The Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority, under the name TransLink (tel: (604) 953 3333; website: www.translink.bc.ca), operates city buses and the SkyTrain, SeaBus and West Coast Express services.

A regular bus service (branded Coast Mountain Bus) runs from about 0500-2400 and is supplemented by the limited ‘Owl' night bus service.

Vancouver's clean and efficient SkyTrain is a metro system with four underground stops Downtown and an elevated track for the rest of its 49.5km (30-mile) journey through the suburbs. It is the world's longest automated light rapid transit system. Trains on the original Expo Line run from Waterfront Station via New Westminster to Surrey; those on the newer Millennium Line follow the same route as far as Columbia Station, before branching off for the eastern suburbs and then looping back to connect with the Expo Line at Broadway/Commercial Drive Station. Trains depart every 2 to 8 minutes (services start at about 0530 Monday to Friday, 0630 Saturday and 0750 Sunday; last trains are around 0115 Monday to Saturday and 2415 Sunday). Transfers can be made at most stations to bus services and at Waterfront Station to the SeaBus, a catamaran ferry that connects Downtown with North Vancouver every 15 minutes during the day and 30 minutes in the evening (journey time - 12 minutes). Weekend services are slightly less frequent.

Fares for all three modes of transport are based on a zone system. Transfers are valid for 90 minutes from the start of the journey. Exact change is required on buses, while tickets for the SkyTrain and SeaBus are available for purchase at ticket windows and machines. Tickets must be validated before entering the fare zone.

Day passes valid for all of the above modes of transport in all zones are available. So are books of 10 tickets.

Other transportation options include the West Coast Express, a commuter rail service connecting Waterfront SkyTrain Station with a number of cities in the Fraser Valley. The Downtown Historic Railway (website: www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/streetcar) links Granville Island with Science World on summer weekend afternoons (late May-early October).

Connecting a number of points on either side of False Creek are tiny bath-toy-like passenger ferries operated by two private companies - Aquabus (tel: (604) 689 5858; website: www.aquabus.bc.ca) and False Creek Ferries (tel: (604) 684 7781; website: www.granvilleislandferries.bc.ca). Fares depend on the route travelled. Day passes are available (concessions available).

Taxis are readily available at taxi ranks or by telephone and can easily be hailed in the Downtown area, although they can be difficult to find elsewhere in the city. The main taxi firms are Yellow Cab Company (tel: (604) 681 1111 or 1 800 898 8294; website: www.yellowcabvancouver.ca) and Black Top & Checker Cabs (tel: (604) 731 1111 or 1 800 494 1111; website: www.blacktop-checkercabs.ca). Minivan taxis are available upon request. A tip of 15% is customary.

As Vancouver is spread out over a series of islands and peninsulas, the main traffic bottlenecks are the region's many bridges, notably during rush hours (0700-0900 and 1600-1800). There are no highways in the centre of the city, so driving is slower and more time should be allowed to reach a destination. It is usually easier to take public transport and/or walk in downtown Vancouver.

Outside of Downtown, north-south roads are named Streets and east-west roads are numbered Avenues. It is easy to locate addresses on north-south streets by subtracting 16 from the first two digits of the address, to find the corresponding block (for example, 2630 Main Street would be between 10th and 11th Avenues). Ontario Street divides the city into East and West (all of Downtown's streets are West).

Parking is readily available in underground and multi-storey car parks in the Downtown area - parking lots are run by EasyPark Vancouver (website: www.easyparkvancouver.com). Locations and rates are available on their website.

All the major car hire companies are represented in Vancouver. Central locations include Alamo, 1185 West Georgia Street (tel: (604) 684 1401; website: www.alamo.com), Avis, 757 Hornby Street (tel: (604) 606 2868; website: www.avis.ca), Budget BC, 416 West Georgia Street (tel: (604) 668 7000; website: www.bc.budget.com), National, 1185 West Georgia Street (tel: (604) 609 7150; website: www.nationalcar.ca), and Thrifty, Empire Landmark Hotel, 1400 Robson Street (tel: (604) 681 4869; website: www.thrifty.com). Rent-A-Wreck, 1349 Hornby Street (tel: (604) 688 0001 or 1 888 665 3777; website: www.rentawreck.ca), is usually cheaper than the major providers.

Drivers under 25 years of age may face certain restrictions and those aged 19-21 may have to pay a surcharge. All drivers are required to pay the Passenger Vehicle Rental Tax and other government fees, federal and provincial sales taxes, plus a surcharge of around 15% for airport rentals. Rates do not include taxes or other incidentals (such as insurance, drop-off fees, petrol or mileage charges, etc). Those hiring a car should always check whether or not the minimum insurance requirements are included in the price of hire.

For excursions into British Columbia's wilderness, a motorcamper or motorhome (known as a recreational vehicle or RV) offers a great deal of flexibility. Westcoast Mountain Campers, Voyageur Way, Richmond (tel: (604) 279 0550; website: www.wcmcampers.com), and Traveland RV Supercentre, 20529 Langley Bypass, Langley (tel: (604) 530 8141 or 1 888 513 9434; website: www.travelandrvcanada.com), are two options.

The best place to hire a bicycle or the popular in-line skates is around Robson Street and Denman Street, near Stanley Park. Bayshore Bicycle & Rollerblade Skate Rentals, 745 Denman Street (tel: (604) 688 2453; website: www.bayshorebikerentals.ca), is open daily 0900-2100 (0900-dusk in winter). Spokes Bicycle Rentals, 1798 West Georgia Street (tel: (604) 688 5141; website: www.vancouverbikerental.com), offers guided tours in summer, in addition to bicycle hire.

Along the seawall and within Stanley Park, cyclists should watch for signs indicating if trails may be shared with pedestrians or are pedestrian-only. Elsewhere, the city has a well-marked system of bike paths, although hills and heavy traffic on the bridges may be challenging for inexperienced riders. Bicycle helmets are required by law and the same traffic rules for automobiles apply to cyclists. The City of Vancouver website (www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/cycling) provides further information.