By Cruise Ship
Port Metro Vancouver (http://www.portmetrovanco...) is the homeport for the popular Vancouver-Alaska cruise. From May-Sep, more than 3/4 million visitors pass through the two cruise ship terminals in Port Metro Vancouver. Check with your cruise line as to which terminal your ship is using, especially if you are embarking at Vancouver.
Canada Place Terminal,
located on the waterfront and a few minutes' walk to the heart of downtown Vancouver or Waterfront Station, is the primary cruise ship terminal. Canada Place was built originally for Expo86 and is recognized by its dramatic rooftop that looks like five white sails. A full range of ground transportation, excellent hotels, shopping, dining, entertainment, and attractions is available at Canada Place.Ballantyne Pier Terminal
located on the waterfront 2 km east of Canada Place, is the secondary cruise ship terminal and accessible by a 15-min taxi $12 to/from downtown or by a shuttle provided by some of the downtown hotels or some of the cruise lines. Travelers to Ballantyne have access to Ballantyne Cruise Terminal via Clark Drive or McGill St Overpass only. There is no access to travelers via Victoria Dr and Heatley Ave. There is no public transportation and no rental car kiosks at Ballantyne.US passport holders may be able to participate in "Onboard Check-inâ and âUS Direct" to streamline processing at the cruise ship and the airport. US Direct allows passengers arriving at Vancouver Airport YVR to transfer directly to a same-day-departing cruise ship by participating in expedited immigration and customs clearance process. Onboard Check-in allows passengers arriving on a cruise ship and flying out of YVR on the same day to transfer directly to YVR by participating in an expedited immigration and customs clearance process.
These programs do not apply to passengers who are planning a pre- or post-cruise stay in Vancouver. Not all cruise lines participate, so check with your cruise line to see if you can take advantage of the Onboard Check-in/US Direct program.
By bus
Vancouver is well served by bus service. There are a number of different bus lines providing service to various cities near and far.Here are a couple of examples:
Greyhound
(http://greyhound.ca) connects Vancouver with many cities, including Seattle, Calgary and Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.Quick Coach
(http://www.quickcoach.com) connects Vancouver with Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington.BoltBus
(http://www.boltbus.com) connects Vancouver with Seattle and Portland.Pacific Coach Lines
(http://pacificcoach.com) connects Vancouver with Victoria. Scheduled service follows the BC Ferry service from Tsawwassen to Victoria Swartz Bay. This is hourly in the summer months, and every two hours in the off-season.Perimeter Transportation
(http://www.perimeterbus.com) connects Vancouver with Whistler and Squamish.
By ship
There are two ferry terminals serviced by BC Ferries (http://www.bcferries.com) in the area, although neither is within the city of Vancouver itself.
The Tsawwassen terminal in Delta has routes to Nanaimo and Victoria on Vancouver Island and to the Southern Gulf Islands.
The Horseshoe Bay terminal in the West Vancouver services Nanaimo, Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast.
Both terminals are far enough from the city core that you will need to travel by car, taxi or bus to get into town from them and vice-versa. In terms of bus transportation, the various coach services are recommended over public transit. Public buses to and from the ferry terminals are fairly easy and direct. From Vancouver downtown, you take Canada Line Skytrain from downtown to Brighouse Station. From Brighouse Station, take the 620 bus which takes you directly to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal.
By train
Taking the train to Vancouver is unlikely to be the cheapest option, but it is a scenic one. Rail options include:
VIA Rail
(http://www.via.ca) has the Canadian which runs from Toronto to Vancouver with three weekly departures.The Rocky Mountaineer
(http://www.rockymountaine...) operates routes between Vancouver and Banff, Calgary and Jasper three times a week from April to October.Amtrak
(http://www.amtrak.com) runs a service between Seattle and Vancouver called Amtrak Cascades (http://www.amtrakcascades.com/). Trains depart Seattle daily at 7:40AM and 6:40PM, arriving in Vancouver at 11:35AM and 10:45PM respectively. The return trips leave Vancouver at 6:40AM and 5:45PM.All trains arrive at Pacific Central Station, located at 1150 Station Street east of downtown off Main St. From there, it is a short taxi ride into the central business area, or you can pick up the SkyTrain at the Main St/Science World station two blocks away.
If you have the time and money, traveling to Vancouver by train can be an excellent way to see the Canadian Rockies. This is discussed further at the Rocky Mountaineer.
By car
The main highway into Vancouver from the east is Highway 1 Trans-Canada Highway. This road skirts the eastern edge of Vancouver, so if you want to get into the city, you will need to exit off it at Grandview Highway, 1st Avenue or Hastings Street.
From the U.S./Canada border south of the city, Highway 99, which links up with U.S. Interstate 5, runs north to Vancouver. Note that the freeway ends after the Oak Street Bridge, turning into Oak Street heading north. Drivers with a downtown destination will need to get onto Granville Street parallel to Oak St to the west, or Cambie Street parallel to the east, in order to get on the Granville Street or Cambie Street bridges which cross False Creek into the downtown peninsula.
If you are coming from the North Shore or other points further north, the only way into Vancouver is by bridge. Your options are the Lions Gate Bridge Hwy 99 which brings you into Stanley Park and Vancouver's West End or the Second Narrows Bridge/Ironworkers Memorial Bridge Hwy 1 which brings you into the neighbourhoods of East Van.