From Vancouver: Sea to Sky Gondola and Whistler Village Tour

About This Experience

Star Sightseeing sends two people with every coach: a professional driver and a dedicated step-on guide. The coaches are new highway models with power outlets at every seat and a washroom on board, and pickup covers 59 downtown Vancouver hotels. Loaner umbrellas are on board for wet days. The day runs north on the Sea-to-Sky Highway from May to mid-October, and the operator caps groups at 50 travelers.

The first stop is the Sea to Sky Gondola: a 10-minute ride over the rainforest canopy to Habrich Ridge, about an hour at the top, then back down. At the summit you can take the two interpretive loop trails with cantilevered viewing platforms, cross the Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge or sit in the Summit Lodge. Along the route the guide's Fire and Ice theme explains the volcanic and glacial forces that shaped the region.

Beyond Squamish the road climbs into the Coast Mountains past Mount Garibaldi, a dormant stratovolcano, and through old lava flows to Whistler, a year-round resort with a pedestrian-only village. You get about 3 hours there, with an optional guided walking tour to start if you want your bearings. After that the Olympic rings, galleries, shops, restaurants and cafés are all a short walk apart, and the time is yours.

The return adds two stops: about 10 minutes at the Tantalus Lookout for the glacier-covered peaks across the valley, and about 30 minutes at Shannon Falls, BC's third-highest waterfall, where the guide explains how glaciers shaped the cliff it pours over. From there the road follows Howe Sound south, with the ocean in front of you this time, until the city skyline appears above Horseshoe Bay.

Highlights

• About an hour at the Sea to Sky Gondola summit with two interpretive loop trails
• Fire and Ice commentary on the region's volcanic and glacial history
• About 3 hours in pedestrian-only Whistler Village and its Olympic rings
• Photo stop of about 10 minutes at the Tantalus Lookout
• About 30 minutes at Shannon Falls, BC's third-highest waterfall

What's Included

• ✓ Sea to Sky Gondola ride, with the Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge and interpretive trails
• ✓ Professional driver plus a dedicated step-on guide
• ✓ New highway coach with power outlets at every seat and a washroom
• ✓ Optional guided walking tour of Whistler Village
• ✓ Loaner umbrellas
• ✓ Collector Series souvenir

Not Included

• Meals
• Personal expenses
• Optional activities in Whistler

What to Bring

• Comfortable shoes
• Camera
• Weather-appropriate clothing in layers

Good to Know & Caveats

• The tour operates daily from 1 May to 15 October; the last bookable date this year is 11 October 2026, and dates reopen from May 2027.
• Its season ends before the Sea to Sky Gondola's annual maintenance closure (9–26 November 2026).
• The day involves walking and heights, including the suspension bridge.
• Weather can change fast in the mountains; dress in layers.
• Not allowed: non-folding or electric wheelchairs, mobility scooters, non-folding strollers, and pets other than assistance dogs.
• No food, alcohol or smoking in the vehicle, and no unaccompanied minors.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.

Meeting Point

Hotel pickup and drop-off are included from 59 downtown Vancouver hotels and Pacific Central Station, from the Fairmont Pacific Rim and Pan Pacific to the Sylvia Hotel in the West End.