Getting to Vancouver

Vancouver is a city that, in many ways, is all about interesting means of transportation, and if you want to visit Vancouver, there are many ways to do it, and some of them are very interesting.

1. Of course you can fly to Vancouver. The Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is one of the most highly rated airports in the world. Yet, it's not so big that you get lost or take hours getting from one area to another. And it's beautiful, full of artwork, food options, great shops and, of course, Starbucks.


2. You can drive to Vancouver. If you're coming from the south, drive up I-5 and 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 crossing is open between 8:00 AM and midnight.


3. 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.


4. You can also take Amtrak from Portland, leaving Portland at 2:50 PM, arriving in Vancouver at 10:45 PM. That same train stops in Seattle at 6:50 PM to pick up passengers bound for Vancouver. The same train leaves Vancouver at 6:40 AM and arrives in Seattle at 11:00 AM and Portland at 2:55 PM.


5. You can arrive by ViaRail train from Jasper National Park and points east. The Jasper train departs Jasper on Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 5:30 PM and arrives in Vancouver the following morning at 9:48 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.


6. You can take the Rocky Mountaineer train from Calgary to Vancouverbetween 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.


7. You can get to Vancouver from Whistler by train as well if you're traveling from May to the middle of October. Rocky Mountaineer's Whistler service goes between Vancouver and Whistler every day. This three-hour train trip is the most scenic way to get to Vancouver from Whistler.


8. There's always the Greyhound bus that will get you to Vancouver from anywhere in Canada or 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.


9. 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 for your 1 hour and 35 minute ride. Just before the ferry docks, you'll reboard the bus, drive off the ferry and on to downtown Vancouver.


10. You can travel by float plane from Seattle to Victoria and from Victoria to Vancouver. Kenmore Air travels from Seattle to Victoria and West Coast Air travels from Victoria to Vancouver. The flight from Seattle to Victoria takes 1 hour and the flight from Victoria to Vancouver takes 35 minutes.