When to Go

A rainforest species like the western red cedar needs at least 76 cm (30 in.) of precipitation a year. Vancouver gets about 116 cm (46 in.) a year, a cause for celebration among the local cedar population. Homo sapiens simply learn to adjust.

Most of that precipitation (usually in the form of showers and drizzle, not downpours) arrives in the winter, when, with a 30-minute drive to the mountains, you can trade the rain for snow. Skiing and snowboarding are popular from mid-December until the mountain snowpack melts away in June. Except in Whistler, hotels in the winter are quiet and the restaurants less busy.

Both Vancouver and Victoria enjoy moderately warm, sunny summers and mild, rainy winters; their weather is the mildest in Canada. Victoria gets half as much rain as Vancouver (58 cm/23 in.), thanks to the sheltering Olympic Peninsula to the south and its own southeasterly position on huge Vancouver Island. You can find weather statistics for Vancouver at http://vancouver.weatherpage.ca.

Around mid-February, the winds begin to slacken, the sun shines a bit more, the buds on the cherry trees appear, and early daffodils blossom. By March, azaleas, rhododendrons, and most other flowers are in bloom, and the sun is more frequent.

June sees more sun per summer day than farther south (mid-June sees 16 hr. of daylight). Only 10% of the annual rainfall occurs during the summer months, and the sun stays out through summer until the rains close in again in mid-October. These spring/summer/early autumn months are prime visiting time and when most visitors arrive. The first cruise ships start appearing in April.

Holidays

The official British Columbia public holidays are as follows: New Year's Day (Jan 1); Good Friday, Easter, Easter Monday (Apr 10-13, 2009); Victoria Day (May 18, 2009); Canada Day (July 1); British Columbia Day (Aug 3, 2009); Labour Day (Sept 7, 2009); Thanksgiving (Oct 12, 2009); Remembrance Day (Nov 11); Christmas (Dec 25); and Boxing Day (Dec 26).