Vancouver is a city that, in many ways, is all about transportation, getting around, having fun, exploring, experimenting, so it’s not surprising that there are lots of ways to get here.
- Of course you can fly. The Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is one of the most highly rated airports in the world. It’s not so big that you get lost or take days to travel from one part of it to another. And it’s got lots of artwork, lots of food options, some great shops and, of course, Starbucks.
- You can drive. If you’re coming from the south, you can cross the border at four different places: Blaine, the Blaine truck crossing, Lynden and Sumas. I like the Lynden/Aldergrove crossing best because it’s small and, when there are lines, they tend to be shorter than they are at the other crossings.Keep in mind, the Lynden/Aldergrove is open between 8:00 AM and midnight.
- You can take the train to Vancouver. If you’re in Seattle, you can take Amtrak. The Amtrak train departs Seattle every morning at 7:40 AM and arrives in Vancouver at 11:35 AM. The same train departs Vancouver every evening at 5:45 PM and arrives in Seattle at 10:05 PM.
- You can arrive by ViaRail train from Jasper National Park and points east. The Jasper train departs Jasper on Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 3:30 PM and arrives in Vancouver the following morning at 7:50 AM. That means you get to spend the night on the train. If you travel during the summer, you don’t miss much of the great scenery since the days are long and the best part of the trip is the first five and the last five hours. Well the last hour, while you poke through the Vancouver suburbs isn’t that great, but the rest is really fun.
- You can take the Rocky Mountaineer train from Calgary to Vancouver if you want to travel any Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday between the middle of April and the middle of October. This same train stops in Banff on the way to Vancouver so you can catch the train in Banff and ride it to Vancouver. Unlike the ViaRail train, the Rocky Mountaineer does not travel at night. Instead, the train stops in Kamloops, you get off and spend the night in a local hotel before reboarding the train and continuing on to Vancouver. The trip takes two full days and one night. You’ll arrive in Vancouver at 5:30 PM.
- You can get to Vancouver from Whistler by train as well if you’re traveling from May and the middle of October. The Whistler Mountaineer goes between Vancouver and Whistler every day. This three-hour train trip is the most scenic way to get to Vancouver from Whistler.
- There’s always the Greyhound bus that will get you to Vancouver from anywhere in Canada and the US. My only suggestion is that you check the flights to Vancouver from wherever you’re starting out because there is often a surprisingly small difference between what it costs to fly and what it costs to take Greyhound.
- You can get from Seattle to Vancouver by ferry, but it’s not as straightforward as you might think.From Seattle, take the Victoria Clipper to Victoria. Then pick up the Pacific Coach bus that will take you out to the ferry terminal, put you on the ferry. Just before the ferry docks ( 1 hour 35 minutes), you'll get back on the bus. It will drive you off the ferry and into downtown Vancouver.
- You can travel by float plane or helicopter from Seattle to Victoria and from Victoria to Vancouver by helicopter or float plane. Vancouver and Victoria. You can then travel by float plane from Victoria to Seattle. Kenmore Air travels from Seattle to Victoria and Harbour Air travels from Victoria to Vancouver. The flight from Seattle to Victoria takes 30 minutes and the flight from Victoria to Vancouver takes 35 minutes.