standing on the peace bridge over the bow river, i immediately recognized it from the amazing race. even if you've never seen it on tv, it's hard to miss. the bridge is a bright red steel tube, a twisting weave of geometric shapes that looks almost like a giant chinese finger trap stretched across the river. depending on the angle, it can feel futuristic, playful, and a little surreal. but what makes the peace bridge special isn't just the design. when i visited, families were celebrating graduates in caps and gowns, stopping to take photos. scooters and cyclists tried to zip past in the middle, ringing their bells, while tourists lingered to admire the view. below, people floated along the river in inflatable rafts. it was one of those moments where a city's personality shines through, everyone sharing the same space, each in their own way, and somehow it all worked. the bridge was built to connect downtown calgary with the sunnyside neighbourhood, offering a safe crossing for pedestrians and cyclists. when it first opened, its bold design and cost sparked plenty of debate. the repeating red framework casts constantly shifting patterns of light and shadow, while the enclosed design frames the river, the skyline, and the surrounding paths. people don't just cross it, they stop, take photos, pause, and really notice the city around them. what impressed me most was how alive it felt. despite all the attention the architecture gets, the peace bridge doesn't feel like a monument. it feels like a place where life happens. watching graduates celebrate, cyclists and scooters weave through, and people drifting on the river below made it feel less like infrastructure and more like a living part of the city. for all its striking design, the peace bridge succeeds because people have made it their own. it's both a landmark and a backdrop for countless everyday moments, and that's what makes it such a recognizable part of calgary's character. read more

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You have to admire the Calatrava designs. Bummer that the red color is fading to a pinkish maroon. Otherwise it's a lovely bridge worth seeing. Unfortunately other tourists apparently don't get that the middle is for bikes and sides for pedestrians, despite the clear markings. It adds color and texture to the landscape, so kudos for that. read more

Beautiful landmark in Calgary Canada. Worth a visit if you are in downtown Calgary. I came in July and the weather was perfect. 5 stars! read more

Peace Bridge - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

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It was a beautiful Sunday morning to walk across the peace bridge. There were lines for walkers and joggers and bikers. OK, The Peace Bridge originally opened in 2012, it is an iconic landmark for attracting approximately 9000 visitors per day in the summer months who walk & wheel over the bridge. This pedestrian bridge is red & we can reach it on the red line. In 2022, 70 of the 100 glass railing panels were vandalized & since that time, steady progress has been made to evaluate a repair solution that maintains the original design of the bridge. It's cost over a million dollars and entails materials less susceptible to vandalism and that are easier to maintain over time. read more

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This red, crisscrossing tube looks like one of those finger trap puzzles lol. It crosses the Bow River on one end of Prince's Island park and joins Downtown with the Sunnyside area on the other side. It's one of the few bridges in the city with dedicated bike lanes. It's functional and useful - but it's such an eyesore to me lol. The steel bridge is impressive in that it was built to support its own weight - so there's nothing securing it or holding it up etc. The red coloring is meant to represent the Canadian flag. It was under quite a bit of repair or something when I visited (Aug 2023) with tons of scaffolding and fencing running along the entire interior - so that made it even less appealing lol. It's an interesting bridge and concept but the setting is all wrong for this bridge style. It's surrounded by beautiful nature and the river and Prince's Island - all lush and green and then BAM you're eyes are hit with this odd, retro, Cold War looking thing lol. It was finished in 2012 and was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Apparently it was extremely expensive to build and that generated some controversy. I just feel like this bridge does not hold up to its $25 million price tag at all lol. read more

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Pretty cool if you're in the area. It's worth the walk for sure. Saw some interesting people and the view was neat read more

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If I could give this thing zero stars and COVID-19 I would. I have been to this "landmark" more times than I would have liked and it now triggers me like a Karen at the park. I don't understand why I keep getting taken here. There's so much more to do and see in Calgary probably, right? It can't just be David's Parents house and Tim Hortons. For those who've fortunately never been, its a pedestrian bridge that is between two other bridges. We get it Calgary, you like building bridges. Ironically you couldn't bridge practicality and good taste. I wish this bridge would crumble (with no one on) so it can be appropriately called the "Rest In Peace Bridge". Seriously don't you guy have anything else in Calgary? It cant just be Kuya EJs basement and Tatay's casino. read more

It's one of the identities of Calgary and definitely worth visiting. It's a small bridge across the Bow River. We went for a couple of hours to walk around and took our lunch as well. Many people were seen cycling and jogging around - a great place for exercising. Otherwise, one can just take a walk across the bridge, stop midway to enjoy the view (if the weather helps) and then come back. Parking can be a problem at the north end since there are no designated parking lots but there is an Impark at the South end. So, if you are bringing your car, get to the south end instead of the north one. read more

Peace Bridge - Peace Bridge - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me

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This is a walking or cycling bridge. Been here couple of times and I have to say I do enjoy crossing it. Its the route from Prince Island Park to Kensington. Beautiful landmark. read more

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This damned bridge. It was such a controversy when it was first being built. Now, I see it in more photos representing the city than anything else I think. It's become iconic. After my year away, I've come back with a new appreciation for bridges and architecture and things we create that give people pause. We could have just built any old bridge, but we didn't. We had this one built designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. (Tapas party on the bridge anyone?) The bridge itself is also pretty cool. Did you know it has absolutely no piers in the water? It doesn't need any beans, arches, cables or lower supports at all to support itself (other than the embankments). It's called the Peace Bridge because it links Peace Park and Memorial Drive and commemorates soldiers killed in WWI I must admit, one of my most favourite scenes is walking down by the river pathways as the sun is going down (and especially after) and seeing the reflections of the bridge all lit up off the water. PS... The bridge has a twin in Geneva called the Hans Wilsdorf Bridge. I crossed it last April thinking, "Hmmm... this reminds me a lot of home." Different architects, but look it up, you'll see the similarities. read more

I was hesitant. The shear cost of this baby alone is enough to make your hair stand up. How much? $30,400 per square metre. $30,400 per square metre for a bridge that doesn't even get you across the road. How do you cross the road? You walk the very short distances to one of the other pedestrian bridges that actually have the additional infrastructure to cross Memorial drive. Smart. It's artistic. It's called the peace bridge because it represents peace. Not a specific circumstance, just peace in general. Deep.Well, that's pretty hard to argue with. You don't like the peace bridge? Why do you hate peace?! Deep. It's red to represent the colour of Calgary...which is red. Deep. Deep like a 3rd grade art project. I deal with it by crossing it every day. At the end of my life time I should feel like I got my money's worth out of this thing and in a way, I already feel like I have... What's interesting about the peace bridge is the interest it creates. Each day I cycle through it's finger trap-like lines, I see people stopped, looking out at the river, looking up at the bridge. People taking pictures of their friends standing along a railing. People watching a man with a guitar, the sounds echoing clearly through it's tunnelled construction. Rows of photographers lined up at night, trying to uncover new way and angles to see it from. Couples holding in hands and falling in love to the soft wash sound of the river. I see people being inspired and intrigued and I see people connecting with their city and becoming a part of it. That's something you can't put a price on. Oh, wait. Yes you can. It was $25,000,000.00. Thanks for the 100th review, Peace Bridge. You know I love you. read more

Only the highest reviews for this awesome pedestrian bridge. It is worth it to park and walk the short distance across the bridge. Peace Bridge is a cool bridge in the hip city of Calgary. read more

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It's a nice looking attraction. The concept pays homage to the Natives of our land; its symbolism is meaningful and important in our contemporary world we live in; formally, its shape and colour are aesthetically pleasing; practically speaking, people love using it, and it is funtional for people who enjoy the bike paths, and the area around memorial drive and downtown etc. Idealistically, I prefer a more traditional approach to architecture, and I believe mankind should aspire to its traditions, but I give credit where credit's due. I won't beat around the bush regarding the politics behind this structure, and that story is part of the equation here. It was wasteful of tax dollars, and was built in the name of glorifying one particular mayor's legacy (for the sake of selfish vanity), and lining that particular mayor's pockets... nevertheless, such is life; History is composed of such individuals and actions, and now this bridge becomes a part of our history... along with it's controversy. Let us make the best of it! May we embrace it, enjoy it, and also learn lessons from it. read more

Why did Calgary build an exorbitantly expensive bridge? To get to the other side of course! The subject of Mayor Nenshi's most famous tweet, this bridge gets an A+ for generating comedy around the city of Calgary. I mean, for starters it's named the "Peace" bridge, when just bringing it up around anyone who cares about politics is enough to send them into a mini-aneurysm. Ahhh, peace indeed! So let's review this bridge, shall we? First things first, it's a bridge. Yup. Fully functional. You can literally walk from one side to the other on this bridge. It's got good bridge-like characteristics like structural soundness, a flat platform to walk on and a 5/5 for "not being submerged in the river". That's a good quality in a bridge, so I'm going to award it 5 stars. Good work, bridge! Secondly, this bridge is red. Oooh,I don't know about that one. Red totally clashes with the surrounding nature. It looks out of place. I mean, yeah, it's sort of cool that it's not gray or white or something, but red? Well that just seems a bit overambitious to me. So 3.5 stars for color. Thirdly - no cross walk in front of the bridge? Oh Calgary, you're so crazy. Now people are going to get mercilessly run over on their way to try and cross the peace bridge. Maybe we should call it the "Rest in Peace" bridge or the "Sorry you got hit by a car" bridge. We can spend millions going across the river, but can't spare a few strokes of paint for a crosswalk? Ooooookay. One star for civil planning. So the bridge scores points for comedy and functionality; in the end the bridge is a great way to walk across the river without getting your feet wet. I plan to ride my bike back and forth across it repeatedly until I feel like it was worth the exorbitant amount of money we paid for it. read more

I like it. I like it alot. You'll never get consensus around aesthetics but I think it looks cool - chinese finger trap jokes and all. I'm okay with the cost as well. Nice, landmark architecture costs money and I like that it's not another bland, concrete bridge with no character at all. I will agree with the reviewer who mentioned that there is no crosswalk across Memorial Drive from the bridge - seems odd. Would have been good to see a ped bridge over the road there even. Overall, it's a nice bridge with some character and I'd like to see more iconic construction in Calgary. read more

I love this bridge despite all commentary as to the cost, its just so architecturally stunning. I agree with others, the city could have done a better job on the cost management and there are lots of other pretty bridges in the city but the red and chinese finger trap look of it just resonate with me. I like that it does not line up with a cross walk on Memorial Dr because walking along the river to get to 14th or east to a cross walk is a short distance and a nice walk. Relax, stroll and enjoy your surroundings folks! The journey is part of the experience not just getting from place to place. I especially like the center lane for wheeled transportation and the raised side walks for seperation. Of course this doesn't stop people from strolling down the middle, heads up for the cyclists guys and cyclists, share the space, its not all about you and your speedy commute. I often see buskers or people stopping to talk a photo or even just to stop and admire the view. We really are lucky to have such a beautiful river through our city, the trees and the pathways and of course the urban structures on each bank. A really vibrant river side community on both sides. The only reason I'm holding back a star is because of the lights on the bridge. The one's embedded in the concrete seem cracked/broken more often than not and the bulbs along the top seem to need frequent changing. Looks shoddy with one or two burnt out. Seems like a design flaw but only a star not a crushing disappointment. read more

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When plans for this bridge were announced I too jumped on the why-spend-so-much-on-a-bridge bandwagon like everyone else, but now I truly regret doubting this investment. Public art and architecture are always things that will go unappreciated in society as a use of taxpayer money, and I think a lot of it has to do with people having no idea of how much it really improves a city in a holistic way that isn't just about the numbers. Though it was expensive I think it was worth it. The peace bridge is a really nice addition to downtown. We took our grad photos there, I've been on dates where we've walked on it and enjoyed it lovely view and interesting design, and I have seen it in countless great photos of people appreciating our city. I think the bridge really represents what Calgary is becoming; a modern, inclusive, and forward-thinking city. I am glad the bridge came to be and I hope more projects like it will pop up soon. read more

Earlier today I walked across this bridge on my way to a meeting. As the bridge cost almost 3 times as much to build as a "normal" bridge would have I assumed it would take me across the river in 1/3 the time. Unfortunately the trip across this fancier and much more expensive bridge didn't seem to be any faster. As a taxpayer I am relieved that millions of extra dollars were spent on this instead of being wasted on something frivolous like affordable housing or after school programs for at risk youth. read more