Vancouver runs polite, low-crime, contactless, and clean. The genuine "watch outs" are narrow: cold Pacific water, a visible Downtown Eastside drug crisis along Hastings, a 12% sales tax surprise on top of sticker prices, and wildfire-smoke advisories that drift in from interior BC. Everything else — payments, transit, etiquette — is forgiving for first-time visitors.
Emergency
911
Police, fire, ambulance
Sales tax
12%
5% GST + 7% PST
Tip
18-20%
Pre-tax · restaurants
Cannabis
Legal 19+
Not on transit / stadiums
Emergency & Health
Numbers to Save
🚨
Emergency 911
Police, fire, ambulance — single number nationwide.
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Vancouver Police non-emergency
604-717-3321. Use for theft, lost items, non-urgent reports.
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811 — nurse line
Free 24/7 nurse advice. Avoid an ER trip if not urgent.
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ER walk-in
St Paul's (downtown, 1081 Burrard) is closest. Visitors pay ~C$1,000+ out-of-pocket — buy travel insurance before you fly.
Money & Tax
Paying for Things
💳
Payments
PIN-and-tap universal. Apple/Google Pay accepted on TransLink. Cash rare but small bills useful for tipping. No PST on most restaurant food; liquor at restaurants 10% PST + 5% GST.
🪙
Tipping
18–20% restaurants. Tip pre-tax. Hotel housekeeping C$3–5/night. Hairdressers/spa 15–20%.
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Sales tax = 12%
5% GST + 7% PST = 12% combined. On clothing, restaurants (food only), hotels — applies on top of sticker price. Tax on alcohol 10% PST (15% combined).
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ATMs & FX
Bank ATMs (RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotia) charge low fees. Avoid white-label ATMs in convenience stores — high fees. Use credit-card for any transaction over C$20.
Getting Around
Transit, Cabs & Uber
🚕
Uber / Lyft / Kabu
All legal as of 2020. Working everywhere downtown + airport. Surge during match windows.
Hailed cab from YVR C$35–45 to downtown. Faster door-to-door if you have heavy luggage; cheaper than Uber surge.
🎫
Compass / contactless
Tap any contactless credit card or buy Compass Card / Stored Value. Single fare 1-zone C$3.20; 2-zone C$4.65. DayPass C$11.85. Covers SkyTrain Expo/Millennium/Canada lines + SeaBus + buses.
Tap & go is the easiest: just tap your contactless credit card / phone wallet at any TransLink gate. No need to buy a Compass Card unless you want one as a souvenir.
Entry & Substances
Border, Cannabis, Tap Water
🛂
eTA
C$7 eTA for visa-exempt fliers (UK, EU, AU, JP, etc.). US passport-holders not required. Apply online before flight.
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Cannabis
Legal 19+. No smoking on transit, in stadiums, or near schools. Provincial-run retail (BC Cannabis Stores) + private dispensaries.
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Tap water
Excellent — Vancouver's reservoir water is among Canada's best. Bring a refillable bottle, fill it anywhere.
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Cell on transit
All SkyTrain stations and most tunnels now have full 5G/LTE since 2025. SeaBus and BC Place strong signal.
Etiquette
The Vancouver Hello
Vancouverites polite but reserved. The "Vancouver hello" — a faint smile and a nod — is the norm. No loud street volume. Drivers stop instantly for pedestrians at marked crosswalks (be ready to actually cross or wave them on). Lining up is sacred — even at coffee carts.
Smoking: Banned in restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, transit, and within several metres of doorways. The default assumption is "no smoking here" unless explicitly indicated.
Safety
Scams, DTES & Wildlife
Downtown Eastside (DTES) / Hastings corridor: Visible homelessness, open drug use, mental-health crisis between Carrall and Main on Hastings. Walk past on the south side, don't flash phones, don't stop for "watch sales." Threat to tourists is low (this isn't muggers — it's a public-health emergency), but it's confronting if you're not prepared. Gastown (Water St, just north) is clean and safe.
Scams: Generally low. Fake Rolex / CBD vendors at Granville Island. Avoid white-label ATMs. Standard card-skimmer awareness on gas-station pumps.
Wildlife: Coyote sightings at Stanley Park — don't feed, give space. Black bears anywhere outside city core (any North Shore trail, Capilano, Lynn Canyon). Bear-proof food bins on hikes.