The province of British Columbia is located on the Pacific coast
of Canada. 3.4 of the 4.6 million British Columbians live in the
metropolitan areas around the island cities of Victoria and
Nanaimo, the metropolis of Vancouver and the medium-sized cities
of Kelowna and Kamloops. The further north you go, the less
populated it becomes.
Apart from the estuary of the
Fraser River (Vancouver), the Rocky Mountain Trench (Prince
George) and the prairie plain in the extreme northeast of the
province, the landscape is extremely wild. Mighty mountain
ranges of the Rocky Mountains, such as the Coast Mountains and
the Columbia Mountains, cover almost the entire area of the
province. The northern Pacific coast is part of the Alaska
Panhandle; South of Portland Inlet, however, the coast is purely
Canadian: the deep fjords and sounds, the coastal sections and
islets dotted with lakes or provincial parks (6,000 in total!),
the port towns of Prince Rupert and Powell River, and the two
large islands of Graham Island and Vancouver Island.
British Columbia is Canada's
westernmost province. To the northwest of the province lies
Alaska (USA), to the north Yukon and the Northwest Territories,
to the east Alberta and to the south the US states of Idaho,
Montana and Washington. The southern border, the 49th parallel,
was established in the Treaty of Oregon in 1846.
The 2010
Winter Olympics took place in Whistler and Vancouver.
Northern British Columbia
“North Coast,” untouched wilderness and
original culture; known for fishing. The Alaska Highway and “Peace
River” begin here.
Canyons and the Cariboo
“Cariboo” and
“Chilcotin.” Canyons and plains, remote hiking trails and cattle
ranching. The Yellowhead Highway runs here, which begins 100 km west of
Winnipeg, leads as a panoramic route through the Canadian Rocky
Mountains and runs on the mainland to Prince Rupert.
Thompson-Shuswap
With Okanagan and Osoyoos in the south. Mountains in
the north, paradise for outdoor activities in the east, one of Canada's
three wine-growing regions in the south.
Kootenays
Fantastic
mountain world in the east of British Columbia.
Vancouver Island
Island off Vancouver that is covered with rainforest; the capital of the
province is located here.
Lower Mainland
with Vancouver. More
than half of the population lives here.
In the south of the
province, the Trans-Canada Highway (H1) runs from west to east, starting
in Victoria, roughly parallel to the US border, to the Atlantic coast at
St. John's in Newfoundland.
The British Columbia Highway 99,
which is considered a scenic route, runs from the south to the northern
region.
North
Prince George
Fort St. John
Dawson Creek
Terrac
Quesnel
Pacific coast
Powell River
Prince Rupert
Vancouver
Island (selection):
Victoria ‒ capital of British Columbia
Nanaimo
‒ the largest city on the island
Nelson (BC)
Lower Mainland and
Greater Vancouver (selection)
Vancouver ‒ the largest city in British
Columbia and its suburbs
Surrey (BC), across the Fraser River in the
east
Burnaby, merged with Vancouver
Richmond (BC), southern suburb
with the old fishing port
Coquitlam, northeast
Abbotsford (BC), a
good 45km to the east, the end of the agglomeration
Southeast
Kelowna ‒ the most important city in the Okanagan Valley, the wine and
fruit growing region of B.C.
Kamloops
Vernon (BC)
Penticton
Cranbrook
Salmon Arm
Williams Lake (BC)
Very small but
touristically interesting places:
Clearwater: gateway to Wells
Gray Provincial Park
Visits to national parks
require a paid permit from Parks Canada. The “Discovery Pass”, which is
valid for one year throughout Canada, is worth it from the second visit.
Children up to 17 are free.
1 Glacier National Park in the
counties of Flathead and Glacier
2
Kootenay
National Park covers an area of British Columbia
in Western Canada. National park covers an area of 1,406 sq km.
3 Mount
Revelstoke National Park
4 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve , two
areas on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
5 Gwaii Haanas National
Park , only accessible by boat or plane.
6 Yoho National Park is in
the Rockies and is part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks and is a
World Heritage Site
Also included in the Discovery Pass are the
museums of the National Historic Sites:
1 Fort Langley
Fort
Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse
2 Fort St. James
Gulf of
Georgia Cannery, in Richmond
Barkerville Ghost Town is situated in a province of British Columbia in Canada. It was originally found in 1862.
By plane
The largest airport in the region is Vancouver Airport.
In the rural areas there are numerous small airfields that serve
general aviation and can be reached by private charter.
By train
The Amtrak Cascades luxury trains travel to the USA: Vancouver ↔ Seattle
↔ Tacoma ↔ Portland ↔ Salem ↔ Eugene in 11 hours.
The
transcontinental The Canadian starts/ends in Toronto, stops in Kamloops
and goes to Vancouver.
The Rocky Mountaineer tourist train
starts/ends in Vancouver, also stops in Kamloops and goes to Banff.
However, you cannot get on or off during the stopover in Kamloops.
By car/bus
Greyhound offers a bus connection to Seattle. You have
to get off at the border for passport and customs control.
In
addition to the Trans-Canada Highway (H1) in the south, the main
highways are the Yellowhead Highway (), which ends in Masset on Graham
Island, and a 57 km long section of the Klondike Highway (H2) between
Skagway (Alaska) and Dawson City (Yukon).
Railway
The Rocky Mountaineer tourist trains travel in special
panoramic carriages (“Ultra-Dome” with two floors) on four different
routes from Vancouver to Banff/Jasper (Alberta) or vice versa through
the Canadian Rocky Mountains. There are two train classes, the cheapest
class costs c$ 975 in 2024.
The nationwide VIA Rail stops in
Prince George, Jasper and Kamloops in addition to Vancouver.
Buses
The EBus and Gray Line run between major cities. Since
Greyhound went bankrupt in 2021, accessibility to rural regions has
deteriorated significantly. In the north of the province, connections
are rare, for example BC Bus North only serves its 29 destinations on
four lines from Prince George 1-2 times a week.
Driving
If you
follow the rules you are used to from Germany (be considerate of
cyclists, stop at zebra crossings, etc.), you are not wrong. U-turns at
intersections with traffic lights (“U-turns”) are only permitted if
there are signs to that effect (rare).
Maximum speeds are 30 km/h
(20 mph) near schools, 50 km/h (30 mph) in built-up areas, 80 km/h on
country roads, and 110-120 km/hr (70-75 mph) on highways or expressways,
depending on signs.
The provincial blood alcohol limit is 0.49 ‰.
Consuming alcohol in public, including cars and boats, is punishable by
a fine of c$230, unless a municipal bylaw allows it at certain beaches
or parks (seasonally).
By bike
In British Columbia, helmets
are compulsory.
Due to the many mountains, the coast, the mountain lakes, the rivers
and the forests, British Columbia offers a wide range of sporting
activities.
Fishing requires a province-wide fishing license that
can be applied for online. Foreigners pay almost double the price, and
annual passes cost five times as much! There are regional limits (per
day). Documentation is required for lingcod, Chinook salmon and halibut.
In order to be allowed to fish in national parks, you need a special
permit from Parks Canada.
Gasoline is sold by the liter.
In addition to the national
value-added tax of 5% (GST), there is also an 8% provincial tax (PST).
In addition to this, there is the “Municipal and Regional District Tax”
(MRDT), which varies from place to place, up to a maximum of 3%, which
is charged in accommodation, so that the actual room price is 15% higher
than the stated price.
Alcohol is only available in BC government
liquor stores, which are also open on Sundays, but for shorter hours.
Restaurants and bars also have to buy here.
The Okanagan Valley is a center of fruit growing.
The fast food
chains that are common across the North American continent are
everywhere. The large number of Asian immigrants provides some variety,
at least in cities. But this also leads to certain taste aberrations,
such as the “JapaDog,” a hot dog with roasted seaweed, or the “BC Roll,”
a sushi roll with the rice on the outside. In cities with a high
proportion of Indian populations, you can find “Butter Chicken Pizza.”
Pacific salmon in all varieties, especially when it is fresh in
season. “Spot prawns” are relatively large shellfish from the northern
western Pacific. “Dungeness crab” is usually steamed. “Geoduck” is not a
duck, but the very expensive delicacy elephant trunk clam, which is now
farmed.
Lamb (and cheese) from Salt Spring Island is said to have
a special flavor because the animals eat salty grasses, similar to those
on the Brittany coast.
The Doukhobors are a group of Russian
Orthodox dissidents who emigrated to Saskatchewan around 1900. Several
of them also settled in Grand Forks. They are vegetarians. Their
meat-free version of borscht, made without beets, is a regional
specialty.
There is wine production in the southern regions of Vancouver Island,
Gulf Islands, Fraser Valley, Similkameen, Valley, Okanagan Valley,
Kootenays, Lillooet, Thompson Valley and Shuswap. In terms of quality,
one would expect the usual North American standard. The BC VQA awards
the "quality" seal. This simply indicates that only local grapes were
used.
As in the rest of Canada, local alcohol licensing
regulations lead to excessive taxation and thus prices rarely
commensurate with the quality. Wine has been allowed to be sold on
supermarket shelves since 2024.
Tips of 15-20% are expected.
The ban on "happy hour" has been
lifted, but there is a lower price limit that cannot be undercut.
Closing time is at 2 a.m. at the latest.
The province's casinos
are operated by Casinos BC. Most are part of upscale hotels, the smaller
ones only offer slot machines. Poker comes in various variations.
Roulette is played in the American version with 0 and 00.
Since 2023, the possession of hard drugs, opioids, crack, meth,
ecstasy up to 2.5 grams has been decriminalized. This does not apply in
schools, playgrounds, etc. and is initially limited to the end of 2026.
As mentioned, cannabis has been legal for some time.
In winter
and spring, make sure that rental cars are equipped with winter tires.
The most common cause of death when encountering wild animals is
hitting a moose - in a car. Fully grown animals, up to 1.80 meters and
500 kilos, are heavy enough to cause total damage to both sides. Elk and
the smaller white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) also like to
stand on the road. Males reach shoulder heights of over one meter and
weigh 100-150 kilos.
Just like sows, moose cows defend their
young very fiercely when they feel threatened.
The most common
insects encountered are mosquitoes and ticks, the latter also transmit
TBE and other diseases. Fire ants also bite, often in swarms, if you
step into their nests. The stings are not painful at first, it takes
some time for pustules to form. Popular wisdom has it that wasps react
particularly aggressively to yellow clothing.
A good 40% of
attacks by mountain lions (cougars) in North America take place outside
of beds in B.C. Direct attacks on people mainly occur against children.
Bears, which attack mainly in summer, kill an average of one person per
year. When camping, food should be hung in the trees away from the tent.
A campfire burning overnight is also a deterrent.
Contrary to
popular belief, porcupines do not “shoot” their quills. However, they do
not like being touched any more than skunks. The latter, which do not
live on the coast, can squirt their venom up to 7 meters away; if it
gets into the eye, it can lead to temporary blindness.
Crazy
serial killers like Robert Pickton, the “Pig Farmer,” are rare in the
hinterland.
The Pacific has an oceanic climate, with mild winters and cool summers, and rain falls all year round. Inland it is continental with extreme temperature fluctuations between summer and winter, and it also rains less than on the coast. In the northern regions and above an altitude of 700m (in the south), winters are icy cold (temperatures of up to -30°C are not uncommon!!!). In summer it can get hot from time to time, but it cools down considerably at night. In the southern valleys of British Columbia it is surprisingly mild. The winters are as cold, but in summer it is much warmer and, above all, sunnier. A special climatic feature is the valley around the town of Osoyoos (border with the USA), where you can find Canada's only desert with cacti and rattlesnakes.
The state's time zone is Pacific Standard Time (UTC -8), except in
the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, Peace River Regional
District, Cranbrook, Golden and Invermere, where people live on Mountain
Time (UTC -7).
Daylight saving time applies from the second
Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. When neighboring states
in the USA end this practice, B.C. will no longer go back. This could
happen in November 2023 at the earliest.