Going to LTX from Spain

[max barcon]

Hello, I would like to know somwhere "cheap" to rent a car in vancouver, and if someone could verify that with an international driver license I could drive legally there. I have checked, and I can, exept a region of canada. Also If someone could tell me if It would be possible with USA(State of washington)?

Also, is there good public transport (train,bus) to go to other cities?

Thanks in advance.

[snowfox99]

1. Car rentals at YVR are going to be the same or within a few dollars as anywhere else in the city, just rent at the airport and save the hassle.

2. Yes, your European license should be valid in the US or Canada as long as you're not staying more than 90 days.

3. Public transit within Vancouver itself is pretty good (Skytrain, buses). What "other cities" do you plan to visit exactly? If you're planning to leave Lower Mainland area you'll likely either need to drive or fly.

[Heliian]

I use Expedia for most rentals, that should give you at least a list of available companies. 

 

If you're just going in and out for ltx then I'd just take public transit/taxis/rideshare.

 

Vancouver is not great for driving or parking but nowhere near as bad as tighter European cities. 

[max barcon]

14 hours ago, snowfox99 said:

1. Car rentals at YVR are going to be the same or within a few dollars as anywhere else in the city, just rent at the airport and save the hassle.

2. Yes, your European license should be valid in the US or Canada as long as you're not staying more than 90 days.

3. Public transit within Vancouver itself is pretty good (Skytrain, buses). What "other cities" do you plan to visit exactly? If you're planning to leave Lower Mainland area you'll likely either need to drive or fly.

I wanted to visit Victoria and abbotsford

[CerealExperimentsLain]

20 hours ago, snowfox99 said:

3. Public transit within Vancouver itself is pretty good (Skytrain, buses). What "other cities" do you plan to visit exactly? If you're planning to leave Lower Mainland area you'll likely either need to drive or fly.

Yeah I legit don't see a need for a car at LTX and I'm flying in from Toronto.

Easy enough to get an Uber to the hotel, the hotel is walkable to the convention venue, and other neat places like Japantown are a short walk and single transit ride from the hotel.  Adding a car is just making the whole adventure more expensive.

[AnomalyDesign]

On 2/28/2023 at 6:34 AM, max barcon said:

Hello, I would like to know somwhere "cheap" to rent a car in vancouver, and if someone could verify that with an international driver license I could drive legally there. I have checked, and I can, exept a region of canada. Also If someone could tell me if It would be possible with USA(State of washington)?

Also, is there good public transport (train,bus) to go to other cities?

Thanks in advance.

I wouldn't recommend renting a car in Vancouver unless there's some specific place you need to go that is not transit accessible. The transit in Vancouver is excellent, and the convention center in particular is probably the most transit accessible place in the city. The skytrain is an excellent way to get there while avoiding the traffic and parking issues of downtown. I'm staying in Richmond, at the end of one of the lines, and it's only a 20-25 minute ride, and the trains come every 5 minutes or so most of the day. 

 

For traveling around to other cities, there's an Amtrak train to Seattle and Portland (it's actually a Spanish Talgo train). To get to Victoria, you can take a floatplane from the harbor right by the convention center, or else take an express bus from various places in Vancouver that goes on the ferry from Tsawwassen.

 

For Abbotsford, I'm not sure, but it might be best just to rent a car for those days. Be aware that there's a popular airshow on Abbotsford August 11-13.

[dizmo]

What do you want to see in Abbotsford? There really isn't much there worth seeing IMO.

You can take public transit to Victoria, as the ferry is well serviced. However, you'd probably want to stay in Victoria for a night or two if you want to try to fit all of the sights in.

 

I wouldn't bother renting a car, it just adds a ton of headache and cost, especially if you're thinking of going to Victoria. There's not a ton of parking there, ferry fees, etc.

 

As for Washington, you'd have to check with your VISA (if you need one to travel).

 

Welcome to the forum.

[CerealExperimentsLain]

21 hours ago, dizmo said:

I wouldn't bother renting a car, it just adds a ton of headache and cost, especially if you're thinking of going to Victoria. There's not a ton of parking there, ferry fees, etc.

I've taken that ferry admittedly as a pedestrian destined to Esquimalt, and that ferry isn't easy on and off.  We have a friend from Vic who might hang out with us in BC and yeah, he might have to crash in our hotel room that night, that ferry trip is some 2hrs on it's own, plus queueing and everything else, not really an in and out trip to Vancouver island.

[dizmo]

2 minutes ago, CerealExperimentsLain said:

I've taken that ferry admittedly as a pedestrian destined to Esquimalt, and that ferry isn't easy on and off.  We have a friend from Vic who might hang out with us in BC and yeah, he might have to crash in our hotel room that night, that ferry trip is some 2hrs on it's own, plus queueing and everything else, not really an in and out trip to Vancouver island.

Esquimalt? The only ferry that goes there is from the US. Swartz Bay is the BC Ferries terminal, and there's excellent bus service. It's not as fast as a car, but it only takes 20 extra minutes, and costs a mere $3. No, you can't go to and from in a single day and get a lot of sights in, but that's exactly what I stated

[CerealExperimentsLain]

7 hours ago, dizmo said:

Esquimalt? The only ferry that goes there is from the US. Swartz Bay is the BC Ferries terminal, and there's excellent bus service. It's not as fast as a car, but it only takes 20 extra minutes, and costs a mere $3. No, you can't go to and from in a single day and get a lot of sights in, but that's exactly what I stated

And when that bus driver got to Swartz Bay he was like 'I don't give change don't ask me.'.  I'd flown from Toronto to Vancouver first, like I cared about not getting change for my $5 bill for a bus that was about to take me 30km.