Car rental Vancouver

Driving is the best way to explore all that Vancouver has to offer, with a well-maintained road network giving you access to all the city’s highlights. The bucolic beauty of British Columbia is also within easy driving distance, with easy access to the main highways.

Whether you’ve arrived at the airport, train station, or are looking to pick up your rental car from somewhere else in the city, you’ll find our pick-up locations conveniently placed and the grid-based road network simple to navigate.

You can enjoy coastal drives along the north and west or trace the Fraser River on the city’s southern edge. Sandwiched between mountains and the Pacific Ocean, you’re surrounded by exquisite vistas.

One of the first things you’ll notice about driving here is that there are no major freeways in the city. The two most significant routes are Highway 99 (BC-99), which runs north to south and crosses the Fraser River into Richmond, and BC-7A which leaves the city to the east.

The former crosses the Lions Gate Bridge, a dramatic overpass linking North and South Vancouver at the tip of Stanley Park.

The grid system means the avenues that cross Vancouver are prefixed with East or West. The dividing line for this is Ontario Street, at the edge of Queen Elizabeth Park. It’s only a few blocks west of Main Street, a thoroughfare that connects many of the city’s best attractions.

There are plenty of parking facilities in the city, so it shouldn’t be hard to park up. This varies between below and above-ground lots and garages, while there’s meter parking on the street too, although often with restrictions of two to three hours.

Kicking back in Stanley Park, gazing at the quirky public sculptures, tapping into the latest food trend or packing the skis and heading off to Grouse Mountain – Vancouver really does offer the best of all worlds.

Spend time by the water and then delve into the vibrant city streets – it’s easy to see why Vancouver is a favourite city to many.

The city’s soul

Beautiful all year round, but especially stunning in the fall when the russet hues dominate, Stanley Park is where the locals come to relax, play, walk and meditate.

Surrounded by bays and inlets, you can roam the entire seawall and admire the changing views as you go, as the vistas vary from mountains to forestry. The interior of the park is laced with various walking and jogging trails and a number of gardens.

Look out for the Shakespeare Garden, with a range of trees mentioned in the bard’s work, and numerous monuments, totem poles, restaurants and more. On a warm, sunny day this is the perfect place to relax and unwind.

Head for the sky

On Vancouver’s north shore, Grouse Mountain towers over the city, and you can reach its peak via cable car for one of the best views in British Columbia. As well as spotting the city, forests and nearby mountains, you can also see as far as Washington State in the north of the US.

A key spot for winter sports, the ‘Peak of Vancouver’ has more than just slopes and snow. Here you can snowboard or snowshoe, take the Skyride through the Douglas firs, pond skate, zipline and dine high in the sky.

Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics in 2010 and Cypress Mountain and Mount Seymour have excellent skiing facilities too.

The city streets

What Vancouver also does brilliantly – in addition to world-class parks and outdoor fun – is city life. Head for the old district of Gastown with its cobbled streets steam clock and charming squares and statues. The DNA of the original city runs through this area, while next door you’ll find the city’s equally vibrant Chinatown.

Main Street is peppered with independent coffee shops, craft breweries, restaurants and even boasts a geodesic dome that sits atop Science World, a fun interactive museum. There’s a plethora of art galleries here, and you can see how the former Olympic Village development has been turned into a lively community.

All the world’s food seems to be here, both in bricks and mortar and in food trucks. Take your pick from oriental, burritos, bistros, seafood and everything in between. There’s a farm to table philosophy underpinning many of the best restaurants, while seafood is proudly local.

If you’re self-catering or just planning a picnic, head to Granville Island Public Market. You can take a guided foodie tour here, or just take your pick from the countless outlets – charcuterie, artisan cheese, coffee, hot dogs, donuts and rotisserie.

With car rental in Vancouver from Hertz you’ll have the freedom to explore the best of the city and beyond.