West Vancouver

West Vancouver is a suburban area of Vancouver's North Shore in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It has a few good parks, excellent hikes and some of the most expensive property in Canada.

Understand


West Vancouver is mainly a residential district as it has no manufacturing industry by law. Many of its residents commute to downtown Vancouver, work at home, or are retired. It is home to some very large expensive houses, most with views of Vancouver Island, English Bay, and/or Howe Sound. West Van (as the locals call it) is Canada's wealthiest municipality (followed by its neighbor, North Vancouver). Together with the District of North Vancouver and City of North Vancouver, it is part of a local regional grouping referred to as the North Shore municipalities, or simply "The North Shore".

Get in
See Vancouver for options to get in the Vancouver area by plane, by bus, and by train, and by boat.

By car
The main entry points to West Vancouver are Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) from North Vancouver or by Highway 99 across the Lion's Gate Bridge from Vancouver. Visitors travelling south on Highway 99 from Squamish or Whistler will arrive in the North Shore just above Horseshoe Bay.

By boat

 * Destinations served by this terminal, all using ferries that carry vehicles and foot passengers:
 * Bowen Island (Snug Cove) ferry terminal (20 minute crossing), operating every 1.25 to 2 hours. Daily first inbound departures are normally at 5:20 am and daily first outbound departures are at 5:50 am, except on Sundays, when inbound departures normally start at 6:20 am. Last departures vary seasonally, but generally depart sometime between 10 pm and 11 pm.
 * Nanaimo (Departure Bay) ferry terminal on Vancouver Island (1 hour 40 minute crossing), operating slightly less frequently than every 2 hours. First and last departure times vary seasonally with typical inbound and outbound daily first departures being around 6:15 am and last departures being around 10 pm or 11 pm.
 * Sunshine Coast (Langdale) ferry terminal (40 minute crossing) near Gibsons, operating slightly less frequently than every 2 hours. Normally, the daily first inbound departure is at 6:20 am, the first outbound departure is at 7:30 am. Last departures vary seasonally from around 9 pm to nearly 11 pm.
 * Reservations
 * Reservations can be completed on BC Ferries' website or by phone.
 * Reservations are a generally good idea, as ferries can fill up. If you book far enough in advance and prepay with saver fare is available, you may even pay less than showing up at the terminal. Otherwise, reservations increase the cost of the trip, between increasing cost between $2.50 extra and $17, depending on which option you choose.
 * Drivers must redeem their reservation at the ferry terminal at least 30 minutes before the scheduled sailing or they lose their guarantee to be on the sailing and are given the same priority as anyone else showing up at the ferry terminal without a reservation.
 * Horshbay-ferrytermin-entrance.jpgc transit
 * Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) ferry terminal is served by several of TransLink's bus routes including:
 * Route 250, connecting to downtown Vancouver. Enables connections with Burrard station (SkyTrain Expo Line) at its stop on Georgia St at Burrard St, and with Granville station (SkyTrain Expo Line) and Vancouver City Centre station (SkyTrain Canada Line) at its stop on Georgia St at Granville St
 * Route 257, a limited stop service connecting to downtown Vancouver. Enables connections with Burrard station (SkyTrain Expo Line) at its stop on Georgia St at Burrard St, and with Granville station (SkyTrain Expo Line) and Vancouver City Centre station (SkyTrain Canada Line) at its stop on Georgia St at Granville St. This is faster than Route 250 if your destination is downtown.
 * Route 262, connecting to Lions Bay and parts of West Vancouver
 * Bowen Island (Snug Cove) ferry terminal has bus service operated by TransLink on routes 280, 281, and 282, which travel to different parts of the island
 * Nanaimo (Departure Bay) ferry terminal is served by bus routes operates by BC Transit on the following routes:
 * Routes 20 and 20A travel between downtown Nanaimo and Woodgrove Exchange (in north Nanaimo) via the ferry terminal
 * Route 25 travels a large single direction loop around Nanaimo, starting at Woodgrove Exchange, stopping at the ferry terminal, stopping in downtown, stopping at Vancouver Island University (VIU), and then ending at Woodgrove Exchange.
 * Sunshine Coast (Langdale) ferry terminal is served by bus routes operated by BC Transit:
 * Route 1 connects with Sechelt via Gibsons
 * Route 90 connects with Sechelt via Gibsons, but includes less detours, resulting in faster travel time to and from Sechelt
 * Parking options
 * Short-term and long-term parking are available at the ferry terminal, but parking availability may be limited at peak times. BC Ferries' website identifies the current amount of long-term parking remaining.
 * Amenities
 * Wi-Fi: Free service at the ferry terminal. Not offered on the ferries.
 * Washrooms: Available in the terminal and on board ferries.
 * Eating and shopping: Vending machines sell snacks in the terminal. Restaurants and shops are located in a several block retail area immediately west of the terminal. A cafeteria style-restaurant and a gift shop are on board the ferries, except on the ferry connecting to Bowen Island.
 * Washrooms: Available in the terminal and on board ferries.
 * Eating and shopping: Vending machines sell snacks in the terminal. Restaurants and shops are located in a several block retail area immediately west of the terminal. A cafeteria style-restaurant and a gift shop are on board the ferries, except on the ferry connecting to Bowen Island.

By public transit
Passengers can pay for fares using Compass Cards ($6 refundable deposit), Compass Tickets, or tap-to-pay using contactless credit cards (only American Express, Mastercard or Visa) or mobile wallets. Passengers using Compass Cards and Compass Tickets pay discounted fares. Passengers can transfer for up to 90 minutes, except if taking West Coast Express, in which case they can transfer for up to 120 minutes. On bus and HandyDART, passengers can also pay in cash, but in that case will not receive change and are not eligible for transfers. Zone based fares apply between Monday and Friday for trips starting before 6:30 pm, if travel involves SkyTrain or SeaBus. Outside of those hours or for travel on only bus or HandyDART, a single zone rate applies. If traveling by West Coast Express, a higher cost zone based fare system applies regardless of time of travel. Children 12 and under can ride for free. People aged 13 to 18, and 65 and older pay discounted concession fares.

Travelling to/from North Vancouver costs for a standard adult fare (as of ). Crossing the harbour means crossing a fare zone boundary so a ticket to/from Vancouver, Burnaby or Richmond will cost  and a ticket to/from  Surrey will cost.

By bus
West Vancouver is served by the Blue Bus. It is one of two bus companies in the Greater Vancouver region operating under contract for TransLink, and transfer is free between the Blue Buses and other TransLink buses.

The following are routes connecting West Vancouver with other communities:


 * R2 - frequent limited stop rapid bus, which travels between Park Royal Mall in West Vancouver and Phibbs Exchange in North Vancouver with a stop along the way at Londsdale Quay Exchange (adjacent to Lonsdale Quay SeaBus terminal) in North Vancouver
 * 250 - travels between downtown Vancouver and Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal with a stop along the way at Park Royal Mall. In Vancouver, stops within a block of SkyTrain's Burrard station (Expo Line), Granville station (Expo Line), Vancouver City Centre station (Canada Line).
 * 257 - limited stop route that travels between downtown Vancouver and Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal with a stop along the way at Park Royal Mall. In Vancouver, stops within a block of SkyTrain's Burrard station (Expo Line), Granville station (Expo Line), Vancouver City Centre station (Canada Line).
 * 262 - travels between Caufeild and Lions Bay with a stop at Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal.

See

 * Lighthouse Lighthouse Park.JPG

Do




Festivals

 * Coho Festival (September)

Hospital
The nearest hospital is in North Vancouver.

Go next
Vancouver Island is a 1 hr 35 min ferry ride away via BC Ferries and the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal. Arriving in Nanaimo, you can head down island to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, or across the island to Tofino, where you can go whale-watching, surf and storm-watch. Other ferry destinations from Horseshoe Bay are Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast.

Northward on Hwy 99 takes you through the Sea to Sky region, which offers varied outdoor activities including hiking, swimming, rock climbing and camping. It also takes you to the resort area of Whistler, with its nightlife, fine dining and a wide variety of activities that will keep you busy regardless of what season it is.