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Transportation
By Plane
The Open Skies agreement between the United States and Canada has made flying to Vancouver easier than ever. Daily direct flights between major U.S. cities and Vancouver are offered by Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.com), Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com), American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com), Continental (tel. 800/231-0856; www.continental.com), Northwest Airlines (tel. 800/447-4747; www.nwa.com), and United Airlines (tel. 800/241-6522; www.united.com). Direct flights on major carriers serve 33 cities in North America, including Phoenix, Dallas, New York, Houston, Minneapolis, Reno, and San Francisco; 12 cities in Asia; and 3 cities in Europe.
For domestic travelers within Canada there are fewer options. Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262) operates flights to Vancouver and Victoria from all major Canadian cities, connecting with some of the regional airlines. Cheaper and reaching farther all the time is the no-frills airline WestJet (tel. 888/WEST-JET or 800/538-5696; www.westjet.com), which operates regular flights from Vancouver and Victoria to Prince George, Kelowna, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, and further afield.
Non-U.S. and non-Canadian travelers can take advantage of the money-saving Visit USA air passes offered by some international carriers. These tickets must be purchased outside North America in conjunction with an international fare. For an additional fee, you can get three flight coupons that allow you to fly on other North American airlines to anywhere on the continent.
By Train
VIA Rail Canada, 1150 Station St., Vancouver (tel. 888/842-7245; www.viarail.ca), connects with Amtrak at Winnipeg, Manitoba. From there, you can transfer to The Canadian, the western transcontinental train that travels between Vancouver and Toronto, with stops in Kamloops, Jasper, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and Sudbury Junction. Lake Louise's beautiful alpine scenery is just part of this scenically spectacular journey through the Canadian Rockies. Amtrak (tel. 800/872-7245; www.amtrak.com) offers daily service from Seattle, though there's currently only one train in the morning; otherwise, the Seattle-Vancouver route is covered by an Amtrak bus. Amtrak also has a route from San Diego to Vancouver. It stops at all major U.S. West Coast cities and takes a little under 2 days to complete the entire journey. All trains arrive and depart from Pacific Central Station, 1150 Station St., just east of the downtown core. The station is close to a SkyTrain (light-rail) station and several city bus routes that travel along Main St. U.S. residents can purchase a 30-day, two-country North America Railpass for US$495 to US$699 at peak season and use it for rail connections to Vancouver. International travelers can buy a 15-day National Railpass for US$295 off-peak, and a 30-day pass for US$385 off-peak.
By Bus
Greyhound Bus Lines (tel. 800/231-2222 or 604/482-8747; www.greyhound.com) offers daily bus service between Vancouver and all major Canadian cities, and between Vancouver and Seattle (at the border crossing, passengers disembark the bus and take their luggage through Customs). Greyhound Canada's Canada Pass, which allows for unlimited travel within Canada, is available in increments from 1 week to 2 months for C$255 to C$575 (US$191-US$431). Pacific Coach Lines (tel. 604/662-8074; www.pacificcoach.com) provides service between Vancouver and Victoria. The cost is C$31 (US$23) one-way per adult and includes the ferry; daily departures are between 5:45am and 7:45pm. Pacific Coach Lines will also pick up passengers from the Vancouver cruise-ship terminal and from most downtown hotels. Call tel. 604/662-8074 to reserve.
Both bus companies have their terminals at the same station as Amtrak: Pacific Central Station, 1150 Station St., just east of the downtown core. The station is close to a SkyTrain (light-rail) station and several city bus routes that travel along Main St.
By Car
You'll probably be driving into Vancouver along one of two routes. U.S. Interstate 5 from Seattle becomes Highway 99 when you cross the border at the Peace Arch. The 210km (130-mile) drive from Seattle takes about 2 1/2 hours. On the Canadian side of the border you'll drive through the cities of White Rock, Delta, and Richmond, pass under the Fraser River through the George Massey Tunnel, and cross the Oak Street Bridge. The highway ends there and becomes Oak Street, a busy urban thoroughfare heading toward downtown. Turn left at the first convenient major arterial (70th, 57th, 49th, 41st, 33rd, 16th, and 12th avenues will all serve) and proceed until you hit the next major street, which will be Granville Street. Turn right on Granville Street. This street heads directly into downtown Vancouver on the Granville Street Bridge.
Trans-Canada Highway 1 is a limited-access freeway running all the way to Vancouver's eastern boundary, where it crosses the Second Narrows bridge to North Vancouver. When traveling on Highway 1 from the east, exit at Cassiar Street and turn left at the first light onto Hastings Street (Hwy. 7A), which is adjacent to Exhibition Park. Follow Hastings Street 6.4km (4 miles) into downtown. When coming to Vancouver from Whistler or parts north, take Exit 13 (the sign says TAYLOR WAY, BRIDGE TO VANCOUVER) and cross the Lions Gate Bridge into Vancouver's West End.
By Ship & Ferry
Vancouver is the major embarkation point for cruises going up British Columbia's Inland Passage to Alaska. The ships carry more than one million passengers annually on their nearly 350 Vancouver-Alaska cruises. In the summer, up to five cruise ships a day berth at Canada Place cruise-ship terminal (tel. 604/665-9085; www.portvancouver.com). A city landmark shaped like a cruise ship and topped by five eye-catching white Teflon sails, Canada Place Pier juts out into the Burrard Inlet at the base of Burrard Street right at the edge of the downtown financial district. Princess Cruises (tel. 800/PRINCESS; www.princess.com), Holland America Line (tel. 800/724-5425; www.hollandamerica.com), Royal Caribbean (tel. 800/398-9819; www.royalcaribbean.com), Crystal Cruises (tel. 866/446-6625; www.crystalcruises.com), Norwegian Cruise Line (www.norwegiancruiselines.com), World Explorer Cruises (tel. 650/637-8831; www.wecruise.com), Radisson Seven Seas Cruises (tel. 877/505-5370; www.rssc.com), and Carnival (tel. 866/386-7447; www.carnivalcruise.com) all dock at Canada Place or the nearby Ballantyne Pier. Public-transit buses and taxis greet new arrivals, but you can also easily walk to many major hotels, including the Pan Pacific, Waterfront Centre, and Hotel Vancouver. (If you're considering an Alaska cruise, late May and all of June generally offer the best weather, the most daylight, and the best sightseeing opportunities.)
B.C. Ferries (tel. 888/223-3779 in B.C. only or 250/386-3431; www.bcferries.bc.ca) has three Victoria-Vancouver routes. Its large ferries offer onboard facilities such as restaurants, snack bars, gift shops, business-center desks with modem connections, and indoor lounges. The one-way fare in peak season is C$10 (US$7.50) for adults, C$5.25 (US$3.50) for students and children 5 to 11, and C$36 (US$26) per car. Children under 5 ride free. In the summer, if you're driving, it's a good idea to reserve a space beforehand, especially on long weekends. Call B.C. Ferries reservations at tel. 888/724-5223 (in B.C. only) or 604/444-2890.
The most direct route between Vancouver and Victoria is Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay ferry, which operates daily between 7am and 9pm (10pm on Sun). Ferries run every hour with extra sailings on holidays and in peak travel season. The actual crossing takes 95 minutes, but schedule an extra 2 hours for travel to and from both ferry terminals, including waiting time at the docks. Driving distance from Tsawwassen to Vancouver is about 20km (12 miles). Take Highway 17 from Tsawwassen until it merges with Highway 99 just before the George Massey Tunnel; then follow the driving directions to Vancouver given in "By Car," above. If you prefer to travel by public transit, B.C. Transit has regular bus service to both terminals. From Swartz Bay, there's regular bus service to Victoria.
The Vancouver-Nanaimo ferry operates between Tsawwassen and Duke Point, just south of Nanaimo. The 2-hour crossing runs eight times daily between 5:15am and 10:45pm.
The Horseshoe Bay-Nanaimo ferry has nine daily sailings, leaving Horseshoe Bay near West Vancouver and arriving 95 minutes later in Nanaimo. From there, passengers bound for Victoria board the E&N Railiner or drive south to Victoria via the Island Highway (Hwy. 1).
To reach Vancouver from Horseshoe Bay, take the Trans-Canada Highway (Hwys. 1 and 99) east and then take Exit 13 (Taylor Way) to the Lions Gate Bridge and downtown Vancouver's West End.
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