|
Practicalities
|
|
|
The
infocentre
, 1290 W Trans-Canada Hwy (mid-May to mid-Oct Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat & Sun 9am-6pm; mid-Oct to mid-May Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; tel 374-3377 or 1-800/662-1994,
www.venturekamloops.com
) is a good 6km west of downtown, close to the Aberdeen Mall. They have full accommodation and recreational details for the town and much of the province, and a particularly useful book of local trails self-published by a local hiker ($13.90). The
Greyhound terminal
(tel 374-1212), on Notre Dame Avenue off Hwy 1, across from the infocentre, is a crucial interchange for buses to all parts of the province; to head into town, jump on the #3 bus that leaves from outside the station. Kamloops is also served by three weekly
trains
in each direction from Edmonton, via Jasper (Mon, Thurs & Sat) and Vancouver (Mon, Wed & Sat). The VIA Rail office is at 95 3rd Ave, behind Landsdowne Street, but is open only on days trains are running (tel 372-5858 or 1-800/561-8630).
Kamloops's huge volume of accommodation is aimed fair and square at the motorist and consists of thick clusters of
motels
, most of which blanket the town's eastern margins on Hwy 1 or out on Columbia Street West. The
Thrift Inn
, 2459 Trans-Canada (tel 374-2488 or 1-800/661-7769; up to $40), is probably the cheapest of all, but it's about the last building on eastbound Hwy 1 out of town. You pay a slight premium for central beds, most of which are on Columbia Street: here the
Casa Marquis Motor Inn
, 530 Columbia St (tel 372-7761 or 1-800/533-9233; $40-60) is reasonably priced, or you can try the reliable and recently renovated
Sandman
, 550 Columbia St (tel 374-1218 or 1-800/726-3626,
www.sandman.ca
; $40-60), part of a chain. If you want top-of-the-range comfort after a long journey, make for the central
Stockmen's Hotel & Casino
, 540 Victoria St (tel 372-2281 or 1-800/663-2837; $80-100). A
youth hostel
,
Kamloops Old Courthouse Hostel,
is housed downtown in a restored courthouse building at 7 W Seymour St (tel 828-7991; up to $40): it has dorm beds and a few private rooms. There's also a clutch of motels around the bus terminal, in case you arrive late and have no need to drop into town. The nearest
campsite
is the
Silver Sage Tent and Trailer Park
at 771 Athabasca St E (tel 828-2077; $15-18), but if you've got a car aim for the far more scenic facilities at Paul Lake Provincial Park
. Snack
food
is cheap and served in generous portions at the popular
Swiss Pastries & Cafe
, 359 Victoria St, which really is run by Swiss people and does good muesli, cappuccino, sticky buns and excellent bread. The
Grassroots Tea House
(summer only), in Riverside Park at 262 Lorne St, is a nice spot for lunch or dinner washed down with ginseng tea - a local product. If you're splashing out on a proper meal, on the other hand, the best restaurant is the upmarket
Deja Vu
, 172 Battle St (tel 374-3227; closed Sun & Mon), where Thai meets France and Japan, though locals also rate the much cheaper, but less exotic,
Ric's Grill
at 227 Victoria St.
Kelly O'Bryans
, 244 Victoria St, is good for a pint, and for supermarket stock-ups there's a Safeway on the corner of Seymour and 5th Avenue. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
|
Canada,
|