informed traveler

City Population603,502

Elevation3 m/10 ft.

Sales TaxBritish Columbia has a 5 percent goods and services tax (GST) and a 7 percent provincial sales tax (PST).

Hotel accommodations are subject to an 8 percent PST, a 5 percent GST and a 3 percent Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT); there me be an additional 1 percent for a Destination Marketing Fee (DMF).

Expect to pay an additional 3 percent for alcohol. Restaurants and admission fees are exempt from the 7 percent PST. Car rental sales tax is $1.50 per day.

Emergency911

Police (non-emergency)(604) 717-3321

Time and Temperature(604) 664-9010

HospitalsMount Saint Joseph Hospital, (604) 874-1141; St. Paul's Hospital, (604) 682-2344; Vancouver General Hospital, (604) 875-4111.

Visitor Information Vancouver Tourist InfoCentre 200 Burrard St. Vancouver, BC V6C 3L6. Phone:(604)682-2222

Air TravelVancouver International Airport (YVR), in Richmond, is reached via Granville Street and the Arthur Lang Bridge, then Sea Island Way, which leads into Grant McConachie Way. Check travel sites and with your AAA travel agency for cheap airline flights, cheap plane tickets and the best deals on international flights. Taxi rates are fixed on flat rates according to a zoning system. The trip to downtown/Kitsilano is $31; Canada Place is $35. TransLink's Canada Line rapid transit operates rail service every 7 to 15 minutes, from approximately 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., between Vancouver International Airport and downtown. One-way fare is $4.25; phone (604) 953-3333.

Rental CarsHertz, with one location at Vancouver International Airport and three locations downtown at 1270 Granville St., 413 Seymour St. and 1150 Station St., offers discounts to AAA members; phone (604) 606-3700 for airport location or (800) 654-3080.

Rail ServiceThe Via Rail passenger train terminal is at 1150 Station St.; phone (888) 842-7245 in Canada or in the United States.

BusesThe Greyhound bus terminal is at 1150 Station St.; phone (604) 683-8133.

TaxisTaxi fares start at $3.20-$3.25 for the first kilometre (.6 mi.), plus $1.84-$1.88 for each additional kilometre. Companies include Black Top & Checker Cabs, (604) 731-1111; MacLure's, (604) 831-1111; Yellow Cab, (604) 681-1111; and Vancouver Taxi, (604) 871-1111.

Public TransportationTransLink offers bus service as well as SeaBus and SkyTrain service. See Public Transportation for details.

BoatsBC Ferries links Vancouver and other points on the mainland with Vancouver Island and 47 ports of call. Nanaimo and Sunshine Coast ferries leave from Horseshoe Bay, 21 kilometres (13 mi.) west of the city in West Vancouver. From Tsawwassen south of Vancouver automobile/passenger ferries make frequent trips to the southern Gulf Islands, Nanaimo and Swartz Bay, near the town of Sidney north of Victoria. A 1.5-hour ferry ride from Vancouver to Victoria departs daily from Tsawwassen and returns from Swartz Bay; phone (888) 223-3779 for reservations.

For schedules phone the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA), (604) 268-5555; BC Ferries Information Centre, (250) 386-3431 outside North America; (888) 223-3779 in North America; or Tourism Vancouver, (604) 682-2000.