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Glass apartment towers along Coal Harbour in Downtown Vancouver, with the seawall path, a floatplane on the water and the seaplane terminal dock

Where to stay in Vancouver

Photo: Christoph Strässler from Oberdorf BL, Schweiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Vancouver

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About Vancouver

YVR is on Sea Island in Richmond, 12 km from Downtown Vancouver. A hotel room in the City of Vancouver carries 8% PST, a 3% MRDT and a 2.5% major events tax, with 5% GST on the room and on those taxes.

Canada. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Vancouver International (YVR), on Sea Island in Richmond, 12 km from Downtown Vancouver. Source
Accommodation taxes
8% PST on short-term accommodation in BC, plus a 3% MRDT in Vancouver, Richmond and North Vancouver. Source
Major Events MRDT
City of Vancouver only: 2.5% more from 1 February 2023 to 31 January 2030. The 5% GST is then charged on the room and on the provincial taxes. Source
Long stays
No PST or MRDT on a continuous stay of 27 days or more. If they were charged on shorter billing periods, the guest applies to the province for the refund. Source
Short-term rentals, BC
Rentals of less than 90 consecutive days. Since 1 May 2025 hosts must be registered and show the provincial registration number, and any local licence number, on every listing. Source
Principal residence rule
In Vancouver, Richmond and North Vancouver, short-term rentals are limited to the host's principal residence plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the property. Source
City of Vancouver licence
Hosts need a City short-term rental licence and must live in the home; the licence number appears in all online listings, and each home takes one booking at a time. Source
Street parking
City meters run from 9 am to 10 pm every day, including statutory holidays, usually for 1 or 2 hours, and can be paid with the PayByPhone app. Source
Permit streets
Residential permit blocks carry No Parking Except with Permit or time-limited signs. Permits are valid in their own zone, and residents can buy visitor permits. Source
Tenancy
BC's Residential Tenancy Act does not apply to living accommodation occupied as vacation or travel accommodation. Source
Entry
UK and EU air travellers need an eTA, CAD 7, valid up to five years or until the passport expires. US citizens need none. Most visitors can stay up to six months. Source
Emergency number
911 Source

Areas of Vancouver

Glass apartment towers along Coal Harbour in Downtown Vancouver, with the seawall path, a floatplane on the water and the seaplane terminal dock
Photo: Christoph Strässler from Oberdorf BL, Schweiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Downtown

Vancouver's city centre on the Downtown Peninsula, one of the densest areas in Canada, taking in Coal Harbour on the harbour, the former warehouse district of Yaletown, Gastown, the original settlement, and Canada Place, the convention centre and cruise ship terminal. It suits a first visit on foot and cruise departures.

YVR airport
about 14 km

Car and parking

City meters run from 9 am to 10 pm every day, including holidays, and cost CAD 5 to 6.50 an hour in the downtown core; since 27 April 2026 they take cards and apps only (via GetCar). Ask the hotel about its garage.

The corner of Davie Street and Bute Street in the West End, with a rainbow crosswalk, cafés, trolley bus wires and apartment towers
Photographed in 2018. Photo: Jeff Hitchcock from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

West End

The neighbourhood between the downtown business district, Stanley Park and English Bay. It suits a stay by the park and the beach, a short walk from Downtown.

YVR airport
about 14 km
Downtown
about 1 km

Car and parking

Permit blocks here carry No Parking Except with Permit or time-limited signs, and a West End permit is valid only in its zone. Residents can buy visitor permits, so ask the host. Stanley Park is pay parking, CAD 4.75 an hour up to CAD 17.75 a day from April to September (via GetCar).

People on a bench above a busy Kitsilano Beach, looking across English Bay to the West End towers and the North Shore mountains
Photo: Henry Burrows, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kitsilano

A mostly residential neighbourhood on the south shore of English Bay, with shops and restaurants on West 4th Avenue and West Broadway and Kitsilano Beach facing the West End and the North Shore mountains. It suits a longer stay in an apartment.

YVR airport
about 13 km
Downtown
about 5 km

Car and parking

Meters apply on the commercial streets from 9 am to 10 pm every day. The beach car parks are pay lots run by the same operator as Stanley Park, at rates not verified (via GetCar).

An elevated rail track running beside a road in Richmond, with cars below and apartment towers on the horizon
Photographed in 2016. Photo: Ueutyi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Richmond

A separate city on Lulu Island and Sea Island, where the airport is, across the Fraser River from Vancouver. It suits a first or last night near YVR.

YVR airport
about 7 km
Downtown Vancouver
about 16 km

Car and parking

No City of Richmond parking source was read; ask the hotel about parking. Richmond charges the 3% MRDT, and the provincial principal residence rule applies to short-term rentals here.

The Shipyards waterfront in North Vancouver seen from Lonsdale Quay, with the Polygon Gallery, a restored yellow crane, apartment blocks and a moored motor boat
Photographed in 2018. Photo: Shaundd, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

North Vancouver (Lonsdale)

A separate city on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet, centred on Lonsdale, with Lonsdale Quay, a SeaBus terminal and transit exchange, on its waterfront. It suits trips to the North Shore, with the SeaBus across the inlet to Downtown.

Downtown Vancouver
about 11 km
YVR airport
about 25 km

Car and parking

No North Vancouver parking source was read; ask the hotel or host. The drive to Downtown crosses a bridge, and no bridge in the Lower Mainland carries a toll (via GetCar).

Guides

Where to stay

Where to stay in Vancouver with a car: Downtown, the West End, Kitsilano, Richmond or the North shore

Vancouver's centre sits on a peninsula, with YVR 12 km south in Richmond and the North Shore across Burrard Inlet. The areas differ in how a car fits in: meters and garages in the centre, permit streets in the residential neighbourhoods, and separate cities without Vancouver's major events tax around the airport and on the North Shore.

Photo: Christoph Strässler from Oberdorf BL, Schweiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Questions

Which area of Vancouver suits a first visit with a car?

Downtown or the West End for walking to Stanley Park and English Bay, with the car in a garage off the metered streets; Kitsilano for a neighbourhood by a beach about 5 km from Downtown; Richmond for a night about 7 km from YVR.

How much tax is added to a hotel room in Vancouver?

In the City of Vancouver, 8% PST, a 3% MRDT and a 2.5% Major Events MRDT, with 5% GST charged on the room and those taxes. In the province's own example a CAD 200 room comes to CAD 238.35.

Do short-term rentals in Vancouver need a licence number?

Yes. The host needs a City short-term rental licence, must live in the home as a principal residence and must register with the province. Listings show the provincial registration number and the City licence number.

Do UK and EU visitors need an eTA for Canada?

Yes, when flying: it costs CAD 7 and is valid for up to five years or until the passport expires. US citizens need none, and nobody needs one arriving by car, bus, train or boat.