According to holidaysort, Vancouver (English: Vancouver Island) is an island of Canada, located in the Pacific Ocean (North America). Vancouver Island is part of the province of British Columbia, located on the west coast of Canada. The capital of Vancouver Island is Victoria. Some of the major cities on Vancouver Island are: Duncan, Sidney, Nanaimo, Courtenay, Saanichton and Port Alberni.
Vancouver Island has been known for centuries for its Indian population. Even in this modern age, dozens of Indian villages can still be found on and around the island. These villages are populated by the Kwakwaka’wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth and Coast Salish Indians. Throughout Vancouver Island you will find landmarks reminiscent of this, including impressive totem poles. Many tourists come to Vancouver Island for the overwhelming, mostly untouched nature. You will find beautiful mountain and nature reserves here where wild animals live (including black bears, orcas, pumas and wolves). In addition, there are several sandy beaches on the west coast and nice tourist cities such as Victoria and Campbell River. See printerhall for Canada geography.
Where is Vancouver Island?
Travel information of Vancouver Island
Official name: Vancouver Island
Continent: North America
Area: 31,285 km²
Capital: Victoria
Country code: CA, CAN
Population: 759,366 inhabitants (2011)
Form of government: Parliamentary monarchy
Highest point: 2,197 m (Golden Hinde)
Distance (Amsterdam – Victoria): 7,794 km
Flight time: approximately 13 hours and 30 minutes
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), changes in the field of travel follow each other in rapid succession. As a result, certain information on this page may be temporarily incorrect. For the most up-to-date travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs in Canada, please visit Countryaah.
Travel advice
Current status: No special security risks.
A detailed explanation of this travel advice can be found on The Netherlands worldwide.
Best time
June, July, August and September are the best months to travel to Vancouver Island. In these months you have the best chance of summer temperatures.
Travel offer
On our travel offer page you will find an overview of reliable travel organizations that offer complete trips and holidays to Vancouver Island. In addition, you will find an overview of separate travel components (car rental, hotels and airline tickets) with which you can compose your ideal trip yourself.
Weather and climate
Vancouver Island has the mildest climate in all of Canada (temperate maritime climate). This climate is characterized by warm summers and mild winters. In the summer months the temperatures are around 20 to 25 degrees and in the winter months around 5 to 10 degrees.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Vancouver Island can be found on our extensive weather page.
Language
English and French are both official languages on Vancouver Island. Other local languages are Gwich’in, Han, Kaska, Northern Tutchone, Southern Tutchone, Tagish, Tlingit, Inuktitut and Upper Tanana.
Do you want to translate from or to English/French for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is still valid when you leave Vancouver Island.
A visa is not required if you stay on Vancouver Island for less than 6 months.
Note: As of early 2016, you can only travel visa-free if you arrive by land or sea and are staying in Canada for less than 6 months. If you arrive by plane you must be in possession of an eTA (electronic Travel Authorization). You can apply for it online at the official cic.gc.ca website. The eTA is valid for 6 months over a period of 5 years.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in Canada: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Dutch consulate in Vancouver: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Canadian Embassy and Consulate in the Netherlands: canadainternational.gc.ca.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
You do not need any vaccinations to visit Vancouver Island.
Money and Currency
On Vancouver Island, the Canadian dollar (CAD) is used for payment.
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs on Vancouver Island can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
Prices on Vancouver Island are slightly lower than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is -2% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (22% cheaper), food (33% more expensive), imported beer in catering (30% more expensive), cigarettes (18% more expensive) and public transport (44% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
On Vancouver Island it is customary to tip approximately 10-15% of the total amount. If the service was very bad, you can give a little less. Giving nothing is very unusual and sometimes even indecent. Tip is not yet included in the bill by default.
Time difference
On Vancouver Island it is 9 hours earlier than in the Netherlands.
Summer time on Vancouver Island differs from that in the Netherlands.
Find the local times, dates and time zones for Vancouver Island on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
On Vancouver Island you must drive on the right.
You do not need an international driver’s license to drive and/or rent a motor vehicle on Vancouver Island.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Vancouver Island.
Electricity
On Vancouver Island you need a travel plug. In addition, in some cases you need an inverter.
More information about common plugs and sockets on Vancouver Island can be found on our electricity page (under Canada).
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 911
– Fire Department: 911
– Ambulance: 911
With a mobile phone you can also use the international number 112.
Tap water
Tap water is safe to drink.
News and newspapers
The latest news related to Vancouver Island can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from Vancouver Island can be found at Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from Vancouver Island end in.ca.
Official Vancouver Island websites:
vancouverisland.travel and seevancouverisland.com.
Telephone
The country code (international prefix) to call someone on Vancouver Island is 001 or +1.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Vancouver Island? Then use the Dutch country code 01131.
(If you use a country code, you must omit the first 0 of the number to be called.)
All area codes for Vancouver Island can be found on Allareacodes.com.
Telephone numbers can be found in the Vancouver Island Telephone Directory.
Company details can be found in the Vancouver Island Yellow Pages.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos from Vancouver Island.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Vancouver Island.
Holidays
Vancouver Island’s National Day falls on July 1 (Canada Day).
An overview of all other public holidays on Vancouver Island can be found on Beleven.org.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Vancouver Island?
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotel) and destinations on Vancouver Island, supplemented with photos, videos and points of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about Vancouver Island?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited Vancouver Island. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) on Vancouver Island can be found on Protected Planet.
Vancouver Island is not on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Vancouver Island? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol, food, money and perfume. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. You will also find the laws and regulations regarding the entry of pets on this website.
Entrepreneurship and doing business
If you intend to do business on or do business with Vancouver Island, it is wise to prepare well. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency can help you with this. On PaulSourcing.com you will find a large amount of information about Vancouver Island, including: opportunities, import and export regulations, trade figures, do’s and don’ts, product requirements, business partners and subsidies.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant laws and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to Vancouver Island.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking from the age of 19.
– Alcohol and traffic: The maximum permitted alcohol content is 0.5.
– Tobacco: Buying and/or smoking from the age of 19.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Allowed
Did you know…
…cougars live on Vancouver Island?
…A Dutch Bishop founded a cathedral on Vancouver Island?
…Vancouver Island is the largest island on the west coast of North America?
…Indians have lived on Vancouver Island for eight thousand years?
