Really? (Getting from YVR to Whistler)

[Son]

Pacific Coach Line bus is 141 CAD for two persons. Renting a Chrysler 200 is 102 CAD. Really? This one's a no-brainer. I knew renting a car is cheaper there than here, but I had no idea it'd be cheaper than taking the bus!

[GeoffD]

Pacific Coach Line bus is 141 CAD for two persons. Renting a Chrysler 200 is 102 CAD. Really? This one's a no-brainer. I knew renting a car is cheaper there than here, but I had no idea it'd be cheaper than taking the bus!

Now that there is a subway from the airport to downtown, you can just take the regular old bus to Whistler. A 1-way non-refundable Greyhound ticket from Vancouver to Whistler is $26.80 purchased online a couple of days in advance.

[Son]

Hey, thanks for the tip. Where does the bus depart and can we get there with the subway? Also, I guess I can print my tickets online?

[GeoffD]

Hey, thanks for the tip. Where does the bus depart and can we get there with the subway? Also, I guess I can print my tickets online?

Take the Canada Line from the airport all the way to the end (Waterfront).

Transfer to the Skytrain Millenium Line or the Expo line (they share the same tracks downtown).

From Canada Line platform to the the Skytrain platform is a few hundred yards underground walk and is very well marked. Those trains run constantly and you won't wait more than a couple of minutes.

Four stops to Main Street/Science World. Skytrain is an elevated platform there. Greyhound is in the Pacific Central train station maybe 50 yards walk across a little park. It's a big white marble building with a giant Pacific Central sign on it so it's impossible to miss.

There's a $5.00 surcharge if you start at the airport to fund the new Canada Line subway line but it's still less than $9.00. You have 90 minutes to get your transfer done.

...and yeah, you can hit the Greyhound Canada site and buy tickets online. There is a bus every 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Most people just shell out the $100-ish 1-way fare for Perimeter Bus rather than doing Canada Lne/Skytrain/Greyhound for $35.00. Before the Canada Line went in, the bus transfer from the airport to downtown Vancouver kind of sucked if you had ski gear. Now, it's pretty painless.

[GeoffD]

Another tip. Vancouver Airport has a big rental car surcharge. It can be a lot cheaper to take the Canada Line into the city and rent there. Usually, you can still return at the airport without penalty but you have to lie and say you've been in the country for at least 24 hours. If you're renting a car for a week+, it can make a pretty big difference.