How to Get to Vancouver

Most visitors fly into Vancouver International Airport (YVR), which is well connected to Asia, Europe and the rest of North America. Getting from there to your hotel is the easy part.

From YVR airport

The Canada Line SkyTrain station sits between the domestic and international terminals, and trains run into downtown in under half an hour, finishing at Waterfront. Useful stops are Vancouver City Centre (for Robson Street and most downtown hotels), Yaletown-Roundhouse and Waterfront (for Gastown, Coal Harbour and the SeaBus). Journeys that start at the airport's Sea Island stations and head into the city carry an extra charge, the YVR AddFare, on top of the normal fare. It's deducted automatically when you tap. When the trains stop at night, the N10 night bus covers the route.

Taxis and rideshare cars wait outside arrivals and take roughly the same time as the train, longer at rush hour.

By train

Pacific Central Station, on Main Street next to Main Street-Science World SkyTrain station, handles both long-distance rail lines. Amtrak Cascades trains arrive from Seattle and Portland. Since June 2026 the station has US customs preclearance, so southbound passengers clear US border checks in Vancouver before boarding and the train no longer stops for inspection at the border. VIA Rail's Canadian arrives from Toronto via Jasper, a multi-day trip that people take for the scenery rather than the speed.

By ferry and seaplane

BC Ferries sails from Tsawwassen, south of the city, to Swartz Bay near Victoria, and from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Nanaimo and the Sunshine Coast. Vehicle reservations are strongly advised in summer and on holiday weekends. Harbour Air seaplanes land in Coal Harbour, right downtown, and also use a terminal at YVR South. More on the Victoria options in our day trips guide.

By road

From Seattle, Interstate 5 becomes Highway 99 at the Peace Arch crossing. Allow extra time for the border on summer weekends. Long-distance buses also run the route.

Getting around the city

TransLink runs the SkyTrain, buses and the SeaBus as one network. You don't need to buy anything: tap a contactless credit or debit card, or a phone, at the fare gates and on the bus, and tap out again when you leave the SkyTrain. The Broadway Subway, extending the Millennium Line west under Broadway towards Arbutus Street, is still under construction and scheduled to open in 2027. For choosing a base near a station, see our where to stay guide.