Traveling to Vancouver is half the fun of being here because there are so many interesting ways to arrive in the city. Here are your options.
By Air
Vancouver has a wonderful international airport (YVR) consistently voted one of the best in North America. It’s a small airport with remarkable local art and culture, good food, chair massages, duty free shops, souvenir stores and The Fairmont Airport Hotel located directly above the departures counter. The ultimate in convenience.
If you want to get from Victoria to Vancouver (or the reverse), float plane service operates from the airport’s South Terminal. You can also fly between the airport and Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.
By Land
By Car
You can drive from the US to Vancouver simply by going north on I 5 and crossing the border at the Peace Arch border crossing. From the border, you are about 35 minutes to downtown Vancouver.
If you’re already in Canada, just follow Canada’s Highway 1, the world’s longest continuous highway to the end (or nearly the end) and you’ll find yourself in Vancouver.
By Train
Amtrak operates between Seattle and Vancouver twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening. The train trip from Seattle to Vancouver takes about 4 scenic hours and you’ll go through customs once you reach Vancouver, a convenient and civilized way to enter the country.
Some Seattle hotels, like the St. Cloud Stadium, offer a free shuttle between the hotel and the Seattle train station (pictured here) and between the train station and the hotel.
This hotel also offers a free shuttle between the hotel and the Victoria Clipper dock so you can take Amtrak to Seattle, spend the night in Seattle and then take the Victoria Clipper ferry from Seattle to Victoria.
If you are already in Canada, ViaRail offers train service from the east coast across the country to Vancouver. You can start in Halifax, Quebec City (actually Charney) Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Jasper.
By Bus
Greyhound operates service between Vancouver and most other cities in North America
By Sea
Surprisingly there is no direct ferry service between Vancouver and Seattle. Instead, the Victoria Clipper travels between Seattle and Victoria. From Victoria, you can take a bus to Swartz Bay and then take the ferry from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen and a bus from there to downtown Vancouver.
You can travel by cruise ship between Vancouver and Alaska in summer, and between Vancouver and Seattle, San Francisco and San Diego at the end of the season if you are lucky enough to catch one of the repositioning cruises that move cruise ships to warmer waters for the winter.
If you are a sailor, you probably already know that Vancouver is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on three sides and sailing and motoring into and out of Vancouver and the surrounding islands is a favourite pastime for sailors from around the world.
