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Explore our complete guide to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and learn everything you need to know about Canada’s second busiest airport.
Vancouver International Airport is located at 3211 Grant McConachie Way on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia.
The city of Richmond is located just to the south of Vancouver and both the city and the airport are easy to access from downtown Vancouver.
To get to Vancouver International Airport (YVR), you can choose from the following transportation options:
The airport is connected to downtown Vancouver and downtown Richmond via the Canada Line, part of Vancouver’s rapid transit rail. The trip between the airport and downtown Vancouver takes 30 minutes, and the trip between Richmond and the airport takes 18 minutes.
There are also long distance buses run by YVR Skylynx available between the Vancouver Airport and Whistler (via Squamish and Creekside Village) and Victoria (via Tsawwassen Bay and Swartz Bay).
Many hotels near the airport offer complimentary shuttle services to help make your journey to the airport easier. You can find a list of nearby hotels with shuttles on the Vancouver Airport’s website, and within the airport, there are direct-dial phones available for you to request a pick-up.
Taxis, rideshares (e.g., Uber and Lyft), and airport car/shuttle services are all available to take you to and from Vancouver Airport. You can also choose to drive your own vehicle and park it at the airport for the duration of your time away.
Yes! The Canada Line connects downtown Vancouver and downtown Richmond to Vancouver International Airport, giving you a simple and convenient way to travel.
There is no free shuttle between the Vancouver Airport and downtown Vancouver.
The easiest ways to access downtown Vancouver is by taking public transit or a taxi/carshare.
To get from Vancouver International Airport to downtown Vancouver, you can take a car/taxi/rideshare, or you can take Vancouver’s rapid transit train, which connect to the airport from a number of downtown stations.
To get from downtown Vancouver to Vancouver International Airport, you can:
Vancouver International Airport (YVR) encourages travellers to arrive at least 2 hours before a domestic flights and 3 hours before international and US-bound flights.
You can get a sense of how long the waits will be at the airport by looking at the airport’s Operational Snapshot which is updated regularly.
There are 5 unique parking lots near Vancouver International Airport:
These lots range from ultra-short-term waiting areas for passenger pick-up to long-term parking options for travellers who have an extended journey planned.
To determine which is the best lot for you, the airport has put together a parking flowchart the explains each option, and this chart can be found on their parking information webpage.
To help you navigate Vancouver International Airport, we recommend that you consult the online terminal maps provided on the airport’s website.
These maps will help you locate arrivals, departures, security, US Customs, airport lounges, food/drink, and more.
There are two terminals at Vancouver International Airport: the Main Terminal and the South Terminal.
The Main Terminal is where you’ll find the vast majority of the airport’s flights, and it’s home to both domestic and international arrivals and departures.
The South Terminal is the hub for regional and coastal air services, and includes the public Floatplane Facility on the adjacent Fraser River.
The Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is served by over 50 airlines, connecting the west coast of Canada with destinations around the world.
The full list of airlines that operate to/from the Vancouver airport can be found on the airport’s website.
Air Canada operates out of the Main Terminal at Vancouver International Airport.
This includes arrivals and departures for all domestic, US-bound, and international flights.
At Vancouver International Airport, all of WestJet’s flights arrive to and depart from the Main Terminal.
The following airlines and organizations fly out of the South Terminal at Vancouver International Airport:
Yes, if you’re flying to a destination in the US from the Vancouver International Airport, you will proceed through the US Customs preclearance facilities before you depart.
For travellers in need of a comfortable place to spend the night near the airport, you can’t get much closer than the Fairmont Vancouver Airport, which is located directly inside the Vancouver International Airport.
This hotel participates in the Accor Live Limitless loyalty program, giving you the opportunity to earn and/or redeem points while enjoying its incredibly convenient location.
If you’re looking for a hotel near the Vancouver International Airport, you’ll be spoiled for choice, with properties available from all the major hotel brands.
For example, the following popular properties are very near the airport:
Additionally, downtown Vancouver is only a 30-minute drive away, so you can always choose to stay a little further from the airport and closer to activities like harbour cruises, walking in Stanley Park, and exploring Gastown.
For travellers looking to earn or redeem their hotel loyalty points during their stay in Vancouver, there are lots of choices for fans of the Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, or Accor Live Limitless programs.
Check out our reviews of some hotels near the airport and in downtown Vancouver to find the best option for your next trip:
Renting a car at Vancouver International Airport is easy thanks to rental facilities located on the ground floor of the parkade, moments from the Main Terminal.
On-site car rental companies include:
There are also additional rental options available via shuttle service that can accessed from the curbside Courtesy Shuttle Zones. These companies include:
If you’re interested in learning how to save on your next car rental, check out guides to using the right credit cards and loyalty points and programs to keep your car rental budget under control:
After you’ve made your way through the check-in, security, and customs processes at Vancouver International Airport, we highly recommend treating yourself to one of the available airport lounges.
An airport lounge is a great place to relax before your flight since they’re typically quieter than a departure gate and they tend to offer more comfortable seating and some complimentary food and drinks.
Lounges can be accessed by business class and first class passengers, and by travellers who have a credit card that gives them complimentary membership and passes through programs like DragonPass/Visa Airport Companion and Priority Pass.
We’ve got a handful of helpful guides to help improve your airport experience, so consider exploring these and our Vancouver Airport lounge reviews before you head out:
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