Mar 19, 2019
In Kelowna on Foot: Ways to Explore the Okanagan from Your Hotel in Kelowna
Sometimes when we travel, it’s nice to leave the car keys at home or in our hotel suite and see the world from a different perspective. If you’ve arrived at the Comfort Suites hotel in Kelowna by air, bus, or other means of transport and prefer not to rent a vehicle or just want to take a break from being behind the wheel, there are other avenues where you can explore the Okanagan. This includes walking, cycling, public transportation, rideshare and even going on an Okanagan wine tour. Here we look at just some of those options:
Kelowna By Foot and Bike
The City of Kelowna offers many safe, off-road trails and paths that take you from one end of the city to the other.
Easily accessible from Kelowna hotels near the airport, the Okanagan Rail Trail is a 50-kilometre multi-use trail that travels between Kelowna and Vernon. You can access the trail just west of Highway 97 behind the Comfort Suites Kelowna. Travel along Jenkins Street to Enterprise Way and look for the trail access points. From there, it a leisurely one-hour walk or 15-minute bike south to downtown, with plenty to see and do along the way.
While downtown, why not enjoy a leisurely stroll along the Kelowna Waterfront Boardwalk. A great place to people watch, it takes you past beaches, green spaces, restaurants and cafés, and connects to the Rotary Marshes Wildlife Park, where you can spot birds and other wildlife.
The Mission Creek Greenway is another option for a walk or bike ride through the city. The 14-kilometre trail offers a quiet tree-laden off-road path that takes you from Rutland in East Kelowna to Kelowna’s Mission neighbourhood near Okanagan Lake. To access the trail from the Comfort Suites, head south alongside Highway 97 and then turn east along Leckie Road until you reach Springfield Road and Mission Creek Regional Park.
While on your walk, why not pick up some fresh produce and locally-made artisan products and crafts at the Kelowna Farmer’s Market, which is located directly across from Mission Creek Regional Park. The market is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., from April 16 until fall.
Kelowna By Bus
The Kelowna Regional Transit System is a public bus service that offers regularly scheduled transportation in and around the city. You can find bus schedules and routes by checking the Trip Planner before you go. Just type in your starting point and destination as well as the time and date you wish to travel. It is only a short bus ride from our Kelowna hotel on Highway 97 North to the UBC Okanagan campus and Kelowna International Airport.
Kelowna Taxi and Ride Share Services
Prefer to let someone else do the driving? Kelowna is home to a number of taxi, limousine, and shuttle services as well as rideshare programs, many of which offer transportation service between hotels in Kelowna and Kelowna International Airport.
Companies include:
- Kelowna Cabs
- Let’s Go Transportation
- Rideshare Kelowna - Poparide
- Checkmate Cabs
- Current Taxi (all-electric taxi fleet)
- Uber (coming in late 2019)
Okanagan Wine Tour Operators
You cannot visit the Okanagan without tasting, and sipping, the fruit of our vines. Luckily, the Comfort Suites Kelowna makes it easy with one of the best Okanagan wine tour packages around. Leave the driving to our chosen experienced and professional wine tour operators and visit some of the award-winning wineries around the Valley. The package comes with a night in one of our well-appointed suites, our complimentary hot breakfast buffet as well as access to our Kelowna hotel with Jacuzzi hot tub, pool, waterslide and fitness centre.
Why not book one our wine tour packages and Spring into Summer with Okanagan Wine Festival Events and Okanagan Wine Tours.
The Comfort Suites is one of the Choice hotels in Kelowna, offering fully appointed suites and affordable Kelowna hotel rates near Kelowna International Airport and downtown Kelowna. Enjoy one of the best Kelowna hotels with waterslide and pool.