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City Guide - Vancouver - Excursions | ||
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Excursions For a Half Day Squamish: The town of Squamish lies one hour north of Vancouver on beautiful Howe Sound. The region offers excellent opportunities for rock climbing (notably on Smoke Bluffs) and, during winter, is the site of the largest gathering of bald eagles in North America during the winter. Nearby Shannon Falls has the third highest cascade in Canada at 335m (1099ft). From late May to late September, combined boat and train tours offer more of a full-day excursion. Visitors can travel aboard the Royal Hudson steam train run by BC Rail and return on the MV Britannia operated by Harbour Cruises (see the Rail and Tours of the City sections). Squamish's Travel Information Centre is at 37950 Cleveland Avenue in Squamish (tel: (604) 892 9244; web site: www.squamishchamber.bc.ca). For a Whole Day British Columbia's wilderness: Dozens of tour operators offer trips to explore British Columbia's famed wilderness. Tourism Vancouver can provide advice, as well as brochures for companies offering whale watching, whitewater rafting, ocean kayaking, hiking, floatplane tours, off-road expeditions, yacht charters and salmon fishing trips. Information about travel throughout the province is available from Super, Natural British Columbia (tel: (250) 387 1642 or (800) 435 5622; web site: www.hellobc.com). Whistler: Whistler is a delight for naturalists during summer, while in winter it morphs into the most popular ski resort on the West Coast, with over 200 varied ski runs on Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, including the longest vertical in North America. The less-active traveller will appreciate the shops, dining and entertainment in pedestrian-only Whistler Village. Whistler is accessible by car or coach on Highway 99, the Sea to Sky Highway (journey time - 2 hours), by charter flights and by the daily BC Rail Cariboo Prospector service (journey time - 2 hours 45 minutes; C$66 return). Tourism Whistler is located at 4010 Whistler Way (tel: (604) 932 2394 or (800) 944 7853; web site: www.tourismwhistler.com). Victoria: The capital of British Columbia lies 100km (62 miles) southwest of Vancouver. It is an elegant town with a British feel, distinguished by Victorian and neo-classical architecture. In the harbour area are the impressive Parliament Buildings and the Royal British Columbia Museum, which gives an overview of the region's history. Not to be missed is afternoon tea in the Empress Hotel. Further information is available from Tourism Victoria (tel: (250) 953 2033; web site: www.travel.victoria.bc.ca). Victoria is accessible by road and a scenic ferry ride and both Pacific Coach Lines and Helijet Airways offer a regular service (see the Getting to Vancouver section). West Coast Air (tel: (604) 606 6888; web site: www.westcoastair.com) offers a trip by seaplane, with a return by coach and ferry, for those who would have it both ways. |