Banff Gondola Price: What a Ticket Costs and What It Leaves Out

A Banff Gondola admission ticket was from US$54 when we checked in October 2026. Pursuit, which runs the gondola, sells its own tickets at one price per day, set by the day of the week, the season and how far ahead you buy, so there is no single list price: its FAQ sends you to the ticket page for the price on your date. Whichever ticket you buy, you also need the national park pass, CA$12.25 an adult a day in 2026, which no gondola ticket includes.

How much does a Banff Gondola ticket cost?

The ticket is Pursuit Collection’s “Banff: Banff Gondola Admission Ticket”, from US$54 per person and rated 4.7 from 4,900 reviews. It covers the round trip up Sulphur Mountain, the interpretive centre and theatre at the top, the 360-degree rooftop deck, the summit trails and the seasonal programme: Autumn Above until 15 November 2026, then Mountaintop Christmas from 21 November to 31 December. Food and drink are extra. The listing offers no free cancellation, and Pursuit’s FAQ says gondola tickets are non-refundable.

This site is not affiliated with Pursuit; the tickets on this page are booked through GetYourGuide. Tour prices here are in US dollars; fees set in Canada are marked CA$.

How Pursuit prices its own tickets

Pursuit’s pricing page sets out the system. There is one price per day, whatever time you ride, and it moves with “projected visitation”: weekends cost more than weekdays, a same-day ticket costs more, and prices rise as the date gets closer. Its advice for the lowest price is to book well ahead and choose a mid-week day, or the early or late season. Move a ticket to a dearer day and you pay the difference; move it to a cheaper one and the difference comes back. Changes can be made online up to 48 hours before the visit. Pursuit’s prices exclude GST, and a CA$1 eco-fee per guest is built in.

The discounts Pursuit offers:

• Children 5 and under ride free at any time.
• With the Family Experience, one child goes free with each adult paying the regular price in the first two hours of the day.
• Alberta residents save with Pursuit Rewards, which is free to join, and groups of 15 or more get a rate if they book through Pursuit 48 hours ahead.

The Pursuit Pass, which bundles the gondola with Pursuit’s other attractions for “up to 40%” off, does not help this winter: its 2026 packages were valid only to 12 October, and the cruises, the Columbia Icefield and the Golden Skybridge in it reopen in May 2027.

What you pay on top of the ticket

How much is a daily pass to Banff National Park?

In 2026 a day pass costs CA$12.25 an adult, CA$10.75 a senior or CA$24.50 for a family or group of up to seven in one vehicle, and youth 17 and under go free. It is valid until 4 pm the day after you buy it. Since 8 September 2026 a Superintendent’s order requires a pass for any travel in Banff National Park except driving straight through on Highways 1 and 93 South. A Discovery Pass, good for a year, costs CA$83.50 an adult or CA$167.50 for a family or group.

Is Banff entry still free?

No. Free admission under the Canada Strong Pass ran from 19 June to 7 September 2026, regular fees have applied since 8 September, and no free period has been announced for 2027. Youth 17 and under enter Parks Canada places free, as they have since 2018.

Getting there and eating

Roam’s Route 1 runs from downtown Banff to the gondola all year, for CA$2 an adult in October 2026; the free rides and the free shuttle that come with a same-day ticket end on 12 October 2026. Parks Canada charges CA$17.50 a vehicle a day to park at the base from 15 May to 12 October 2026.

Food is never in the ticket. This autumn the Northern Lights Alpine Kitchen’s Alpine Harvest Dinner Buffet costs CA$60 an adult and CA$30 a child (2 October to 17 December, from 4:30 pm), and Sky Bistro’s four-course Autumn Feast CA$70 a person (2 October to 15 November). Sky Bistro closes from 17 to 19 November and from 4 to 15 January 2027.

Ticket only, or a day tour with the gondola in it

Pick the one that fits how you are travelling:

Prices, ratings and review counts from our October 2026 data check; operators use seasonal pricing, so treat them as the shape of the market, not a quote.

That day trip, “Calgary: Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise - Gondola Included”, is the only tour listed here that includes the gondola ticket; its listing does not say whether the park pass is included. Four other day tours stop at the gondola and leave its ticket to you:

• “Banff Town, Gondola, Hot Springs, Lake Louise & Three Lakes”, from US$47, park pass included; the operator asks you to book a gondola slot between 10:30 and 11 am.
• “Banff: Gondola, Hot Spring and Three Lakes Tour”, from US$50, park pass included.
• “Lake Louise, Moraine Lake ,Emerald Lake & Banff Town/Gondola”, from US$63, park pass included, with the gondola as an option instead of free time in Banff.
• “Banff: Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Gondola, Hot Springs Tour”, from US$77, where you choose the gondola or the hot springs and the operator contacts you to buy the ticket.

The Upper Hot Springs on several of these itineraries are closed from 13 October to early November 2026.

Other questions about the cost

Why is the Banff Gondola so expensive?

Pursuit ties each day’s price to expected demand, and says the system “may help reduce crowding during high visitation periods”. The ticket also covers the interpretive centre, the theatre, the rooftop deck and the ridge boardwalk. The cheaper ways in are above: book early for a weekday, take children in the first two hours, or hike up and pay half to ride down.

How many people fit in Banff Gondola?

Four to a cabin. Pursuit runs 40 cabins, generally filled to capacity, and rates the line at 650 passengers an hour in each direction; it does not guarantee a private cabin.

How long do we need at Banff Gondola?

Pursuit allows 1.5 hours for the ride and the boardwalk, 2 hours with the buffet and 2.5 hours with Sky Bistro.

Is the gondola ride worth it in Banff?

The ticket buys a summit view over the town and the Bow Valley without the climb. If you would enjoy the climb, Parks Canada’s Sulphur Mountain Trail runs 4.8 km to the top of the gondola with 655 m of ascent, and the ride down costs half the regular admission. Is the Banff Gondola worth it? weighs it up.

What is the cheapest month to go to Banff?

No source we read prices Banff month by month. For the gondola, Pursuit says mid-week days and the early and late season cost less. Parking eases too: the paid lot at the gondola runs only from mid-May to mid-October, and downtown Banff charges CA$7 an hour from November to April instead of CA$12. November is the quietest month in Parks Canada’s visit counts.

What month is the best month to go to Banff?

It depends on what you come for. Parks Canada says visits peak in July and August; the ski areas open in early November 2026. The best time to visit Banff goes month by month, and the best time to visit the Banff Gondola covers the ride.

How many days in Banff is enough?

Banff & Lake Louise Tourism says three days covers the highlights and five is ideal for a first visit; Lonely Planet says at least three. The Banff itinerary builds the days.

What should I not miss in Banff?

Parks Canada’s own list of highlights includes the Cave and Basin, the Upper Hot Springs, Vermilion Lakes Drive, Johnston Canyon, Tunnel Mountain, the Lake Minnewanka loop, the Lake Louise lakeshore and the Icefields Parkway. Check the season first: the hot springs close from 13 October to early November 2026, and the Johnston Canyon trail to the falls closes from 13 October with no reopening date.

Which is nicer, Lake Louise or Banff?

They are different places, 55 km apart by Parks Canada’s figure: Banff a town of 8,305 people (2021 Census) with the gondola and the hot springs, Lake Louise a village of about 500 by Parks Canada’s round count, below its lake. The Banff page and the Lake Louise page cover each, and the Banff Gondola page has the ticket calendar and the full gondola FAQ.

Sources: Pursuit’s ticket, pricing, deals, FAQ and terms pages and its dining pages; Parks Canada; Roam Transit; the Town of Banff; Banff & Lake Louise Tourism; Lonely Planet; tour details from each listing. Checked October 2026.