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Country Guide > North America > Canada > British Columbia | |
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Travel - International Air Airlines that operate in British Columbia include the following: Air Canada, American Airlines, Belair, Cathay Pacific Airways, Continental Airlines, Helijet Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Northwest Airlines, Pacific Coastal Airlines, Seair, Singapore Airlines, Westcoast Air, WestJet and United Airlines. International airports Vancouver (YVR) (website: www.yvr.ca) is 15km (9 miles) southwest of the city. It is served by airlines from the USA, Europe and the Far East. The journey to the city centre takes about 25 minutes. Airport facilities include banks and ATMs, a post office, business centre, restaurant, car parking, garage, car rental, nursery and duty free shop. The other major airports are Abbotsford, Campbell River, Castlegar, Comox, Cranbrook, Fort St John, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Penticton, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Quesnel and Victoria. Sea Vancouver is an international passenger port, with regular sailings to the Far East and ports on the USA’s northwestern coast. Ferry services to and from all coastal ports in British Columbia are available from the following shipping lines: Alaska Ferries, BC Ferries, Washington State Ferries and seven independent companies. Ferry services link three points on Vancouver Island with Vancouver city’s north (Horseshoe Bay) and south (Tsawwassen) terminals on the mainland, including BC Ferries’ spectacular car and passenger service from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay on the southern tip of Vancouver Island just north of Victoria. Foot passengers can take coaches which travel from Vancouver city centre to Victoria city centre. BC Ferries operates a total of 25 routes between 46 ports of call in coastal British Columbia, including a scenic, luxury, 15-hour, one-way, daylight voyage from Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island along the Inside Passage to Prince Rupert, a crossing from Prince Rupert to the Queen Charlotte Islands (see Sport & Activities and Resorts & Excursions sections), and the new Discovery Coast Passage, a summer route between Port Hardy and Bella Coola on the mid-coast mainland that runs either direct in a day or with stops at various inlets. There is also a high-speed catamaran from Victoria to Seattle (USA), the Victoria Clipper, leaving twice a day. The crossing takes two hours 30 minutes. For further information on ferries, contact BC Ferries (tel: (250) 386 3431 or (888) 223 3779 (toll-free in British Columbia); fax: (250) 381 5452; website: www.bcferries.com) or consult The Ferry Traveller, a website with general ferry information (tel: (604) 733 9113; fax: (604) 733 6888; e-mail: info@ferrytravel.com; website: www.ferrytravel.com). Rail VIA Rail (website: www.viarail.ca) train routes to and within British Columbia are: Edmonton to Prince Rupert via Jasper (Alberta); Victoria to Courtenay; Vancouver to Edmonton via Kamloops and Jasper, and on to Toronto three times a week (Western Transcontinental). Road The Trans-Canada Highway reaches British Columbia via Calgary (Alberta) and continues through the south of the province to Vancouver, over to Nanaimo, and onto Victoria. The other main highways are numbers 3, 5, 6, 16, 95 and 97. Apart from Highway 97 and the remote scenic Highway 37, which run northwards to the Yukon, the province’s road network is concentrated in the south. Road signs are international. There are good roads south to Seattle in the USA. Bus: Translink supplies buses to the Greater Vancouver area as part of an integrated public transport service. For timetable details, contact Translink (tel: (604) 953 3333; website: www.translink.bc.ca). BC Transit provides a network of buses to many communities in British Columbia, including the major cities of Victoria and Whistler. Timetable details are available (tel: (250) 385 2551; fax: (250) 995 5639; e-mail: Lorill_Garner@bctransit.com; website: www.bctransit.com). Gray Line and Laidlaw coaches provide services on Vancouver Island including sightseeing routes (tel: (800) 318 0818 (toll-free in Canada) or (250) 388 5248). Urban Most of Vancouver’s public transport network is operated by Translink (tel: (604) 453 4500; website: www.translink.bc.ca), including buses, commuter rail services between Vancouver and Mission, SkyTrain between Vancouver and Surrey, and SeaBuses between Vancouver and North Vancouver. Ferries between the mainland and Vancouver Island are provided by BC Ferries (see contact details above). Buses in Victoria are run by BC Transit (see contact details above). Travel times The following chart gives approximate travel times from Vancouver (in hours and minutes) to other major cities/towns in British Columbia.
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