Vancouver - bike rental or not?

[QQK]

We are arrving Vancouver on a Friday morning around 11am and will be getting on the cruise next day around noon. Wanna visit Stanely Park, Capilano Suspension Bridge and also chinatown. Would biking be a good idea or better off taking cabs/public transportation?

[red knight]

Use transit or a cab. Capilano Suspension Bridge is up a loooooooong series of climbs! It might be difficult to find a secure spot to leave a bike in Chinatown, but if you wish to explore Stanley Park and other flatish area then a bike is fine.

[scottbee]

We are arrving Vancouver on a Friday morning around 11am and will be getting on the cruise next day around noon. Wanna visit Stanely Park, Capilano Suspension Bridge and also chinatown. Would biking be a good idea or better off taking cabs/public transportation?

 

Buy an all-day transit ticket $9 at the 7-11 at the airport, and use it both for both your trip from the airport to downtown (Canada Line Skytrain), and for exploring all the locations you listed. Frankly Cap Bridge would be a pain on a bike, especially given it's about 1000' above sea level, it's a pretty darn steep climb.

[QQK]

Thanks! There's no train stop near Stanely Park, right? So the all-day transit pass only sold in 7-11 but not the regular kiosk in the stations?

[LeftcoastBC]

Unless you bring your own bike :rolleyes: I agree with nixing the attempt on the capilano.

 

BUT if it's a nice day and little wind doing Vancouver on a Bike (Stanley Park & Sea Wall's and side routes even around to Granville Island is a great way to get around. China town not far off the beaten path either. Stanley park is great for roller blades too.

Fairly flat mostly at sea level plus a bit of course.

[Urban trekker]

Biking is by far one of the best ways to see Stanley Park - the other being on foot - here`s a link to a biking friend of mine who use to be a bike courier using his helmet cam to ride around the Stanley Park Seawall - remember he was a bike courier so some of the antics are expected but it will give an indication of the beauty of the ride.

 

http://bulletproofcourier.blogspot.com/2009/03/spring-has-sprung-helmetcam.html

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[scottbee]

Thanks! There's no train stop near Stanely Park, right? So the all-day transit pass only sold in 7-11 but not the regular kiosk in the stations?

 

I believe the YVR station doesn't sell, hence buying them at the 7-11 instead (who definitely do). Also the tickets are good on all transit (bus/seabus/skytrain), they're not limited to just Skytrain, so you can use it for the #19 Stanley Park bus, or take Seabus to the North Shore and the #236 bus to Grouse Mt/Capilano etc etc

[CMYK_iNK]

If you want to visit all those places in one day, I would definitely recommend renting a car. A taxi is going to be extremely expensive, and biking will not get you out to all those places.

 

If you can part with not doing Capilano Suspension Bridge, then I would go with a bike rental... they have some great bikes for rent just across from Stanley Park and it is a great way to see the park. Just make sure you always lock it up as bike theft in Vancouver is sometimes a problem.

 

If you really want to go see Capilano, you could book yourself on a tour bus there (not very expensive), and then do the bike rental at Stanley Park afterwards.

[Putterdude]

We are arrving Vancouver on a Friday morning around 11am and will be getting on the cruise next day around noon. Wanna visit Stanely Park, Capilano Suspension Bridge and also chinatown. Would biking be a good idea or better off taking cabs/public transportation?

 

Given what you wish to see, you could very easily do the Capilano Suspension Bridge on the Friday afternoon and then Chinatown in the evening. That would Saturday morning for a bike trip around Stanley park and still have time to board your ship in the afternoon. If you are planing to come into the city from YVR on the Canada Line you can buy your all-day pass at the 7-11 or the Phrarmasave at the airport and it would look after your trip into the city, the trip to and from the bridge and the Chinatown visit. On Sunday morning you could just pay the cash fare on the #19 bus to and from the park, get off at Denman St. where you will find a whole host of bike rental shops and away you go.

[QQK]

Please accept my belated thank you for all the great suggestions! It's been crazy couple weeks... can't wait to jump the last hurdle (wedding in 10 days!) and then off we go to Vancouver/Alaska! :)