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British Columbia

Located in Western Canada, British Columbia is bordered by Yukon and Northwestern Territories in the north, Washington, Idaho and Montana in the south, Alberta in the east and the Pacific Ocean  on the west.

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British Columbia's capital is Victoria, on the southeastern tip of Vancouver Island.  Vancouver is the most populous city in British Columbia while Abbotsford is the largest city.

Image by James Wheeler

British Columbia offers a varied climate across the province due to the mountain ranges and the rugged coastline.  While the coastal areas have a rainy and mild climate, the valleys of the Southern interiors have short winters.  The central interiors are colder because of the higher altitudes and latitudes.  Heavy snowfall happens in the mountains which are popular for skiing.

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British Columbia offers 14 parks and protected areas as well as ecological reserves, provincial marine parks and 7 provincial heritage sites.  The province has 7 National Parks:

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  • Glacier National Park

  • Gulf Islands National Park Reserve

  • Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site

  • Kootenay National Park

  • Mount Revelstoke National Park

  • Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

  • Yoho National Park

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Major Cities in British Columbia:

  • Vancouver

  • Victoria 

  • Richmond

  • Kamloops

  • Kelowna

  • Whistler

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TOP 10 PLACES TO VISIT

  • Haida Gwaii

  • Vancouver

  • Canadian Rockies

  • Great Bear Rainforest

  • Whistler

  • Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

  • Alaska Highway

  • Victoria

  • Okanagan Valley

  • Kootenay Ski Towns

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PLAN YOUR TRIP

Transportation

Air:  Vancouver International Airport is the main gateway to British Columbia.  There are many smaller airports around the province. Along the coast, seaplane and helicopter service is available.

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Rail:  Via Rail operates two routes from the coast to the Canadian Rockies, one from Vancouver and one from Prince Rupert.  

The Rocky Mountaineer runs on three routes from Vancouver to Jasper and Banff in the Canadian Rockies.

Amtrak offers trips from Washington State (US) to Vancouver.

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Ferries:  BC Ferries is the main provider of ferry services in the province.  These cover Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast, Haida Gwaii and other coastal communities.  The BC Ferries Saver Fare starts at $49 and are available on select routes.

Inland Ferries offer free passenger/vehicle ferry service across lakes and rivers which do not have a bridge connection. Water taxis are available for remote islands along the coast.

Hullo offers fast ferry services between Vancouver and Nainamo.

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Buses:  BC Transit is the bus service provider across the province except Vancouver which is serviced by Translink.

Pacific Coach Travel Services offers connections between Vancouver and Whistler as well as Vancouver International Airport and Victoria.  

Rider Express connects Vancouver with Calgary and other cities in Western Canada.  

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Highways:  A well maintained network of highways and roads makes road trips a comfortable form of travel.  

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