The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (February 12 to 28, 2010 and March 12 to 21, 2010 respectively) will make it difficult to find a hotel room in Vancouver and its suburbs. Luckily, there are many options and regions to search, all organized in a simple fashion below.
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Hotels
Accommodations in Metro Vancouver, Whistler and Richmond are almost ready for booking. The official hotel reservation website is called the 2010 Destination Planner. It allows visitors to book a variety of accommodations, as well as organize transportation options. These include:
- Hotel rooms
- Private residential room, apartment or house rentals
- Bed and breakfast rooms
- Cruise ship options
- Cottage rentals
Hotels Outside of Vancouver, BC
Staying in the surrounding areas of Vancouver is also an option if hotel rooms are fully booked. Here is a list of some of the regions to seriously consider when making travel plans:
Vancouver: This central hub is close to all host city regions. Transportation is easy and fairly fast.
- Pacific Coliseum
- UBC Thunderbird Arena
- Canada Hockey Place
- (all ice hockey venues as well as figure skating, curling, sledge hockey and short track speed skating; see this Winter Olympic Venues article for a list of all sports sites)
- Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Centre
- Distance to Richmond: 13 km (8 mi)
- Distance to West Vancouver: 12 km (7 mi)
- Distance to Whistler: 126 km (78 mi)
Whistler: This ski resort is one of the most popular in the region. The “village” has a great atmosphere and is full of musical and cultural activities year round.
- Sliding Centre
- Whistler Creekside
- Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park
- Alpine and downhill skiing, ski jumping, slalom, biathlon, bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events (see this Olympic Sports article for a list of competitive sports being hosted in 2010)
- Distance to Vancouver: 126 km (78 mi)
- Distance to Richmond: 137 km (82 mi)
Richmond: This host city is known for its delectable Asian dining and is where flights come into the Vancouver International Airport. There is also much fishing history along the Fraser River.
- Richmond Olympic Oval
- Long track speed skating
- Distance to Vancouver: 13 km (8 mi)
- Distance to Whistler: 137 km (85 mi)
North and West Vancouver: These stunning cities have gorgeous views of downtown Vancouver and Burrard Inlet. West Vancouver is the location of competition venue Cypress Mountain (see this Olympic Tickets article for tips on buying tickets). Transportation is accessible to Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler.
- Freestyle Skiing, moguls
- Snowboarding
- Distance to Vancouver: 13 km (8 mi)
- Distance to Richmond: 30 km (18 mi)
- Distance to Whistler: 120 km (70 mi)
Burnaby: Located just east of Vancouver, this city is a great place to find deals on hotel rooms. Driving time to venues will take a bit longer.
- Distance to Vancouver: 13 km (8 mi)
- Distance to Richmond: 25 km (16 mi)
- Distance to Whistler: 135 km (84 mi)
Victoria & Vancouver Island: A ferry ride from mainland Vancouver, this is an option for those looking for a bit of space from the winter games.
- Distance to Vancouver: 110 km (68 mi)
- Distance to Richmond: 101 km (63 mi)
- Distance to Whistler: 241 km (150 mi)
Sunshine Coast: Another region accessible only by ferry, this is where to find quaint bed and breakfasts dotting the stunning coastline of British Columbia. BC Ferries will offer additional sailings between February 12 and 28, 2010 to accommodate travellers from this area, Victoria and Vancouver Island.
Tourism Vancouver (604-682-2222) can help with any other travel arrangements.
Find out where to buy Olympic merchandise.
Lori Henry - A travel writer, Lori flits between exploring the world with incessant curiosity and huddling over her laptop writing.
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