Visit Vancouver: The SkyTrain

Usually when our family travels we rent a car, but on our most recent trip to Vancouver, we used the SkyTrain to get around.

I admit that I was hesitant to rely on public transportation, but it turned out to be a great decision for so many reasons.

For one thing, it cost us less to buy DayPasses on the SkyTrain than it would have been to rent a car for two days, pay for hotel parking, pay for parking at most places we visited, and pay for gas. Because we purchased DayPasses at Sea Island (YVR Airport), the passes cost us $5 more per person (under 5 years old is free), but it was still a money-saver for us to use the SkyTrain.

The kids loved riding the SkyTrain, which is the "oldest and one of the longest automated driverless light rapid transit systems in the world."  They especially loved when they got a seat in the very first rail car, in the very front. 

The SkyTrain turned out to be very easy to use, and the Day Passes could be used on other transportation modes in TransLink, such as the buses and Sea Bus.

When we went to Burnaby Village Museum, we looked on Google Maps for which lines/buses to take, and we also were advised by one of the employees to call Transit Information to verify the route (you can even look up route information on the TransLink website).

You can use your DayPass on the SkyTrain, Bus, and SeaBus

The employees at the SkyTrain and bus were very helpful (one even helped us to determine if it would be cheaper to buy a DayPass or a regular fare ticket when traveling to a single neighborhood).

We went to Yaletown, Gastown, Olympic Village, and Burnaby via the SkyTrain over two days (we bought DayPasses each day).

We did do a bit of walking to get to various destinations throughout each neighborhood, but it was great to explore the areas by foot - and all that walking just meant we didn't have to feel too guilty about all the eating we did.

Since we were staying at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, access to the SkyTrain was easy since it stops at the Vancouver International Airport, but there are many other hotels throughout Vancouver within walking distance to various SkyTrain terminals.

The transitions between lines and modes of transportation were pretty seamless.  We never had to wait very long for to get on a bus or rail car, and it was great to not have to drive through the busy city, search for parking, or get stuck in traffic.  

Both my husband and I were quite impressed with how easy it was to get around throughout Vancouver, and the kids had fun traveling on the different modes of transportation!