Vancouver Travel Essentials: Money, Tipping, Taxes, SIM, Visas

Published 2026-07-13 · FanVancouver Travel Desk

Twelve things that surprise first-time visitors to Vancouver, plus the practical answers on money, phones, visas and budgets — so nothing catches you off guard at the till or the border.

Money: the three surprises

• Prices exclude tax. Menus and shop tags show pre-tax prices; 5 % GST + 7 % PST (12 %) appears at the register. Hotels add ~17 % total. There is no tax-free refund for tourists in Canada.
• Tipping is expected, not optional: 15–18 % standard at restaurants, 20 % for great service; a dollar or two per drink at bars; 10–15 % taxis. Card terminals prompt automatically.
• You barely need cash. Visa/Mastercard and Apple/Google Pay work everywhere including buses and SkyTrain. Keep ~C$40 cash for fish counters at Steveston, small Chinatown shops and buskers. The C$1 coin is a “loonie”, the C$2 a “toonie”. If you must exchange cash, do it downtown (e.g. VBCE, 800 W Pender St) — never at the airport or hotel.

Daily budget reference (per person)

Detailed breakdowns: 2026 trip costs · 30 ways to save · best months to visit.

Entry: visas and eTA

• US citizens need only a passport (or NEXUS by land/sea).
• Visa-exempt countries (EU, UK, Australia, Japan and ~50 more) flying in need an eTA — C$7, usually approved in minutes at canada.ca. Arriving by land/sea, a passport is enough.
• Everyone else needs a visitor visa (~C$100 + biometrics) — apply well ahead; check your case at the official IRCC site, not third-party “visa agencies”.

Phones and WiFi

• Easiest: an eSIM (Airalo, Holafly and similar) bought before you land. Canadian mobile data is notoriously expensive.
• Cheap local SIMs: Public Mobile, Lucky Mobile, Chatr — from ~C$25–35/month prepaid, sold at London Drugs and phone shops.
• Free WiFi is broad: 600+ city hotspots (network #VanWiFi), every Starbucks/McDonald's, all public libraries. Coverage dies fast on mountain roads — download offline maps before day trips.

Rules of the land

• Drinking age in BC is 19; expect to show ID. No alcohol on beaches or in parks (enforced in summer).
• Cannabis is legal 19+ from licensed shops — but never take it across a border in either direction.
• No smoking/vaping indoors anywhere, or within 6 m of doors and windows.
• Power: 120 V, North-American type A/B plugs — Europeans need an adapter (and a voltage check for hair tools).
• Canada is metric on roads (km/h) but grocery stores price meat and produce per pound in big type — the per-kg price hides in small print.
• Healthcare is excellent and brutally expensive for visitors (an ER night can run thousands) — buy travel insurance, always. Pharmacies: Shoppers Drug Mart, London Drugs.

12 local tips

• Say thanks to the bus driver when you get off — everyone does.
• Dress casual and in layers; nobody wears heels or suits. Waterproof shoes beat umbrellas October–April.
• Vancouver is a nature city: manage expectations on museums, maximize mountains, water and food.
• Jaywalking tickets are real downtown; cars actually stop at crosswalks — don't wave them through, just go.
• Book BC Ferries (with car), whale tours and summer campsites well ahead — see our booking guide.
• Don't day-trip Vancouver Island “for a few hours”; Victoria alone deserves a full day minimum — guide here.
• August can bring wildfire smoke; check firesmoke.ca and our fire rules page.
• Respect First Nations territory signs — much of BC is unceded Indigenous land and marked reserves are private.
• Bears and cougars live in the North Shore mountains — read the trailhead signage; never feed wildlife (big fines).
• Sort your rubbish: bins are split into recycling/organics/landfill nearly everywhere.
• Public washrooms are free and easy: every park, mall, library and most cafes.
• Time zone is Pacific (UTC-8/-7): jetlag from Europe is heavy — plan a light first evening.

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