British Columbia Getting There
Getting There by Air
Main Airports
Victoria (YYJ) (www.victoriaairport.com) is 22km (14 miles) north of Victoria. To/from the airport: Bus services, an airport shuttle and taxis are available (journey time - 30 minutes). Facilities: ATM, foreign exchange, car hire, shops, restaurants and cafes.
Kelowna (YLW) (www.kelownaairport.com) is north of Kelowna. To/from the airport: Shuttle services are available (journey time - 20 minutes). Facilities: Duty-free shopping, restaurant, gift shop, ATMs, car hire and a cappuccino bar.
Getting There by Water
There are ferry services to and from all coastal ports in British Columbia. Ferry services link two points on Vancouver Island with Vancouver city's north (Horseshoe Bay) and south (Tsawwassen) terminals on the mainland. Foot passengers can take coaches from Vancouver city centre to Victoria city centre.
BC Ferries (tel: (250) 386 3431 or 1 888 223 3779/BC FERRY; www.bcferries.com) operates numerous routes along coastal British Columbia, including a scenic, 15-hour, one-way, daylight voyage from Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island up the Inside Passage to Prince Rupert, a crossing from Prince Rupert to the Queen Charlotte Islands, and the Discovery Coast Passage, a summer route between Port Hardy and Bella Coola on the mid-coast mainland.
There is also a high-speed catamaran from Victoria to Seattle (USA), the Victoria Clipper (tel: (250) 382 8100 or 1 800 888 2535; www.clippervacations.com). For further information on ferries, contact BC Ferries or consult The Ferry Traveller (tel: 1 800 686 0446; www.ferrytravel.com), a website with general ferry information.
Getting There by Rail
The Whistler Mountaineer (tel: (604) 606 8460 or 1 888 687 7245 or 00 800 0606 7372, in the UK; www.whistlermountaineer.com) is a scenic, three-hour tourist train running between Vancouver and Whistler. The seasonal Rocky Mountaineer train (tel: 1 877 460 3200 or 00 800 0606 7372, in the UK; www.rockymountaineer.com) is a two-day, all-daylight tour between Vancouver and Banff and Calgary or Jasper and between Whistler and Jasper, operating between mid April and mid October.
Getting There by Road
Coach: Greyhound Canada (tel: 1 800 661 8747; www.greyhound.ca) provides coach services between most of British Columbia's cities and major towns. Malaspina Coachlines (tel: 1 877 227 8287; www.malaspinacoach.com) runs services from Vancouver International airport to Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast. Pacific Coachlines (tel: (604) 662 7575 or 1 800 661 1725; www.pacificcoach.com) operates services from various Vancouver locations to Whistler, Victoria and Namaimo.
Getting Around Towns and Cities
BC Transit (tel: (250) 385 2551; www.bctransit.com) runs buses in Victoria as well as in numerous other communities throughout the province.
Journey Times
| Air | Road | Rail | |
| Victoria | 0.25 | 3.30 | - |
| Kamloops | 0.55 | 4.00 | 9.00 |
| Whistler | 0.30 | 2.00 | - |
| Prince George | 1.00 | 10.00 | - |
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