The usual way from Vancouver to Gibsons is a BC Ferries sailing from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, which sits on the Sunshine Coast side. From Langdale a short drive on Highway 101 takes you into Gibsons. Plan the trip around the sailing, not the road.
Getting to Horseshoe Bay
Horseshoe Bay is a community in West Vancouver at the western end of Highway 1, and its terminal is one of the busiest BC Ferries has. Drivers follow Highway 1 west until it ends at the terminal. Without a car, use the TransLink trip planner to find a bus that reaches Horseshoe Bay from your starting point, then walk on board as a foot passenger.
The terminal serves several routes, so check that your ticket says Langdale. Arrival rules and the recommended check-in time differ for walk-on passengers and for vehicles, and they change in busy periods. The BC Ferries website lists both, along with the sailing schedule and whether a reservation is available for your date.
The crossing and the Langdale terminal
The Langdale terminal carries vehicles to and from Horseshoe Bay. It also has foot passenger service to Keats Island and Gambier Island, so confirm you are boarding the right vessel. When you leave the terminal by car, an offramp from Highway 101 leads to Gibsons.
The BC Ferries schedule shows the exact crossing time and the departures for the day you travel. Weekends, long weekends and summer afternoons are the times when sailings fill up, and a missed boat can mean a long wait for the next one. Sailing earlier in the day usually gives more room for error.
Taxis at both ends
A taxi can cover the leg from downtown Vancouver or the airport to the Horseshoe Bay terminal. The Vancouver taxi page covers local service, and the taxi fare estimator gives a rough fare before you book. Tell the driver which sailing you are aiming for so the pickup time leaves enough margin.
On the Gibsons side, taxis wait less predictably after late sailings, so arrange a pickup or call ahead if you land near the end of the day. Rental car agencies in Vancouver are another route if you plan to explore the Sunshine Coast beyond Gibsons, since a car on the ferry gives you your own transport once you land. Book a vehicle space early in that case, because car decks are the first part of a sailing to sell out.