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So you’re thinking of doing a helicopter tour in Vancouver, are you? We think that’s a great idea!
As locals, we may be biased, but we think that Vancouver is one of the most gorgeous cities in the world. It’s an amazing city to explore on the ground, but what’s even better is taking in the stunning varied landscapes from high in the air.
Booking a helicopter tour is a surefire way to make your time in Vancouver extra memorable, which is why we’ve outlined the absolute best Vancouver helicopter tours available with reputable companies below. We hope you find the perfect bucket list experience for you!
Quick Pick: Our Favorite Tour
If you’re ready to book your helicopter tour right away, you can’t go wrong with this Vancouver City helicopter tour!
You will soar high above the city for 30 minutes taking in unmatched views of the Coastal Mountains and Pacific Ocean, along with iconic landmarks like the Lions Gate Bridge and Granville Island. Your guide will provide interesting commentary throughout the flight, so you know what you’re looking at and can learn along the way!
It costs $379 CAD per person and runs daily. We love how stress-free this tour is. Everything is taken care of for you such as pick-up/drop-off from your downtown hotel, cruise port, or even the airport. You just get to sit back and enjoy the ride!
Book our favorite Vancouver helicopter tour here and enjoy FREE 24-hour cancellation!
- Quick Pick: Our Favorite Tour
- The BEST Vancouver Helicopter Tours
- Why book a helicopter tour in Vancouver?
- Do you need to book your helicopter tour in advance?
- Is a helicopter tour in Vancouver worth it?
- Other Things to do while you're in Vancouver
- Thanks for reading!
- Why We Book Tours with Viator
- Renting a Car in British Columbia
- Don't Forget Travel Insurance!
The BEST Vancouver Helicopter Tours
1. Victoria Day Trip by Helicopter and Sea Plane
If you’re dying to visit the charming coastal city of Victoria (…who isn’t?), but don’t have much time, this helicopter and seaplane tour is the answer you’ve been looking for!
We love to visit Victoria, but to be honest, doing it on a day trip from Vancouver is way too much. It’s a lot of driving plus a 1.5-hour ferry ride, so it takes about 4 hours each way in total. However, it’s only a 35-minute helicopter ride from Vancouver PLUS you get amazing views the whole way.
The included transfer will pick you up from your hotel around 9 am and take you to the heliport. Here you’ll have free tea, coffee, light snacks, magazines, and WiFi as you wait in the lounge before takeoff. Then, once you take off you’ll have insane bird’s eye views as you fly out of the city and over the Strait of Georgia towards Vancouver Island!
When you arrive in Victoria, you have free time to explore the city at your leisure. There are so many things to do in Victoria. We recommend visiting the Butchart Gardens, or diving into some history at Craigdarroch Castle – the options are endless!
Your return flight to Vancouver departs at 6 pm, but this time you’ll be traveling by seaplane instead! The views on the way back are just as amazing and if you book this tour in the spring or autumn, you might even be flying back at sunset. Plus, Vancouver is actually famous for its seaplane rides so we love that this tour allows you to experience that, too.
This tour costs $759 CAD per person and is typically available from May until October. It’s the perfect way to take a day trip to Victoria from Vancouver, and the transport is even more exciting than the city itself!
If you’re ready to travel to Victoria in style, secure your spot online here!
Related Read: Want to make the most out of your short time in Victoria? Check out the best walking Tours in Victoria to learn some history or indulge in the best food the city has to offer!
2. BC Backcountry Helicopter Tour
We believe British Columbia’s wild and beautiful backcountry is something everyone should see – especially from the air! From rivers and waterfalls to rainforests and glacial lakes, the scenery here really is out of this world.
The BEST way to explore British Columbia’s backcountry is with this helicopter tour. It includes an unforgettable 30-minute flight over British Columbia’s Coastal Mountain Range. You would honestly need weeks to explore it on the ground, but with a helicopter, you can gaze at the remote wilderness and breathtaking landscapes from the air – talk about a bucket list experience!
There’s a maximum of 10 travelers per tour, so you get a nice, personal experience and plenty of chances to ask your pilot about what you’re seeing as you fly over all of the incredible, dramatic scenery. It also runs year-round, so you’ll get different and unique views depending on the season you go (hello snow-capped mountains!).
This tour costs $379 CAD, which includes downtown Vancouver hotel pickup and dropoff. You can even request to be picked up/dropped off at the cruise port or airport, making this a super easy activity to do if you are transiting through Vancouver!
This tour takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes total including pick up, the helicopter ride, and drop off. Some additional information to note is that this tour is NOT wheelchair accessible and has a weight limit of 136kg (300 lbs) per passenger.
If you want to do a helicopter flight but don’t quite have the budget for it, check out our blog about our Viator promo code! This is just for our readers and helps you save money on epic experiences like this one.
Reserve your seat on this beautiful backcountry helicopter tour now!
3. Vancouver City Helicopter Tour
If you’re pressed for time, this helicopter city tour of Vancouver is a fantastic way to see as much of the city as possible.
As you soar over its skyscrapers, you’ll understand why so many movies set in New York are actually filmed here in Vancouver! In fact, it’s nicknamed “Hollywood North” for this very reason.
During the 30-minute flight, you’ll have amazing views of the Port of Vancouver, the ocean, and the Coast Mountain Range. You’ll also fly over Stanley Park, and while we love exploring it at ground level, you can only really understand how big it is when you see it from above. Some other highlights include the famous Lions Gate Bridge, Burrard Inlet, and False Creek.
This 2.5-hour tour is perfect for those with only one day in Vancouver such as pre- or post-cruise passengers, but to be honest it’s an amazing tour for anyone who wants to see Vancouver from a different perspective. Vancouver is such a gorgeous city and there’s really no better way to appreciate its beauty than from a helicopter.
The tour runs year-round and costs $379 CAD per person. It includes pickup and dropoff, either from your downtown hotel or the cruise port. There is also an option for drop off at the airport if needed – the tour company will even handle your luggage for you!
Book this scenic Vancouver helicopter tour in advance here!
Why We Book Tours with Viator
Viator is a trusted online booking system for tours around the world! We almost always book our tours using Viator for a couple of reasons:
- Free cancellation on most tours – Most of the tours on Viator allow you to cancel and get a full refund up to 24 hours in advance. This is handy in case plans change, or if booking an outdoor activity, the weather forecast is looking grim.
- Reserve now and pay later – You can secure your spot on some of the most popular tours well in advance and not pay until closer to the day of the tour.
- Lowest price guarantee – If you happen to find the same tour at a lower price elsewhere, Viator will refund you the price difference.
- Pay in your chosen currency – Avoid costly international transaction fees by choosing to pay in your home currency.
- Peace of mind – When booking with tour operators you find in person on the street or in small booking offices, you are often promised one thing and given another. This online platform holds tour operators accountable with a written description of inclusions as well as the opportunity for customers to leave reviews.
Check out the Viator website here! Or, for more info, read our detailed review about Viator here.
Why book a helicopter tour in Vancouver?
There are so many reasons to book a helicopter tour in Vancouver! The most obvious one is that you get amazing views of the city – but it’s also a fantastic way to see a lot in a short amount of time.
If you only have a couple of days in Vancouver, it’s easy to fit a helicopter ride into your itinerary to get an unbeatable aerial view of the city. Some of the tours above only last 2.5 hours including about 30 minutes of flying time. So this way, you won’t miss out even if you don’t have time to see everything on the ground!
We love that helicopter tours from Vancouver can also help you see more of BC and Canada as well. The helicopter day trip to Victoria saves you so much in travel time and the backcountry BC experience takes you to remote locations that would be next to impossible to reach without a helicopter!
We also think that a helicopter tour would be an amazing way to celebrate a special occasion, whether you’re in Vancouver on your honeymoon, a bachelor/bachelorette weekend, or to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. It’s an experience you won’t forget!
Related Read: While visiting Vancouver, make sure to check out the best Vancouver city tours. They are a great way to maximize your time and see all Vancouver has to offer!
Do you need to book your helicopter tour in advance?
Yes! You should book at least a few weeks in advance, especially during the summer months.
Lots of tourists come to Vancouver between May and September so helicopter tours are always in demand during these months, but it’s a pretty popular activity all year round. To be safe you can book with Viator, which allows you to cancel or change your booking up to 24 hours before departure for no additional fee if needed!
Is a helicopter tour in Vancouver worth it?
Absolutely! A helicopter tour is such an amazing way to take in the beauty of this unique city. You get to see so much in a short amount of time. It’s truly a bucket list experience!
Learn more about our favorite Vancouver helicopter tour and secure your spot here!
Other Things to do while you’re in Vancouver
Vancouver is a city filled with tons of things to do and see. So while you’re here, be sure not to miss some of the top attractions and activities:
- Go whale watching – It’s not just people who flock to Vancouver every year! From the beautiful black and white orcas to the lively humpbacks, going whale watching in Vancouver makes for a truly unforgettable memory. This half-day whale watching tour offers an amazing experience with a guarantee you’ll see whales!
- Hiking – There are a ton of amazing hikes in and around Vancouver. Challenge yourself with the famous Grouse Grind, wander the trails near the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, or even drive towards Squamish and do The Chief.
- Eat ALL the food! – Vancouver is a foodie destination. Showcasing cuisine from all around the world in top-rated restaurants, you really need to eat out a few times while in Vancouver. For breakfast, Jam Cafe or Medina are our go-tos. For Asian cuisine, you can’t pass up Minami for sushi or Danbo for ramen. You can also join this highly-rated food tour that takes you to some of the city’s best restaurants in Gastown.
- See Granville Island – Granville Island has such a fun energy and you can easily spend an afternoon wandering through the streets seeing the street performers, and checking out the famous Granville Public Market. If you’re short on time or want a stress-free stop, there are some Granville Island tours we love like this VIP market access tour where you’ll get to sample all the best food!
- Explore Kitsilano – One of our favorite areas in all of Vancouver is Kitsilano. This suburb is super trendy and has many cute stores, cafes, and restaurants that are well worth checking out. On top of that, Kitsilano Beach is one of the best beaches in Vancouver and the perfect place to relax. It’s also our favorite place to watch the sunset.
Renting a Car in British Columbia
If you’re arriving in British Columbia via plane, then I can’t recommend getting a rental car enough. British Columbia is a large province, and traveling between the best places to visit in BC requires transport. Although you can use public transport on some occasions, this means your trip will not only require more time but more planning.
Car rental in Canada isn’t relatively cheap, but it’s not that expensive either, especially if you get a budget car. The cheapest car with a pick-up and drop-off in different locations is around $100 CAD per day. The price does vary though, depending on the time of year. For car rentals, I use the website Discover Cars. It’s a search engine with lots of deals with good customer service. In fact, I’ve used Discover Cars all over the world, including in Chile, New Zealand, and Australia. Read my honest review of Discover Cars here for more details!
Another popular option is to rent a campervan or motorhome (only for the brave in winter). Using Motorhome Republic, you can search hundreds of deals across multiple companies to pick a great vehicle and the cheapest price. Having a motorhome is a stunning way to see Canada and you can often camp for free or very cheap in the most beautiful places imaginable! Read my tips on using Motorhome Republic here before you book!
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance!
If you’re looking to save money on travel insurance, we currently use and recommend SafetyWing. We’ve been using their coverage since 2018 and they’ve had our backs when we needed emergency flights and got sick overseas.
SafetyWing is one of the cheapest providers out there and covers everything from medical costs to lost luggage, travel delays, and emergency flights. A huge difference we’ve found between them and other companies is that they let you take out a policy AFTER leaving your home country. We’ve also found it handy that it’s a monthly payment rather than a lump sum, and you can get a refund for unused time.
SafetyWing has helped us out in some scary situations before and their affordable coverage has given us peace of mind. You can read our honest review of SafetyWing for all the pros and cons.
Thanks for reading!
Well, there you have it, a complete breakdown of the best helicopter tours in Vancouver. Whether you’re planning a quick one-day visit to Vancouver or are staying a while, a helicopter tour is a fun activity you can do any time of year.
Make sure to browse around our other blogs if you’re headed to the Vancouver area. We have a ton of Canada road trip ideas and West Coast blogs to make your time in this part of the country memorable.
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