Visitor Information

Tourism Vancouver Touristinfo Centre, 200 Burrard St., Vancouver, B.C. V6C 3L6 (tel. 604/683-2000; www.tourismvancouver.com), and Tourism Victoria Visitor Centre, 812 Wharf St., Victoria, B.C. V8W 1T3 (tel. 250/953-2033, for hotel bookings only 800/663-3883 and 250/953-2022; www.tourismvictoria.com), can help you with everything from booking accommodations to making suggestions for what to see and do. Their websites are full of useful trip-planning information.

For additional information and city maps once you arrive, walk-in Visitor Info Centres are located just beyond the US-BC Peace Arch border crossing on Highway 99 in Surrey, B.C.; at the Canada Place Cruise Ship Terminal; and at Vancouver International Airport at the International Arrivals level.

If you're planning to spend time outside Vancouver and Victoria, you may also wish to contact the Vancouver Coast and Mountains Tourism Region (tel. 800/667-3306 or 604/739-9011; www.vcmbc.com). For travel information on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, contact Tourism Vancouver Island, 203-335 Wesley St., Nanaimo, B.C. V9R 2T5 (tel. 250/754-3500; www.seetheislands.com).

For information about travel and accommodations elsewhere in the province, contact Tourism British Columbia, 1803 Douglas St., Suite 300, Victoria, B.C. V8T 5C3 (tel. 800/HELLO-BC or 250/356-6363; www.hellobc.com).

For cultural information, check out Vancouver magazine's website at www.vanmag.com. The website www.allianceforarts.com also lists weekly art events in Vancouver.

Telephones

Phones in British Columbia are identical to U.S. phones. The country code is the same as the U.S. code (1). Local calls normally cost C25¢ (US20¢/10p). Many hotels charge C$1 (US85¢/45p) or more per local call and much more for long-distance calls. You can save considerably by using a calling card or your cellphone. You can buy prepaid phone cards in various denominations at grocery and convenience stores.

To call Vancouver:

1. If you're calling from outside North America, dial the international access code: 00 from the U.K., Ireland, or New Zealand; or 0011 from Australia. (Omit this step if you're calling from the U.S.)

2. Dial the country code 1.

3. For Vancouver or Whistler, dial the area code 604 and then the number.

Calling within Vancouver and Whistler: If you are in Vancouver or Whistler and want to call another number in Vancouver or Whistler, you must use the area code 604, followed by the number.

To make international calls: To call the U.S. or elsewhere in Canada dial 1, followed by the area code and phone number. To call the U.K., Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand, first dial 00 and then the country code (U.K. 44, Ireland 353, Australia 61, New Zealand 64), followed by the area code and number.

For directory assistance: For automated toll-free directory assistance within Canada (and the U.S.), dial tel. 1-800-555-1212. You can also dial 411 if you're looking for a number inside Canada. Dial 0 for numbers to all other countries. (You will incur a charge if you use the 411 and 0 directory assistance numbers.)

For operator assistance: If you need operator assistance making a call, dial 0.

Toll-free numbers: Numbers within Canada beginning with 800, 866, 877, and 888 are toll-free from the U.S., but calling a 1-800 number in the States from Canada is not toll-free. In fact, it costs the same as an overseas call.

Cellphones

You can rent a cellphone at a Touristinfo Centre at Vancouver International Airport (Touristinfo Centres are found in both the domestic and international terminals), or in the city at the Vancouver Touristinfo Centre, 200 Burrard St. (tel. 604/683-2000), for a minimum charge (at press time C$25/US$21/£11). For current rates and more information, contact the phone provider, Cita Communications, tel. 888/593-2482; www.cita.info.). There are currently no cellphone rental locations in Victoria; travelers to Vancouver Island generally rent and drop off their rented cellphones in Vancouver.

Internet/E-Mail

Without your computer -- Almost all hotels in Vancouver and Victoria now provide some kind of free computer access, so you can at least check your e-mail. To find cybercafes in Vancouver and Victoria check www.cybercaptive.com and www.cybercafe.com.

Most major airports have Internet kiosks that provide basic Web access for a per-minute fee that's usually higher than cybercafe prices. Check out copy shops like Kinko's (FedEx Kinko's), which offers computer stations with fully loaded software (as well as Wi-Fi).