Vancouver Travel Guide
Buy Canadian DollarsVancouver at a glance
Vancouver, Canada's Pacific city, packs ocean, rainforest and mountains within an hour of downtown, and has one of the country's largest Punjabi communities. Three days covers Stanley Park, Granville Island and the North Shore; add two for Victoria or Whistler. Air India flies from Delhi seven times a week this winter.
The Canada Line reaches downtown in under 30 minutes: CAD 11.60 by tap on a weekday before 6:30 pm (a CAD 5.10 fare plus the YVR AddFare, which rose to CAD 6.50 on 1 July 2026), or CAD 10 in the evening and at weekends. Taxis charge flat zone fares, CAD 46 to downtown. TransLink's gates take contactless Visa, Mastercard and Amex credit cards and phone wallets; if your forex card is declined, a Compass Card costs a CAD 6 deposit.
Stanley Park's seawall, Gastown and the Granville Island market are free. On the North Shore, Capilano Suspension Bridge Park costs about CAD 80 for adults, while Lynn Canyon's suspension bridge is free; the Grouse Mountain gondola ticket is CAD 89. The Punjabi Market is three blocks of Main Street between East 48th and East 51st Avenue, and Surrey's Newton neighbourhood is 64% South Asian.
BC Ferries to Victoria takes 1 hour 35 minutes from Tsawwassen, CAD 21 each way for a foot passenger plus a 5% fuel surcharge. Vancouver hotels add about 19% in taxes and levies to the room rate. Indian passport holders need a visitor visa, applied for online: CAD 100 plus CAD 85 for biometrics at one of ten VFS centres in India, with a posted processing time of about 30 days. The eTA is not open to Indians, even with a US visa.
What to see and do
Downtown, Stanley Park and Gastown are walkable; the North Shore is a SeaBus ride across the harbour, and the Punjabi Market a bus ride down Main Street.
Granville Island
The public market, studios and food stalls under the Granville Street Bridge, free to wander and a short ride from downtown.
Lynn Canyon and Capilano
Two suspension bridges on the North Shore. Capilano's park costs about CAD 80 for adults, with treetop and cliffside walks; Lynn Canyon's bridge, reopened in December 2025, is free.
Grouse Mountain
The Skyride gondola climbs above North Vancouver for views over the city and the harbour: CAD 89 for adults and CAD 49 for children 5 to 12.
The Punjabi Market
Main Street between East 48th and East 51st Avenue, where about 40% of the shopfronts sell South Asian goods and services: sweet shops, clothing and the easiest Indian meal from downtown.
Paying in Vancouver
For the dollar itself, entry rules for Indians, sales tax and tipping, see the Canada travel guide, and the CAD to INR page for today's rate. Canadian dollars load on the Matrix Forex Card, so most travellers carry the card plus a small cash float.
Cards and phone wallets work almost everywhere. Restaurant meals carry only 5% GST, while shops add 7% PST as well; hotels add about 19% in all, and tips of 12 to 18% are customary.
What Vancouver actually costs
Set the length and style of your trip to see what to budget, in Canadian dollars and Indian rupees.
Indicative, excluding international flights and accommodation, per person per day. Converted at the verified mid-market rate on 12 October 2026, C$1 ≈ ₹67.18, not a Matrix board rate.
Budget roughly ₹5,370 to ₹26,200 per person per day on the ground, excluding flights and accommodation.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Canada Line, airport to downtown (weekday) | CAD 11.60 |
| Taxi, airport to downtown (flat) | CAD 46 |
| TransLink DayPass | CAD 12.55 |
| Capilano Suspension Bridge Park | about CAD 80 |
| Grouse Mountain gondola | CAD 89 |
| BC Ferries to Victoria, foot passenger, each way | CAD 21 + fuel surcharge |
Getting around
TransLink's buses, SkyTrain and SeaBus share one fare, valid for 90 minutes: CAD 3.50 for one zone and CAD 5.10 for two, and every trip after 6:30 pm on weekdays and all weekend counts as one zone. A DayPass costs CAD 12.55. Tap in and out on SkyTrain and SeaBus with one card or phone, not a whole wallet.
Common mistakes in Vancouver
Expecting an eTA
Indians cannot use Canada's eTA, even with a US visa. Apply for a visitor visa online and give biometrics within 30 days of your instruction letter.
Budgeting for the old airport fare
The YVR AddFare has been CAD 6.50 since 1 July 2026, on every Canada Line trip leaving the airport.
Comparing hotel prices before tax
PST, the two municipal levies and GST add about 19% to a Vancouver room.
Planning Whistler sightseeing for November
The PEAK 2 PEAK gondola is closed for sightseeing until 20 November 2026.
Vancouver FAQs
CAD 11.60 by tap on a weekday before 6:30 pm (a CAD 5.10 fare plus the CAD 6.50 YVR AddFare), or CAD 10 in the evening and at weekends. The ride takes under 30 minutes.
Yes. Indian passport holders need a visitor visa, applied for online: CAD 100 plus CAD 85 for biometrics, given at one of ten VFS Global centres in India. IRCC's posted processing time for applications from India was 30 days in October 2026. The eTA is not open to Indians, even with a US visa.
TransLink accepts contactless Visa, Mastercard and Amex credit cards, Interac Debit and phone wallets, but does not say whether foreign prepaid cards work. If yours is declined, buy a Compass Card for a CAD 6 deposit.
Capilano costs about CAD 80 for adults and adds treetop and cliffside walks; Lynn Canyon's suspension bridge is free.
On Main Street between East 48th and East 51st Avenue, a bus ride south from downtown.
By BC Ferries from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, 1 hour 35 minutes, CAD 21 each way for a foot passenger plus a 5% fuel surcharge.
On 12 October 2026 one Canadian dollar was ₹67.18 at the mid-market rate, so CAD 100 is about ₹6,720.
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