Parking and traffic in Vancouver

[CDiamond]

We will be in Vancouver the morning before our cruise, driving our own car.
We are thinking of driving our own car to look around the area. Are parking spaces hard to find?
We want to do the carriage ride around Stanley Park. I've read there are parking lots in the park ($10), but I wasn't sure if those lots fill up quick and how long you can park there. If we stay at a hotel near the park we can walk in, but then to go downtown we would have to drive there. So maybe it would be easier to stay near stores and restaurants closer to downtown and drive to the park.
I guess what I am asking is, is this an easy town to get around in your own car?
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!:)

[janmcn]

I would suggest to stay downtown and use the car to go to Stanley Park. It's always going to be crowded, but you should manage. Downtown is walkable if you're there. Love Vancouver...Parking for the ships is easy. Just reserve ahead of time and you just drive on in, take the elevator up to the departure point, and board.

[CDiamond]

Thanks Janmcn for your reply. It probably would make more sense to stay downtown. I'm meeting with our TA and go over our options on hotels. I was just thinking if we were going to spend most of our time in the park area we might as well stay near there. Probably the cost of hotels will decide our final decision!:)

[bermuda triangle]

We have walked to Stanley Park from both the Pacific Palisades Hotel as well as the Four Seasons. Vancouver is very pedestrian friendly. We had a car for our first trip and it remained in the garage at the Pac. Pal. our entire trip (except for a drive to Whistler). For our second trip we decided to not rent a car.
There is parking at Stanley park. http://vancouver.ca/PARKS/info/publications/StanleyParkMapGuide2009.pdf You can see on the map it is in several locations. If you can park near the entrance to the park, you can easily walk to downtown.
I would not recommend this though if you plan on going to the gaslight district or Chinatown as that is pretty far.
Here are some parking areas around Vancouver as well as local attractions. http://bigbus.ca/home/index.php/route-map
This map is interactive for attractions as well as hotels. [URL]http://www.tourismvancouver.com/visitors/vancouver/tools/interactive_vancouver_map[URL]

Have a great trip!!
Laura

[texast518]

We have a park & cruise package @ Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites. Nite before cruise suite 23rd floor(with balcony), limo to ship Sat morning, $25 food voucher, post cruise taxi reimbursement to hotel for $235. We are driving from Ft Worth Tx. Near Stanley Park.

[pizzadog]

We will be in Vancouver the morning before our cruise, driving our own car.
We are thinking of driving our own car to look around the area. Are parking spaces hard to find?
We want to do the carriage ride around Stanley Park. I've read there are parking lots in the park ($10), but I wasn't sure if those lots fill up quick and how long you can park there. If we stay at a hotel near the park we can walk in, but then to go downtown we would have to drive there. So maybe it would be easier to stay near stores and restaurants closer to downtown and drive to the park.
I guess what I am asking is, is this an easy town to get around in your own car?
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!:)

We have lived in Vancouver all our lives and parking is an ongoing issue in the downtown area. At Stanley Park you have to use the parking machines that dot the streets every eighth km or so and there are large lots - also using machines - no attendants - you need cash or credit card and can park for 1 hour, 2 hours etc. It isn't cheap. If you stay at any of the downtown hotels you can walk to the park - the Pan Pacific Hotel is where the cruise ships dock. There is a sea wall from there all the way down to the Park. You could also stay at the Bayshore which is very close to the Park. These hotels may be a little pricey for you - but they are very convenient to everything downtown. You might also want to take the Sea Bus over to the North Shore, Lonsdale Key is a wonderful market with many shops. The Sea Bus Terminal and the Skytrain stations are very close to the Pan Pacific Hotel.

Stanley Park is the jewel of Vancouver and you really do want to see it. Eat fish and chips at Lumberman's Arch - delicious. Ride the little train! If you are here in the summer months the gardens are amazing. Hope you enjoy our beautiful city.:)

[CDiamond]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.:) I will definitely check out the hotels you all suggested. Sounds like we should be able to choose a hotel where we could walk to the main places we want to be. We are definitely going to Stanley Park. I have always wanted to do a carriage ride through a park. I saw pictures of the horse and carriage so I know what to expect. We are so looking forward to being in Vancouver. So I hope July 13th and 14th are beautiful weather days. LOL:)