The Port of Vancouver's 25 marine terminals are looked after by the Vancouver Port Authority (tel: (604) 665 9000; website: www.portvancouver.com) and is one of the busiest ports in North America. Although most of the traffic is cargo, a dozen cruise lines operate over 300 trips to Alaska, carrying around one million passengers per year. The port contains two passenger terminals. The downtown Canada Place Terminal offers restaurants, hotels and left-luggage facilities, while Ballantyne Terminal, about 2km (1.2 miles) to the east, has fewer facilities, with food and drink concessions.

Ferry services: Scheduled services from Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Sunshine Coast are offered by BC Ferries (tel: (250) 386 3431 or 1 888 223 3779; website: www.bcferries.com). The major routes from Vancouver Island are Victoria-Vancouver, with ferries sailing between Swartz Bay and Tsawassen (journey time - 1 hour 35 minutes), and Nanaimo-Vancouver, with ferries arriving at either the Horseshoe Bay or Tsawassen terminals (journey time - 1 hour 35 minutes or 2 hours, respectively). Pods of orcas (killer whales) can sometimes be seen on the trip from Victoria.

Transport to the city: Canada Place Terminal is a short walk from Waterfront SkyTrain Station and the main shopping and hotel districts. Taxis are readily available at Ballantyne Terminal and all westbound buses on Powell Street and Hastings Street (a few blocks south of the pier) lead Downtown. A free shuttle bus connects the two terminals.

From Tsawassen, foot passengers can book a seat on Pacific Coach Lines coaches (tel: (604) 662 7575 or 1 800 661 1725; website: www.pacificcoach.com) to the main bus terminal (tickets may be purchased aboard the ferry). Public transit is available on bus 620 (first bus at 0640, then hourly 0800-2300), which leads to the Airport Station transfer point, from where bus no.98B heads downtown (total journey time - 60-75 minutes). From Horseshoe Bay, express bus 257 (journey time - 40 minutes) and bus 250 (journey time - 55 minutes) both travel directly to downtown Vancouver.