City Information               Boka hyrbilar hela världen online -     Queensway Travel
Airport  
Vancouver International Airport is on an island 13 km south of Downtown. Flight time from London is 9 hrs 40 mins. The international terminal, completed in 1996, is beautiful, functional and spacious. Large totem poles and waterfalls set a West Coast tone. A C$53m facelift for the domestic terminal is due for completion in 2002. To help pay for both projects, an airport improvement fee (AIF) is levied on all departing passengers. The AIF varies with destination: C$5 for points within British Columbia and Yukon, C$10 for the rest of North America (including Mexico and Hawaii) and C$15 for overseas. Children under two and passengers making connections on the same day are exempt. Customer service centres are located on departure levels of both terminals. Tourism information counters are located on arrivals levels.
Airport to City Centre
Taxis wait outside both domestic and international terminal arrival levels. Fare for the half-hour journey into Downtown runs about $25 plus tip (usually 10-15% of meter rate). Regular YVR Airporter buses (Tel: 604 946 8866) leave from Arrivals Levels every 15 mins (0630-2330) charging C$12 one way and C$18 round trip. They cover two routes, so confirm with driver that the bus you’re on will go to your destination. Limojet Gold operates a 24-hr limousine service into the city for a flat fee of C$32.
Orientation
Greater Vancouver’s 2 million citizens live in an area of around 3,000 sq km, bounded by the ocean, beaches, mountains and the US border. The Downtown peninsula, jutting from the bulk of the city’s north-west into the Pacific Ocean, contains the main business, shopping and entertainment districts, plus the lively residential areas of the West End and Yaletown. The peninsula is bordered on the west by English Bay, on the north by Burrard Inlet and on the south by False Creek. The large, forested expanse of Stanley Park lies at its northern end, linked by Lions Gate Bridge to the affluent suburbs of North and West Vancouver. 
Burrard Street is the rough demarcation line between the West End and the main business district to the east. Downtown is packed with restaurants, shops and offices, with Howe St, north of Georgia St, at its financial heart. The West End’s main streets – Burrard, Robson, Denman and Davie – form a quadrangle that makes an informative walk. To the south-east of the city centre, Yaletown’s run-down warehouses have been transformed into loft flats, bohemian art galleries, nightclubs, restaurants, boutiques and chic offices. Gastown, the oldest part of the city, is a designated heritage site, with old gas lamps and a steam clock built by Gillett and Johnson of Croydon. Right on the harbour sits Canada Place, whose five enormous billowing sails cap Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, cruise ship terminal and CN IMAX Theater. It incorporates the World Trade Centre office complex and posh Pan Pacific Hotel. To the south-east lies Chinatown, one of the largest Asian communities in North America, but its historic roots are now being cramped by large condo developments and mega-malls. 
Across False Creek to the south is the trendy area of the same name, centred around Granville Island. Once a light industrial area, it now has a splendid food market, marina, theatres and restaurants. Further west lies the mixed (but upscale) Kitsilano area (known as ‘Kits’), including Kitsilano Beach Park. Beyond that stretches Point Grey, site of the beautiful University of British Columbia. South of the city lies the suburb of Richmond, which includes the airport. It now has a large Asian population and commerce base. 
Excursions
If you have 2-3 days extra take the seaplane to the Wickaninnish Inn at Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island for the ultimate rest. Golfing enthusiasts should take their clubs too. A two-hour drive north of Vancouver takes you to Whistler, North America’s pre-eminent ski resort, and much more. Outstanding golf courses await, and outdoor mountain activities draw enthusiasts all year. The dining scene is lively, too. 
Getting Around
Downtown is compact and easily negotiated on foot. For covering greater distances, taxis are pretty reasonable with fares starting at C$2.30. Expect to pay C$5-7 for a shortish trip. A usual tip is 10–15%, rounded up to the nearest dollar. Reliable firms include Black Top and Yellow Cab. Vancouver Taxi has 30 wheelchair mini-vans, and is also available for excess luggage. 
Public transport is fully integrated under a regional authority and operated as TransLink. It comprises diesel and electrically-powered buses all around the city, the driverless magnetic rail SkyTrain (running south-east from Waterfront Station on the Downtown harbour to suburban Surrey) and the SeaBus catamaran ferries, which connect Waterfront Station to North Vancouver via a 10-min ride across Burrard Inlet. The region is divided into three zones; C$1.75 buys you a one-zone ticket, valid for 90 mins from the time of issue, or pay C$7 for an all-day, all-zone pass after 0930. Exact change required for all fares. 
Two fleets of mini-ferries – Aquabus and Granville Island Ferries – offer fun transportation across False Creek from the south foot of Howe St and the Aquatic Centre (below Burrard Bridge) to Granville Island, the Maritime Museum and other points. Routes vary; call for details. 
What to see
Museum of Anthropology: Vancouver’s most important museum is part of the University of British Columbia campus, buffered from the city by thousands of acres of unspoiled parkland. It is devoted to the culture and art of the area’s natives, with the nation’s best collection of totem poles, artefacts from ‘potlatch’ ceremonies, jewellery and two Haida long houses.
BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum: Located inside the mushroom-domed BC Place Stadium, built for Expo ’86, this museum champions local sports heroes via photographs and videos.
Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden: 14c Ming dynasty-style garden – the first built outside China – featuring pine bowers, rock gardens and deep pools filled with Japanese carp. Named after the founder of the first Chinese Republic, who was a frequent visitor to Vancouver. 578 Carrall St, Chinatown.
Granville Island: In the late 70s, an old industrial site was renovated to accommodate craftsmen’s workshops and designers’ offices, along with theatres, restaurants, a brewery and the region’s foremost food market. Today, it’s also an entertainment hot spot, pulsating with sound. During the day, tourists flock to its parks, marinas and pathways to enjoy the antics of the street entertainers. The public market is a great place to snack and stroll. 
Harbour Center: Landmark development overlooking Burrard Inlet, with glass elevators that transport you 167 m up to the 40th floor revolving restaurant, or the observation deck one floor below, for a stunning 360° view.
Stanley Park: North America’s largest urban park takes the form of a 1,000-acre evergreen forest on the north-west flank of the West End. It’s some 20% larger than Central Park and in the 1880s was used to protect the harbour entrance, being surrounded by water on three sides. Today it has abundant wildlife, fabulous marine views, areas to exercise, skate or bike, as well as a children’s zoo and aquarium. The Seawall Walk that circles the park is popular with runners. 
Vancouver Aquarium: One of Stanley Park's most impressive sights is the aquarium – a non-profit, independent education and research venue that features lavish underwater displays, the re-creation of an Amazon rainforest, as well as the antics of trained beluga whales, sea lions, otters and sharks, among many marine creatures.
Vancouver Art Gallery: Formerly a courthouse, this 1906 building houses a fine collection of works by artist Emily Carr and the Canadian Group of Seven, as well as a few Lichtensteins and Warhols. The gift shop is excellent.
Maritime Museum: 300 years of maritime heritage is trawled here, via ship models, antique fittings, prints and documents. The highlight is the RCMP Arctic patrol vessel, only the second to navigate the Northwest Passage.
Vancouver Museum: Tracing 8,000 years of Vancouver history, from its first inhabitants to the most recent immigrants. Exhibits include a whaling canoe, 19c immigrant ship and an original passenger railcar from the 1880s. Downstairs, the Space Center features a cosmic simulator, displays of Canadian space inventions and pioneering endeavours, along with a Geosphere’s satellite-image display unit. Easily accessible from Downtown by public transit or taxi, or take a mini-ferry across False Creek.
Shopping           Reguljär flyg - sista minuten resor - restresa           Queensway Travel
Most shops are open Mon-Sat from 0930 to 1800, extended to 2100 Thurs-Fri, and 1200 to 1700 Sun. Head for the vast Pacific Centre Mall, spreading over and under three Downtown blocks between Granville and Howe Sts, from Dunsmuir to Robson St. Its northern end has a three-storey waterfall and skylight atrium. Big department stores are in evidence, plus hundreds of smaller shops. More intimate high-fashion and designer boutiques are found along Robson St, west of Hornby St. 
Vancouver’s erratic weather has spawned several great shops selling all things waterproof, including Tilley Endurables, 2401 Granville St, for a Tilley hat that floats and repels rain without shrinking. The Umbrella Shop, 1106 W Broadway, will brighten any rainy day with a dizzying selection of new or customised brollies. For art of indigenous peoples of BC and the Arctic, including pieces in argillite and silver jewellery, galleries are closely clumped in Gastown. Visit Hill's Native Art , Images for a Canadian Heritage or the Inuit Gallery of Vancouver. 
Granville Island Market is a food-lover’s paradise, and stall-holders will air-pack local salmon catches for you to take home . Most top-quality BC wines carry a VQA (Vintners’ Quality Alliance) seal, and many have been generating keen interest among wine aficionados in London, San Francisco and New York. Ice wines are a much-sought speciality. Best selection Downtown is at the government-run liquor store at 1120 Alberni St, near Thurlow St. Specially trained staff are pleased to assist visitors. 
Where to walk
From the imposing Art Gallery in the City Centre, head west along Robson St, through the West End, where Vancouver’s beautiful people flood the trendy boutiques, restaurants and coffee shops. Continue into Stanley Park – one of the world’s great green urban spaces – just a couple of kilometres from Downtown. The 1,000 acres harbours wilderness, beaches and nature trails, with monumental views over the water and mountains on three sides. You can circle the park on the seawall, returning to Canada Place via the inner harbour side, or from the south side of the park continue past English Bay beach on a brisk walk to the Aquatic Centre, where you can catch a mini-ferry to Granville Island. From there you can go through the thriving public market and busy marina, then head under the south end of Burrard Bridge and on to Vanier Park, the Maritime Museum, Planetarium and observatory.