazing opportunities at night.
The Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve in Elk Island also offers the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights without any light pollution. The best time of the year to catch the dancing light display of the Aurora Borealis is between September to April.
Visitors to the Edmonton Elk Island National Park are welcome to book camping spots or A-frame cottages through Canada Parks. Elk island also has a private campground with a more glamping experience – consider a yurt or the ever-popular geo-domes for a truly luxurious experience, or book a tipi for a few nights for a cultural experience under the night sky.
Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies is just a four-hour drive from Edmonton and is home to some of Canada’s most picturesque mountain views. Spanning 11,000 sq. km square feet, Jasper is the largest national park in the Rockies and offers activities such as hiking, snowboarding/skiing, snowshoeing, canyon ice walks, and backcountry camping. More low-key activities can also be found in the Rockies, such as a SkyTram ride to the top of Whistlers Peak and the Miette Hotsprings pools featuring 40°C soaking pools to relax weary muscles after full days of exploring.
Jasper National Park Dark Sky Preserve is the second largest preserve in the world, and the most accessible from a nearby town. The annual Jasper Dark Sky Festival takes place in October, as the most ideal time to glimpse the show, and promotes powering down your devices to connect with the universe at large.
If you’re visiting Jasper in the winter or early spring months, take the long way back to Edmonton and experience a drive over the Icefields Parkway. Rated one of the best drives in the world by Condé Nast Traveller, the drive is a 232 km stretch of road through majestic views of snow-capped mountains, ice fields, valleys filled with emerald lakes, glaciers, and waterfalls. Keep an eye out for bighorn sheep, mountain goats, coyotes, deer and grizzly bears along the icefields parkway roads.
Looking for a bit of luxury after arriving on your flight to Edmonton? Search no further than the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald. Opened in 1915 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, the Château-style hotel is part of the Pacific Railway series of hotels. It stands at the southern end of downtown overlooking the North Saskatchewan River.
See North America's largest mall after your flight to Edmonton
When thinking of West Edmonton, the West Edmonton Mall immediately comes to mind. Visitors arriving on flights to Edmonton searching for a shopping experience can find it here. With plenty of options to rest, play, or shop, West Edmonton Mall is the largest mall in North America and has something for everyone.
Visitors to West Edmonton Mall can find stores such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Saint Laurent, as well as over 800 other high-end and mid-level retail destinations, several dining venues, hotels, a rollercoaster, tropical rainforest, and an indoor bungee jump.
Suppose none of the above things tempt you. In that case, West Edmonton Mall also offers bowling, race karts, paddle-boat swans, mini-golf, an underground aquarium, skating rink, escape room, waterpark (World Waterpark) and theme park (Galaxyland) complete with a carousel, a funhouse, as well as a number of rides to really get the blood pumping.
While the West Edmonton Mall is famous in itself, the West Edmonton neighbourhood is actually quite large. Spanning west of the downtown core and hugging the North Saskatchewan River, this neighbourhood is mainly residential with plenty of parks and green space, as well as boutique shopping and art districts such as 124 Street. The Edmonton Gallery Walk includes 12 blocks of inspiration, where you can stroll through a number of galleries featuring local Alberta artists — and potentially even take a piece of Edmonton home with you for your own wall.
Explore the city's downtown after your Edmonton flight
Downtown Edmonton features all of the art and culture you would expect Canada's fifth-largest city to proudly display. Starting at the arts district in Churchill Square, where one can participate in whichever festival is hitting the town when they land on a flight to Edmonton, Canada.
The Royal Alberta Museum and Art Gallery of Alberta offer insight into Edmonton and Alberta's history, while the Art Gallery of Alberta building is beautifully built to mirror the ebbs and flows of the Aurora Borealis.
For the hockey fans, taking in a game at Rogers Place in the ICE district may be high on their itinerary, and sports fans will love catching a football game while cheering for the home team. Pre-game at one of the nearby pubs and get ready for the game of a lifetime, sitting shoulder to shoulder with lifelong Edmonton fans.
Now that your adrenaline is pumping, dance the night away at one of the many downtown clubs, see a drag show at Evolution Wonderlounge, or enjoy a low-key nightcap at Bower.
Visitors arriving on flights to Edmonton who don't already have an action-packed itinerary, can choose from one of many organized tours throughout the downtown core. Whether you're looking to see Edmonton via canoe or kayak; seeking adventure on the back of a Segway through one of North America's longest continuous trail systems in the heart of the river valley; want to hop on a pedal bike beer crawl; or eat your way through the downtown core, you can do it all in the heart of the city.
At the south end of the downtown core sits the capital building and the Alberta Legislature Grounds. Admission and tours of the Borealis Gallery and Legislature are free and give visitors insight into the province's storied past, while exhibitions focus on modern-day issues such as residential schools, as well as historical discussions of the First World War and the fur trade.
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