If you plan on visiting a coastal Pacific Northwest city like Vancouver or Seattle, you'll find that you have more options for transportation than you were used to having to get to your tire dealers in Toronto. There are buses and trams and a light rail service and taxis and personal cars of course, but there are also lots of ferries which take advantage of the large amount of coastline present in the city. If you'd like to ride a ferry during your visit to Vancouver, let this article be your guide.

If your goal is to visit Vancouver Island, you'll want to hop on board one of the larger ferries serviced by BC Ferries. These ferries take both cars and passengers on regular journeys across the strait, which takes between a forty minutes and two hours depending on whether you're visiting Nanaimo, Victoria, or the Sunshine Coast. Some Vancouver Islanders even use these ferries to get to their jobs selling real estate in Surrey, BC. BC Ferries leave from terminals in Tsawwassen and Horseshoe Bay, which are 45 minutes south and north of downtown Vancouver respectively.

Vancouver consists of several peninsulas. Crossing between them can be time consuming if you have to go by land. Luckily, there's the SeaBus, which connects mainland/downtown Vancouver with North Vancouver across Burrard Inlet. The crossing takes only 12 minutes and you can catch the ferry at either Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver or at Lonsdale Quay in North Van, which has a market where you can get everything from baby art if you click here to fresh fish.

Granville Island, located just south of downtown Vancouver in the middle of False Creek, is another must see destination, especially for those who love farmer's markets, breweries, artisans, and cultural festivals. You can get there from one of the docks along the seawall on the False Creek Aquabus, which runs every 20 minutes and is advertised on many posters in Canada. There are also several seasonal ferries that run between the main attractions in downtown and Granville Island for tourists.

If you want to have a ferry all to yourself or to your group of traveling Woodbridge dentists, you can also hire a water taxi from one of several companies located on the seawall and Granville Island. They can take you to destinations in the Vancouver area or to other destinations like Bowen Island and to meet adventure or kayaking tours.