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| Home > City Guide - Vancouver - Getting There By Water | ||
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Getting There By Water The Port of Vancouver is looked after by the Vancouver Port Authority (tel: (604) 665 9000; fax: 604.665.9007; e-mail: public_affairs@portvancouver.com; 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 more than 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 two kilometres (just over one mile) 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 (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 (tel: (604) 662 8074; website: www.pacificcoach.com) to the main bus terminal. Public transit is available on bus 640, which leads to Scott Road SkyTrain Station (journey time – 50 minutes), a half-hour journey on the SkyTrain from Downtown. However, it is faster to transfer at Ladner Travellers should transfer to bus 601 for Downtown destinations (journey time – 1 hour). From Horseshoe Bay, express bus 257 (journey time – 40 minutes) and bus 250 (journey time – 55 minutes) both travel directly to Downtown Vancouver. |
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