Day drive
Howe Sound & Squamish
Vancouver → Porteau Cove → Shannon Falls → Squamish → VancouverA compact day on the Sea-to-Sky, with ocean-level viewpoints, a waterfall and time for lunch beneath the Stawamus Chief.
Start city · British Columbia
Vancouver
Vancouver begins with water on one side and mountains on the other. Highway 99 climbs north almost immediately, while the ferries open an entirely different set of roads across the Strait of Georgia.
FLY INTOYVR
STAY IN THE CITY2–3 nights
BEST FOROcean roads, mountains & ferries
Why begin here
City first.
Open road next.
Few Canadian cities make it so easy to combine a proper city break with full-scale landscape. Stay without a car while you explore the waterfront and neighbourhoods, then choose mountains, islands or both.
Official Vancouver visitor information ↗Drives from Vancouver
Pick the road
that fits.
A worthwhile drive does not need a fortnight. Start with a free day, disappear for two nights or let this city become the first chapter of the whole holiday.
Two-night escape
Vancouver to Whistler
Vancouver → Porteau Cove → Squamish → Brandywine Falls → WhistlerOne of Canada’s great short drives, stretched into a mountain weekend with room for waterfalls, trails and an evening in the village.
TIME1–3 days
DISTANCEAbout 125 km one way
GOOD FORBig scenery without a long holiday
Open the full drive →Longer road trip
Sea-to-Sky & Vancouver Island
Vancouver → Whistler → Nanaimo → Tofino → Victoria → VancouverCoast Mountains first, Pacific rainforest second: a generous loop joined by ferries, beaches and weather-led stops.
TIME10–14 days
DISTANCEAbout 1,195 km plus ferries
GOOD FORThe fullest British Columbia introduction
Open the full drive →