The Canada Line is the easiest way from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) to Richmond. The YVR-Airport station sits between the International and Domestic terminals, and Richmond stations follow within minutes. A taxi is the alternative if you carry heavy bags or want to go straight to a door.
Canada Line from YVR-Airport station
The line runs from about 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. every day. Richmond has seven stations: YVR-Airport, Sea Island Centre, Templeton, Bridgeport, Lansdowne, Aberdeen and Richmond-Brighouse. Visit Richmond puts the ride to downtown Richmond at about 18 minutes.
One detail catches people out. The line splits at Bridgeport Station, with one branch going to the airport and the other to Richmond-Brighouse. From YVR you ride to Bridgeport and change there if your stop is on the Brighouse branch. Read the signs on the platform to make sure the train matches your direction.
The airport fare supplement
Trips that start at YVR-Airport, Sea Island Centre or Templeton include a $5 AddFare on top of the normal fare, and it is added automatically. Fares change, so the TransLink website has the current numbers.
Taxi, rental car and hotel shuttles
Taxis, rental cars and hotel shuttles all serve the airport. A taxi makes sense after a long flight, with a group, or when your hotel or home is away from a Canada Line station. The Vancouver taxi page explains how to book, and the taxi fare estimator helps you plan the cost. Ask any hotel shuttle operator about their schedule and if a booking is required.
Planning around Richmond destinations
Richmond is large, so pick your approach by where you are headed. Near a Canada Line station, ride the train. For a place farther from the line, use the train to get most of the way and finish by bus or taxi, or take a taxi for the whole trip.
Bus routes and schedules out of the airport area change over time. The TransLink trip planner shows the current options, and the YVR public transportation page lists the services that leave from the airport.