LabPhon17 is going 100% virtual. Therefore, the information on this page is now out-of-date!
Getting to Vancouver
Vancouver and UBC are relatively easy to get to from around the world. You have nearly all transit options available to you, including arriving by plane, car, bus, ferry, train, or public transit!
Please note that (unless you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident or a US citizen) you must have a visa or an eTA to enter Canada. Check our visa information page for details.
Fifty-three airlines serve the primary Vancouver airport, YVR, with non-stop connections to more than 110 destinations in Canada, the US, and the world (including, e.g., non-stop flights from Sydney, Auckland, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Zurich). For more information about the airport and its services, see http://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers.
One can also take the Amtrak passenger train from various other points in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle, Portland, etc.). For more information, see http://www.amtrakcascades.com/. There are also several passenger bus services in the area, such as http://www.quickcoach.com/, https://www.boltbus.com/, and https://www.greyhound.ca/.
The BC Ferries service connects Vancouver to various islands along the coast of British Columbia, including Vancouver Island, which is (confusingly) NOT where Vancouver is located, but is where Victoria (the capital of BC) is located. For more information, see https://www.bcferries.com/.
For general information about getting to Vancouver, you might find this tourism site helpful: https://www.tourismvancouver.com/plan-your-trip/getting-here/
Getting to UBC
Access to UBC is relatively easy, but note that the campus is on the west side of Vancouver, approximately 20-30 minutes by car from either downtown or the YVR International airport.
There is a rapid transit line (the Canada Line of the “SkyTrain”) that serves the airport and then connects easily with buses that offer frequent service to the UBC campus (15 different bus routes serve the campus). The 2019 flat-rate taxi fare from YVR airport to UBC is $36. More information about transportation to and from the UBC campus is available at http://transportation.ubc.ca/. General information about trip planning on public transit in Vancouver can be found at www.translink.ca.
As of January 2020, Lyft and Uber are both available in Vancouver – but they have just started out in the city, so availability may be lower than elsewhere. There are several regular taxi cab companies, such as Maclure’s (https://www.maclurescabs.ca/contactus.html), Yellow Cab (http://www.yellowcabonline.com/), and Black Top & Checker (https://btccabs.ca/). There are also several car-share collectives, though you generally already have to have a membership to use them: these include car2go (https://www.car2go.com/CA/en/vancouver/), Modo (https://www.modo.coop/), and Evo (https://www.evo.ca/).
Once you’re on campus, you may find a campus map helpful: http://www.maps.ubc.ca/PROD/index.php