Canada · Alberta · Calgary
Hillhurst, Calgary — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Heritage homes look south to the Bow River at Hillhurst, an inner-city community of Calgary known for the galleries of Contemporary Calgary.
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Where to stay in Hillhurst
The practical side of choosing where to sleep.
Hillhurst rewards walkers. Its blocks of older homes run down to the Bow River, where Contemporary Calgary and the Creative Kids Museum stand among the pathways that trace the water east and west toward downtown. The paired community of Sunnyside sits just alongside.
Stay here for a quiet base near the river, the galleries, and the northwest edge of central Calgary.
Find hotels in Hillhurst
Direct booking searches for these neighbourhoods.
Hillhurst riverside
The blocks near Contemporary Calgary and the Bow River, close to the pathways but away from the traffic of 10th Street NW.Find hotels in Hillhurst riversideriverside cyclistsSunnyside
The paired community downstream on the Bow River, a level ride to the Creative Kids Museum.Find hotels in SunnysideHotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
Things to do in and around Calgary
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Museums & Galleries
1- Contemporary Calgary
Churches & Religious Sites
1- Hillhurst United Church Heritage
Landmarks & Notable Places
5- J. Frank Moodie Residence Heritage
- Johnston Residence Heritage
- Moodie-Smith Residence Heritage
- Walter Hargrave Residence Heritage
- William J Gray Residence Heritage
worth knowingacross 3 categories in and around Calgary
About Hillhurst
What are the main landmarks in Hillhurst?
Hillhurst carries a run of designated heritage buildings. Contemporary Calgary and the Creative Kids Museum draw visitors near the Bow River, while Hillhurst United Church marks the older streets to the north. Early houses survive too.
The Johnston Residence, the Walter Hargrave Residence, and the Moodie-Smith Residence stand among older blocks off 8th Avenue NW.
What is the history of Hillhurst?
Hillhurst was established in 1914, on the north bank of the Bow River. The community grew as Calgary expanded northwest from its downtown core in the early twentieth century. Settlement came in waves.
Older houses and the congregation at Hillhurst United Church survive from that period, and Hillhurst later joined neighbouring Sunnyside under a shared community association.
Where is Hillhurst?
Hillhurst sits in Calgary's northwest, bounded by the Bow River to the south, 18th Street NW to the west, and 10th Street NW toward downtown.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Hillhurst?
Hillhurst riverside: quiet stays near the galleries. Sunnyside: riverside cyclists.
More areas in Calgary
Updated October 2026