Getting Around Downtown Vancouver
Downtown Vancouver is one of the most vibrant districts of the city, as it is home to plenty of attractions. Downtown is a waterfront area situated on a peninsula, along with the West End neighborhood and Stanley Park. Being a major focal point for locals and tourists alike, Downtown Vancouver has an excellent transportation system to accommodate everyone.
First of all, the downtown area is a pedestrian friendly district, where thousands of people walk along the spacious sidewalks. Many of the local attractions are located within walking distance of each other. For example, BC Place and GM Place, two major sporting and entertainment venues, are situated across each other between Georgia Street. Since these arenas attract the largest crowds in Downtown Vancouver, public transportation is the preferred method for getting there.
Skytrain is the local rapid transit system in Downtown Vancouver. This is a truly unique public transportation service because it is fully automatic, without any drivers and conductors. This train service that runs on elevated tracks truly represents the modern character of Vancouver.
The three Skytrain lines are called Canada Line, Millenium Line, and Expo Line. There are multiple stops in downtown Vancouver, with the Stadium-Chinatown being one of the busiest. Located along Beatty Street, this train station is the gateway to BC Place and GM Place. The Stadium-Chinatown station receives service from the Expo Line and Millenium Line, both of which runs loops to nearby cities such as Burnaby and New Westminster.
Another important Skytrain station in downtown Vancouver is the Vancouver City Center station. Located along the Canada Line, this station has direct links to YVR Airport (Vancouver International Airport.) Arriving airplane passengers can end up in the downtown district in about 30 minutes.
Downtown Vancouver also has a large network of bus routes, which are operated by TransLink. There are stops on virtually most blocks in the downtown area, so hopping on one should be easy. For example, bus routes 3, 4, and 5 bear the name downtown in their routes. Because there are so many bus routes, it's a good idea to bring along printed schedules or visit Translink's official website.