Getting Here

Vancouver is the hub for a wide array of national and international transport options, ranging from major airline routes to intercity buses and regional ferry and train services. You can even drive yourself - the city is located on main freeway routes from the US and the rest of Canada.

Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
Western Canada's largest airport and the country's second busiest, YVR (www.yvr.com) is a gateway for visitors from Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region. There are flights daily to and from every continent. Since 1992, when the Vancouver Airport Authority assumed operational responsibility, passenger traffic has increased more than 65 per cent and air cargo has increased more than 55 per cent. In 2007, the airport welcomed 17.5 million passengers, handled 226,234 tonnes of cargo, and had 274,410 runway takeoffs and landings.

Located on Sea Island, just south of the city, the main airport is divided into International and Domestic terminals. In addition, the nearby South Terminal - linked via courtesy shuttle - is home to smaller regional airplane and helicopter services. As well as full Canada Customs and Immigration facilities, America-bound travellers can clear US Customs and Immigration at Vancouver International Airport.

Story idea
Consider a story on the trail of YVR's striking array of artworks (www.yvr.com/guide/todo/art/). Visitors can take a self-guided tour among dozens of awe-inspiring creations, many produced by Northwest Coast First Nations artisans. Highlights include totem poles, a giant wave-patterned window installation and a huge bronze Haida canoe produced by celebrated artist Bill Reid. With the expansion of the Domestic terminal, two new art installations by First Nations artist, Steve Smith, include six large, carved red cedar panels and a collection of 12 ceremonial drums.

In addition to great artwork, YVR unveiled its new Public Observation Area in mid-2009. Located in the public, pre-security area of the Domestic Terminal, visitors now have access to unobstructed views of the airfield out to the Straight of Georgia and can engage in interactive exhibits illustrating different aspects of YVR.

Routes and carriers: The airport's main carriers are Air Canada (www.aircanada.com) and Westjet (www.westjet.com), while Pacific Coastal Airlines (www.pacificcoastal.com) is an important regional operator. More than 60 other air carriers, operating 18 international and 24 US-scheduled spokes use the airport regularly. The airport's carriers provide extensive cross-Canada services and also operate routes to 31 B.C. communities.

Airport services: YVR was the first airport in North America to offer a full-service drugstore, walk-in dental centre, medical clinic and laboratory service, meaning that passengers can fulfill all of their health care needs without leaving the terminal. For travelling families, there is a nursery and several play areas around the airport. As well as Internet terminals, YVR is also wireless-enabled for those travelling with their own laptops. And among the wide array of retail services are bookstores, gift shops (including Olympic Stores that offer official licensed Vancouver 2010 merchandise), a postal outlet and a large selection of food and beverage providers. In addition, the airport has its own health club, two on-site spas and a full-service high-end hotel within the main terminal building.

Story idea
Regarded by many travellers as the world's most relaxing airport experience, consider a story on YVR's wide array of stress-relieving features for travellers. The story could include a sleepover at the hotel, a spa visit, a stroll among the artwork and a trawl around the shops.

NEXUS Air: YVR was the first airport in North America to offer NEXUS Air, which makes flying to and from the United States or other international destinations more efficient for low-risk, pre-approved travellers. NEXUS Air complements the existing CANPASS Air program, and both assist program members in bypassing border line-ups using cutting-edge biometric iris recognition technology.

Self-service check-in: YVR has introduced self-service check-in kiosks in a significant number of Vancouver hotels. In addition, YVR has also revealed plans to have these remote kiosks at select Olympic venues to avoid gridlock at the airport following the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The kiosks were introduced in 2002 and have so far enabled most airlines to provide self-service check-in.

Connecting to YVR: It's a 30-minute taxi ride ($25-$30) from the airport to downtown Vancouver. The cabs - which operate around the clock and are available just outside the two arrivals areas - are regulated by the city. Alternatively, the YVR Airporter (www.yvrairporter.com) shuttle bus costs $14 one-way or $22 round trip. Reservations are not required and tickets can be purchased on board or from a hotel concierge. Limojet Gold (www.limojetgold.com) offers sedan and limousine services between the airport and downtown on a 24-hour basis. The one-way sedan rate (max three passengers) is $70 and $80 for the stretch limo (max six passengers). Every major car hire agency also operates at the airport, including Avis, Alamo, Budget, Hertz, National and Thrifty.

Visitors can also beat traffic by heading downtown on the Canada Line, SkyTrain’s newest rapid rail service linking the Airport to Vancouver and Richmond with 16 new stations. The commute to downtown’s Waterfront Station is approximately 25 minutes. Standard TransLink fares apply. Single adult regular fare on weekdays from start of service to 6:30pm is $2.50 for one zone and $3.75 for two zones. All other times including holidays will cost the standard one zone. YVR to Vancouver will cost two zones. Refer to www.translink.ca for details on zone pricing.

Train

VIA Rail (www.viarail.ca): Canada's national passenger rail service operates a western transcontinental train - The Canadian - between Vancouver and Toronto, with stops in Kamloops, Jasper, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Sioux Lookout and Sudbury Junction. Services depart Vancouver's Pacific Central Station on Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays, and Toronto on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The entire journey takes three days and the train offers two service classes: Comfort (economy) and Silver & Blue (first class).

Rocky Mountaineer Vacations (www.rockymountaineer.com): The Rocky Mountaineer is a luxury, two-day train trip between Vancouver and Calgary, Banff or Jasper. Overnighting in Kamloops, B.C., the train runs during the day, so travellers don't miss out on the spectacular scenery. In 2006, the company added two new services: the Fraser Discovery Route runs from Jasper to Whistler via the rugged B.C. interior and overnights in Quesnel, while the Whistler Mountaineer ((www.whistlermountaineer.com) winds between Whistler and North Vancouver.

Amtrak (www.amtrak.com): The US passenger train service is part of Amtrak's Pacific Northwest route system, servicing Oregon and Washington States. Its Cascades service travels twice daily between Seattle and Vancouver.

West Coast Express (www.westcoastexpress.com): These popular regional commuter trains arrive at downtown Vancouver's Waterfront Station on weekday mornings and depart in the early evening. Stations served include Mission City, Pitt Meadows, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody.

Bus

Greyhound (www.greyhound.ca): Regular inter-city Greyhound bus services arrive at Vancouver's Pacific Central Station from locations including Seattle, Whistler, Kelowna and Calgary.

Perimeter Transportation (www.perimeterbus.com): Bus services arrive in downtown Vancouver and Vancouver International Airport from Whistler throughout the day.

Snowbus (www.snowbus.ca): This winter-only service links Vancouver and Whistler, with stops in Richmond, Kerrisdale, Kitsilano and downtown Vancouver.

Pacific Coach Lines (www.pacificcoach.com): Frequent PCL bus services arrive at Pacific Central Station from downtown Victoria, via the BC Ferries Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen route.

Story idea
Consider a story covering three day trips from Vancouver. You could head to Whistler for some fun on the Whistler Mountaineer (www.whistlermountaineer.com); take the PCL (www.pacificcoach.com) to Victoria via the ferry; the West Coast Express (www.westcoastexpress.com) train into the unexplored suburbs; or a drive to the Sunshine Coast, via a short ferry hop from Horseshoe Bay.

Car
You can drive to Vancouver from eastern Canada and the province's eastern communities via Highway 1 (the Trans-Canada Highway), which snakes into the city along Hastings Street.

From the States, Highway 99 runs due north from the Canada-US border at Blaine. After entering Vancouver, it travels up to Whistler and further into B.C. where it eventually meets Highway 97, the province's main north-south route. A three-hour drive between Seattle and Vancouver, the border crossing can be especially busy on holiday weekends when line-ups are common.

Story idea
Consider a first-hand driving story on the Trans-Canada Highway, the nation's most storied driving route. For Vancouver travellers it's a link to the rest of North America. Westward, via Highways 99 and 17 as well as the BC Ferries system, it connects the city to Victoria, the provincial capital. Eastward, via the giant Fraser River Valley, it links the city to the rest of Canada. Via feeders across the Pacific Northwest, the Trans-Canada also connects Vancouver to Idaho, Montana and beyond.

Cruise ship
Vancouver's Canada Place and Ballantyne Pier are major terminals for cruise ship journeys to and from Alaska during the May to September season. Generating about $500 million for the city every year, almost one million revenue passengers on over 275 sailings annually pass through the Port Metro Vancouver (www.portmetrovancouver.com) facilities. In 2007, passenger growth is expected to be around 10 per cent. The short season and popularity of Vancouver-Alaska cruises means the per-diem price is among the highest in the industry.

The cruises, which run up to two weeks, follow one of two main routes - although each shares the same path along a fijorded coastline of islands known as the Inside Passage. The islands here help protect the waterway from Pacific storms, thus making for a more sedate journey. The Inside Passage route has long been the traditional way to cruise Alaska - ships complete a round-trip voyage from Vancouver through glacier country as far north as Skagway or Juneau. In contrast, ships on the longer Gulf of Alaska route cover more territory - they travel beyond the Inside Passage as far as Anchorage.

Canada Place - the city landmark with the boat sail design - is located in Vancouver's downtown core at the north foot of Burrard Street. Refurbished and upgraded in 1995, Ballantyne Pier - at 655 Centennial Road - is about a kilometre (half-mile) east from here. There's a free shuttle between the two facilities. The Port Metro Vancouver spent around $80 million to develop a third cruise berth at Canada Place for the 2003 season. The London-based Berlitz travel publishing company recently named the Port Metro Vancouver as North America's most passenger-friendly cruise facility.

Trivia
It may be a little odd to think of cruise ships in connection with an airport terminal but the Vancouver Airport Authority and the cruise ship industry have been working together to smooth the path between their respective transportation modes. Vancouver International Airport was the first in the world to be designed and operated to enable cruise ship passengers to move through quickly and easily when they're heading to their ship or coming back from their cruise. Bon voyage!

Ferry
BC Ferries (www.bcferries.com): As the largest domestic ferry service in the world, the BC Ferries system offers dozens of daily sailings from Horseshoe Bay (north of Vancouver) and Tsawwassen (south of Vancouver). It takes 90 minutes to travel between Tsawwassen and Vancouver Island's Swartz Bay - the main route for Victoria-bound passengers; 40 minutes to travel between Horseshoe Bay and Langdale on the Sunshine Coast; and 90 minutes to travel between Horseshoe Bay and Vancouver Island's Nanaimo. There are also several Tsawwassen services to and from the southern Gulf Islands.

Launched in 1960 with just two ships and 225 employees, the government-owned and regulated BC Ferries system now has 36 vessels and 47 ports of call. It carries around 21 million passengers and eight million vehicles annually. British Columbians generally view the ferry routes as essential marine highways and the system is quite dependable - although one or two sailing waits are common during the height of the summer season and at Christmas or other public holidays. Reservations are available and recommended.

Floatplane
With the largest floatplane network in the world, B.C.'s spectacular surroundings are best experienced from the air. Interested in being whisked away for a breathtaking glacier-packed mountain view, followed by a romantic stroll and a gourmet picnic for two? Several Vancouver tour companies offer such romantic retreats. Regular daily services also connect downtown Vancouver and Victoria's Inner Harbour in around 30 minutes and there are also links to Nanaimo, Whistler and additional communities on Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands. Alternatively, Helijet International (www.helijet.com) offers regular helicopter services between Vancouver and Victoria.

The city's floatplane operators include:

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