Vancouver & British Columbia Travel - here to help!

withabix

As a long-time MSE member who now lives near Vancouver, please feel free to ask your holiday or immigration questions!

I may be able to give you an on-the-ground insight and useful tips!

I've holidayed here about 8 times before we moved here, so I 'know' BC from both aspects.

Also did an Alaska cruise from Vancouver in 2013, so know a bit about that too!

redpete

OK - here's a start.

We're flying into Calgary at the beginning of may, staying a couple of days in Cranbrook then planning on slow drive over to Vancouver over 3-4 days. What route & stopping places would you recommend. (We're travelling back from Vancouver on the Rocky Mountaineer to Banff and then driving back to Calgary so probably looking on the southern routes to Vancouver.)

After maybe 2 days in Vancouver thinking of going over to Vancouver Island. Any recommendations for on and around the Island? (wildlife trips, scenery, nice places to stay...)

wondercollie

Redpete: Early May is still spring time in BC. Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton, Osoyoos in the Okanagan region are all worth visiting.


They are beautiful at pretty much anytime of the year. It's an orchard region where much our fruit and produce comes from. I spent many holidays in Osoyoos as a child.


It's great camping, tubing, rafting on lakes and rivers.


There are salt flats in the OK valley, complete with tumbleweed. It's a desert like region and gets very hot in the summer.


Look into dude ranches in the Kamloops area. It will be too early in the season for the water skiing that is so popular there and early enough to avoid the forest fire season.


The drive down from Kamloops to Vancouver takes about four hours if you obey the speed limit. You'll pass through Hope (where the first Rambo was filmed) beautiful land with misty pine trees and waterfalls.


Be very careful going through the mountains from Banff to Golden. The road there is deadly. I've seen more than a few wrecks there. It's a curvy road and tourists think they can do 100K around the hairpin bends. Trust me, you can but you are insane if you do.


The wildlife are out and about in the early morning and late evening. Wolves, deer, moose, coyotes are all visible. Avoid the Moose. Let it cross the road, do not get out of your car. All the animals are very photogenic BUT you are travelling on the Trans Canada Highway which is a major truck route.


Sorry, I'm not the OP but I grew up in the Vancouver area, live in Alberta and have driven back and forth from either Calgary or Edmonton to Vancouver at least twice a year for the last 25 years.

wondercollie

pcywmf wrote: »

Hi Withabix,
I have just got a working visa for Canada and am planning on heading over next spring for 12-18months. Can you recommend any tips for cheaper flights both UK to Canada and also around Canada before I head out to help with the expected flights home for family/event.

I've looked at avios points as I can easily get two or thee new credit cards with their points bonus's (i.e some American express cards) but have also now spotted one world is the main points system in North America.
Thanks in advance

Flying domestically in Canada is not cheap. Look at the WetJet website. They often do quick sales, usually on a Thursday but the seats are gone very quickly. The taxes are huge and drive up the price.


I've never heard of "one world the main points system in North America"


Air Miles and Aeroplan are the most used one. You want to hook up to a credit card that gives points for Star Alliance partners.


WestJet does it's own credit card and points plan.


For moving around within a province you need to look at Greyhound. Each province has bus/coach lines that do internal routes and offer daily services between the major cities in the province.


Air travel is expensive and that's why we drive everywhere. I can't afford to fly four people to Vancouver. I'm looking at around $2000. I can drive there and back for under $400.

withabix

redpete wrote: »

OK - here's a start.

We're flying into Calgary at the beginning of may, staying a couple of days in Cranbrook then planning on slow drive over to Vancouver over 3-4 days. What route & stopping places would you recommend. (We're travelling back from Vancouver on the Rocky Mountaineer to Banff and then driving back to Calgary so probably looking on the southern routes to Vancouver.)

After maybe 2 days in Vancouver thinking of going over to Vancouver Island. Any recommendations for on and around the Island? (wildlife trips, scenery, nice places to stay...)

As you're doing Banff on the train, I'm assuming you will see Banff and Lake Louise whilst you are there, so on your drive from Calgary I would recommend a stop-off at some of the National Parks in BC en-route - there are some good waterfalls for instance. Then there is Sicamous and Salmon Arm in the Shuswap, before taking a left at Kamloops and visiting Kelowna (take in the Kettle Valley Railway Trestles for some good views), perhaps travelling out of Kelowna to the south maybe as far as Osoyoos, then HW3 through Manning Park. Hotels in Kelowna I would recommend are the Four Points near the airport (a bit out of town), Holiday Inn Express (but in the new tower wing and in Canada the 'Express' version is better than the UK....), the Delta Grand, or the Fairfield for a more budget choice.

The Okanagan has a lot of up-and-coming wineries. I recommend Quails Gate or Mission Hill for visits (great view, good but expensive restaurants!)

Once you get into the Fraser Valley, there is a pleasant walk in Hope at the Othello Tunnels, then maybe Harrison Hot Springs, for a thermal spa at the Hot Springs Resort & Spa overnight. Hotel is a bit pricey, but is the only one with the thermal spa.

If you stay in Vancouver, pick a hotel right in the centre near Canada Place - there are plenty to choose from. I would recommend Canada Place, Stanley Park and the Sea Wall (great sunsets!), Vancouver Aquarium, Capilano Suspension Bridge and Granville Island Market as some of the 'must do' visits, with maybe the cable car up Grouse Mountain (nice restaurant and superb views at the top!). We stayed at the Pan Pacific Hotel on a trip prior to living over here.

Another less-trodden place to visit is Lighthouse Park - maybe on the way to Horseshoe Bay (see Vancouver Island bit below...). For a free 'view point' take the Cypress Mountain ski hill road and stop at one of the two viewpoints overlooking Vancouver.

The sea taxis around False Creek are a reasonable sightseeing trip, as is a return ride on the Seabus to Lonsdale Quay and back - views of Vancouver from the Seabus and photo-opportuntities at Lonsdale Quay. The Market at Lonsdale Quay isn't worth your time though. It was trying to complete with Granville Island and failed.

Don't bother with Science World unless you have under 12s with you, other than for some good photos of the outside on a sunny day!

If you venture up to Whistler, the Peak to Peak and the other lifts right to the top of the mountains are worth the $50, but Peak to Peak is closed from 19th April reopening 23rd May to 'change over' to summer mode. Not worth the trip in that period in my view. Hotels to go for would be the Delta, Hilton or Crystal Lodge. We did SuperFly Ziplining at Easter this year - that was expensive ($130 each) but it was a blast!

For Vancouver Island, take the ferry from Horseshoe Bay rather than Tswassen (or maybe do one route there and the other back). Horseshoe Bay is a nice village with a marina and restaurants. On the Island, I recommend Ucluelet and the beaches out there on the Pacific (try the Water's Edge Hotel as a favourite there). You can go Whale Watching from there, Tofino (just to the north) or Victoria itself. In Victoria we've only stayed at the Marriott, which was in a good location and very nice. Circular tours are difficult on Vancouver Island. Despite being the size of Wales, there are very few roads! If you're in Victoria, the coast from Sooke to Port Renfrew to Cowichan Lake to Duncan is a nice route to take. You must get out of the car and walk in all locations. They aren't drive-bys!

Another alternative is the Sunshine Coast (Gibsons/Sechelt/Madeira Park) from Horseshoe Bay - yes, you can only get there by ferry, but you only pay in one direction. Up at Madeira Park you get the feel of the Temperate Rain Forest. An accommodation recommendation there would be a B&B called The Enchanter, in Pender Harbour. It is a Buckminster Fuller geodesic dome house. http://www.enchanterbb.com

withabix

pcywmf wrote: »

Hi Withabix,
I have just got a working visa for Canada and am planning on heading over next spring for 12-18months. Can you recommend any tips for cheaper flights both UK to Canada and also around Canada before I head out to help with the expected flights home for family/event.

I've looked at avios points as I can easily get two or thee new credit cards with their points bonus's (i.e some American express cards) but have also now spotted one world is the main points system in North America.
Thanks in advance

You won't find availability to redeem Points when you want to. It's getting harder and harder every year. For flights to Canada using Points you would need to book 11 months in advance. I'm not joking! We used to fly to Vancouver in Business Class with BA using converted Tesco Clubcard points, so I know how difficult it is!

Flight-wise to/from Canada you are looking at AirTransat (Canadian Affair) and IcelandAir as being the best value. With the Euro doing badly against the pound, flights with Lufthansa or KLM via a European hub could work out good value too.

BA and Air Canada sometimes have offers, but remember there isn't that much choice as most major airlines have 1 flight per day to each main Canadian airport from the UK and AirTransat typically one flight per week!

Depending on which part of Canada you are coming to, look at flights to the nearest USA airport - eg Seattle, New York etc and get a connecting flight. Can be cheaper.

Flights within Canada are very expensive. There is NO competition. Air Canada and WestJet are pretty much it. There are some AlaskaAirlines flights too, but I don't think you can take off and land in Canada!

redpete

Many thanks for the info wondercollie & withabix - much appreciated. Always more questions of course...

withabix wrote: »

As you're doing Banff on the train,

I've just been looking at the alternative to the very expensive Rocky Mountaineer - the VIA Rail route Vancouver-Kamloops-Jasper. The first leg is overnight so misses the scenery but the best part of the journey, through the Rockies, is in daylight. We'd then make our way over a few days Jasper - Banff - Calgary to end the holiday. The cost difference for VIA Rail with a double sleeping cabin is approx. £735 for two people compared to £1900 for RM Silver Class.

Any opinions on whether the extra cost is worth it for the RM?

wondercollie

I've done Vancouver - Calgary in the past. I have a friend who is taking the Mountainer to Vancouver as a 50th birthday treat and she's embarrassed at the extra cost. She's planning on drinking her weight in gin if it's rainy! She's bought the all-inclusive ticket.


On Via you pay for all your meals up front and your bar tab. I doubt the bill would run up to the difference. Canadians and students use it. The RM is a tourist experience.


Personally, I'd spend the money saved on hotels in Jasper and Banff.


If memory serves me right you leave Vancouver around 1500 and it's a slow service. Nothing like a European train, I'd been used to. I remember having a meal around Abbotsford and the train being shunted at Kamloops because the freight and grain trains move at night. The scenery up to Banff was glorious. I travelled in November and it was very black and white and dramatic for a few hours. It's a slow service, I think it took something like 22 hours to get from Vancouver to Calgary. If you are lucky and the weather outside Calgary is good, you may see hot air balloons. It was a glorious sight. The land in from Banff to Calgary is beautiful in a cowboy movie style. Fields and grasslands. But I was single and had some time on my hands.


Only you can decide which route is the best for your holiday. It stays light for quite a while in May. I'm up in Edmonton and it's staying light until around 8pm right now.

stormbreaker

Hi withabix,

You already replied to one of my other posts and I was tempted to send you a pm to see if you had anymore tips given that you know both uk and bc.Thankfully with this thread I won't have to as thought you may have thought I was a bit of a stocker:eek:

We leave Edinburgh on 30th May. We have hired a car, our rough itinerary, although finer details to be made..

2 nights Calgary,3 nights Banff,2 nights Lake Louise, 3nights Jasper, 1 nights Kamloops, 3 nights Victoria, 3 nights Vancouver

Fly to San Fransisco, 5 nights there before flying home for a rest 😊

If you know the area then any suggested adjustments (must sees) would be appreciated.
Thank you in advance

wondercollie

Are you a big hiker, walker? 8 nights in the National Parks are a lot.

stormbreaker

wondercollie wrote: »

Are you a big hiker, walker? 8 nights in the National Parks are a lot.

Not particularly. My husband has made up the itinerary! He was kind of directed by ny cousin who was there a few years ago.