Need Vancouver Transportation advice please

I have made a lot of progress planning our Alaskan cruise in May, but I am stumped on the issue of transportation. We are going to be in Vancouver for 4 days precruise. I can't decide if we should rent a car for the entire four days or for just one day when we go to Whistler and use public transportation the rest of the time.

We would like to go to Whistler, Granville Island, Stanley Park, Capellino Susp Bridge, and possibly Grouse Mountain, plus see as much of downtown as possible.

Is the hassle of having a rental car (gas, parking fees, etc) going to be worth it? It looks like the public transportation system is quite extensive and would get us most of these places. However, I don't know which way would be least expensive or more convenient. Can someone please offer some advice?

Check out this site http://www.tourismvancouver.com for suggestions. It would be my suggestion that you take a "tour" up to Whistler .. the Sea to Sky Highway isn't the best right now with all the construction starting for the Olympics in 2010. The Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain are on the same road, so you could rent your car and head up to the top first and then stop on the way down at the Bridge. There is also a Dam and Fish Hatchery along the road. Downtown you don't need the rental and probably it would be in the way or just sitting in parking waiting for you. There is a huge mall underground in the downtown core as well as Robson Street and the pier area. There is a wonderful Trolly Tour that will take you all around the downtown area - out to Granville Island - Stanley Park - and has a running commentary about Vancouver and the history. You can get on and off the Trolly at the stops as well. Another web site is http://www.hellobc.com that might give you insite. Whatever you decide, I hope you enjoy your stay in my wonderful city and province. Laurey

Thanks alot for the advice Laurey. We can't wait to visit your city!

melt, we have had three multi-day trips to Vancouver and have yet to rent a car. The public transportation is FABULOUS, and it's a great city for walking, too. We took cabs a couple of times - to/from the airport and returning late from North Vancouver one night - but mostly got around on the bus. You can get a route map and passes and go to! Your hotel concierge will be able to help you with that. On our May trip, we may rent a car for a day to do Grouse Mountain or a side trip to the Fraser Valley wine country, but otherwise plan to use the public transportation again. Traffic downtown can be very congested, and parking rates are pretty high.

Most of the downtown hotels charge about $20 per day to park. Plus, you will have to pay for parking when you visit a tourist attraction (Stanley Park, etc.) Public transportation and taxis would be far more economical. If you don't want to take a bus tour to Whistler, by all means rent a car just for that day. As a previous poster advised, you could easily see Grouse Mountain, Capilano Suspension Bridge and make the drive to Whistler in a day.

Have a wonderful trip to beautiful Vancouver.

Please do take arranged transport to Whistler...the highway is a real mess right now with the Olympic preparation. Public transit is great here and I really don't think that you will need a car. There is a great tour company with a hop on hop off program that hits all of the local attractions http://www.vancouvertrolley.com. It is also a great city to walk around and cabs are plentiful. Enjoy your stay! wendy

Wendy,

We were planning on using the trolley when we are there in August. We have ued hop on/off busses all over the world and it is a great way to see a city. The Vancouver Trolley is the first one that I have seen or heard about that only allows you to go around one time. Normally, we like to take a full cycle ant then jump off at the spots we want to explore. I can't imagine how they can monitor if someone has gone around more than once. Is this something that is just published to limit the traffic or do they really watch it closely?

MVPinBoynton,

A complete circuit (without getting off) of the Vancouver trolley tour takes about 2 hours according to their site. Wouldn't it be awfully time-consuming to do an entire circuit, then go back again to other sites?

Just wondering where you did this before and how long the circuit took?

ell

The Copenhagen bus takes around and hour and based on the way the city is laid out and where the bus stops, it doesn’t take long to get back to a stop you want to explore in more depth. I seem to recall the Barcelona and London busses taking around an hour and a half, depending on the traffic. If we wanted to explore a stop that was at the far end of the route, we would get off, but normally, since we would get multi day passes, it was very handy to use the on/off busses for inter-city transportation for whatever sites we wanted to see after getting the overview tour.

MVPinboynton...

Not sure if they actually monitor it or now. One would think that it would be rather tough to do so. I can see what you mean though. We were in Barcelona and road around the entire route first for an overview and then starting hopping on and off. I will be out by their main pickup spot today and I will ask the question and get back to you. wendy

How far of a walk is it from the Sheraton Wall Centre on Burrard and Nelson to Robson Street?

I would really like to check out all the dining and shopping options on Robson street, but was hoping we could simply walk there in a few minutes.

Is this possible?

Thank you!

The Sheraton Wall Center is definitely within walking distance of Robson Street. Maybe about 4 or 5 blocks. It's a safe area of the city as well. Just be sure to bring lots of $$ as Robson Street has some of the most trendy and fantastic shopping. Robson is also famous for attracting the movie stars and such that frequent our beautiful City so keep your eyes open too. :D Enjoy your stay. Laurey

Not to confuse but the trolly in downtown Vancouver is not a very big vehicle. It maybe seats about 30 people? It is all one level. I think monitoring who is on all the way might be easier than, say, a double decker bus. They come by quite often at each stop so getting off and checking out the area won't be an imposition. Enjoy your stay. Laurey

Wendy,

That would be great if you could. I will anxiously await your info.

Hi MVPinBoynton! Cdncruiser is indeed correct. They are a single level and the guy at the booth was saying that they punch your ticket when you reboard, which still didn't make much sense to me but they only seat about 25 people so it would be very easy just to visually see who gets on and off. I think they kind of depend on the honour system because I didn't see anyone boarding getting their ticket punched. Hope that you enjoy your trip to Vancouver! wendy

Wendy,

Thanks for the info. We will just have to plan our day more carefully. There is just so much we want to see in Vancouver and just not enough time. It is a town we have always wanted to visit, but have never been able to arrange to go to. We are really looking forward to it.

MVPinBoynton...if there is anything else that you need, please let us know...we love our city and hope that everyone visiting feels the same way! Enjoy your stay! wendy

As others have said, you can get around easily without the hassle of a rental car. It will be cheaper in the long run, and you will have a better time!