Kelowna is a city in the Okanagan region British Columbia.

Understand

Kelowna is the largest inland city in British Columbia. It is located in the BC wine country.

Get in

By plane

Kelowna has one international airport, with daily service to several cities including Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Seattle.

By train

The nearest train terminal is in Kamloops, a couple of hours north of Kelowna by car.

By car

Hwy 97 is the major highway through Kelowna, with Vernon and Hwy 1 to the north, Penticton and Hwy 3 to the south, and (via Hwy 97C) Merritt to the west. Hwy 33 provides secondary access to points south and east.

By bus

Greyhound services Kelowna from Vancouver and Calgary and points in between.

Get around

Traffic can be quite heavy on major roads in Kelowna during the summer months, especially at the approaches to the floating bridge. A lack of advance left turn traffic lights contributes to accidents at major intersections.

Bus service within Kelowna has actually improved slowly but steadily over the last few years. Best times to travel are early mornings and late afternoons, Monday to Friday. Bus drivers are generally courteous and will on request call ahead to your next bus to facilitate a timely transfer.

Kelowna has an extensive network of bike lanes. Cyclists are advised to use bike lanes (when not obstructed by parked vehicles) and intersections with caution. Cycling on local highways is not recommended.

There are several boat launches along the lakeshore with parking facilities. Be prepared to queue in the summer months. As for the lake itself, it can get crowded out there, especially with small watercraft.

The downtown area is pedestrian-friendly, especially along the waterfront.

See

• Kelowna Rockets hockey
• Okanagan Sun football
• Local wineries
• Mission Creek Greenway
• Knox Mountain (two viewpoints)

Do

• Ski and snowboard at Big White
• Swim in Lake Okanagan
• Bike and hike the local mountains
• Golf

Learn

• UBC Okanagan
• Okanagan College

Work

The main industry in Kelowna is tourism, with its requisite offering of service industry jobs at or slightly above minimum wage. The local ski hill Big White offers winter employment for ski/board instructors, liftees, servers, and so on. With the recent boom in housing, there is a shortage of skilled tradespeople in the construction industry.

Buy

• Orchard Park shopping centre
• Bernard Avenue between Richter and Water Streets
• Central Park shopping area, Hwy 97 and Banks Road
• Pandosy St at/around KLO Road

Eat

Budget

• Ken's Dim Sum, near Starbucks on Bernard.

Mid-range

• O-Zeki Japanese
• Moxies

Splurge

• Mon Thong

Drink

• The Grateful Fed is on Bernard Ave, the main strip downtown, and has live music in the later evenings, with pub/deli style eats and drinks, and a patio in the warmer months.

Sleep

If you will be staying in Kelowna between May and September, book your accomodations well in advance, especially for weekends.

Budget

Kelowna International Hostel - The recommended of the two hostels in town. Interesting atmosphere, not overcrowded. It has a limited number of beds, however, so it's easiest to book ahead. http://www.kelowna-hostel.bc.ca/

Samesun Backpacker's Lodge http://www.samesun.com/destinations/kelowna/

Mid-range

• Best Western

Splurge

• Grand Okanagan

Contact

Stay safe

Kelowna is a relatively safe city for its size ... but avoid Leon & Lawrence Avenues between Water and Ellis at night. City Park can be somewhat dodgey after hours, too. In recent years the homeless have been displaced by the "criminally transient".

Most of the drug trade in Kelowna is controlled by an ad hoc branch of the Hells Angels, who have a clubhouse on Ellis St near Knox Mountain (look for the house with the silvered windows). They are not conducting tours at this time.

Cope

Get out