YVR · Layover Guide
Vancouver
Stop in Vancouver.
Best layover: 4–72h
LayoverScore™
Base city score. Your route score varies by savings and timing.
Exit realism
Comfortable window
Enough room in Vancouver for a real stop. Keep the buffer at the end anyway.
Landside playbook
If time slips
- Drop the last stop. Go straight to the train, taxi rank, or ride pickup you already chose.
- Add 15 minutes to map ETAs for the return leg at rush hour.
- One ticket for the whole trip protects you when the inbound is late. Separate tickets do not.
Worth knowing
- Do not stack three stops. One solid block in the city beats a rushed loop.
- Do not treat one map time as gospel for immigration lines. Pad on your first pass through this hub.
Planning a stop in Vancouver?
We'll alert you when fares drop through YVR.
Places to stay
Search hotelsLayoverScore™ breakdown
Score 82 · Discover 55 · Ease 20
Why Vancouver scores 82
Getting there
Canada Line SkyTrain $3.5 · Taxi $40
min to center
sky train- 01Canada Line SkyTrain (25 min to downtown, $4.50)
- 02Taxi/Uber (30 min, $35-45)
- 03YVR Skylynx shuttle to downtown hotels
- 01Stanley Park seawall bike ride with mountain views
- 02Granville Island Public Market for local seafood and artisan goods
- 03Gastown steam clock and cobblestone streets
- 04Dim sum in Richmond's Golden Village
- 05Capilano Suspension Bridge through temperate rainforest
Experiences in Vancouver
Timed tours and tickets for Vancouver are listed on our partner site.
Open listingsOpens in a new tab.
Need a room for your layover? Browse hotels near the airport.
Where to stay →Drop your luggage. Don't drag it around the city.
YVR Baggage Storage
Domestic Terminal, Level 2
$12/bag
5 min walk
Fairmont Vancouver Airport
Connected to US departures
$150/day
3 min walk
Bounce Luggage Storage Downtown
Various downtown locations
$8/bag
0 min walk
From the terminal to the good part.
Canada Line SkyTrain
downtown
Runs every 3-8 min, direct to Waterfront Station
25 min
$3.50
Taxi
downtown
Flat rate to downtown zone
30 min
$40.00
Uber/Lyft
downtown
Pickup at designated rideshare area Level 2
30 min
$28.00
Canada Line to Richmond
richmond
For dim sum at Aberdeen Centre or Golden Village
8 min
$3.50
Vancouver Attractions Pass
Capilano, FlyOver Canada, Vancouver Lookout, Aquarium
Best for 10+ hour layovers
$85
per day
Getting there
Get an Uber from the airportAt the airport
- 01Bill Reid's 'The Spirit of Haida Gwaii' jade sculpture
- 02BC aquarium exhibits with jellyfish tanks
- 03Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel spa
- 04Local craft beer at Flying Beaver Bar (floatplane dock views)
More North America layovers
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