A trip to Banff National Park is a bucket-list vacation for many. With towering, rugged Rocky Mountains, exciting wildlife, lush forests and turquoise-blue lakes, Banff is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. As you’d expect in a place with scenery this incredible, a trip to Banff is pretty expensive, but our money-saving tips make it easier to travel to Banff on a budget without sacrificing your experience.
This post contains compensated links.
We live in Canmore (just 5 minutes outside Banff National Park) and although we can avoid some expenses (like accommodation), we know firsthand how expensive visiting Banff can be. We also have extensive experience travelling to some of the world’s most expensive destinations. As you can see from our guides on how to save money in Norway and visiting Iceland on a budget, we know how to save money while traveling.
When we look at the typical costs to visit Banff, we’re confident that out money-saving tips will help you have an amazing trip to Banff for much less.
Is Banff Expensive? Here’s Why
If you are planning a trip to Banff National Park, hold onto your wallets, it’s expensive! Banff is one of Canada’s most expensive destinations, especially in peak times during summer, Christmas and in the fall larch tree hiking season. Why is Banff so expensive? There are few main reasons:
1) The Town of Banff is relatively small, surrounded on all sides by wild, undeveloped national park land. There are only so many hotel rooms and restaurant seats, and when demand spikes, prices rise quickly.
2) Banff National Park is Canada’s most visited national park, welcoming over 4 million visitors a year. Yet, most visitors to Banff want the same weeks: summer, early fall, and weekends. Local businesses make a big percentage of their annual revenue in this relatively short window.
3) Banff is a bucket-list destination, and prices reflect that. You’ll especially notice this on anything with limited capacity like popular tours, prime hotel locations, etc.
The good news is that with some careful forethought and these tips for saving money in Banff, you can have an amazing trip here without spending a ton of money.
How Much Does a Trip to Banff Cost?
We’ll help you save money on your trip to Banff with our tips below, but to give you an idea of how much a trip to Banff costs:
The cost of a weekend hotel room for two people in Banff in low season will cost anywhere between $200 – $700+ per night. By comparison, that same Banff hotel room in the high season will cost more than double at $700 – $1400+. (All values are in Canadian dollars)
Data from a recent Government of Canada study shows that international visitors to the Canadian Rockies spend 45% of their Banff travel budget on accommodations.
We can use this to estimate the average daily cost of visiting Banff in low season is $450 – $1500+. Likewise, we can estimate the average daily cost of visiting Banff in high season is $1,500 – $3,100+.
If these costs seem concerning to you, keep reading as we can help you significantly reduce the cost of traveling to Banff.
The Cheapest Times to Visit Banff
There are two main windows which are considered the cheapest times to visit Banff. These windows fall in the transitions between the seasons.
The first of the cheapest times to visit Banff is from late April to early June as it transitions from winter to spring. The second window is between mid-October to November as summer attractions close and winter attractions haven’t opened yet.
You can find much more information on what it’s like to travel to Banff in shoulder season in our post on Finding the Best Time to Visit Banff.
Don’t miss out on ANYTHING in Banff!
Our comprehensive Banff Travel Guide has EVERYTHING you need to plan the best trip without feeling overwhelmed or that you’ll miss out.
Bundle one of our pre-built itineraries with your Banff Travel Guide and take all the stress out of planning your trip!
Tips to Visit Banff on a Budget
The following tips for saving money in Banff focus on the four biggest costs each traveler will face. We start with looking at how to save money on Banff accommodations, followed by spending wisely on the top Banff attractions, the Banff Park Pass and transportation costs. We’ll finish up with our tips on how to save money on food while traveling to Banff.
Get Our Exclusive Banff Discount Codes
We have good news for travelers who are visiting Banff on a budget! As one of the leading Banff travel blogs, we have been able to arrange some amazing Banff discounts on Calgary airport shuttles, lake shuttles, top Banff tours and vacation rentals.
We’ve arranged discounts with the Banff Airporter, GetYourGuide, Radventures, Banff Canyoning and many more. For the complete list of our Banff coupons, head over to our Banff Discounts page.
Tips for Saving Money on Banff Accommodations
The Government of Canada study referenced above shows that international visitors spend 45% of their overall Banff travel budget on accommodations. This means the biggest opportunity to save money traveling to Banff is on your choice of accommodations. Thankfully for those traveling to Banff on a budget, there are many effective money-saving strategies to save money on Banff accommodations.
Stay at a Banff Hotel Outside Downtown
Banff’s downtown is a fun & exciting place to visit. Jam-packed with restaurants, souvenir shops, art galleries and more, a walk down Banff Avenue is always entertaining. The area of downtown Banff is quite small, occupying only a few city blocks, so the downtown Banff hotels can get quite expensive.
The easiest way to save money on Banff accommodations is to stay at a Banff hotel outside of downtown. In fact, most of the hotels on our list of the best affordable hotels in Banff are located in uptown Banff or in the Tunnel Mountain area.
One of the best affordable accommodations in Banff is the Dorothy Motel. It’s at the far edge of town, but it’s still just a 20-minute walk to Banff Avenue. Trust me, a 20 minute walk anywhere in the Town of Banff is a pleasure and the walk along Banff Avenue is beautiful!
If you don’t like walking, you can easily take the local Roam public transit buses which run up and down Banff Avenue all day long.
Give up Hotel Amenities and Views
If you get a hotel room in some old boring big city, you may want to pay extra for a nice hotel with a pool, fitness room, hot tub, etc. But Banff is not that kind of place; people flock to Banff for the stunning mountain scenery and outstanding outdoor recreational activities.
With free mountain views in every direction and an abundance of free things to do, you won’t need to pay up for a fancy Banff hotel with mountain views, a pool, hot tub and/or a sauna.
As long as you find a clean Banff hotel with a comfortable bed, you won’t care if your Banff hotel doesn’t have a pool, hot tub or any other unnecessary hotel amenity. Trust me – you’ll be having so much fun enjoying the natural beauty of Banff National Park, you won’t even think about not having a pool at your Banff hotel.
Visit Banff in Shoulder Season
As we discussed above, the typical cost of a hotel room in Banff during shoulder season is less than half of what it costs during the peak tourist season. Both spring and fall are wonderful times to visit Banff with a wide variety of outdoor activities to enjoy.
Stay in Banff Between Sunday – Thursday
If you have schedule flexibility, a good strategy to save money on Banff accommodations is avoid getting a room on Friday & Saturday nights. On top of all the tourist visitors, locals from Calgary flock into Banff for the weekend, adding extra pressure to hotel room prices.
Staying at a Banff hotel between Sunday and Thursday nights is a great strategy for saving money on Banff hotel rooms. Even swapping a single Friday or Saturday night for a Thursday or Sunday night can often save you hundreds,
Note, while I encourage you to try, this strategy may not be possible during the heart of peak season, as the cost of Banff hotel rooms remains consistently high throughout the week. But in shoulder season you can easily save 20-40% on a Banff hotel room between Sunday – Thursday.
Stay Near Banff in a Canmore Hotel
If you are looking to save money on a hotel in Banff, try getting a hotel in Canmore, the nearest city to Banff National Park. Canmore is a small town of 15,000 residents located just minutes outside the Banff National Park gates and a 20-minute drive to the Town of Banff.
If you are unfamiliar with Canmore (my hometown), I’ve written a full blog post on staying in Canmore vs. Banff. In a nutshell, many people like that Canmore is not as touristy as Banff and you’ll still enjoy world-class Rocky Mountain views in all directions. There’s plenty of great outdoor things to do in Canmore and it is home to excellent restaurants and shops to explore.
Being an alternate base camp for visitors to Banff, there are lots of great affordable Canmore hotels and vacation rentals to choose from. As a general rule, you’ll find Canmore hotels are cheaper than a comparable hotel in Banff.
Look for Deals on Banff Hotels
If you have some persistence, patience and a little luck, you can often find a good deal on a Banff hotel. Some Banff hotels offer discounts for Alberta residents, some offer Banff ski packages, etc. Start looking for your Banff hotel as far in advance as possible and keep checking back for a better rate.
I give a bunch of tips on saving money on Banff hotels at the bottom of my post on the best places to stay in the Town of Banff.
Stay at One of our Recommended Affordable Banff Hotels
The good news for visitors to Banff on a budget is that we’ve done all the leg work for you and have recommended the best inexpensive places to stay in Banff. You’ll be happy to know there are also a few budget options within our list of the best places to stay in Lake Louise.
Stay in a Banff Hostel
Staying at a hostel in Banff is a tried-and-true way of saving money on Banff accommodations. If you don’t mind sharing a dorm room with other travelers, staying at a Banff hostel is likely the cheapest accommodations you will find in town.
There are two hostels in Banff, both with good locations just outside of downtown Banff. Samesun Banff is considered the more lively of the two hostels, while the Banff International Hostel is a little quieter.
Stay at a Banff Airbnb or VRBO
Vacation rentals are an excellent accommodation option for people visiting Banff on a budget. Banff Airbnb and VRBO rentals will follow the same seasonal pricing patterns as Banff hotels, but over our traveling history we have found vacation rentals to be more affordable than a comparable hotel. In addition, Banff Airbnb rentals have many extra amenities which are attractive for travelers to Banff on a budget.
Banff Airbnb and VRBO rentals often come with separate bedrooms. This is especially beneficial for families traveling to Banff with kids, or friends visiting Banff together. Separate bedrooms equals more privacy and better sleep all around.
Laundry facilities mean you can pack fewer clothes for your trip to Banff. If your airline charges exorbitant extra luggage fees, save this money by packing a just a carry-on and doing laundry at your Banff Airbnb!
We’ve stayed at over 80 Airbnb and VRBO rentals all over the world. We always seek good value for our accommodation dollar and we usually find it with a vacation rental.
Note that vacation rentals are strictly regulated in the Town of Banff and supply is very limited. To find a great vacation rental in Banff on a budget, take a look at our best places to stay in Banff on Airbnb and VRBO.
Tips for Saving Money on Banff Attractions
Once you’ve sorted out your Banff accommodations, another area of your Banff vacation budget which needs attention is your entertainment budget. Of course, there are so many amazing things to do for free in Banff, but you may also be tempted to check out some of the big-ticket attractions such as the Banff Gondola or the Lake Minnewanka Cruise.
In this section, I’ll share my best tips on how to save money on Banff attractions.
Enjoy the Many Free Things to do in Banff
Banff National Park is one of the most beautiful places on earth. If you dream of coming to Banff, chances are good that you love the outdoors, which is great news as most of the best things to do in Banff are free!
It’s true, some of the top Banff attractions are expensive, like downhill skiing in Banff at the Ski Big 3 resorts or the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain. But outside of this, just about everything else to do in Banff is free. You could spend weeks in Banff exploring the most incredible scenery you’ll ever see, and you don’t need to spend a penny.
Free Things to do in Banff in Summer
In summer, you can enjoy endless miles of hiking trails in Banff National Park. For your Banff hiking inspiration, check out:
- The best hikes in Lake Louise
- The best Moraine Lake hikes
- Our favorite easy hikes around Banff
- The best kid-friendly hikes in Banff
There are also some incredible cycling opportunities in Banff National Park, like biking the Banff Legacy Trail or cycling Bow Valley Parkway to Johnston Canyon.
Free Things to do in Banff in Winter
In the winter, you can enjoy excellent easy winter hikes without any extra equipment. If you have your own gear or have room in your budget for rentals, there are many more Banff winter activities you can do for free:
- Try one of the easy cross-country ski trails in Banff
- Go wild ice skating in Banff on a frozen lake
- Go on a super-fun ice walk at Johnston Canyon
Skip the Banff Gondola
Speaking of the best free things to do in Banff, did you know you can skip taking the expensive Banff Gondola and hike up Sulphur Mountain instead? I love hiking up Sulphur Mountain knowing that I’m getting a great workout, enjoying incredible views of Banff and saving a ton of cash.
Once at the top of Sulphur Mountain, you are free to enjoy all the same facilities at the top as the people who paid to take the Banff Gondola up. Trust me, if you are traveling to Banff on a budget, this is an excellent way to save some money and have an amazing experience doing so.
Starting in 2026, it will cost $17.50 to park on Sulphur Mountain between mid-May and mid-October, so depending on the size of your group, it will be more economic to take Roam Route 1 from downtown Banff to the trailhead,
We have a full post on the Sulphur Mountain Trail, but the basics are that it is 10 km return (5 km each way) with approximately 750m of elevation gain. It takes about 2.5 hours to complete the round-trip hike. Granted, the Sulphur Mountain hike is difficult, but it’s common to see people of all ages and abilities making their way to the top.
Pick 1-2 Splurge Attractions, Then Focus on Free for the Rest
For many, Banff is a bucket-list vacation and you’ll want to see the very best of the national park during your stay. One hybrid strategy for visiting Banff on a budget is to pick the 1-2 paid attractions which appeal to you most, and then fill in the rest of your time with the many amazing free attractions.
Some of the top paid attractions in Banff include:
- The Banff Gondola
- The Lake Minnewanka Cruise
- Seeing Moraine Lake at Sunrise
- Columbia Icefield Adventure (just 5 minutes outside Banff in Jasper National Park)
- Alpine hiking at Sunshine Meadows
- Canoeing on Lake Louise
- Mt. Norquay Via Ferrata
- Banff e-bike tour
- Banff Canyoning
The choices of paid things to do in Banff are nearly endless. There’s horseback riding, cave tours, golfing, fishing and so much more. You can get details on all of these activities in our list of things to do in Banff National Park.
Find 1-2 activities which resonate with you the most and enjoy them without guilt. I’ll do my best to find you ways of saving money in other ways to help pay for these amazing Banff experiences.
Rent Gear Instead of Buying
If you are visiting Banff on a budget, you may wish to avoid purchasing your own expensive sports gear like downhill skis, snowshoes, stand-up paddleboards, etc. You can easily travel to Banff without your own sports gear as you can rent your stuff there.
If you can rent your gear in Calgary, you’ll likely enjoy the lowest prices, but Canmore and Banff have a good selection of gear rental shops as well.
Tips for Saving Money on the Banff Park Pass
Another cost that all travelers to Banff National Park are subject to is the Banff Park Pass. There’s a lot to know about this admission charge, so we wrote a post with everything you need to know about the Banff Park Pass.
In this post, we discuss all of the potential money-saving opportunities, including when it makes sense to buy an annual Discovery Pass, instead of individual day passes.
You may have heard of a program where the government is giving everyone free entry to Banff National Park. This is called the Canada Strong Pass. We discuss this in full, including the upcoming dates, in the Banff Park Pass post as well.
Tips for Saving Money on Banff Transportation
Another really big component of the cost of a trip to Banff is transportation. On average, visitors spend 16% of their Banff travel budget on transportation. In this section, I’ll share my best tips on saving money on Banff transportation.
Visit Banff Without a Car
This is one area, that if you can be flexible, not only can you save a lot of money on your trip to Banff, but you could also help the environment and reduce overcrowding on the roads. Due to its immense popularity, Banff National Park is struggling to handle the sheer number of cars it sees in peak season.
Measuring a mind-boggling 6,641 km² (about 2,564 sq mi), Banff National Park is a vast mountain wilderness. It’s tempting to think you must have a rental car to visit Banff, but in fact it’s easy to get to Banff without a car, and once you are there, it’s also very easy to get around Banff without a car.
As you’ll see in our guide to Getting to Banff Without a Car, the easiest way to get to Banff without a car is to take one of the convenient Calgary Airport shuttles to Banff. Those traveling to Banff on a budget will want to take advantage of our 10% discount on the Banff Airporter (available in our Banff discounts page).
With over 4 million visitors to Banff a year, vehicle congestion and crowded parking lots are a problem. To deal with this, Banff officials have tried to make visiting the top attractions in Banff without a car as easy and cheap as possible. You’d be surprised at the number of Banff hiking trails you can do without a car.
You might even prefer using the public buses or a Parks Canada shuttle to get to Moraine Lake or a Lake Louise shuttle to avoid the crowded parking lots, or worse, risk not getting a parking spot at all.
Parks Canada has closed the Moraine Lake Road to private vehicles. To visit Moraine Lake in 2026, plan ahead by booking a shuttle so you aren’t disappointed.
There’s no doubt having a rental car gives you ultimate freedom to explore Banff on your own schedule. If you are traveling to Banff on a budget, take a peek at the cost to rent a car for Banff, then read the following Banff without a car guides to get a feel for the cost / benefit of this travel expense.
Our Guides to Visiting Banff without a Car:
- How to get to Banff National Park
- Getting around Banff without a car
- How to get to Lake Louise without a car
- How to get to Moraine Lake without a car
- Best hikes in Banff without a car
- Best Banff hotels without a car
If you have the flexibility to come to Banff without a car, you’d be helping the environment and helping solve the vehicle congestion problem.
Split Your Stay Between Canmore and Lake Louise
As mentioned above, Banff National Park is huge and it can take quite a while to travel between some of the top attractions. One strategy to save money on your transportation costs in Banff, it to split your time between Canmore and Lake Louise.
Staying in Canmore can be an effective way to save money on the days when you are exploring the areas around the Town of Banff. Then when you are ready to explore the Lake Louise area, move to a Lake Louise hotel to reduce the number of times you drive back-and-forth.
This strategy is not only better for the environment, it will save you money on gas, and free up time to play in the mountains, instead of driving.
Fill Up in Calgary
If you rent a car in Calgary, chances are that your rental car will be full on pickup. That said, I’ve noticed a recent trend where rental car companies are giving out rental cars that are not full at pickup.
If you have a situation where you need to get gas before heading to Banff National Park, be sure to fill up in Calgary first. The price of gas is much higher once you reach the mountain parks, and is especially bad inside the towns of Banff and Canmore.
Tips for Saving Money on Food in Banff
When you travel to Italy, eating Italian food at restaurants is an integral part of the experience. That is not really the case in Banff. No offense to Canadian cuisine, but you will not miss a must-do cultural food experience if you self-cater a few meals.
The study of Banff travel costs shows that the second largest expense for visitors to Banff is on food and beverage, spending 21% of their overall Banff vacation budget.
Banff has many excellent restaurants, and we recommend you try some, but that doesn’t mean you need to eat 3 full meals every day at Banff restaurants. Buying groceries to self-cater your own meals will significantly reduce the cost of your Banff vacation.
Many of the accommodations in my list of family-friendly places to stay in Banff have a full kitchen. And of course, most Banff vacation rentals will have a kitchen as well. Having your own kitchen really helps you more easily enjoy Banff on a budget.
Even better, pack up your lunch and enjoy many of Banff’s best picnic areas!
A Banff Self-Catering Strategy
A self-catering strategy we use all the time on our travels is to eat breakfast at our hotel or vacation rental and pack a healthy lunch to eat on the go. We love this self-catering strategy as it’s a healthier way to eat, and saves you both time and money.
When you visit a world-class outdoor destination like Banff, I feel like sitting in a restaurant for breakfast and/or lunch is a waste of time – you should be outside having fun!
One thing to note is that even food purchased at the grocery stores in Banff is expensive. If you have your own car, stop at Costco or a grocery store in Calgary and pick-up your breakfast and lunch supplies. Be sure to grab some high energy snacks to keep you going on your daily adventures.
We love supporting local Banff and Canmore businesses, but we find the grocery stores here are really expensive relative to Calgary. We’re here to help you travel to Banff on a budget, so if you can, buy your groceries in Calgary instead of Banff.
By following our self-catering strategy, you’ll have significantly more time and money to enjoy Banff. Plus, at the end of the day, you’ll feel like you earned your meal at one of Banff’s excellent restaurants.
Visit Banff on a Group Tour
Another excellent strategy for those looking to visit Banff on a budget is to join an organized group tour with an adventure travel company such as G Adventures. We have traveled extensively with G Adventures and have always felt we got excellent value for our money.
G Adventures offers a wide variety of tours to Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies. I like these tours for people traveling to Banff on a budget as they often cost around $200 -$350 per day depending on season and level of service.
It’s important to read each tour description carefully as inclusions and amenities can vary from trip-to-trip.
Need Help with Your Banff Itinerary?
We’ve created expertly curated itineraries for Banff and area. Choose from our 3 Day “See It All” to our 10 Day Ultimate Banff and Jasper Itinerary.
Banff National Park is Worth Every Loonie
In closing, don’t let the potential high cost of traveling to Banff scare you off – you can still travel to Banff on a budget. With these easy tips you can easily save tons of money and make your trip to Banff much more affordable and enjoyable. In the end, you will find Banff is more expensive than most destinations, but it is truly worth every single Loonie!
Support Human Created Content
Hi, we’re Dan & Celine Brewer, locals from just outside Banff National Park. Every article, itinerary, and recommendation we share is rooted in our real experiences and love for this place. If you’ve found our content helpful, please consider supporting us:
- Make a small donation: Your support directly fuels our work and keeps our stories genuine.
- Purchase a guide or itinerary: Essential tools that help plan your trip and support local creators at the same time.
- Book lodging or tours through our affiliate links: You pay the same price, but we earn a small commission that helps us keep producing content.
Thank you for valuing authentic, human-created content. Your support allows us to help even more Banff travellers!
Love our content? Sharing our post is the easiest way to support us!
Dan Brewer, a life-long Alberta resident, calls Canmore home along with his wife and two kids. He is the co-owner of Travel Banff Canada, where he gets to share his passion for the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Dan, along with his family, love being outdoors doing one of the many activities they enjoy in the mountains: hiking, mountain biking, paddleboarding, skiing, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
When he's not in Canmore enjoying one of his favourite local hikes, you can find him hopping on a plane to explore a new country with his family or working on one of their other two travel sites: Family Can Travel and Baby Can Travel.