Neighbourhoods
Checked September 2026.
Downtown
Where the hotels, the arena district and the government buildings are. It has improved a great deal over fifteen years and still empties at the weekend in a way that surprises people. Good base for a short trip because the LRT and the valley are both at hand.
Old Strathcona
South of the river around Whyte Avenue. The liveliest street in the city, a farmers' market on Saturdays, theatres, record shops, and the centre of the Fringe in August. This is where I'd stay for a first visit, and where I'd warn you about noise if your room faces the avenue.
124 Street
Northwest of downtown. Galleries, a strong run of restaurants, a summer market on Thursdays. Quieter than Whyte and, to my taste, better for eating. No hotels to speak of, so it's a place you visit rather than stay.
Alberta Avenue
Northeast along 118 Avenue. Working-class, diverse, changing, with the best value eating in the city and a reputation among locals that lags about a decade behind reality. Worth an afternoon and a meal; not where a visitor without a car should base themselves.
University and Garneau
South side by the campus. Cheap food, students, and the most direct access to the valley's best stretch. Convenient in term time, quiet in summer.
West Edmonton Mall
Not a neighbourhood, but people ask. It is enormous, it has a waterpark and an indoor rollercoaster, and it will absorb an entire day. If you're travelling with children on a rainy week it's genuinely useful. If you're not, the valley is a better use of the same hours.