Left luggage/baggage storage in Vancouver?

June 21, 2013 3:34 PM

Where do I store my luggage, preferably in/close to downtown Vancouver, on a Friday afternoon and Monday during the day?

Arriving into YVR around 12:30 pm on a Friday, but my Airbnb place won't be available until around 5 pm -- I'd like to dump my bags somewhere so I can go sightseeing after my flight gets in but before I can get into where I'm staying. Then on Monday I'm taking the 5:45 pm train to Seattle, but probably need to be out of the airbnb place by noon and need a place to store my bags. I'm staying near the Stadium-Chinatown Sky Train stop.

Bags: one carry-on-size rollaboard and a small duffel

Options I've considered for Friday:
- Airport: there seems to be left luggage here, but I REALLY don't want to backtrack to the airport Friday evening to get my bags
- Canada Place: most geographically convenient, but it seems like bags are checked for cruise passengers only
- Pacific Central Station luggage lockers: also convenient, but when I called it seemed to be that I would have to go through security and tell them I'm a traveler? Also, are the lockers large enough?

Any other options I'm missing? Maybe a museum or department store coat check? I have no problem at all paying for the service. (Conversely, I am bad at face-to-face lying so unless it's really necessary I'd prefer not to do things like "pretend you're a guest and check at a hotel.")

For Monday, it seems like I can go to the train station and depositing my bags in the morning: any problem with that?

posted by andrewesque to Travel & Transportation around Vancouver, BC (4 answers total)

The luggage lockers at the train station on Main St. should be sufficient for all but the largest bags...

If you do need to leave it at the airport it is only a 21 minute ride on the Canada Line from downtown to YVR, not nearly as bad in the days before the train when it was a bus ride to reach the airport.
posted by thewalrus at 3:52 PM on June 21, 2013

I've regularly stored my luggage at the Hotel Vancouver. Last time it was $2 a bag.
posted by Snazzy67 at 4:17 PM on June 21, 2013

Science World, right at the Main Street-Chinatown stop, probably has lockers or a checked luggage facility. I'd recommend calling to find out, though.
posted by urbanlenny at 7:36 AM on June 25, 2013

Response by poster: For anyone who is looking, I ended up being able to get into the place early, but if you do need to store bags, Pacific Central Station has large lockers. There is a security guard before you get there (it's to the right of the station, near where Greyhound boards, once you get in) but if you tell him you are traveling he'll let you to the lockers. When I used them the mid-size ones were $5 for 4 hours and $1 for an additional 6 hours.
posted by andrewesque at 7:05 PM on July 9, 2013