Hi all:
Thinking about going to Vancouver the week after Christmas.... any suggestions? What's good to do? Is it easy to get around?Flights are semi-expensive... much cheaper into Seattle (we are in SF) - is it crazy to fly to Seattle and then drive to Vancouver? And stay a couple days in Seatlle one direction?
How hard is it to drive to ski areas and Whistler from Vancouver?
Thanks!!
Kim
Hi Kim,
Have you looked into the train? Crossing the border can take a long time, and you don't really need a car in Vancouver. As well by the time you factor in the probable cost of parking that car, as most hotels charge for parking, you may not have many savings.
It is about a 2 hour drive to Whistler. In terms of how hard it is, that will depend on weather conditions, ( could be rainy or icy) and your comfort level driving in snow, if it is snowy. There is a bus. If you are thinking of staying you might want to look soon at accommodations, as that will be a popular time.
Have a great trip.
I took Amtrak from Portland to Vancouver (stop in Seattle) and back last fall - SUPER easy! It helped that I loved trains and looked forward to the trip, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Amtrak has two trains a day between downtown Seattle and Vancouver, as well as several buses. The train takes about four hours, bus slightly less. There's a light rail line between SeaTac Airport and King Street Station where the trains are. It wouldn't be easy to make those connections with luggage and the potential for flight delay. But if you spend a day or two in Seattle it gets easier.
Driving from SeaTac to Vancouver will take at least four hours, and the first part will be through some of the most congested freeway traffic in the US. North of Seattle it gets easier and some of it's very scenic. I don't know what complications you might find in bringing a US-rented car into Canada. Coming back south, the border crossing can take quite awhile. The holidays add to the traffic and border delays.
Of course Seattle is a great place to visit, but if your goal is Vancouver, and the airfare difference isn't too great, I'd say just fly up there. When you fly home you'll clear US immigration and customs in the Vancouver airport so SFO arrival will be relatively easy.
Whether you want a car in Vancouver depends on what you want to do. Downtown and nearby are well served by elevated rail (also the airport). There are fun ferries for some local destinations. Whistler is farther away, to be reached either by car or some kind of bus service. Hopefully a kind Canadian will weigh in with better info.
I go up to Vancouver from the Seattle area at least once a year. I usually go over the Thanksgiving weekend, and then another weekend in the spring if work permits. This coming week I'll be four days in Victoria, which is my trade off city.
I drive, simply because I don't stay in the downtown area all the time. On the US side of the border the road is fairly scenic but busy, with traffic most of the way. On the Canada side it's flat and kind of boring. And the wait averages an hour plus either way on the boarder for Customs. Yes, you can get around using public transportation, but I like the flexibility a car gives me. There is no problem taking a rental into Canada, just let the company know. Parking can be a problem, and it's not cheap, but frankly downtown Seattle is more expensive.
If you're planning on seeing Vancouver then fly into Vancouver. You'll waste the equivalent of a day of your vacation traveling to and from Seattle.
Travel to and from the ski areas is problematic. You're going to have to figure in the weather and holiday crowds. If you want to ski you should have booked about 4 months ago.
Vancouver is expensive, but has great stuff to do if you aren't afraid of being outside in cool, wet, weather. Excellent parks (Stanley, etc), museums (try the First Nations one at University of BC), zoo, aquarium, art galleries, Granville Island, Asian food, seafood, shopping (the strong dollar helps), and more.
Be advised, if you have a DUI or drug record you will not be admitted into Canada. No joke, they will make you turn around. Likewise, although Marijuana is legal in both Washington State and B.C. it's use will get you denied entry, and transporting it in any amount is a Federal and National crime and will get you jail time.
Kim,
As Vancouver is the place you seem to be most interested in seeing, I'd suggest flying directly to YVR as it will be a more efficient use of your travel time. The airport is very easy to navigate and gets awards on a regular basis. If you're going to the downtown area, Skytrain is the easiest and quickest method.
Given the time of year you'll be travelling and the fact you mentioned Whistler, it's possible that a car rented in Seattle may not be equipped with proper snow tires, which are mandatory in B.C. after Oct. 31. Especially if you're involved in an MVI, if the car doesn't have approved tires, you'll receive a ticket. As others have mentioned, there can often be long delays at the border crossings (Peace Arch is the busiest and worst for delays, and that's likely the one you'd be using if you travel on I-5).
Regarding taking rental cars across the border, you'd have to check with the rental agency. I've never had a problem taking rental cars from here to the U.S. but I always check with them at the time I rent the vehicle.
As others have mentioned, having a car in the city of Vancouver is not the best idea. You might save money on flights to Seattle rather than Vancouver, but those savings will be quickly whittled down by the hotel parking charges. Given the cost of real estate in the Vancouver area, hotels all seem to have fairly steep daily charges for parking. This list is several years old, but will give you some idea - http://hotelsvancouver.com/parking-costs-at-a-hotel-in-vancouver/ . I can't remember what I paid on my last visit there but it was probably about $20 per day.
To answer a couple of your questions....
Were you planning on skiing? Whistler is only one of the ski locations in that area, and it tends to be a very expensive place to visit. I haven't seen any reports yet on what the snow situation might be like at that time of year, but Whistler should definitely have snow. You could also look at other resorts that are relatively close to Vancouver.....
If skiing is really important, you could also look further afield at some of the excellent ski resorts in the interior such as Silver Star Resort which has both downhill and cross country areas. If you want more information on that and transportation suggestions, post another note here.
You could also consider Victoria as it tends to have a fairly mild winter climate (although there can be exceptions).
Hope this helps.
I often wonder why airfares to YVR are so dang expensive, it’s more than a cheap Europe fare, $650 is typical and Seattle is usually under $300.
Just a note that if everyone in the car has Global Entry (or Nexus) you can use the Nexus express lane returning to the US if you have your global entry card (supposedly you won’t need a passport either).
Tom,
It's going to be more expensive to fly out of YVR in the near future - https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/2019/09/12/yvr-airport-improvement-fee-increase-vancouver-2020/ . I'm not sure what the airport charges airlines for landing fees but that could also contribute to the high cost. Due to steady increases in passenger traffic, YVR has been in a constant state of expansion for the last few years, so that's where the airport improvement fees are spent. Unfortunately my local airport (YLW) will be increasing their AIF in January also.
This also provides a good explanation - https://flytrippers.com/plane-tickets-expensive-canada/ . For those that of us that travel for leisure or have to travel for business, there are few choices so we just have to put up with the high costs.
Ken: It is what it is but I'm paying $650 to fly to someplace I can drive to in 2 days.
