Kelowna travel guide
Kelowna Tourism | Kelowna Guide
You're Going to Love Kelowna
With a population of 125,109, Kelowna is a must-see destination in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of the most popular cities to visit in the country. We recommend you stay at least 13 days in order to fully appreciate everything Kelowna has to offer.
Where to Eat in Kelowna
If you’re looking for affordable options, The Italian Kitchen Lake Country (415 Commonwealth Road) and OAK + CRU Social Kitchen & Wine Bar (1310 Water St) are great picks. For delicious green meals, Social 242 Lounge & Grill (242 Lawrence Ave.) and Friends of Dorothy - Kelowna (315 Lawrence Ave) are recommended spots to get vegetarian or vegan food in Kelowna.
When to visit Kelowna
Looking for warm weather? Then head to Kelowna in July, when the average temperature is 20 °C, and the highest can go up to 28 °C. The coldest month, on the other hand, is December, when it can get as cold as -6 °C, with an average temperature of -3 °C. You’re likely to see more rain in June, when precipitation is around 46 mm. In contrast, February is usually the driest month of the year in Kelowna, with an average rainfall of 19 mm.
How to Get to Kelowna
Plane
When flying to Kelowna, you’ll arrive at Kelowna (YLW), which is located 7 miles from the city centre. The shortest flight to Kelowna from Australia departs from Melbourne and takes around 19h 45m.
Car
Another option to get to Kelowna is to pick up a car hire from Vancouver, which is about 168 miles from Kelowna. You’ll find branches of Thrifty and Dollar, among others, in Vancouver.
Bus
You can travel by bus to Kelowna using Rider Express or Ebus. From Abbotsford, the bus ride to Kelowna takes 386 km and will cost you around $81. From Vancouver, the ticket costs about $190 for a journey of 523 km. The most popular bus station is Kelowna Downtown, located 0.6 km from the city centre of Kelowna. Kelowna West Kelowna is also a commonly used station, and is 6 km from the city centre.
Airlines serving Kelowna
Where to stay in Kelowna
Average rates range from around $321 per night for a double room in a 3-star hotel to $213 and up for a 5-star experience. If you’re on a budget, well-reviewed accommodations include Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kelowna - East and Lake Country Inn.
Where to stay in popular areas of Kelowna
Most booked hotels in Kelowna
Hiring a car in Kelowna
Hiring a car in Kelowna costs $97 per day, on average, or $1,267 if you want to hire it for 13 days. Driving Force, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Avis are the agencies with the best reviews in the city. The most popular location to hire a car in Kelowna is the Hertz branch at 5533 Airport Way, which is 11 km from the city centre.
It’s generally cheaper to hire your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 6% cheaper than airport locations in Kelowna.
Expect to pay $2.18 per litre in Kelowna (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your car hire, filling up the tank will cost between $26.15 and $34.86. Intermediate (Ford Escape or similar) is the most popular car type to hire in Kelowna, while also 34% cheaper than other types, on average.