Hi guys..

My friend and I have planned to go to Vancouver in mid December..We plan to spend around 6-7 days for Vancouver(3days),Vancouver Island(2) and Whistler(1-2)..Can anyone tell me,how to get to downtown Vancouver from the Airport(Is skytrain available or any transits?),and where to go and what to do there and also how to get to Whistler from Vancouver,i'd prefer train or bus...as we won't rent a car. Any good bus or skytrain routes for sightseeing around the city which we can get in and get off.They have a ticket for one day pass right? ARe they good for both skytrain and bus?

Thank you... I appreciate that.:)

okay, well, i'm not from vancouver. but there is transit from the airport to downtown. if you find a bus, ask the driver what bus to take. they usually will help. or information at the airport. skytrain is not yet avaliable to the airport, that is in what? 2009 when it's all done? yeah, i think so.

there are two lines for skytrain-millenium line and expo line. the expo line is probably the best to view downtown whereas the millenium is nice if you want to see the back of burnaby pretty much. it's less crowded too and i find it quicker.

the one day pass is good for all transit-skytrain, buses, seabus, but i don't think it applies to west coast express. i highly recommend it because if you're paying for each trip, it can add up.

if you want a good view of van, go up harbour tower. it's alright, the price i find is kinda high, but it's good experience. http://www.vancouverlookout.com/

also, check out this site for transit. www.translink.bc.ca it's the transit website.

have fun in van! i was just over there this past weekend. it's a blast.

Can anyone tell me,how to get to downtown Vancouver from the Airport(Is skytrain available or any transits?)
You have to take the 424 to Airport Station then transfer to 98 B-Line bound for Burrard Station

where to go and what to do there and also how to get to Whistler from Vancouver,i'd prefer train or bus
Some popular destination in the downtown area:
Gastown - right beside waterfront station
Stanley Park - take route #19
Granville Island - #50
English Bay - #6, #C21, #C23

that's all I can think of right now

Its easy to get from the airport to downtown. There is a bus from YVR to the B-Line rapid bus, unfortunaly the Skytrain line to the airport which is under construction wont be ready untill 2009.

What to see and do
Capilano Suspension Bridge*
Grouse Mountain*
Stanley Park
Vancouver Aquarium
China Town
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
Granville Island (take false creek aqua bus)
Canada Place
Science World
Museum of Anthropology
Nitobe Garden at UBC
* both are on the North Shore. Take the Sea Bus (covered by a transit pass) its also gives you a nice view of Vancouvers harbour.

Getting to Whistler and Victoria
Go to Pacific Central Station. Its easy to get to just go east on Skytrain to Main/Science World. There are many bus companies and they leave for Whistler and Victoria quite frequently. Round trip cost to Whistler is about $40 for adults and $30 for students.

You can take public transit to victoria but its a pain, I would go with a GreyHound which cost about $70 round trip and includes the ferry cost.

You can also take the Airporter bus from the airport to downtown Vancouver. The cost is more than transit ($12 one way) - so if there's more than one of you, a cab ride could be comparable.

http://www.yvr.ca/guide/toandfrom/bus_shuttle.asp?id=downtown

Here's the transit info:

http://www.yvr.ca/guide/toandfrom/public.asp

Taxi info:

http://www.yvr.ca/guide/toandfrom/taxis.asp

Availability of service would also depend on your arrival time.

General YVR transportation info:

http://www.yvr.ca/guide/toandfrom/

Wow...thanks a lot , i really appreciate...

Btw,any nice and cheap hotel or B&B in Whistler and Victoria?

LOL

WELL...in victoria, there is travllers inn...HAHA...well, there is like 5 o'dem on douglas street alone i do believe. they're decent enough i guess. Traveller's Inn Website (http://www.travellersinn.com)

there is also day's inn which i don't think is too bad. it's right down on the inner harbour. DAYS INN WEBSITE (http://www.daysinn.com/DaysInn/control/Booking/search_check;jsessionid=D71PBdLgCzpaQSsQzmFIesVFZ1bKxKiOl1Z6Taaa9zKWGfzIu2eC!-590553622!-351162608)

there is also best western. they have two hotels in the downtown core: the carleton (which is more city centre) and then there is the inner harbour which is really close to hotel grand pacific, the parlament buildings and the mueseum. BEST WESTERN (http://www.bestwestern.com/)

and for bed and breakfasts, here is a website that lists'em for you. Bed and Breakfast Websites (http://www.bbonline.com/bc/victoria.html)

And here is a BCAA list that shows the diamonds a hotel has and it's price range BCAA (http://ww1.aaa.com/scripts/WebObjects.dll/AAAOnline.woa/3013/wo/POYEelQy5GHv1Qin2bnz6g/1.11.39)

Hopes that helps you. And also, good luck on finding someplace in Whistler. It's their peak time right when you're going to be there!

Wow...thanks a lot , i really appreciate...

Btw,any nice and cheap hotel or B&B in Whistler and Victoria?

There is a youth hostel in whistler, and some reasonably priced hotels.

For travelling from the Airport to Downtown it depends if you want to spend a few dollars on public transport, that will take awhile to get downtown if you're tired, or take an express bus. The express bus is called the YVR Airporter and it takes 30-40 mins to go downtown. It costs $12 dollars one-way. People always recommend this thing but if you are travelling with a friend then take a taxi and split it because it will cost you the same anyway as taking the Airporter.

If you're going to Victoria for 2 days and staying in a hotel then I recommend staying at the Strathcona Hotel on Douglas St. Perhaps you already have your hotel sorted but I was there last week with friends visiting from England and every room in the hotel has been completely refurbished. Wow it is so nice inside and for a brand new room it cost us for two queen size beds, living room area, fridge, non-smoking, heaps of towels, great bedding, continental breakfast - $80. Well worth it considering the other hotels in the area will cost you $60 at the minimum anyway. Plus the Strathcona has multiple restaurants and pubs within the same building and is only 3 blocks from the Harbour. http://www.strathconahotel.com/

My visiting friends one day thought they would do some sightseeing on the Skytrain. They took the Millennium Line, which does a loop, and they really enjoyed it.

There is a youth hostel in whistler, and some reasonably priced hotels.

There is more than one in Whistler. I stayed at The Fireside Lodge (http://www.firesidelodge.org/) last year. The name is completely deceiving, but the accomidation is good for what you pay; $22 a night. I was with a friend and we ended up getting a room to ourselves because the room we were originally set up in had clothes strewn over all the beds (and hence were not sure which was ours). It is a ways from the village though. About $6 taxi ride (which can get expensive with mulitpul back and forth trips). And it's about that far from the Greyhound stop aswell.

My personal favorite in Whister is the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. I was there over Thanksgiving. It's expensive, but definetly worth it.

By the way, my recommendations for things to do in Vancouver:
-Concord Pacific/Yaletown
-Granville Island
-South Granville
-Skytrain via Millienium Line (very nice stations)
-Grouse Mountain
-Stanely Park

that helped a lot guys..thanks...keep comin' :D

If you can afford it, or if you can find tickets, I highly recommend seeing the Vancouver Canucks, a professional ice hockey team that plays in a downtown arena. They are extremely popular, and have sold out every game for the past two seasons, and will likely do so again this year, but book your tickets now and you may be able to get a couple of cheap seats for a game around the time of your visit. Because you include Toronto in your location, you are probably familiar with the sport of ice hockey, so I won't detail it much.

As I said, tickets are expensive, with your chances of finding anything less than $54 CDN being very slim. But if you can get ahold of some tickets, it's well worth it.

Thanks CloutieFan02 for the suggestion. :)

They are extremely popular, and have sold out every game for the past two seasons, and will likely do so again this year.

For the record, those statistics, while true, are deceiving. GM Place has somewhere between 18,000 and 19,000 seats. Of those, over 16,000 are seasons tickets. So when they say a game is sold out, they have only sold 1,622 tickets for that game (I'm quite sure that's the number). Just something to point out. I love watching the Canucks, live or otherwise.

Definately take the Airporter. Don't bother taking the bus. They don't even have luggage racks installed.

They have a ticket for one day pass right?

I don't think you can buy the one day pass on the bus (I'm not too sure). You can for sure get one from 7-11. Each pass costs $8.

Don't expect to be able to get everywhere with transit. If you stay in a downtown hotel, you will have a easier time getting around. Otherwise, expect to transfer buses many times.

got it..thanks :)