I'll leave this question pretty wide open. I'm heading to Edmonton sometime during the week of June 5 (yes, for the Stanley Cup Finals). I've never been to Edmonton before, and never flown into Canada. So, any advice would be appreciated.

Possible topics...
1)Getting into and through the airport.
2)Rental car advice (Do I need an international drivers license?).
3)Things to do.
4)Things to bring.

Basically, I'm clueless here on everything about Edmonton, so I'm hoping I can get some good info.

Thanks.

Edmonton isn't a particularly large airport. It's easy to get in and out of. It's about 30 minutes from downtown.

You'll probably fly in through Calgary or Vancouver. That's where you'll clear customs coming into Canada.

A valid U.S. drivers license is all I need.

I only go for business. Edmonton is home to the West Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in the world.

It's Edmonton, not Mars. There's really nothing you can't get there that would be available in the U.S. (assuming that's where you're from).

Basically, I'm clueless here on everything about Edmonton, so I'm hoping I can get some good info.

Thanks.[/QUOTE]

Edmonton is a very pretty city, with the main downtown area set alongside a gorgeous river. It's got a million or so residents, but it feels like less because it's so spread out. (The mall, for ex., is nowhere near downtown.)

It really depends on your interests. The Muttart Conservatory is spectacular, even if you're not normally a garden person (it's the glass pyramid things on the other side of the river from downtown) and it's nice to just have a drink in the garden of the Hotel MacDonald, looking across the river. (The hotel is the old-looking building that's not the Legislature Building -- though that's pretty, too.)

If you want to party, head to Whyte Avenue for great food, bars and a ton of fellow hockey fans (it's south of downtown, but not far. Expect to pay for parking.) It's always a bit of a scene (it's near the university), but hockey has brought thousands of people there every night.

The mall is worth going to even if you don't like shopping, cause hey, how often can you say went to a beach at the mall? There's also a glow-in-the-dark mini-golf course (and a regular one) and other kinds of whacked out Disneyesque stuff.

A couple follow ups...

I'll have to do customs in YEG. I'll either be flying in from SLC or MSP. How long should I budget to get through?

When I asked about things to bring, I was mostly likely thinking about clothing, but of course, since you can't read my mind, you wouldn't know that. I think I have my Under Armor ready to go

Thanks again.

How long customs takes depends on how many other jets arrive at the same time and how many people they have working. It could be 20 minutes, it could be 2 hours. (I suspect the former is more likely, but I'm still bitter about the time it took me 2 hours). The airport's quite small, however, so once you're done with customs you're basically out the door.

As for clothes, check the weather online and pack accordingly. Or is there some hidden meaning I'm not getting?

I fly in and out of YEG regularly, and I've never had customs take more than about 15-20 minutes. You must have had some freakish Bermuda Triangle of planes coming in because it's not a terribly busy airport (although I confess that I often re-enter Canuckada at YYZ or YVR).

I'd agree with the mall. I don't like it, personally, but if you haven't seen it, it's worth a visit. Fort Edmonton is kind of a fun afternoon and the legislative grounds and river valley are nice to walk around. If you want any FT company, you should post on the Air Canada forum...we were thinking about a June get together, and you could meet a very nice group of FFers

If the Oilers win, you really don't want to go to Whyte Avenue afterwards, unless you don't mind a crazy bunch of drunk people. Otherwise it's a great area.

Enjoy!

The OP is travelling from SFO, and I'm pretty sure that there are no direct flights (I go to Edmonton from SFO once or twice a year). Most likely, he'll clear customs in Vancouver or Calgary. Fortunately, I've never had more than a few minutes wait to clear immigration and customs into Canada. Getting back to the US was another story.

In post #4, the OP says he's flying via MSP or SLC...

Yep. That plus they literally only had ONE lane open. Like I said, still bitter.

Take a side trip to Elk Island National Park. It's curiously unpopular with local residents despite the fact that it's only a 3/4 hour drive (east) of downtown and contains the largest wild plains bison herds in Alberta. The setting is really quite stunning, as well, and it presents a nice contrast to the rolling parkland of the Edmonton region.

In case there is any confusion about this, the situation is basically this:

It is, of course, possible for U.S. Edmonton-bound travellers to clear customs somewhere else in Canada before proceeding to Edmonton (for example, if schedules or frequent flyers plans make this desireable). However, there are direct flights to Edmonton from eight or nine U.S. cities (including San Francisco). One would expect most U.S. travellers to use one of these. In fact, Air Canada is the only option for getting to Edmonton with either a code-share or an inter-line from within Canada, so most U.S. airlines will want to push you through one of those U.S. ports.

Of course, all the aircraft seem to be full these days. Who knows what one's eventual route will be?

In addition to all mentioned above, there is also the Royal Alberta Museum, which will tell you about the people, history & nature of Alberta, if you're interested (Edmonton being the capital of the province).

I flew into YEG from MSP - customs took about 5 minutes.

Also, the Edmontonian FTers I've met are a great bunch, so I'd try attend if they have a get-together!!