Banff and the Rockies: 7 Days Through Canada's National Parks

Flight Madrid-Calgary (10h, €580 round trip in September). Calgary airport is modest, easy car pickup (€300/7 days, SUV recommended for occasional snow).

1h30 by car on the Trans-Canada Highway to Banff. Park Pass mandatory (22 CAD/day or 75 CAD family annual; the annual pays off with 4+ days).

Day 1: Banff Town. Banff Gondola to Sulphur Mountain (74 CAD, 360° view). Afternoon at Banff Hot Springs (17 CAD, thermal sulfur water). Dinner at The Bison: bison ribeye, 65 CAD.

Day 2: Lake Minnewanka (76 CAD boat ride, 1h) and Two Jack Lake. Vermilion Lakes at sunset: perfect reflection of Mount Rundle (free).

Key booking: Moraine Lake is closed to private cars. You need to book the Parks Canada shuttle 3 months ahead (8 CAD round trip) or arrive at 5:00 AM at the Lake Louise parking to catch the connection.

Moraine Lake at sunrise is the image on the old CAD$20. Ten minutes climbing the Rockpile and the postcard appears: turquoise lake with the Ten Peaks behind. Bring fleece: at 6 AM it's 2°C.

Lake Louise mid-morning. Tea at the Fairmont Chateau (very expensive but classic, 35 CAD high tea). Canoe on the lake 145 CAD/hour (yes, that) or hike to Lake Agnes Tea House (3.4 km, 405 m elevation) and return via Six Glaciers.

Dinner in Lake Louise village: Lake Louise Station, in a converted historic train station.

The Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93N) is among the world's most beautiful roads. 230 km from Lake Louise to Jasper. We did half this day.

Mandatory stops: Bow Lake (free, viewpoint 1 minute away), Peyto Lake (800 m trail, stunning viewpoint, arrive before 9 or after 16 to avoid buses).

Waterfowl Lakes, Mistaya Canyon (500 m trail, water-sculpted gorge), Saskatchewan Crossing. Lunch at the Crossing Resort.

Arrival at the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre and sleep at its Glacier View Lodge: full window onto the ice field. 280 CAD/night.

Full day of glaciology. The Ice Explorer (giant-wheeled truck) climbs the Athabasca Glacier: you walk on glacial ice for 30 min. 119 CAD pp with Skywalk included.

The Glacier Skywalk is a glass walkway with 280 m of void under your feet. Vertigo and epic view of the Sunwapta Valley.

We continue along the Parkway: Sunwapta Falls, Athabasca Falls (quartzite-sculpted waterfalls, brutal), Horseshoe Lake.

Arrival in Jasper, more relaxed and wooded than Banff. Dinner at Patricia Lake Bungalows.

Day 6: Maligne Lake and Spirit Island. Boat to Spirit Island (110 CAD pp, 1h30), Jasper's iconic image. On the way, Maligne Canyon (free, 4 km trail).

Medicine Lake (no fee, free): the lake that empties and fills through karst sinkholes. If you're lucky you see bears. We saw one from the car.

Night in Jasper at Pyramid Lake Resort (view to Pyramid Mountain reflected).

Day 7: back to Calgary via Icefields, repeating stops if any are left. Car return and flight home. Gold tip: rent the car with full insurance. The roads are long, moose appear unannounced and wildlife is the leading cause of accidents.