If you want to travel somewhere it is always a good idea to read and explore the place before you go there. Every place on earth is specific with interesting and unique customs and with a different way of life. This rule you can also apply when it comes to Vancouver. If you want to find out more about useful tips to explore Vancouver just read this article, and if you do not know how to apply for a Canadian visa and what document you need to have to travel to Canada go check eta-canada-visa.com. Their agents will answer all your questions and help you with the whole process of applying.
At the beginning of the travel exploring process, you should know some basic facts, like there are 603,502 people in the city of Vancouver, and that this city is a metropolitan region for more than 2.3 million people. The spoken languages in Vancouver are English and French, but do not worry if you do not speak French, everybody there knows English at least as their second language, so you will have easy communication. The City of Vancouver has French heritage and it is always a colorful multicultural place. On the non-government, unofficial level, this stunning city speak so many languages and it is one of the most multilingual places in the whole world.
Source: National Geographic
Today’s Canadian culture is an amazing mix of many traditions, and after English, the most common mother tongue language is Chinese, Punjabi, German, Italian, French, Tagalog (Filipino) and Spanish.
When it comes to the currency it is best to use the official Canadian currency which is the Canadian Dollar- CAD. The best advice you can get is to have already this currency with you when you step in Canada, but if you do not have Canadian dollars with you, you can exchange money at the banks, trust companies, or at the offices of foreign exchange brokers.
Only some of the hotels and restaurants will accept US dollars but at a predetermined rate. The Canadian Dollar has 100 Canadian cents, and you have the coins of 5, 10, 25 cents, $1 loonie, $2 toonie. Whatever you buy and pay for in cash it will be rounded either up or down to the closest 5 cents. This is not the practice when it comes to credit and debit card payments.
In Vancouver, purchases are subject to a 7% Provincial Sales Tax (PST), and a federal 5% Goods and Services Tax (GST). The exceptions in this tax regime are liquor with the 10% PST, and accommodation 8% PST plus up to 3% hotel tax. The tax-exempt products are books, magazines, children’s clothing and some food.
Source: Round The World Girl
This stunning city is in the Pacific Time Zone because it is located on the shores of this ocean, and detects Daylight Savings Time form the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November. This is the city for everybody because it has sandy beaches and breathtaking mountains. The locals are very fond of outdoor activities, they like swimming, riding a bicycle, and hiking. If you are a nature lover you can go on a walk to Stanley Park where you can see the towering trees.
Like in other big cities, Vancouver is the place that it is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the city that never sleeps. The standard work hours are from Monday to Friday, from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Some stores are open until 9:00 pm on Thursday and Friday, the days when the sales are boosted.
We hope these tips have helped you if you decide to take the Vancouver trip because it’s a pity not to visit this Canadian jewel.
