Need help with parking in Vancouver

[lakim]

We will be ending our cruise in Vancouver (Ballantyne pier) and have rented an SUV from Avis to get the 4 of us and 2-weeks worth of luggage to Seattle for our flight home the next day. We would like to spend some time sightseeing in downtown Vancouver. How difficult will it be for us to park our rental car after we pick it up? About how much should it cost for 3-4 hours? How safe will our luggage be? Another idea would be to park somewhere farther from downtown where we can catch the skytrain into town, but it would have to be a safe place to leave our luggage.

 

Is there any chance Avis would let us leave the vehicle on their lot for a few hours after we load up our luggage, and would that even be convenient? (They are at the corner of Hornby and W. Georgia.)

 

Does anyone have any better suggestions? Had we been arriving at Canada Place we would have stored our luggage and walked around before picking up our vehicle, but coming into Ballantyne as we are complicates things. We'd love to take the train instead of renting a vehicle, but haven't figured out the logistics of where to store our luggage during the day, how to get our luggage to the Amtrak station, and how to get to our hotel from the Amtrak station in Seattle late at night.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

[weathermom]

if Avis will let you stay parked at their lot, I'd do that - very convenient - try calling that location & ask them.

most downtown parkades are pricey, (you're probably looking at $12 to $15 CDN for the day...they all take credit cards... you'll pay less for under 2 hours) but they are pretty safe. one of the safest parkades is at Canada place - lots of security guards.

definitely don't leave your stuff parked in a skytrain parking lot.... not safe. I wouldn't leave anything of real value in the car in stanley park parking lots either... just don't tempt the thieves.

the parking lots of most of the office towers downtown are pretty safe but they fill up quickly.

another option might be to stay the night in our beautiful city & put your bags in your room & then head to seattle in the morning (unless your flight is really early)

[bellera]

We rented from Hertz at the train station in Vancouver (we took the train from Seattle to Vancouver) and asked if we could just leave in the lot - they said yes and we took the Vancouver City transit everywhere - very convenient. We did not want to be driving around an unfamiliar city.

 

The train station in Seattle is in the middle of the city with nothing around it! We had our hotel shuttle us for free from the hotel to the train station, not sure if they do it in reverse or not. You could always ask.

 

The train was great and you could always check your luggage at the train station and then tour the city.

[Atomica]

I agree with Weathermom - the parkade at Canada Place is safest. Other good bets include the parkade across from the Westin Bayshore (or any major hotel for that matter), or the 'underground' parkade that's between the Electronic Arts building and Waterfront Station at the foot of Granville and Cordova. If Avis will let you keep the car there, all the better.

 

If you do opt to park it in a parkade, don't leave ANYTHING visible. Garbage, papers, change - anything. Take it all out of the car. A friend of mine had his drivers window smashed out so someone could snag the 50 cents he had in his cupholder. While that's rare, and breakins during the middle of the day aren't common, little things like leaving nothing visible in the car help a lot.

[lakim]

Thank you all very much for the great information. I called Avis and they said we can deposit our luggage and leave the car in their lot, so I think that will work out perfectly.

 

Now, what would you recommend we not miss during our few hours downtown? Our college-age kids will be with us. My DD and I would love to shop, but I can already hear the groans from my DH and DS.

 

Also, does anyone know whether Grouse Mountain is worth the money ($33pp) in the summertime and how much time would we need?

[weathermom]

:D why don't you & dd spend the time shopping on Robson St & send DH & DS out on a kayak or fishing or whale-watching or out on rental bikes?:eek:

 

to answer your question.. If the weather is Good (not pouring rain & if you can see the top of the mountains closest to vancouver) - then grouse mountain is a great place to go - the views are fabulous - the gondola ride to the top is fun. the lumberjack show is great. The Capilano suspension bridge (part way up the mountain as you drive up towards Grouse) is also great.

If you do go to Grouse, I'd take your car & drive yourselves though... it's an easy drive from downtown - Georgia street (takes you through stanley park & across the lions gate bridge, ) stay right as you go off the bridge & turn left at the first light... then head straight up the mountain.).. it's well marked.