Getting Around Vancouver
Much of Vancouver's visitor traffic runs through two buildings on the downtown waterfront. The Vancouver Convention Centre has two connected buildings, East and West, with 466,500 sq ft of meeting, exhibition, ballroom and plenary space. The Canada Place cruise terminal handles the Alaska season: ships call from late winter to mid-October, and the busiest months run from early May to late September.
A day that combines a session at the convention centre, a client meeting in Burnaby and a site visit in Richmond is easier with hourly chauffeur service: one chauffeur and one vehicle stay with you for the time you reserve.
Pacific Central Station on Station Street is the western terminus of VIA Rail's Canadian and the station for Amtrak Cascades trains to Seattle. Add the train and its arrival time to the booking, and the car is scheduled for that arrival. Harbour Air floatplanes to Victoria leave from the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre near Canada Place. North of downtown, the Lions Gate Bridge has three lanes, and the centre one changes direction: on weekdays two lanes usually run into the city in the morning and two run north in the late afternoon. For a cruise pickup or a downtown hotel, send the full address with your booking; the confirmation then tells you where the car will stop.
Airport Transfers in Vancouver
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is on Sea Island in Richmond, 13 km from downtown Vancouver, usually 20–25 minutes by car. Domestic and international flights, including those to the US, use the Main Terminal, while the separate South Terminal serves regional airlines and floatplane operators. Book with your flight number. For an arrival, your chauffeur checks the flight status and times the pickup to when you actually land, and your booking confirmation shows where to meet the chauffeur. YVR is a preclearance airport. With US preclearance, you clear US customs before boarding a flight to the US.
The Canada Line runs from the airport to Waterfront Station in about 25 minutes; with several suitcases, skis or children, a car from the terminal to your door is simpler. Abbotsford International Airport is 67 km east, 55 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes. Bellingham International Airport, in Washington State, is 81 km away, 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes, and Seattle–Tacoma is 249 km, 2 hours 50 minutes to 3 hours 50 minutes; both trips cross the border. The right one depends on your airline and route. For a departure from Vancouver, what counts is the length of the drive, not the time on the clock: plan on 20–25 minutes to YVR, longer at peak hours. Journey times vary with traffic and weather. You set the pickup time yourself, and the confirmation shows it.
Long-Distance & Cross-Border Travel from Vancouver
Whistler is 124 km north, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes on Highway 99, the Sea-to-Sky Highway, and Squamish is on the way at 67 km. Highway 99 is the only road there: when a crash or a slide closes it near Lions Bay, traffic is often turned around with no detour, so check DriveBC before setting off. Victoria, on Vancouver Island, is a ferry trip rather than a drive: BC Ferries sails from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay in about 1 hour 35 minutes, plus loading and unloading time, and Swartz Bay lies north of the city.
Seattle is 227 km south, 2 hours 35 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes on Highway 99 and I-5, with the same chauffeur and car from start to finish, with no change of vehicle at the border. Cars cross at the Douglas port by the Peace Arch or at Pacific Highway, both in Surrey; on a 2024 long weekend, waits at both reached 180 minutes. If you would rather take the train, Amtrak Cascades leaves from Pacific Central Station, where passengers go through US preclearance before boarding. Visitors who need an ESTA must have it approved before they cross into the US by land, and they receive their I-94 record at the land port. Carry the travel documents your nationality and itinerary require.
Groups & Congress Travel in Vancouver
Vancouver's calendar follows the convention centre and the cruise port. Web Summit Vancouver, the tech conference that replaced Collision in Toronto, takes over the Vancouver Convention Centre in May. For 2026 the port expected a record cruise season of nearly 360 ship calls and more than 1.4 million passengers, and Disney based two ships here for its Alaska sailings. The Celebration of Light fireworks over English Bay normally run on three nights in late July; 2026 had a single show instead.
When you book for other people, all their transfers can be kept in one account, each with its own booking and confirmation. If conference speakers land on several flights, every arrival gets a transfer of its own. For a cruise party sailing together, a Sprinter van carries up to 12 people with their bags, and bigger groups go by coach, with up to 56 seats; the vehicle is matched to the load, from a family with a week of luggage to an exhibitor team with display crates.
On big cruise weekends and in conference weeks, local vehicles and drivers are booked up early. If your plans go beyond a standard booking, write to support with the dates, addresses, number of passengers, flights and luggage, and the team will arrange it.
