Where to Stay

[abhb]

We will be in Vancouver for 3 days pre-cruise.  Where is the best area to stay?  Should we rent a car?

[martincath]

Downtown core, and no - unless you plan to visit some 'not in Vancouver' attractions when a one day car rental can totally make sense from cash and time perspective. Parking downtown though is pricey, not all hotels even offer it, and literally everything in the city core is walkable - and some of the bigger out-of-town places have shuttles. If you have a group of 4+ then a car can even be more benefit than hassle for the bigger local parks - Stanley and Queen Elizabeth. Being able to pay once then move your car to any open space in the park means you can effectively drive around in little hops to minimize walking - and since Stanley is over 1,000 acres there's an awful lot of potential walking!

 

If everyone can ride a bike - or share a tandem or get pulled in a trailer behind someone who can - bikes are the sweet-spot for getting around downtown as fast as possible, with the least effort. Lots of bike lanes, many completely separated from traffic so totally safe even for little kids to ride their own, and the classic 'Seawall loop' is flat as the proverbial pancake, with very few hills anywhere in downtown.