Season guide · Calgary · Canada
Calgary in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Grungaloo, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Cold and sunny with chinook thaws; a base for ski trips to Banff, Lake Louise and Kananaskis. Expect highs up to 0°C (32°F) and lows around -13°C (9°F), with about 19 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- -13°C (9°F) to 0°C (32°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 19
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Hotel prices
- Low
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -1°C (30°F) | -13°C (9°F) | 7 | 8.4 h | 1/5 |
| February | 0°C (32°F) | -12°C (10°F) | 6 | 9.9 h | 2/5 |
| December | 0°C (32°F) | -12°C (10°F) | 6 | 7.9 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 0°C (32°F) against a yearly 11°C (52°F), and 19 of the year's roughly 100 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 2/5 and hotel prices 2/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- February: Chinook Blast — winter festival with light installations downtown (usually February)
- December: Zoolights at the Calgary Zoo (usually late November to early January)
Good choices for winter
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Architecture · East Village
Calgary Central Library
Stand under the cedar-lined entrance arch for the best photo, then take the stairs up through the atrium.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Photo spot
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Museum · Northeast Calgary
TELUS Spark Science Centre
Calgary's science centre has hands-on galleries on energy, the human body and engineering, a large creative-kids area, an outdoor Brainasium playground and a dome theatre.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Garden · Downtown
Devonian Gardens
Reach it through the +15 skywalks in winter without going outside.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Off the beaten path
Historic site · Beltline and 17th Avenue
Lougheed House
A sandstone mansion built in 1891 for Senator James Lougheed, now a museum of Alberta's early history with restored rooms and exhibitions.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
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Museum · East Village
Studio Bell, National Music Centre
Allow time for the interactive rooms on the upper floors; children and adults spend longer there than they expect.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Architecture
- Art
Day trips in winter
- Drumheller and the Royal Tyrrell Museum (About 1 hour 45 minutes by car) — Drumheller lies in the Badlands of the Red Deer River valley, with hoodoo rock formations and the Royal Tyrrell Museum, one of the world's leading palaeontology museums with dozens of dinosaur skeletons.
- Kananaskis Country (About 1 hour 15 minutes by car) — A network of provincial parks south of Banff with lakes, hiking trails and wildlife; quieter than the national park.
What to pack
- A warm coat, hat, gloves and thermal layers
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Calgary?
It is a trade-off: Cold and sunny with chinook thaws; a base for ski trips to Banff, Lake Louise and Kananaskis. The best months overall are June–September.
+What is the weather like in Calgary in winter?
Highs of up to 0°C (32°F) and lows around -13°C (9°F), with about 19 rainy days over the season.