CALGARY stands where the vast Canadian prairie meets the jagged, snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains.  Skyscrapers rise out of suburban neighbourhoods, whilst the  distant mountains attract legions of skiers and snowboarders during the chilly winters. 

During balmy summers, cattle roam the flat expanse of grassland, marking this out as cowboy country. It was the domain of the Blackfoot natives, whose presence has been traced back 11,000 years.

As well as being the gateway to the Rocky Mountains, Calgary also grew into a tourist destination. Visitors flocked to take in the city's burgeoning cowboy culture, expressed every year in the Calgary Stampede, held formally for the first time in 1912. The Rocky Mountains and, in particular, Banff National Park, attract thousands more  by the park's stunning alpine beauty. The city hosted the XV Olympic Winter Games in 1988.

Calgary is a confident, often brash, cowboy town that grew wealthy on oil, where they play country and western music in noisy taverns and eat thick and juicy steaks in the restaurants. Calgary is also a city of diverse and vibrant neighbourhoods, where its citizens relax in cafés, stroll the scenic streets or take in the opera, although they are just as likely to head off to the great outdoors.

As well as the attractions listed below, Eau Claire Market has a mall with cafés, bars, an IMAX theatre and craft market. Connecting these attractions is a series of enclosed elevated walkways ~ known as plus-15s, for their height of 4.5m (15ft) above street level ~ which shelter Calgarians from the worst of the winter chill and provide one of the city's most unique features.

EDMONTON, Alberta's capital, was originally established as a remote trading post by the Hudson Bay Company in 1795. It experienced relatively little growth until the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. Overnight, Fort Edmonton became the supply area for the thousands of gold seekers heading up the treacherous Klondike Trail to the Yukon. The discovery of oil in the Edmonton area in 1947 assured the city of its future, making it one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in Canada.

The spacious well-planned city is also famed for its huge parks, which sit on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. Edmonton's love affair with its past is reflected in Canada's largest historical park, Fort Edmonton Park. This is a complex of reproductions of the city's frontier days and each year in July, the 'Klondike Days' extravaganza relives the days of the Gold Rush.

Edmonton boasts Fantasyland, the world's largest indoor amusement park, and Canada's largest planetarium, an IMAX experience and Challenger centre. There are several theatres and art galleries, whilst the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village is just outside the city.

In the town of St Albert, 30km (19 miles) northwest from downtown Edmonton, is the historic log cabin of Father Lacombe and Alberta's oldest surviving structure. It was at one time the centre of a thriving French-speaking Métis settlement (native peoples of mixed heritage). Today, St Albert is known for its extensive parklands, which include 40km (25 miles) of walking trails and groomed cross-country trails.