Getting around · Vancouver · Canada
Getting around Vancouver
Public transport, passes, airport connections and when a car makes sense.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Downtown Vancouver is compact and walkable, ringed by the seawall, and TransLink's SkyTrain, buses and SeaBus link it to the airport, the North Shore and the suburbs. Fares depend on zones on weekdays, but one zone covers most visitor trips within the city. Not for the city: SkyTrain, buses, the SeaBus and walking cover the main sights.
Key facts
- Main way around
- Metro
- Airports
- YVR
- Need a car?
- Sometimes
- Travel pass
- Compass card
Ways to get around
Metro
SkyTrain's driverless trains run on three lines: the Canada Line to the airport and Richmond, and the Expo and Millennium lines east towards Burnaby and Surrey.
Tap a credit card, phone or Compass card at the gates on entry and exit; trips starting at the airport stations include an extra airport fare.
Ferry
The SeaBus crosses Burrard Inlet to Lonsdale Quay in about 12 minutes on a normal transit fare, and private mini-ferries (Aquabus and False Creek Ferries) link downtown, Yaletown and Granville Island.
Bus
Buses cover areas SkyTrain doesn't reach, including Kitsilano, UBC, Stanley Park and the North Shore mountains, and every bus trip is charged as one zone.
Walking
The seawall path runs for about 28 km from Coal Harbour around Stanley Park and False Creek to Kitsilano, making walking or cycling the most pleasant way along the waterfront.
Cycling
Mobi bike share has stations across downtown and nearby neighbourhoods, and protected bike lanes cross the city centre.
Ride-hailing
Uber and Lyft operate alongside taxis and are useful late at night or for trips not well served by transit.
Tickets and passes
Compass card
TransLink's reloadable fare card; contactless bank cards and phones can be tapped at the same readers, and day passes are available for heavy transit days.
From the airport
Vancouver International (YVR) is on Sea Island in Richmond, about 15 km south of downtown. The Canada Line reaches Waterfront station in about 25 minutes, and taxis take about 25–40 minutes. Seaplanes from the downtown harbour serve Victoria and coastal towns.
Do you need a car?
Not for the city: SkyTrain, buses, the SeaBus and walking cover the main sights. A car helps for the Sea-to-Sky Highway, Whistler on your own schedule and some North Shore trailheads, though buses and shuttles serve many of them.
Reaching the day trips
| Destination | Travel time | How |
|---|---|---|
| Whistler | About 2 hours by car or coach | Sea-to-Sky Highway by car, coach or shuttle |
| Victoria | About 3.5 hours each way by transit and ferry | BC Ferries from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, or a seaplane from the harbour |
| Squamish and the Sea to Sky Gondola | About 1 hour by car | Sea-to-Sky Highway by car or coach |
| Bowen Island | About 20 minutes by ferry from Horseshoe Bay | Bus to Horseshoe Bay, then BC Ferries |
| Steveston | About 40 minutes by transit | Canada Line to Richmond–Brighouse, then bus |
Questions travellers ask
+Do you need a car in Vancouver?
Not for the city: SkyTrain, buses, the SeaBus and walking cover the main sights. A car helps for the Sea-to-Sky Highway, Whistler on your own schedule and some North Shore trailheads, though buses and shuttles serve many of them.
+How do you get from the airport to Vancouver?
Vancouver International (YVR) is on Sea Island in Richmond, about 15 km south of downtown. The Canada Line reaches Waterfront station in about 25 minutes, and taxis take about 25–40 minutes. Seaplanes from the downtown harbour serve Victoria and coastal towns.
+What is the best way to get around Vancouver?
Metro: SkyTrain's driverless trains run on three lines: the Canada Line to the airport and Richmond, and the Expo and Millennium lines east towards Burnaby and Surrey.