Vancouver Rental Car - a good option?

[JAKcruiser]

In June, my 15-year old son and I are taking a cruise to Alaska that departs from Vancouver. We will arrive in Vancouver around 2pm two days prior to departure so we can sightsee and acclimate to the time change from the east coast.

 

I have booked a package at the Best Western Hotel Downtown on Drake that includes breakfast, FREE parking, and shuttle service to the port. (This does not include a shuttle from the airport though.)

 

My questions are about transportation. Instead of using the hotel shuttle or public transportation, I am looking at a rental car to be picked up at the airport and dropped off downtown. (I thought the total of about $80 for 2 days was reasonable.) Is Vancouver an easy place to drive and find parking? We’re hoping to go to Stanley Park, Capilano, Grouse Mountain, etc. and I thought having a car would give us flexibility.

 

Do you feel a rental car would be our best option?

 

On the day of departure, I thought we could drive to the port, drop off our luggage, then drop off the car and walk/taxi back to the port. Is this easily doable?

 

Thanks so much for any advice!

[scottbee]

In June, my 15-year old son and I are taking a cruise to Alaska that departs from Vancouver. We will arrive in Vancouver around 2pm two days prior to departure so we can sightsee and acclimate to the time change from the east coast.

 

I have booked a package at the Best Western Hotel Downtown on Drake that includes breakfast, FREE parking, and shuttle service to the port. (This does not include a shuttle from the airport though.)

 

My questions are about transportation. Instead of using the hotel shuttle or public transportation, I am looking at a rental car to be picked up at the airport and dropped off downtown. (I thought the total of about $80 for 2 days was reasonable.) Is Vancouver an easy place to drive and find parking? We’re hoping to go to Stanley Park, Capilano, Grouse Mountain, etc. and I thought having a car would give us flexibility.

 

Do you feel a rental car would be our best option?

 

On the day of departure, I thought we could drive to the port, drop off our luggage, then drop off the car and walk/taxi back to the port. Is this easily doable?

 

Thanks so much for any advice!

 

Nope; like any large city, driving can be a pain in downtown Vancouver, and as downtown is a peninsula surrounded by bridges that can clog up at rush hour.

 

Your best bet is probably Vancouver's transit system Skytrain/Bus/Seabus. Before you even leave the airport, find the 7-11 or Pharmasave, and buy a book of 10, two-zone passes. Next exit the terminal building and on the top of the car park, you'll find the Skytrain line (it's elevated at the airport, subway downtown) that takes you all the way downtown (just validate your ticket on the platform, punch it into one of the silver machines). Important to buy your book of 10 in advance ($31.50/10) vs 2 tickets on the platform ($8.75/ea!!!)

 

Those tickets are good anywhere in zone 1&2 (which basically gets you anywhere between the airport and all the way to grouse mountain) and each ticket is good for 90 minutes.

 

Your hotel is [corner of Drake and Granville] about 5 blocks from the nearest station (Yaletown-Roundhouse) coming from the airport, you can either walk (about ½ mile), or ride Skytrain to the next stop (Granville-City Centre) and grab a bus back along Granville (ticket covers all transit within 90 minutes of validating it)

 

map with most of the landmarks you'll be looking for: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=212770407613531027445.000467645fcda21dd87b2&ll=49.272957,-123.09906&spn=0.043905,0.075102&z=14

 

Have fun in Vancouver!

[Putterdude]

Even though I drove in downtown Vancouver for some 40 years I am the first to admit that it is not the most pleasant city to drive in and it gets worse every year. Parking at the hotel will likely run you $15 to $20 pn at the hotel and you will pay for it at most of the attractions ... if you can find a parking space...plus you as the driver won't enjoy the scenery. The transit option is certainly a good one but the drivers aren't tour guides and when I am in a city for the first time I like a guide. So with that in mind I often generally recommend one of the 2 HOHO's...my preference being the Vancouver Trolley where the narration is live...however your son may get a kick out of the Big Bus with its open section. They both offer a 2 day pass. Whichever you choose at least the both of you will be able to enjoy the city.

http://www.vancouvertrolley.com/

http://www.bigbus.ca/

[Dan G]

I worrk in Vancouver and spend time there frequently. Its so compact you'll just end parking the car and walking. Parking meters run 7 days a wk till 10 pm. Cost will be between $2-4 per hr. I normally stay close to the BW at the Executive and you can walk to the other side of town in just 15 minutes. Since your hotel offers a shuttle I'd just use that. You won't drive anywhere once you arrive.

[JAKcruiser]

Thank you all for the great responses. You provided exactly the kind of answers I was looking for.

 

As for coming from the airport, my biggest concern with SkyTrain is dealing with our luggage. I have disc problems in my neck and don't want to start out our trip with an injury by hauling our luggage around too much. (My son can't handle his suitcases and his mom's.) Are there readily available taxis at the SkyTrain stops so we could catch a taxi instead of a bus to the hotel?

 

Our flight is due to land at 2pm on a Wednesday. If we took a taxi instead of SkyTrain from the airport, would it take a lot more time than the SkyTrain to get to our hotel?

 

It sounds like the Vancouver Trolley will be a good choice for the touring. How will we get to Grouse Mountain though?

 

Your help is so appreciated!

[kenish]

My son and I visted Vancouver pre-cruise when he was 15. I like the mobility and flexibility of a rental car....but didn't feel we needed one there. The transit is excellent and the city is very walkable. From your hotel to Stanley Park is a nice 30 minute walk along the waterfront. (FYI there are many bicycle rental shops near the entrance to SP; you can ride around the seawall trail, about 7 easy miles on pavement).

 

Grouse is easy to get to; take the Seabus ferry across the harbor to Lonsdale Quay then transfer to a city bus that goes straight to GM and Capilano Park. We really enjoyed the latter. GM was a bit of a disappointment...a number of attractions were closed with no notification when we bought the tickets. So, you might ask at the ticket booth especially if it's late in the afternoon.

 

One tip is buying the Entertainment Book for Vancouver before you leave. Since the book expires in October the publisher starts deeply discounting the books in May. We bought one for about $15 and it paid off. IIRC you can "browse" the discounts online to see if it will be worthwhile. Most of the book is geared towards locals, so we gave ours to the hotel concierge / starving student.

[Putterdude]

Thank you all for the great responses. You provided exactly the kind of answers I was looking for.

 

As for coming from the airport, my biggest concern with SkyTrain is dealing with our luggage. I have disc problems in my neck and don't want to start out our trip with an injury by hauling our luggage around too much. (My son can't handle his suitcases and his mom's.) Are there readily available taxis at the SkyTrain stops so we could catch a taxi instead of a bus to the hotel?

 

Our flight is due to land at 2pm on a Wednesday. If we took a taxi instead of SkyTrain from the airport, would it take a lot more time than the SkyTrain to get to our hotel?

 

It sounds like the Vancouver Trolley will be a good choice for the touring. How will we get to Grouse Mountain though?

 

Your help is so appreciated!

 

As good as the Canada Line is from YVR it is not "a one size fits all option", DW and I fit into the same situation. Under most conditions a cab and the Canada Line will take about the same time about 35 mins...the travel time of the Canada Line is 24 mins but you have to allow time to catch a train and then walking on either end. A cab fare to most hotels downtown will run you about $35.

You have a couple of options to get to the Grouse Mtn. Skyride, you could take the free shuttle from Canada Place to the Capilano Suspension Bridge then take transit from there, they are only about 7 mins apart. Or you could take the SeaBus across the harbour then transfer to a #236 bus at Lonsdale Quay...it is very simple and the transit drivers are extremely helpful.

http://tripplanning.translink.bc.ca/hiwire

[Gardyloo]

I will be something of a contrarian and suggest that a rented car for one day would be a good thing. Take it up to Whistler for a day trip. The road is stunning and you could skip the Grouse Mountain gondola and hit the Peak-to-Peak instead for about the same cost - http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/todo/summer/p2padventure/index.htm?aheading=0

 

I also think the Capilano bridge is a marvelous example of marketing geniu$; with a car you could visit the Lynn Canyon bridge instead (free) and save the cost of the car rental. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g154943-d185025-Reviews-Lynn_Canyon_Park-Vancouver_British_Columbia.html