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Canada

Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver: An Alaska Departure Port in the Middle of Downtown

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Rental cars 7.0 miles away
Downtown Vancouver towers rising above Burrard Inlet with two red tugboats on the water under a clear blue sky.

Photo: Daderot · CC0-1.0 (CC0)

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Vancouver's Canada Place cruise terminal extends into the inner harbour directly below the mountains. From the ship, the city rises against a backdrop that is genuinely startling — glass towers, then forest, then snow-capped peaks, all in the same frame. Most passengers are here to board for Alaska. But Vancouver rewards arriving two days early or staying two days after.

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Canada Place itself is connected to downtown by a covered walkway; the Convention Centre, the Fairmont Waterfront, and Coal Harbour Park are all within a few minutes' walk. The Gastown neighborhood — Victorian brick, steam clock, the city's oldest buildings — begins about 10 minutes east of the terminal on foot. The main drag (Water Street) is tourist-facing; a block back on Alexander Street, the restaurants are more local.

Stanley Park begins immediately north of downtown and is one of the largest urban parks in North America. The seawall path circles the entire park — 8.8 kilometers — with views of the harbor, the Lions Gate Bridge, and the North Shore mountains. Bikes rent from stands near the park entrance for about $10/hour. The park also contains Lost Lagoon, the Vancouver Aquarium, and Prospect Point, a cliff-top viewpoint above the Lions Gate. Three to four hours does the full circuit comfortably.

Granville Island, accessible by ferry from the foot of Hornby Street (about 15 minutes from the pier), hosts the Public Market — a working indoor market with produce, fresh fish, cheese, baked goods, and prepared food stalls. It's the best single place in Vancouver to eat on a schedule. The surrounding Granville Island neighborhood has galleries, a brewing company, and a consistent creative energy that doesn't feel manufactured.

Capilano Suspension Bridge, 15 minutes north of the city by car or transit, is a 137-meter bridge across a canyon in a second-growth forest. The experience is well-run and the treetop walk is genuinely impressive; it's a significant additional entry fee and worth knowing in advance.

Eating in Vancouver is excellent across the board. The city has substantial Japanese, Chinese, and South Asian communities and the corresponding restaurants are among the best on the continent. Robson Street in the West End, and the entire Richmond suburb to the south, are worth knowing for non-tourist-facing options.

May through September is the primary Alaska cruise season and the best time for dry weather in Vancouver. The city does receive substantial rain October through March; June is the most reliably clear summer month.

Good to know

What to Expect

All cruise ships use Canada Place, on the downtown waterfront.

  • Baggage drop opens between 10:00 and 10:30 am on sailing day, and checked bags go straight to your cabin.
  • After check-in and security you clear US Customs and Border Protection inside the terminal, the last step before boarding, so keep passports out of checked bags.
  • For the night before, the Pan Pacific hotel is part of the Canada Place complex.
  • Day storage for bags is available at the terminal for cruise passengers only, with nothing overnight.

Getting Around

The Canada Line train runs from the airport to Waterfront Station, a short walk from the terminal, in about 25 minutes.

  • From the airport, an adult fare is C$10.00 to C$11.60 by cash or contactless card (2026). That includes a C$6.50 airport surcharge, which does not apply on the ride back.
  • US citizens traveling on a valid US passport need no visa or eTA to enter Canada. US permanent residents need a valid passport and their green card.
  • Most other visa-exempt travelers flying in need an eTA, and the port says to have it before you reach the terminal.

Stanley Park and the City

Stanley Park, a 400-hectare forest on the downtown peninsula, is about 2 km west of the terminal along the Coal Harbour waterfront.

  • The seawall path around Stanley Park is 9 km. The city puts it at 2 to 3 hours on foot or 1 hour by bike.
  • With only a few hours before boarding, walk the waterfront toward Stanley Park and turn back when half your time is gone.
  • Gastown, the original townsite, is within walking distance of Waterfront Station. Its steam clock, the district's best-known landmark, dates only from 1977.

Tipping and Currency

Prices are in Canadian dollars, and restaurant tips usually run 15 to 20 percent.

  • Taxi drivers are usually tipped 10 to 15 percent.
  • Transit fare gates and bus readers take contactless credit cards and mobile wallets, so you do not need Canadian cash for the train.
  • Pay by card or in Canadian dollars. A shop that takes US cash sets its own exchange rate.

Where to Eat

Granville Island Public Market is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm and is the simplest food stop on a short visit.

  • Aquabus ferries run from the foot of Hornby Street to Granville Island every 15 minutes or less.
  • Granville Island Public Market closes on only three days a year: December 25 and 26 and January 1.
  • Gastown, within walking distance of the terminal, has many restaurants.

Traveling with Family

Stanley Park is the family day, but its miniature train is not running: the city lists it as offline because of safety concerns.

  • The Vancouver Aquarium is inside Stanley Park, and its former beluga pool is now a Steller sea lion habitat.
  • Capilano Suspension Bridge Park runs a free shuttle from Canada Place all year, about 20 minutes each way, and stores luggage for the day. The bridge is 140 meters long and 70 meters above the river.
  • Kitsilano Pool, a 137-meter outdoor saltwater pool, is seasonal. In 2026 it was open from June 17 to September 13.

A Brief History

Vancouver became a city in 1886, on land where the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples have lived for thousands of years.

  • George Vancouver explored the inner harbor of Burrard Inlet in 1792, and the city takes his name.
  • In 1867 John "Gassy Jack" Deighton opened a saloon at the edge of a sawmill's property. The settlement around it became known as Gastown and was surveyed in 1870 as the townsite of Granville.
  • The Canadian Pacific Railway chose the site as its western terminus. The city was incorporated as Vancouver on April 6, 1886, burned in the Great Fire on June 13, and saw its first trains in May 1887.
  • In 1885, with the railway finished, Canada imposed a head tax on Chinese immigrants that rose to C$500 by 1903.
  • Canada Place was built as the Canada Pavilion for Expo 86.

Shopping & Local Markets

Granville Island has artists' studios and workshops beside its public market, and Robson Street is the downtown shopping street.

  • Only the Public Market keeps fixed hours on Granville Island. The studios and shops set their own, so check before making a special trip.
  • Robson Street's main commercial blocks run from Burrard Street to Jervis Street.
  • Lonsdale Quay, 10 to 12 minutes across the harbor by SeaBus from Waterfront Station, has a public market of its own.

Beaches

English Bay Beach, beside the West End, is the downtown beach for swimming, sunbathing and sunsets.

  • Sunset Beach, Second Beach and Third Beach also face English Bay from the downtown side.
  • A 28 km seaside path links the downtown beaches, from the convention center beside the terminal to Spanish Banks.
  • Parts of the Stanley Park seawall close for rock-slope work, so look for the city's detour signs.

Accessibility

A wheelchair for use inside the Canada Place terminal has to be arranged through your cruise line before you arrive.

  • Wheelchairs and mobility scooters for the cruise itself can be booked ahead from Scootaround or Special Needs at Sea and collected at the terminal.
  • The terminal takes part in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program. Staff wearing a sunflower badge hand out lanyards, which bring extra help, not faster screening.
  • The terminal has two relief areas for service animals: one outdoors on the cruise ship level before security, and one in the secure area after it.
  • Aquabus says all of its False Creek ferry routes, including Hornby Street to Granville Island, are wheelchair accessible.
  • The city publishes an interactive accessibility map for Stanley Park.

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